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Forty-nine states of the United States (all except New Jersey) have one or more state songs, selected by the state legislature as a symbol of the state.
New Jersey does have an unofficial state song, "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen, but it has not yet been approved by the state legislature.
Some states have more than one official state song, and may refer to some of their official songs by other names; for example, Arkansas officially has two state songs, a state anthem, and a state historical song. Also, Virginia does not presently have a state song by that name, but it has given two songs official recognition under other names.
A few of these songs are among the best-known songs in the U.S., including "Old Folks at Home" (better known as "Swanee River"), "Yankee Doodle", "You Are My Sunshine", "My Old Kentucky Home", and "Home on the Range"; a number of others are popular standards, including "Oklahoma!" (from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical), Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind", "Tennessee Waltz", "Missouri Waltz", and "On the Banks of the Wabash". Many of the remainder, such as "Here We Have Idaho", "Utah, This is the Place", and "State Song of Maine", are unlikely to be seen anywhere except on lists such as the following.
| State |
State song |
Composer/Lyricist |
Year adopted |
| Alabama |
Alabama |
Mrs. Edna Gockel Gussen /
Julia Strudwick Tutwiler |
1931[1] |
| Alaska |
Alaska's Flag |
Elinor Dusenbury and
Carol Beery Davis |
1955[2] |
| Arizona |
State song Arizona |
|
1981[3] |
| State Anthem Arizona March Song |
|
1919[3] |
| Arkansas |
State anthem Arkansas |
|
|
| Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me) |
|
|
| Oh, Arkansas |
|
|
| State historical song The Arkansas Traveler |
|
[4] |
| California |
I Love You, California |
words by: F. B. Silverwood
music by: A. F. Frankenstein |
|
| Colorado |
Where the Columbines Grow |
|
[5] |
| Rocky Mountain High |
John Denver |
[6] |
| Connecticut |
State song Yankee Doodle |
|
[7] |
| State cantata The Nutmeg |
|
[7] |
| Delaware |
Our Delaware |
|
|
| Florida |
Old Folks at Home
(Way Down Upon The Swanee River) |
Words: Stephen C. Foster
Music: E. P. Christy |
1935 |
| Georgia |
Georgia on My Mind |
Hoagy Carmichael /
Stuart Gorrell |
1979 |
| Hawaii |
Hawai'i pono'i |
Words: King David Kalakaua
Music: Henry Berger |
1967[8] |
| Idaho |
Here We Have Idaho |
|
|
| Illinois |
Illinois |
|
|
| Indiana |
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away |
|
March 14, 1913 |
| Iowa |
The Song of Iowa |
|
|
| Iowa State Fight Song |
|
|
| The Bells of Iowa State |
|
|
| Kansas |
Home on the Range |
|
|
| Kentucky |
My Old Kentucky Home |
|
|
| Bluegrass song Blue Moon of Kentucky |
|
[9] |
| Kentucky Home Made Christmas |
| Louisiana |
Give Me Louisiana |
|
|
| You Are My Sunshine |
Jimmie Davis
(former governor) |
|
| State march Louisiana My Home Sweet Home |
|
|
| Environmental song The Gifts of Earth |
|
[10] |
| Maine |
State of Maine Song |
|
|
| Maryland |
Maryland, My Maryland
(to the tune of O Tannenbaum) |
|
[11] |
| Massachusetts |
State song All Hail to Massachusetts |
Arthur J. Marsh |
[12] |
| State folk song Massachusetts |
Arlo Guthrie |
[13] |
| State ceremonial march The Road to Boston |
|
[14] |
| State patriotic song Massachusetts (Because of You Our Land is Free) |
|
[15] |
| State glee club song The Great State of Massachusetts |
|
[16] |
| State polka Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts |
|
[17] |
| State ode Ode to Massachusetts |
|
[18] |
| Michigan |
State song My Michigan |
|
|
| Minnesota |
Hail! Minnesota |
|
1945 |
| Mississippi |
Go, Mississippi
(sometimes called Go Mis-sis-sip-pi) |
|
|
| Missouri |
Missouri Waltz |
melody: John V. Eppel
arranged: Frederic K. Logan
lyrics: J.R. Shannon |
1949 |
| Montana |
Montana |
|
|
| Montana Melody |
|
|
| Nebraska |
Beautiful Nebraska |
|
|
| Nevada |
Home Means Nevada |
|
|
| New Hampshire |
Official Old New Hampshire |
|
|
| Honorary New Hampshire, my New Hampshire |
|
|
| Honorary New Hampshire Hills |
