Our Fifty States, musical edition
This is perhaps the easiest of them all. ANd in that case, I may ask people to create their own list of all fifty states, rather than just contributing to a Neel-compiled master list (thanks, by the way).
The rules: the song must mention the state in its lyrics. Provide artist and song title.
Here's what I've got so far, in black. Highlight if you want to see:
AK: "North to Alaska"
AL: Lynnard Skynnard, "Sweet Home Alabama"
AR: Cry Cry Cry, "Shades of Grey"
AZ: Jackson Browne, "Take it Easy"
CA: Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreaming"
CO: John Denver, "Rocky Mountain High"
CT:
DC: Dar Williams, "Southern California wants to be Western New York"
DE: Moxy Fruvous, "The Lowest Highest Point" (K, is this cheating?)
FL: Patty Griffin, "Florida"
GA: Traditional, "Marching through Georgia"
HI: Elvis Presley, "Blue Hawaii"
IA: Dar Williams, "Iowa"
ID:
IL:
IN: Richard Shindell, "The Next Best Western"
KS: John Denver, "Matthew"
KY: Neil Diamond, "Kentucky Woman"
LA: Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode"
MA:
MD:
ME:
MI: Simon and Garfunkel, "America"
MN: Indigo Girls, "Ghost"
MO: Cry Cry Cry, "Cold Missouri Waters"
MS: Indigo Girls, "Ghost"
MT: Jimmy Buffett, "Come Monday"
NC: is using James Taylor cheating? I don't think he actually says "North"
ND: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dani California"
NE: Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
NH:
NJ: Simon and Garfunkel, "America"
NM:
NV: Sheryl Crow, "Leaving Las Vegas"
NY: Sinatra, "New York, New York"
OH: Richard Shindell, "The Next Best Western"
OK: Broadway soundtrack, Oklahoma!
OR: Shawn Mullins, "Twin Rocks Oregon"
PA: ???, "Pennsylvania 6-5000"
SC:
SD:
TN: Arrested Development, "Tennessee"
TX: ???, "Yellow Rose of Texas"
UT:
VA: Eddie from Ohio, "Old Dominion"
VT:
WA: Dar Williams, "Southern California wants to be Western New York"
WI:
WV: John Denver, "Take me home, Country Roads"
WY: Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
The rules: the song must mention the state in its lyrics. Provide artist and song title.
Here's what I've got so far, in black. Highlight if you want to see:
AK: "North to Alaska"
AL: Lynnard Skynnard, "Sweet Home Alabama"
AR: Cry Cry Cry, "Shades of Grey"
AZ: Jackson Browne, "Take it Easy"
CA: Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreaming"
CO: John Denver, "Rocky Mountain High"
CT:
DC: Dar Williams, "Southern California wants to be Western New York"
DE: Moxy Fruvous, "The Lowest Highest Point" (K, is this cheating?)
FL: Patty Griffin, "Florida"
GA: Traditional, "Marching through Georgia"
HI: Elvis Presley, "Blue Hawaii"
IA: Dar Williams, "Iowa"
ID:
IL:
IN: Richard Shindell, "The Next Best Western"
KS: John Denver, "Matthew"
KY: Neil Diamond, "Kentucky Woman"
LA: Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode"
MA:
MD:
ME:
MI: Simon and Garfunkel, "America"
MN: Indigo Girls, "Ghost"
MO: Cry Cry Cry, "Cold Missouri Waters"
MS: Indigo Girls, "Ghost"
MT: Jimmy Buffett, "Come Monday"
NC: is using James Taylor cheating? I don't think he actually says "North"
ND: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dani California"
NE: Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
NH:
NJ: Simon and Garfunkel, "America"
NM:
NV: Sheryl Crow, "Leaving Las Vegas"
NY: Sinatra, "New York, New York"
OH: Richard Shindell, "The Next Best Western"
OK: Broadway soundtrack, Oklahoma!
OR: Shawn Mullins, "Twin Rocks Oregon"
PA: ???, "Pennsylvania 6-5000"
SC:
SD:
TN: Arrested Development, "Tennessee"
TX: ???, "Yellow Rose of Texas"
UT:
VA: Eddie from Ohio, "Old Dominion"
VT:
WA: Dar Williams, "Southern California wants to be Western New York"
WI:
WV: John Denver, "Take me home, Country Roads"
WY: Bruce Springsteen, "Nebraska"
posted by Courtney at 1:58 PM
10 Comments:
Hmm. How about operas that take place in the US?
California: Puccini's La Fanciulla del West
Colorado: Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe
Kentucky: Danielpour's Margaret Garner
Louisiana: Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire
Maine: Picker's Emmeline
Massachusetts: Beeson's Lizzie Borden
New York: Weill's Street Scene
Tennessee: Floyd's Susannah
That's all I got for now.
Moxy Fruvous is never cheating and so...that song IS my list.
Either that or Yakko's states song. "Elvis used to hang out ther a lot, ya know?"
There's some old song with corny lyrics like "What did Delaware, oh, what did Delaware."
Indiana's easy -- it's the name of a Samples song. Chorus is "I remember the first time I drove through Indiana."
Georgia MUST be "Georgia On My Mind," for Ray's sake. Runner-up is the Allmans' "Ramblin' Man."
Not sure we can count Indigo Girls for Mississippi -- they're talking about the river.
But yet another Georgia band takes care of Idaho for you. Thanks, B-52s.
I found a good way to cheat. Bob Dylan's site has a search function.
Train's song "Idaho" mentions:
Texas
Maine
Florida
DC
and of course, Idaho.
Is it cheating to use one song for that many states?
If we are debating about Mississippi - Um... Ted Nugent... Mississippi Queen?
Vermont: Katy Says Today is the Best Day of My Whole Entire Life by Christine Lavin
Or for Ohio: "My City was Gone" by the Pretenders
Georgia: "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" or "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", or "Midnight Train to Georgia."
SC: not specifically about SC, but could be thought to be-- "Going to Carolina In My Mind" by James Taylor.
Connecticut may not want to claim it, but "Connecticut's For F*cking" by Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse.
A song for Rhode Island: "The Downeaster Alexa" by Billy Joel.
For Maryland: Counting Crows have "Raining in Baltimore."
New Hampshire: By They Might Be Giants; "New Hampshire".
That's all I have for now
Yay Klee! And speaking of TMBG, another Oregon song: "James K. Polk." I played that in my class, which elicited cheers from at least one student who was kicking it old school.
Quinn, I hate to be a nitpicker, but doesn't "James K. Polk" refer to the Oregon Territory, which means it wasn't a state yet?
Still, where were the cool professors like you when I was in college?
IL: Sweet Home Chicago? :)
Oh and I meant to add that this has been fun, though I've largely been lurking.... :)
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