


















































© Getty Images
0 / 51 Fotos
Alabama
- Though originally from Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd became icons all over the South after 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Released in 1974, it's impossible not to sing along!
© Getty Images
1 / 51 Fotos
Alaska
- 'North to Alaska' was Johnny Horton's biggest hit, but sadly the country star didn't live to see its success. The song hit no. 1 on the Billboard Country charts just days after he was killed in a car accident in 1960.
© Getty Images
2 / 51 Fotos
Arizona
- Kings of Leon's 'Arizona' is the perfect road trip song, which, despite the title, fails to actually mention Arizona...
© Getty Images
3 / 51 Fotos
Arkansas
- 'Mary Queen of Arkansas' was one of four songs Bruce Springsteen played during his audition with CBS Records producer John Hammond on May 22, 1972. And to this day it's definitely still the best song about Arkansas.
© Getty Images
4 / 51 Fotos
California
- Symbols of California, The Beach Boys had huge success with the 1965 hit song 'California Girls.'
© Getty Images
5 / 51 Fotos
Colorado
- Townes Van Zandt's folk tune 'Colorado Girl' is all about going out to Denver to find "that lovin' Colorado girl of mine."
© Getty Images
6 / 51 Fotos
Connecticut
- You would think that Aerosmith's 'I Live in Connecticut' is somewhat true, but none of the band members live actually there!
© Getty Images
7 / 51 Fotos
Delaware
- George Thorogood has been the First State's chief ambassador of blues rock since the '70s, and 'Delaware Slide' is a true anthem.
© Getty Images
8 / 51 Fotos
Florida
- Vic Chesnutt's 1991 'Florida' is a tribute that goes: "Florida, Florida, there's no more perfect place to retire from life."
© Getty Images
9 / 51 Fotos
Georgia
- 'Midnight Train to Georgia' by Gladys Knight and the Pips is a tale from 1973 of a man who finds LA too much and heads back home to Georgia.
© Getty Images
10 / 51 Fotos
Hawaii
- 'Blue Hawaii' by Elvis Presley appears in his 1961 movie of the same name, and it promises that "dreams come true in blue Hawaii."
© Getty Images
11 / 51 Fotos
Idaho
- The B-52's scored big with 'Private Idaho.' The love affair between the band and Idaho hasn't died down since the song's 1980 release.
© Getty Images
12 / 51 Fotos
Illinois
- Brett Eldredge brings in some home state pride with his anthem 'Illinois.' The track was inspired by the rural farming communities near his hometown.
© Getty Images
13 / 51 Fotos
Indiana
- Originally composed in 1917, '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' went on to become a jazz standard. For many years, Louis Armstrong opened his shows with the track.
© Getty Images
14 / 51 Fotos
Iowa
- 'Iowa (Traveling, Pt. 3)' by Dar Williams made her the beloved of residents of the Hawkeye State. She has also stated that the state occupies a piece of her heart, too.
© Getty Images
15 / 51 Fotos
Kansas
- Little Willie Littlefield made everyone swing to 'Kansas City' in 1952. It was later rerecorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959.
© Getty Images
16 / 51 Fotos
Kentucky
- The King of Rock ascended his throne after recording his version of Bill Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' in 1954.
© Getty Images
17 / 51 Fotos
Louisiana
- Released in 1980, 'Louisiana Saturday Night' was one of many country hits by Mel McDaniel.
© Getty Images
18 / 51 Fotos
Maine
- If you're ever going to the easternmost state in the New England region, then it's practically obligatory to listen to 'Going to Main' by the Mountain Goats.
© Getty Images
19 / 51 Fotos
Maryland
- 'Maryland' by Vonda Shepard is a melancholic track that's all about coming home... to Maryland.
© Getty Images
20 / 51 Fotos
Massachusetts
- Released in 1967, 'Massachusetts' is one of the earlier tracks by the Bee Gees. It later appeared on their 1968 album, 'Horizontal.'
© Getty Images
21 / 51 Fotos
Michigan
- Featured in their 2006 'Stadium Arcadium' album, 'Especially in Michigan' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is all about the home state of front man Anthony Kiedis.
© Getty Images
22 / 51 Fotos
Minnesota
- Released by rapper Lil Yachty in 2016, 'Minnesota' will let you know that things can get "cold like Minnesota."
© Getty Images
23 / 51 Fotos
Mississippi
- A native of Ridgeland, Mississippi, Faith Hill puts her Magnolia pride front and center on her track 'Mississippi Girl.'
© Getty Images
24 / 51 Fotos
Missouri
- While indie rock band Low is in fact from Duluth, Minnesota, they do have a song called 'Missouri.'
