New York City trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed at the top of the Empire State Building for the recording of their second single "Despair" off their new album "Mosquito", which was released last April.

The New York Times reported that "For logistical and creative reasons, the shoot was a well-kept secret. It began with a sort of cinematic preparty in a nearby Irish pub and ended with a helicopter buzzing the skyline."

The music video was shot in April, but unlike any other performances that have been staged in rooftops, this one is legitimate.

"The way I look at it is, why hadn't this been done before?" Anthony E. Malkins said, president of the Malkin Holdings and operator of the 82-year old historic building. "To make sure that the Empire State Building isn't frozen in people's minds in 'An Affair to Remember' and 'Sleepless in Seattle' - we're live, we're vibrant, we're 82 years young," he said.

Band vocalist Karen O. and Patrick Daughters, the video director, had never been on top of the building until the proposal for the video came along. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' performing on risers around the building was real instead of the usual lip-synching and pretending to play instruments in music videos.

"It's definitely not just another cool day in the life of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs," she said and added "It was definitely an iconic moment. It's hard to do something like that and not to feel like it's symbolic - it's like the American dream for us, singing your song on top of the Empire State Building."

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs played in Australia last January for the annual Big Day Out Summer 2013 music festival.