Compiling a playlist of songs about every state is harder than it sounds. There are the reasons you’d expect: Not every state has a song written about it that match with your specific tastes and for other states choosing just one is almost impossible. There are artists — great ones, even — who write a lot of songs about states. But, you don’t want to end up with just a playlist of just Johnny Cash, John Denver, and Bruce Springsteen hits. You also want to keep things interesting with a healthy mix of musical styles. Again, it’s harder than it looks.
The best songs about each state are below and based on our expert analysis opinion. (Here’s the Spotify playlist.). You’ll disagree with some, but hopefully others will inspire you to travel and find out why there’s a whole song about North Dakota’s greatness.
Alabama
“Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Fun fact: Lynyrd Skynyrd is named after a gym teacher who was universally hated by every guy in the band. Funner fact: They’re not from Alabama, a tidbit anyone from Jacksonville, Florida will tell you within seconds of this song coming on.
Alaska
“Road to Alaska” – Bee Gees
Did it have the staying power of Stayin’ Alive or Night Fever? No. Does this bluegrass-y road trip jam about trying to find your pregnant girlfriend prove that Miami’s Maurice Gibb, at the very least, was up for a good road trip? Maybe.
Arizona
“Gold Dust Woman” – Fleetwood Mac
The “gold dust” drug-addled and heartbroken Stevie Nicks is referring to here is obviously the sand around Phoenix, right? Actually, kinda. The name is a callback to Gold Dust Lane, a Phoenix street where Nicks lived as a child. The song was recorded in one take at an empty church near Sausalito, California. And, according to Onstage Magazine, the iconic chorus of “Did she make you cry, make you break down,” was completely improvised.
Arkansas
“Arkansas Dave” – George Strait
This tale of notorious outlaw Dave Rudabaugh is vintage George Strait, with drawling, nostalgic vocals and a June Carter-like harmony with Marty Slayton. The song works especially well because it incorporates another great country music staple – the last line plot twist. And if you’re not familiar with the story of Dave’s demise, listen to this song first.
California
“California Love” – 2 Pac
California is to song lyrics what Florida is to news headlines, so narrowing it down to one song is almost as hard as picking the state’s best taco. And with all due respect to the Beach Boys and Van Halen, neither of them produced videos that featured post-apocalyptic dune buggy rides through the desert.
Colorado
“Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
The guy’s name is Denver, for crying out loud.
Connecticut
“Connecticut” – Judy Garland and Big Crosby
This song sounds like it should be played on a crackling Victrola during a 1940s cocktail party somewhere in Greenwich, as men in dark ties and women with giant hair say things like, “Darling, did you know Bing Crosby has a song about Connecticut now? He sings it with that girl from Babes on Broadway.”
Delaware
“Delaware” – Perry Como
If you’re a fan of state name puns – and really, who isn’t? – this Perry Como number is the undisputed GOAT. What did Della wear? A NEW JERSEY, of course. *rimshot*
Florida
“Seminole Wind” – John Anderson
With a generous nod to Pitbull for working the Miami area code into every top 40 hit since 2012, no song makes a person well up with Floridian pride like this John Anderson ballad about the destruction of the Everglades. It’ll literally make you want to drive out to the swamp, stand up in the bed of your pickup truck, and wave the Florida flag like you didn’t just move there from New York two years ago.
Georgia
“Devil Went Down to Georgia” – Charlie Daniels
“So, Mr. Devil, let me get this straight. You want me to put up my eternal soul against your gold fiddle, which at $425 an ounce in 1979 is worth about $8,500?”
Hawaii
“Theme from Hawaii Five-0” – The Ventures
You can’t hear this song without visualizing quick-cut edits of surf breaks and the 1960s Honolulu skyline. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1968, a feat only topped by eight other TV theme songs. No, Friends wasn’t one of them.
Idaho
“What’s Your Name” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Skynyrd’s presumably autobiographical tale of bar fights, groupies, and one-night stands? It took place in Boise, Idaho.
Illinois
“In The Ghetto” – Elvis Presley
Elvis never really got too deep with his lyrics, save for this song off From Elvis in Memphis about the endless cycle of poverty and violence on the south side of Chicago. It’s also the rare Elvis song that most of a generation thinks is by Eric Cartman.
Indiana
“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” – Tom Petty
Tempting to think this song is metaphorically about marijuana. But if there’s a song about a drug that grew up in a small Indiana town, it’s not marijuana.
Iowa
“Iowa Stubborn” – The Music Man
The Music Man, a story of a fast talking shyster who heads deep into the heartland to swindle a bunch of small town people into doing something that is completely against their best interest. If set in 2025, it would have ended with Harold Hill being elected president.
Kansas
“Dust In The Wind” – Kansas
This song has been effectively ruined by every movie-quoting hack who insists on yelling “You’re my boy, Blue!” whenever it comes on the jukebox. If you can somehow listen to this meditation on mortality away from said Will Ferrell wannabes, it’s easy to imagine dust blowing over an empty Kansas prairie.