|
|
| Honorary Autumn in New Hampshire |
|
|
| Honorary New Hampshire's Granite State |
|
|
| Honorary Oh, New Hampshire |
|
|
| Honorary The Old Man of the Mountain |
|
|
| Honorary The New Hampshire State March |
|
|
| Honorary New Hampshire Naturally |
|
[19] |
| Official Live Free or Die |
Barry Palmer |
2007 |
| New Jersey |
Unofficial Born to Run |
|
|
| New Mexico |
English song O Fair New Mexico |
|
|
| Spanish song Así Es Nuevo Méjico |
|
|
| Ballad Land of Enchantment |
|
|
| Bilingual song New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo México |
|
|
| New York |
I Love New York |
|
|
| North Carolina |
The Old North State |
|
|
| Unofficial Carolina in My Mind |
James Taylor |
[citation needed] |
| North Dakota |
North Dakota Hymn |
|
|
| Ohio |
Beautiful Ohio |
Mary Earl, music
Ballard MacDonald, original lyrics
Wilbert McBride, 1989 lyrics |
1969[20] |
| Rock song Hang on Sloopy |
The McCoys |
1985[21] |
| Oklahoma |
Oklahoma! |
Rodgers and Hammerstein |
[22] |
| Oregon |
Oregon, My Oregon |
J.A. Buchanan and
Henry B. Murtaghin |
1927 |
| Pennsylvania |
Pennsylvania |
|
|
| Rhode Island |
Rhode Island |
|
|
| Rhode Island, It's for Me |
|
|
| South Carolina |
Carolina |
|
|
| South Carolina On My Mind |
|
|
| South Dakota |
Hail, South Dakota! |
|
|
| Tennessee |
My Homeland, Tennessee |
|
|
| When It's Iris Time in Tennessee |
|
|
| My Tennessee |
|
|
| The Tennessee Waltz |
|
|
| Rocky Top |
Boudleaux Bryant /
Felice Bryant |
|
| Texas |
Texas, Our Texas |
|
[23] |
| Utah |
State Song Utah, This is the Place |
Sam and Gary Francis |
2003[24] |
State Hymn Utah, We Love Thee
(State Song 1937-2003)[25] |
Evan Stephens |
2003 |
| Vermont |
These Green Mountains |
|
|
| Virginia |
Emeritus state song Carry Me Back to Old Virginny |
|
[26] |
| Washington |
State Song Washington, My Home |
|
1959 |
| State Folk Song Roll On, Columbia, Roll On |
Woody Guthrie |
[27] |
| State Rock Song Louie Louie |
Richard Berry |
[28] |
| West Virginia |
The West Virginia Hills |
|
|
| This Is My West Virginia |
|
|
| West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home |
|
|
| Wisconsin |
On Wisconsin |
|
|
| Wyoming |
Wyoming |
|
|
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Act 31-126, Acts of Alabama, STATE SONG: Alabama. Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama. Alabama Department of Archives & History (2006-04-27). Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
- ^ Official State Song. Alaska Information. State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
- ^ a b Arizona State Anthems. SOS for Kids. Arizona Secretary of State's Office (2003). Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
- ^ Arkansas Code 1-4-116
- ^ Colorado State Song (HTML). Colorado State Symbols & Emblems. State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
- ^ Lawmakers OK 'Rocky Mountain High'. The Denver Post (March 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-12. CRS 24-80-909
- ^ a b STATE OF CONNECTICUT, Sites ° Seals ° Symbols; Connecticut State Register & Manual; retrieved on January 4, 2007
- ^ Names & Insignia of Hawaii
- ^ KRS 002.100
- ^ Lyrics & act numbers of official songs
- ^ Maryland, My Maryland - Maryland State Song
- ^ M.G.L. 2:19
- ^ M.G.L. 2:20
- ^ M.G.L. 2:27
- ^ M.G.L. 2:31
- ^ M.G.L. 2:43
- ^ M.G.L. 2:44
- ^ M.G.L. 2:47
- ^ RSA 3:7
- ^ Ohio Revised Code: 1989 S 33, eff. 11-6-89; 1989 H 457
- ^ House Concurrent Resolution 16 on November 20, 1985
- ^ 25 Okla. Stat. § 94.3
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/TT/xet1.html (accessed August 4, 2006).Government code, § 3101.005
- ^ Utah Symbols - "Utah, This is the Place" from utah.gov "Pioneer - Utah's Online Library" page. Retrieved on 2008-03-25
- ^ Utah Symbols - "Utah We Love Thee" from utah.gov "Pioneer - Utah's Online Library" page. Retrieved on 2008-03-25
- ^ Official State Song of the Commonwealth of Virginia (2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
- ^ Symbols of Washington State. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
- ^ Washington State Facts. wsdot. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