© Getty Images
25 / 51 Fotos
Montana
- In Frank Zappa's 'Montana,' he claimed, "I might be movin' to Montana soon." But he never did.
© Getty Images
26 / 51 Fotos
Nebraska
- 'Nebraska' is the title song of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 solo album. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar and harmonica, the song is sung as the narrative of Charles Starkweather, who along with his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate murdered 11 people in 1958.
© Getty Images
27 / 51 Fotos
Nevada
- Featured in Billy Joel's second album, 'Piano Man' (1973), 'Stop in Nevada' is all about a woman leaving her man. She heads out west to California, but will first make a "stop in Nevada."
© Getty Images
28 / 51 Fotos
New Hampshire
- According to Sonic Youth's 'New Hampshire,' "B.B. King just turns on The New Hampshire boys."
© Getty Images
29 / 51 Fotos
New Jersey
- Tom Waits is famous for his raspy voice and musical experimentation that mixes vaudeville, blues, and jazz. His 'Jersey Girl' is about the sweet joy of being in love with a girl from New Jersey.
© Getty Images
30 / 51 Fotos
New Mexico
- In Johnny Cash's 'New Mexico,' a cow puncher kindly invites him to spend the summer in New Mexico, only to encounter a troublesome time with hail storms, thistles, and Indians.
© Getty Images
31 / 51 Fotos
New York
- Frank Sinatra redefined music history with his iconic recording of '(Theme From) New York, New York.' It's simply a classic!
© Getty Images
32 / 51 Fotos
North Carolina
- James Taylor was born in Boston, but spent much of his childhood in North Carolina. He was on a vacation in Ibiza, Spain, when he said he kept getting homesick. He then wrote 'Carolina in My Mind' in 1968.
© Getty Images
33 / 51 Fotos
North Dakota
- Lyle Lovett is a Texan, but he's beloved in the Roughrider State for his 1992 track 'North Dakota.'
© Getty Images
34 / 51 Fotos
Ohio
- About a road trip though the state, 'Ohio' by Modest Mouse declares, "this place is flatter than it seems."
© Getty Images
35 / 51 Fotos
Oklahoma
- Miranda Lambert is a hero in her home state of Oklahoma, and her song 'Oklahoma Sky' is obviously a local anthem.
© Getty Images
36 / 51 Fotos
Oregon
- Loretta Lynn's 'Portland, Oregon' is a sweet country duet with Jack White about the oh-so-hip city.
© Getty Images
37 / 51 Fotos
Pennsylvania
- 'Pennsylvania Polka' is a polka song written by Lester Lee and Zeke Manners in 1942. However, it was Frankie Yankovic who made it successful.
© Getty Images
38 / 51 Fotos
Rhode Island
- Penned by composer Arthur Schwartz and lyricist Howard Dietz, Blossom Dearie's rendition of 'Rhode Island is Famous for You' is truly charming.
© Getty Images
39 / 51 Fotos
South Carolina
- Recorded by General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board in 1980, 'Carolina Girls' has become part of both the South Carolina and North Carolina culture.
© Getty Images
40 / 51 Fotos
South Dakota
- Another state song by the Bee Gees, 'South Dakota Morning' consists of sunshine, rain, and eagles.
© Getty Images
41 / 51 Fotos
Tennessee
- Yelawolf was raised by a bartending single mom in Alabama and moved throughout Tennessee as a kid. The rapper's 'Tennessee Love' is a tribute to his background.
© Getty Images
42 / 51 Fotos
Texas
- Waylon Jennings and his longtime collaborator Willie Nelson made an instant anthem with the release of 'Luckenbach, Texas' in 1977. And Texans still love it!
© Getty Images
43 / 51 Fotos
Utah
- Camper Van Beethoven's 'History of Utah' shows that the California band not all that in the know about the history of the 45th state. At least it's a nice rock jam!
© Getty Images
44 / 51 Fotos
Vermont
- Another state song in Frank Sinatra's repertoire, 'Moonlight in Vermont' was a big hit for him in 1958. But it was introduced by Margaret Whiting in 1944 and was popular with American troops serving in World War II, as it depicted a classic American scene.
© Getty Images
45 / 51 Fotos
Virginia
- 'Virginia Moon' by the Foo Fighters is a love anthem to the state, and front man Dave Grohl truly loves it. Not only did the rock icon grow up in Springfield, Virginia, but Virginia is also his mother's name.
© Getty Images
46 / 51 Fotos
Washington
- Known for his blend of folk and rock, Matt Nathanson's 'Washington State Fight Song' isn't your usual state tribute.
