A playlist across America: The best song for every US state
“If it happens anywhere, it matters not” – it’s a mantra that many of the best storytellers have clung to since time immemorial. The notion of narrative, even in music, is deeply entwined with location. The same tale of star-crossed lovers in Peterborough, UK, just takes on a different tone altogether if it is transposed on Paris, France or even Paris, Texas, for that matter. In short, the importance of geography is a self-evident ever-present, and musicians have always exploited this fact.
In fact, geography can even be an indelible filter that colours an artist’s entire work. When Bruce Springsteen talks of jumping in a Mustang and driving through the night until the engine gives out, you can really get behind the sincere romanticism of the story.
The image of ‘The Boss’ eating through the unspooling open road that spills out from New Jersey to the West in one huge rolling bulge of possibility to be plundered is as visceral and present in the song as the howling harmonica in the background.
However, the same story in northern England involves a lad getting behind the wheel of an economical family hatchback and driving two hours down the motorway, where he picks up an overpriced service station sausage sandwich, has second thoughts about his new life in Leeds, and trundles on back home. So, given the constitution of the sprawling expanse of America and its intricacies, its songwriters understandably have a preoccupation with ‘place’.
Alas, that doesn’t mean that every state has been serenaded equally. There are some, like poor old Wyoming, where songs with the state name in the title are harder to come by than a term for the back of the knee. This made curating a playlist of the best song for every state with the state name in the title rather difficult at times.
While New York, California and good old Alabama have been littered with namesake songs, the Maines of this world are used as rarely as cheese in Chinese cuisine.
Nevertheless, we have pushed on through and below you can find our playlist of the best alternative song with the state name in its title for every state.
A song for every American state:
- Alabama: ‘Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) – The Doors
- Alaska: ‘Alaskan Pipeline’ – James
- Arizona: ‘Arizona’ – Kings of Leon
- Arkansas: ‘Arkansas’ – Damien Jurado
- California: ‘California Soul’ – Marlena Shaw
- Colorado: ‘Colorado’ – Stephen Stills
- Connecticut: ‘Connecticut’ – Emma Charles
- Delaware: ‘Hello, I’m In Delaware’ – City and Colour
- Florida: ‘Florida Kilos’ – Lana Del Rey
- Georgia: ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ – Gladys Knight & The Pips
- Hawaii: ‘Hawaiian Air’ – Friendly Fires
- Idaho: ‘Private Idaho’ – The B-52’s
- Illinois: ‘Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois’ – Sufjan Stevens
- Indiana: ‘Indiana’ – Adrianne Lenker
- Iowa: ‘Iowa Dream’ – Arthur Russell
- Kansas: ‘Kansas City’ – Little Richard
- Kentucky: ‘Kentucky Rain’ – Elvis Presley
- Louisiana: ‘Louisiana’ – The Walkmen
- Maine: ‘Maine’ – Coleman Hawkins Quartet
- Maryland: ‘Maryland’ – Middle Kids
- Massachusetts: ‘Massachusetts’ – Bee Gees
- Michigan: ‘Lake Michigan’ – Rogue Wave
- Minnesota: ‘Minnesota, WI’ – Bon Iver
- Mississippi: ‘Mississippi Goddam’ – Nina Simone
- Missouri: ‘Happiness, Missouri’ – EL VY
- Montana: ‘Montana’ – Frank Zappa & The Mothers
- Nebraska: ‘Nebraska’ – Bruce Springsteen
- Nevada: ‘Stop in Nevada’ – Billy Joel
- New Hampshire: ‘New Hampshire’ – Sonic Youth
- New Jersey: ‘New Jersey’ – Red House Painters
- New Mexico: ‘New Mexico’ – Johnny Cash
- New York: ‘Fairytale of New York’ – The Pogues
- North Carolina: ‘North Carolina’ – Les McCann
- North Dakota: ‘N Dakota’ – Parquet Courts
- Ohio: ‘Ohio’ – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Oklahoma: ‘If You’re Ever in Oklahoma’ – J.J. Cale
- Oregon: ‘Oregon Hill’ – Cowboy Junkies
- Pennsylvania: ‘Hell or Pennsylvania’ – BC Camplight
- Rhode Island: ‘Sweet Rhode Island Red’ – Ike & Tina Turner
- South Carolina: ‘South Carolina’ – Poets of Rhythm
- South Dakota: ‘Only Black Man in South Dakota’ – Andre Williams
- Tennessee: ‘Tennessee Waltz’ – Sam Cooke
- Texas: ‘Texas Sun’ – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
- Utah: ‘Utah’ – French Cassettes
- Vermont: ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ – Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto
- Virginia: ‘Virginia Plain’ – Roxy Music
- Washington: ‘Washington Blues’ – Elizabeth Cotten
- West Virginia: ‘West Virginia Fantasies’- Chicago
- Wisconsin: ‘Wisconsin’ – Mason McClurg
- Wyoming: ‘The Best God Damn Band in Wyoming’ – No-No Boy
