Unexpected musical partnerships that rocked the charts
‘Wyoming,’ with lyrics by Charles E. Winter (pictured) and music by G.E. Knapp, was named the official state song of Wyoming in 1955.
Sources: (State Symbols USA) (50states.com)
In 2015, ‘Our Great Virginia’ was designated the official state traditional song of Virginia. The original state song of Virginia, ‘Carry Me Back to Old Virginia,’ became the “state song emeritus.”
‘West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home’ was named the official state song in 1947. West Virginia has, however, recognized three more state songs: ‘The West Virginia Hills,’ adopted in 1961; ‘This is My West Virginia,’ adopted in 1963; and ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads,’ adopted in 2014.
‘Washington, My Home,’ written by Helen Davis and arranged by Stuart Churchill, has been the official state song of Washington since 1959.
‘These Green Mountains,’ by Diane Martin and Rita Buglass Gluckstate, was designated the official state song in 2000, replacing the first Vermont state song ‘Hail to Vermont!,’ which was first adopted in 1938.
'On, Wisconsin!' by William Purdy was designated Wisconsin’s official state song in 1959.
'Utah...This Is the Place,' by Sam and Gary Francis. was designated Utah’s state song in 2003. It replaced ‘Utah We Love Thee’ by Evan Stephens, which was first adopted in 1937.
South Carolina declared ‘Carolina’ as their official state song in 1911. A second official state song, ‘South Carolina on my Mind,’ was also adopted in 1984.
'Oregon, My Oregon' won a competition to select a state song in 1920, and was designated the official state song of Oregon in 1927.
‘Texas, Our Texas,’ by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright, has been the official state song of Texas since 1929. The chorus goes: “God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong, / That you may grow in power and worth, / Thro'out the ages long.”
South Dakota designated ‘Hail, South Dakota,’ by Deecourt Hammitt, as the state’s official song in 1943.
‘Pennsylvania,’ by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner, was named the official state song of Pennsylvania in 1990. The chorus goes: “Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, / May your future be, filled with honor everlasting as your history.”
The "Volunteer State” has, in fact, 10 state songs. They are: ‘My Homeland, Tennessee,’ ‘My Tennessee,’ ‘When It's Iris Time in Tennessee,’ ‘Tennessee Waltz,’ ‘Rocky Top,’ ‘The Pride of Tennessee,’ ‘A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap,’ ‘Smoky Mountain Rain,’ ‘Tennessee’ (by Vivian Rorie), and ‘Tennessee’ (by John R. Bean).
‘Rhode Island It's For Me’ was designated the official state song in 1996. Lyrics include: “I’ve been to every state we have / and I think that I'm inclined to say / that Rhody stole my heart / You can keep the forty nine.”
‘I Love New York’ is the official state song of New York. The song by Steve Karmen was officially named as such in 2009.
‘Beautiful Ohio’ was named the official state song in 1969. The music was written in 1918 by Mary Earl (whose real name was Robert A. King), and the original lyrics were written by Ballard MacDonald. In 1989, the lyrics were changed by Wilbert B. McBride.
North Carolina declared ‘The Old North State’ the state’s official song in 1927. Lyrics include: "Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her! / While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her."
The "Sooner State" has adopted seven songs to represent them, namely ‘Oklahoma!’ (the official one adopted in 1953), ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,’ ‘Oklahoma Wind,’ ‘Faded Love,’ ‘Oklahoma Hills,’ ‘Do You Realize?,’ and ‘Oklahoma, My Native Land.’
‘North Dakota Hymn’ was designated the official state song in 1947.
‘O Fair New Mexico’ by Elizabeth Garrett has been the state’s official song since 1917. New Mexico also has a bilingual language song, a cowboy song, a state ballad, and a state Spanish song.
The 1910 song ‘Montana’ was designated the official state song in 1945. Lyrics include: “Montana, Montana, Glory of the West / Of all the states from coast to coast, You're easily the best.”
‘Hail! Minnesota’ has been the official state song since 1945. The song was written by University of Minnesota students Truman E. Rickard and Arthur E. Upson.
‘Go, Mississippi’ by William Houston Davis was named the official state song of Mississippi in 1962.
‘Beautiful Nebraska,’ by Jim Fras and Guy G. Miller, was declared the state’s official song in 1967. The lyrics go: “Beautiful Nebraska, as you look around, / You will find a rainbow reaching to the ground; / All these wonders by the Master's hand, / Beautiful Nebraska land.”
‘Old New Hampshire,’ a 1926 song by Dr. John F. Holmes and Maurice Hoffmann, was designated New Hampshire‘s official state song in 1949.
The "Show-Me State” designated the 'Missouri Waltz' as its official song in 1949.
‘Home Means Nevada’ by Bertha Raffetto was designated Nevada’s official state song in 1933.