© Getty Images
47 / 51 Fotos
West Virginia
- Jazz singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. sings a heartfelt tribute to his home state of West Virginia in 'Come Home to West Virginia.'
© Getty Images
48 / 51 Fotos
Wisconsin
- Originally from the Badger State, indie rock band Bon Iver jams about their home state in the 2007 song 'Wisconsin.'
© Getty Images
49 / 51 Fotos
Wyoming
- John Denver's 'Song of Wyoming' is about a homesick man who hears the coyote and the canyon cottonwood singing. See also: Sun-drenched songs about California
© Getty Images
50 / 51 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 51 Fotos
Alabama
- Though originally from Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd became icons all over the South after 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Released in 1974, it's impossible not to sing along!
© Getty Images
1 / 51 Fotos
Alaska
- 'North to Alaska' was Johnny Horton's biggest hit, but sadly the country star didn't live to see its success. The song hit no. 1 on the Billboard Country charts just days after he was killed in a car accident in 1960.
© Getty Images
2 / 51 Fotos
Arizona
- Kings of Leon's 'Arizona' is the perfect road trip song, which, despite the title, fails to actually mention Arizona...
© Getty Images
3 / 51 Fotos
Arkansas
- 'Mary Queen of Arkansas' was one of four songs Bruce Springsteen played during his audition with CBS Records producer John Hammond on May 22, 1972. And to this day it's definitely still the best song about Arkansas.
© Getty Images
4 / 51 Fotos
California
- Symbols of California, The Beach Boys had huge success with the 1965 hit song 'California Girls.'
© Getty Images
5 / 51 Fotos
Colorado
- Townes Van Zandt's folk tune 'Colorado Girl' is all about going out to Denver to find "that lovin' Colorado girl of mine."
© Getty Images
6 / 51 Fotos
Connecticut
- You would think that Aerosmith's 'I Live in Connecticut' is somewhat true, but none of the band members live actually there!
© Getty Images
7 / 51 Fotos
Delaware
- George Thorogood has been the First State's chief ambassador of blues rock since the '70s, and 'Delaware Slide' is a true anthem.
© Getty Images
8 / 51 Fotos
Florida
- Vic Chesnutt's 1991 'Florida' is a tribute that goes: "Florida, Florida, there's no more perfect place to retire from life."
© Getty Images
9 / 51 Fotos
Georgia
- 'Midnight Train to Georgia' by Gladys Knight and the Pips is a tale from 1973 of a man who finds LA too much and heads back home to Georgia.
© Getty Images
10 / 51 Fotos
Hawaii
- 'Blue Hawaii' by Elvis Presley appears in his 1961 movie of the same name, and it promises that "dreams come true in blue Hawaii."
© Getty Images
11 / 51 Fotos
Idaho
- The B-52's scored big with 'Private Idaho.' The love affair between the band and Idaho hasn't died down since the song's 1980 release.
© Getty Images
12 / 51 Fotos
Illinois
- Brett Eldredge brings in some home state pride with his anthem 'Illinois.' The track was inspired by the rural farming communities near his hometown.
© Getty Images
13 / 51 Fotos
Indiana
- Originally composed in 1917, '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' went on to become a jazz standard. For many years, Louis Armstrong opened his shows with the track.
© Getty Images
14 / 51 Fotos
Iowa
- 'Iowa (Traveling, Pt. 3)' by Dar Williams made her the beloved of residents of the Hawkeye State. She has also stated that the state occupies a piece of her heart, too.
© Getty Images
15 / 51 Fotos
Kansas
- Little Willie Littlefield made everyone swing to 'Kansas City' in 1952. It was later rerecorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959.
© Getty Images
16 / 51 Fotos
Kentucky
- The King of Rock ascended his throne after recording his version of Bill Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' in 1954.
© Getty Images
17 / 51 Fotos
Louisiana
- Released in 1980, 'Louisiana Saturday Night' was one of many country hits by Mel McDaniel.
© Getty Images
18 / 51 Fotos
Maine
- If you're ever going to the easternmost state in the New England region, then it's practically obligatory to listen to 'Going to Main' by the Mountain Goats.
© Getty Images
19 / 51 Fotos
Maryland
- 'Maryland' by Vonda Shepard is a melancholic track that's all about coming home... to Maryland.
© Getty Images
20 / 51 Fotos
Massachusetts
- Released in 1967, 'Massachusetts' is one of the earlier tracks by the Bee Gees. It later appeared on their 1968 album, 'Horizontal.'
© Getty Images
21 / 51 Fotos
Michigan
- Featured in their 2006 'Stadium Arcadium' album, 'Especially in Michigan' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is all about the home state of front man Anthony Kiedis.
© Getty Images
22 / 51 Fotos
Minnesota
- Released by rapper Lil Yachty in 2016, 'Minnesota' will let you know that things can get "cold like Minnesota."
