# Which States have the most and least songs written about them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130 "2012-03-18T11:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/21 "2012-03-18T18:16:49Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Kansas may have a lot of songs associated with it, (“Over the Rainbow” anyone?) but right offhand I can’t remember any that speak of it specifically. > > Our state song is “Home on the Range”, and the word “Kansas” does not appear in it. I distinctly remember reading a humor column in a newspaper many years ago in which someone in Kansas requested songs about it. The columnist (whose name I’ve forgotten) came up with “Oh Boy, Am I Glad the Bug Bit Ya Pa, To Move Us All Down into Wichita!” Didn’t _Family Guy_ have a song called “Road to Rhode Island”? Brian and Stewie sang it. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/22 "2012-03-18T18:21:14Z")
Any songs about North and/or South Dakota? I would think there are more songs about the building in NYC than there are about the state(s). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/23 "2012-03-18T18:28:28Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Any songs about North and/or South Dakota? I don’t suppose the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” counts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/24 "2012-03-18T18:32:11Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Didn’t _Family Guy_ have a song called “Road to Rhode Island”? Brian and Stewie sang it. There may be a better YouTube than [this one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q763lsP2NcI&feature=related), but it still doesn’t have the full name of the state in the song. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/25 "2012-03-18T19:02:25Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Are we counting songs about specific cities, or do they have to be about the state in general? > > (tons of songs about NYC) I think that may be spreading the net a bit wide. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/26 "2012-03-18T19:30:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > " Other than the Bee Gees, who wrote a song about “Massachusetts”? Boston is mentioned in several songs like Dave Loggins’ “Please Come to Boston” and “Dirty Water”, by The Standells. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/27 "2012-03-18T19:32:19Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Any songs about North and/or South Dakota? I would think there are more songs about the building in NYC than there are about the state(s). _The Ballad of Hollis Brown_, by Bob Dylan, is about a South Dakota farmer who ends up killing himself and his family. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/28 "2012-03-18T19:33:39Z")
“Playin’ for a week in Rhode Island” From Boston’s “Rock N Roll Band” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/29 "2012-03-18T19:35:58Z")
From_The Last Resort_ by The Eagles: _She came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island_ I always thought it was “born” instead of “the one.” Not exactly about Rhode Island, but hey. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/30 "2012-03-18T19:48:30Z")
[quote=“WreckingCrew, post:28, topic:616130”] “Playin’ for a week in Rhode Island” > [@BlankSlate](#): > > From_The Last Resort_ by The Eagles: > > _She came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island_ Still no reference to the complete name of the state. I doubt even everyone in RI knows what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/31 "2012-03-18T19:55:18Z")
Procol Harum - ‘The Devil Came From Kansas’. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/32 "2012-03-18T20:02:06Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Any songs about North and/or South Dakota? I would think there are more songs about the building in NYC than there are about the state(s). I don’t know about songs, but they have [a whole band](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dakotas_%28band%29) named after them; just ask Billy J. Kramer. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/33 "2012-03-18T20:58:32Z")
[quote=“TriPolar, post:30, topic:616130”] > [@WreckingCrew](#): > > “Playin’ for a week in Rhode Island” > > Still no reference to the complete name of the state. I doubt even everyone in RI knows what it is. Come on men head to Rhode Island You’ll see things everyone’s been hiding Let’s go ladies to the Providence Plantations they don’t have cotton but they sure have temptations ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/34 "2012-03-18T21:07:15Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Come on men > head to Rhode Island > You’ll see things everyone’s been hiding > Let’s go ladies > to the Providence Plantations > they don’t have cotton but they sure have temptations Close enough. At least someone knows what I’m talking about. But is that a real song? I’m not finding in that in any lyrics google gives me. If you just made it up, you should cut a record, or whatever they do these days. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/35 "2012-03-18T21:08:43Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Close enough. At least someone knows what I’m talking about. But is that a real song? I’m not finding in that in any lyrics google gives me. If you just made it up, you should cut a record, or whatever they do these days. Yeah, I am still working on it but at least there is part of a song that exists for it now. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/36 "2012-03-18T21:21:54Z")
Probably not much love for Utah I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/37 "2012-03-18T21:27:36Z")
From our least populous state - [Cheyenne, The Del Lords.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4XH9QZRrBQ) A great lost song from the 80’s. Cheyenne, someday, Cheyenne I’m gonna ride the high plains, Cheyenne, Picture me, a city boy in God’s country, Cheyenne (If you’ve ever been to Cheyenne, you’ll know it’s anything but God’s country) ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/38 "2012-03-18T21:28:39Z")
[The Beehive State](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/randy-newman/the-beehive-state.html) by Randy Newman ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/39 "2012-03-18T23:13:45Z")
[quote=“TriPolar, post:30, topic:616130”] > [@WreckingCrew](#): > > “Playin’ for a week in Rhode Island” > > Still no reference to the complete name of the state. I doubt even everyone in RI knows what it is. I doubt you’ll find a song that references The Commonwealth of Virginia, or Massachussets either. A bit esoteric for popular music, no? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/40 "2012-03-18T23:26:10Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I doubt you’ll find a song that references The Commonwealth of Virginia, or Massachussets either. A bit esoteric for popular music, no? Apparently you don’t know the full name of Rhode Island either. It’s much longer than “The Commonwealth of Virginia”, and that’s without including “The State of” on the front. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130.md?page=3)