Maryland designated ‘Maryland, My Maryland’ as the official state song in 1939. It’s a poem written by James Ryder Randall (pictured) in 1861, which accompanies the tune of ‘O, Tannenbaum.’
Massachusetts named ‘All Hail to Massachusetts,’ by Arthur J. Marsh, its state song in 1966. But the state has many other songs it recognizes as representative of Massachusetts, including a state patriotic song, a ceremonial march, a polka song, and a state folk song.
'Home on the Range,' by Dr. Brewster Higley (pictured), was designated the official state song of Kansas in 1947. The state also has two official state marches: ‘The Kansas March’ and ‘Here's Kansas,’ respectively.
‘My Old Kentucky Home’ has been the official state song since 1928. The song was originally written by Stephen Foster in 1853. The “Bluegrass State” also recognizes an official state bluegrass song called ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky.’
‘Song of Iowa’ has been the official state song since 1911. The lyrics were written by S.H.M. Byers (pictured) in 1867 and sung to the tune of ‘Tannenbaum.’ Lyrics include: “You asked what land I love the best, Iowa, tis Iowa, / The fairest State of all the west, Iowa, O! Iowa.”
‘Illinois,’ with words by C.H. Chamberlain and music by Archibald Johnston, was named the official state song of Illinois in 1955.
“The Pine Tree State” designated ‘State of Maine Song,’ by Roger Vinton Snow, as its official state song in 1937.
Michigan’s official state song was adopted in 1936. ‘My Michigan’ was written in 1933 and features lyrics by Giles Kavanagh and music by H. O'Reilly Clint.
'On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away,' by Paul Dresser, was designated Indiana’s official state song in 1913.
The official state song of Hawaii is ‘Hawai`i Pono`i’ by King David Kalakaua (pictured) and Henri Berger. The song was adopted in 1967.
‘I Am Florida’ was added as an official state song in 2013, to accompany Florida's other official song: ‘The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home).’
‘Here We Have Idaho’ (sometimes called ‘Our Idaho’) was designated Idaho’s official state song in 1931. Famous lyrics include: “There’s truly one state in this great land of ours, / Where ideals can be realized / The pioneers made it so for you and me, / A legacy we’ll always prize.”
‘Georgia on My Mind,’ by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael, was designated the official state song of Georgia in 1979. The song, popularized by Ray Charles, replaced the state’s previous official song, ‘Georgia’ by Robert Loveman and Lollie Belle Wylie.
‘I Love You, California,’ with words by F.B. Silverwood and music by A.F. Frankenstein, was adopted as California’s official state song in 1951. The lyrics include: “I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all / I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.”
‘Rocky Mountain High’ by John Denver was named Colorado’s official state song in 2007, nearly a decade after Denver’s death. ‘Rocky Mountain High’ replaced ‘Where the Columbines Grow,’ which was the first song adopted by Colorado, in 1915.
'Arizona March Song,' by Margaret Rowe Clifford and Maurice Blumenthal has been Arizona’s state song since 1919. There is also an alternative state anthem, adopted in 1982, called ‘Arizona.’
Connecticut designated ‘Yankee Doodle’ as the official state song in 1978. In 2013, it was established that ‘Beautiful Connecticut Waltz’ would become Connecticut’s second official state song.
‘Our Delaware’ has been the official song of “The First State” since 1925. It’s a 1904 poem written by George Beswick Hynson (pictured), with music by Will M. S. Brown.
“The Natural State” actually has four state songs: ‘Oh, Arkansas,’ ‘The Arkansas Traveler,’ ‘Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)’ and ‘Arkansas.’
‘Alaska's Flag’ was named the official state song of Alaska in 1955. The song mentions the beautiful "eight stars of gold on a field of blue" on the state’s flag.
‘Alabama,’ the official state song of Alabama, was adopted in 1931. The lyrics were written by Julia S. Tutwiler (pictured), and the music by Edna Gockel Gussen.
“The Pelican State” has a number of state songs, including ‘Louisiana My Home Sweet Home,’ ‘You are My Sunshine’ (still considered the official one), ‘Give Me Louisiana,’ and ‘Southern Nights,’ the latter being the current official state cultural song.
It's true that American music artists have written some of the greatest songs in the world, but this gallery is not about those tunes. Instead, we'll delve deep into each US state and their official state songs. These are songs that have been designated by each state legislature as symbols of that particular state. They can be seen as regional anthems that have been adopted to represent each state.
Do you know the official song of the state you live in? Click on to discover them all!
The official song of every US state
Do you know yours?
MUSIC Usa
It's true that American music artists have written some of the greatest songs in the world, but this gallery is not about those tunes. Instead, we'll delve deep into each US state and their official state songs. These are songs that have been designated by each state legislature as symbols of that particular state. They can be seen as regional anthems that have been adopted to represent each state.
Do you know the official song of the state you live in? Click on to discover them all!