Kentucky
“Blue Moon of Kentucky” – Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Bill Monroe, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Vince Gill, LeAnn Rimes, and others.
The only song with a list of more impressive performers is The Star Spangled Banner.
Louisiana
“Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry’s 1958 hit starts off with what many consider the first iconic guitar riff in rock and roll history. While some people thought the song was autobiographical, Berry was neither from Louisiana (he’s from St. Louis) or illiterate (he wrote the song).
Maine
“King of Maine” – Spose
This one’s a straight fucking banger. That’s a terrible pun, but it’s also the only way to describe Spose’s tribute to his home state, where “mill towns are still towns even though they shut the mills down.” And they “Owe bars to the IRS, Got no Rs in our dialect, speaking a different kind of speech, where Verizon 4G won’t reach.” It’s 4 minutes and 16 seconds of some of the best flow you’ll ever hear about any state, much less one known mostly for lobsters.
Maryland
“Good Morning Baltimore” – Hairspray
Before she was interviewing out of control teens who later went on to be U.S. congresswomen, Ricki Lake got her start as Tracy Turnblatt, belting about Baltimore with more pride than even Barry Levinson could muster.
Massachusetts
“I’m Shipping Up To Boston” – Dropkick Murphys
You will never, ever want to hear this song again after one night bar-hopping in Boston.
Michigan
“Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” – Fedde Le Grand
Yes, there is an insurmountable amount of amazing music that has come out of Detroit. But can you think of one legendary Motown hit actually about Motown? Or a great Eminem or Bob Seger song specifically devoted to Detroit? Dutch DJ Fedde Le Grand has one, and it’s a shining example of Detroit’s other signature music style: Techno. The song doesn’t mince words; its only lyrics are “Put your hands up for Detroit! I love this city!” And what’s especially remarkable is that it came out in 2006, when the only other people who loved Detroit were arsonists. The city has made a grand comeback since then, so Fedde was way ahead of the curve. And, really, who doesn’t love a little dance music interlude in the middle of a playlist?
Minnesota
“Say Shh” – Atmosphere
Being a rapper from Minnesota has gotta be quite the conundrum. On the one hand, you’re supposed to brag about all the houses, Maybachs, and gold-plated toothbrushes you have. On the other, you’re from the Midwest, so you’ve gotta act like nothing you do is all that special. Atmosphere somehow nails that happy middle ground, with a five-minute track boasting about Minnesota’s affordable housing, abundant nature, and clean air.
Mississippi
“When the Levee Breaks” – Led Zeppelin
This Led Zeppelin classic just sounds like hard times on the Mississippi Delta. That’s probably because it was originally recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929, telling the story of a massive flood in Mississippi. It’s a subtle lesson in the Great Migration too, the final lines telling of a move north to Chicago, the most popular destination for African Americans escaping Mississippi during that time.
Missouri
“Kansas City Here I Come” – Wilbert Harrison
Play this for your 11-year-old daughter and she is 100% going to ask you if the “crazy little women” Wilbert’s talking about is Taylor Swift.
Montana
“Livingston Saturday Night” – Jimmy Buffet
Apparently when Jimmy Buffet wanted to hit on high school girls, he did it a looooong way from his stomping grounds in the Florida Keys. Like, all the way in Livingston, Montana where “15 may get your 20.” R. Kelly never did a cover.
Nebraska
“You and I” – Lady Gaga
If a Hallmark movie was a song, it’d be this.
Nevada
“Folsom Prison Blues” – Johnny Cash
You know what tortures me, Johnny Cash? How’d you shoot a man in Reno then end up in a prison in California?
New Hampshire
“New Hampshire” – Sonic Youth
If you’re into Sonic Youth’s brand of brooding post-punk – or wonder where bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Silversun Pickups got inspiration – check out this song about…a bar in New Hampshire? It’s hard to tell.
New Jersey
“Woke Up This Morning” – A3
Yes, this song is by a group called Alabama 3, who hail from London, and make no references to New Jersey. But try and listen to it without picturing scenes of Newark passing through the windshield of Tony Soprano’s Suburban.
New Mexico
“DLZ” – TV on the Radio
Ok, so we’re about halfway through the playlist and you can either listen to A) Your second Johnny Cash song in the last four, where he moans about a confoundingly long drive through New Mexico. Or B) This TV on the Radio bonus track turned into one of the band’s biggest hits via Walter White’s terrifying admonition to “stay out of my territory”. Give this song – which like Walter spirals from a calm beginning into head-bobbing controlled insanity – a listen, and your definition of “about” gets a little looser.
New York
“Welcome to New York” – Taylor Swift
Just kidding, though we do love Taylor Swift, it’s obviously the Sinatra song. You were about to lose your mind, weren’t you.
North Carolina
“Raise Up” – Peetey Pablo
James Taylor makes exactly zero demands for you to take your shirt off and wave it around your head for a helicopter. Case closed.
