# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/81 "2012-03-19T16:40:34Z")
> [@lew\_cody](#): > > But yeah, I really can’t come up with anything strictly about New York state, other than the state song itself. Frank Sinatra sang New York, but it was about Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/82 "2012-03-19T17:08:27Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > You can end this thread now. New York _State_ has the least number of songs written about it. > > Hear me out … almost every reference to “New York” in a song is to New York _City_. As far as general songs that are either reference New York _State_ or are about the state in general that aren’t NYC-specific, there just aren’t any, except for the commercial-friendly _I love New York_. Besides, everybody associates that song with the city. > > Corollary? Try to find a travel book about New York _State_. They’re quite uncommon, even compared to much smaller, less prominent states. Surely, although the song [New York, New York (So Good They Named It Twice)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsi5lXxzByU) mainly concerns itself with the city, the second “New York” in the title and chorus actually refers to the state. The same is probably true of the several other songs that repeat the name in their title (and any others that may exist that have “New York, New York” in the lyrics somewhere). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/83 "2012-03-19T17:13:08Z")
No-one yet seems to have nominated a song about Washington (State), and I can’t think of any. Perhaps lyricists avoid it for fear of causing confusion with the national capital. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/84 "2012-03-19T17:17:39Z")
Any songs about Minnesota? ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/85 "2012-03-19T17:23:13Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > No-one yet seems to have nominated a song about Washington (State), and I can’t think of any. Perhaps lyricists avoid it for fear of causing confusion with the national capital. Perry Como sang “Seattle”, does that count? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/86 "2012-03-19T17:24:49Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Any songs about Minnesota? Weird Al’s [The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKeHQpT5wVE) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/87 "2012-03-19T17:38:27Z")
_Oh Virginia_ was a mid-1990s hit by Blessid Union of Souls. _Carolina in my mind_ by James Taylor - not sure if he specifies _which_ Carolina in the song. _My City Was Gone_ by the Pretenders: _I went back to Ohio but my city was gone_ John Denver’s _Rocky Mountain High_ is about Colorado. > [@Simmerdown](#): > > _Montana_ – Frank Zappa You beat me to it! _Movin’ to Montana soon, gonna be a dental floss tycoon…_ ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/88 "2012-03-19T23:28:28Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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. Fer cryin’ out loud, just shout out the state’s full and complete name and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/89 "2012-03-20T01:02:58Z")
> [@lawbuff](#): > > Perry Como sang “Seattle”, does that count? Public Image Ltd. also has a song titled “Seattle”. ---
**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 20, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/90 "2012-03-20T01:09:01Z")
> [@MarsBarsArePlastic](#): > > Wyoming, perhaps? I mentioned The Del Lords “Cheyenne” earlier. John Denver also wrote and recorded “Song of Wyoming.” Maybe we should ask which singer mentioned the most states in his/her songs. John Denver’s got Wyoming, Colorado, and West Virginia off the top of my head. ---
**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 20, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/91 "2012-03-20T01:15:27Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I mentioned The Del Lords “Cheyenne” earlier. John Denver also wrote and recorded “Song of Wyoming.” Maybe we should ask which singer mentioned the most states in his/her songs. John Denver’s got Wyoming, Colorado, and West Virginia off the top of my head. A little checking indicates Denver also wrote and recorded “Alaska and Me” and “Wild Montana Skies.” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/92 "2012-03-20T02:16:56Z")
Louisiana has a metric shit-ton songs about it just because it is unusual and Zydeco music and cajun music in general is centered there. There isn’t much else to write about otherwise. There are quite a few rock, blues, jazz, and country songs about it too. Come to think of it Louisiana, would probably be in the top 5 for this and maybe in the top 3 along with California and Texas. That is my best guess anyway. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/93 "2012-03-20T15:42:16Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Maine? Any at all? The only thing off the top of my head is Jackson Browne’s _Nothing But Time_: > > “Rolling down 295 out of Portland, Maine. > Still high from the people up there, feeling no pain.” How about “Jim Dandy” by Black Oak Arkanasas? \* “Once upon a tie I went up to Maine, Got a ticket on a DC plane. Mr. Dandy didn’t need no chute. I was high and ready, to boot. Jim Dandy to the rescue!”\* ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/94 "2012-03-20T17:08:55Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > How about “Jim Dandy” by Black Oak Arkanasas? > \* > “Once upon a tie I went up to Maine, > Got a ticket on a DC plane. > Mr. Dandy didn’t need no chute. > I was high and ready, to boot. > Jim Dandy to the rescue!”\* Then there’s the end of a verse to John Prine’s _Living in the Future_ _I’m goin’ to Maine on a forty foot crane Gonna use it for a fishin’ pole._ ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/95 "2012-03-20T17:16:51Z")
I’ve done this before with some friends, and I think all we were missing was arizona. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/96 "2012-03-20T17:21:59Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I’ve done this before with some friends, and I think all we were missing was arizona. Anyone? “I was standing on a corner in [Winslow, Arizona…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_It_Easy)” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/97 "2012-03-20T17:22:02Z")
“I was standing on a cornier in Winslow, Arizona Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flat-bed Ford Slowing down to take a look at me.” ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/98 "2012-03-20T18:00:00Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I’ve done this before with some friends, and I think all we were missing was arizona. Anyone? JoJo left his home in Tucson Arizona For some California grass. Get Back! By a rather well known band. > [@lawbuff](#): > > Perry Como sang “Seattle”, does that count? Unless it actually mentions the state rather than just the city, I would say not. **Gedd** , did you and your friends come up with one for Washington (state)? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/99 "2012-03-20T18:24:44Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I’ve done this before with some friends, and I think all we were missing was arizona. Anyone? “Arizona” by Mark Lindsay (former singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders). Or Steve Miller’s “Rock ‘n’ Me,” which goes _“I’ve been from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130/100 "2012-03-20T18:44:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Arizona” by Mark Lindsay (former singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders). This is about a woman named “Arizona,” not the state of Arizona. Similarly, “Georgia on My Mind” was originally about a woman named “Georgia,” although it became Georgia’s official state song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-states-have-the-most-and-least-songs-written-about-them/616130.md?page=6)