North Dakota
“North Dakota” – Chris Knight
This haunting little ditty is about a man who brings his love to North Dakota to live with him, then returns one snowy day to find her gone. Grab some Kleenex, it does not end well.
Ohio
“Escape From Ohio” – Electric Six
Is the best song about Ohio really by a bunch of guys from Michigan who spend 191 seconds telling us why the state is so miserable? These guitar riffs say yes.
Oklahoma
“Choctaw Bingo” – James McMurtry
McMurtry’s hard-driving honky-tonk backbeat plays under the tale of an absolutely terrible family who runs crystal meth through the plains states. There’s the reclusive, meth-making uncle, the hit-and-run homicide truck driver, and the narrator who wants to do filthy things with his second cousins. Taylor Sheridan, we have an idea for you….
Oregon
“Eugene, Oregon” – Dolly Parton
Oregon, a state with as many great songs as national championships. Dolly could carry them farther than Bo Nix, though.
Pennsylvania
“Streets of Philadelphia” – Bruce Springsteen
The Boss could put out an entire album of songs about states, from Mary Queen of Arkansas to Atlantic City and Nebraska. This is the only one that notched him an Oscar though, and his performance is almost stirring enough to top Tom Hanks.
Rhode Island
“Road to Rhode Island” – Family Guy
Why have we not had a Brian and Stewie Broadway musical yet?
South Carolina
“The Charleston” – James P Johnson
There are almost as many country songs about South Carolina as there are about dogs and trucks, but none of them birthed a dance craze. So, the award goes to James P Johnson and a song that stands up over 100 years later.
South Dakota
“Big Foot” – Johnny Cash
Bruce Springsteen’s Badlands seem more metaphorical than references to the national park. Lacking that, we get this Johnny Cash story song about the battle of Wounded Knee, which at the very least is a valuable history lesson.
Tennessee
“Walking in Memphis” – Marc Cohn
Tennessee is another state where you can make the case for a lot of songs, with two of the most famous live music destinations in America in Beale Street and Broadway. We give the nod to Marc Cohn here because he manages to write a fitting tribute to Memphis without going overboard, and creates a song that’s pretty hard to dislike. Bonus points for appearing in the SNL parody with Pete Davidson and Method Man.
Texas
“La Grange” – ZZ Top
If you somehow missed it in the 65-or-so words spread over four minutes of ass-kicking guitar, this song is about a whorehouse. Still, it rocks way harder than any song about stars, exes, or streets of Laredo.
Utah
“Sal Tlay Ka Siti” – Book of Mormon
The only song from Book of Mormon we could even mention in a family publication.
Vermont
“Moonlight in Vermont” – Various
This 1930s jazz standard has been recorded by pretty much every big name in the genre, including Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, plus Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson. Vermont even tried to make it the official state song back in the ‘90s, but it ultimately failed because some felt it was too hard for most people to sing.
Virginia
“Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” – Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show plays this as though they were standing on a front porch in the Blue Ridge Mountains with nothing but a fiddle and a washboard. Even though this version of the song is relatively new, it captures the sound of another place and time.
Washington
“Posse On Broadway” – Sir Mix-a-Lot
Ask anyone from Seattle what Sir Mix-a-Lot’s greatest song is, there’ll be nary a mention of big butts. Instead, they’ll likely cite this 1988 classic about cruising Capitol Hill, picking up girls, and eating at Dick’s. Mix-a-Lot even did a live version of the song with the Seattle Symphony.
West Virginia
“Take Me Home Country Roads” – John Denver
People from western Virginia sometimes like to claim John Denver is talking about their part of the country, like the first line of the song isn’t “Almost Heaven.” You’ll even hear folks from Maryland occasionally claim Country Roads in between putting Old Bay in milkshakes and getting tattoos of the state flag. For god’s sake, let West Virginia have this.
Wisconsin
“Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot
Technically, this song is about Gitche Gumee, which touches Michigan and Minnesota too. Also technically, the “wreck” part of the song happens near Michigan, as Gordon Lightfoot points out “they’d have made Whitefish Bay, if they’d put 15 more miles behind her.” But as the Edmund Fitzgerald’s final voyage started in Superior, Wisconsin, and this song is capital-G Great, we’re gonna slot it here so the playlist gets an epic maritime folk song to help close things out.
Wyoming
“I Can Still Make Cheyenne” – George Strait
If for some reason you find yourself listening to this song with an actual rodeo cowboy, get ready for a rant. “Here’s the thing: You don’t just ‘make’ Cheyenne,” they’ll say, popping a ZYN in their mouth and taking a long sip from a Coors Banquet. “It’s one of the biggest – if not THE biggest – rodeos in the country, So you gotta have months of training, money, planning. You can’t just decide to go there on a whim when you find out your wife left you. This song’s not realistic at all!” The lesson: George Strait was never coming home in the first place, and was probably just calling in the hopes his wife would tell him she was done. Well played, cowboy, well played.