© Getty Images
23 / 51 Fotos
Mississippi
- A native of Ridgeland, Mississippi, Faith Hill puts her Magnolia pride front and center on her track 'Mississippi Girl.'
© Getty Images
24 / 51 Fotos
Missouri
- While indie rock band Low is in fact from Duluth, Minnesota, they do have a song called 'Missouri.'
© Getty Images
25 / 51 Fotos
Montana
- In Frank Zappa's 'Montana,' he claimed, "I might be movin' to Montana soon." But he never did.
© Getty Images
26 / 51 Fotos
Nebraska
- 'Nebraska' is the title song of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 solo album. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar and harmonica, the song is sung as the narrative of Charles Starkweather, who along with his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate murdered 11 people in 1958.
© Getty Images
27 / 51 Fotos
Nevada
- Featured in Billy Joel's second album, 'Piano Man' (1973), 'Stop in Nevada' is all about a woman leaving her man. She heads out west to California, but will first make a "stop in Nevada."
© Getty Images
28 / 51 Fotos
New Hampshire
- According to Sonic Youth's 'New Hampshire,' "B.B. King just turns on The New Hampshire boys."
© Getty Images
29 / 51 Fotos
New Jersey
- Tom Waits is famous for his raspy voice and musical experimentation that mixes vaudeville, blues, and jazz. His 'Jersey Girl' is about the sweet joy of being in love with a girl from New Jersey.
© Getty Images
30 / 51 Fotos
New Mexico
- In Johnny Cash's 'New Mexico,' a cow puncher kindly invites him to spend the summer in New Mexico, only to encounter a troublesome time with hail storms, thistles, and Indians.
© Getty Images
31 / 51 Fotos
New York
- Frank Sinatra redefined music history with his iconic recording of '(Theme From) New York, New York.' It's simply a classic!
© Getty Images
32 / 51 Fotos
North Carolina
- James Taylor was born in Boston, but spent much of his childhood in North Carolina. He was on a vacation in Ibiza, Spain, when he said he kept getting homesick. He then wrote 'Carolina in My Mind' in 1968.
© Getty Images
33 / 51 Fotos
North Dakota
- Lyle Lovett is a Texan, but he's beloved in the Roughrider State for his 1992 track 'North Dakota.'
© Getty Images
34 / 51 Fotos
Ohio
- About a road trip though the state, 'Ohio' by Modest Mouse declares, "this place is flatter than it seems."
© Getty Images
35 / 51 Fotos
Oklahoma
- Miranda Lambert is a hero in her home state of Oklahoma, and her song 'Oklahoma Sky' is obviously a local anthem.
© Getty Images
36 / 51 Fotos
Oregon
- Loretta Lynn's 'Portland, Oregon' is a sweet country duet with Jack White about the oh-so-hip city.
© Getty Images
37 / 51 Fotos
Pennsylvania
- 'Pennsylvania Polka' is a polka song written by Lester Lee and Zeke Manners in 1942. However, it was Frankie Yankovic who made it successful.
© Getty Images
38 / 51 Fotos
Rhode Island
- Penned by composer Arthur Schwartz and lyricist Howard Dietz, Blossom Dearie's rendition of 'Rhode Island is Famous for You' is truly charming.
© Getty Images
39 / 51 Fotos
South Carolina
- Recorded by General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board in 1980, 'Carolina Girls' has become part of both the South Carolina and North Carolina culture.
© Getty Images
40 / 51 Fotos
South Dakota
- Another state song by the Bee Gees, 'South Dakota Morning' consists of sunshine, rain, and eagles.
© Getty Images
41 / 51 Fotos
Tennessee
- Yelawolf was raised by a bartending single mom in Alabama and moved throughout Tennessee as a kid. The rapper's 'Tennessee Love' is a tribute to his background.
© Getty Images
42 / 51 Fotos
Texas
- Waylon Jennings and his longtime collaborator Willie Nelson made an instant anthem with the release of 'Luckenbach, Texas' in 1977. And Texans still love it!
© Getty Images
43 / 51 Fotos
Utah
- Camper Van Beethoven's 'History of Utah' shows that the California band not all that in the know about the history of the 45th state. At least it's a nice rock jam!
© Getty Images
44 / 51 Fotos
Vermont
- Another state song in Frank Sinatra's repertoire, 'Moonlight in Vermont' was a big hit for him in 1958. But it was introduced by Margaret Whiting in 1944 and was popular with American troops serving in World War II, as it depicted a classic American scene.
© Getty Images
45 / 51 Fotos
Virginia
- 'Virginia Moon' by the Foo Fighters is a love anthem to the state, and front man Dave Grohl truly loves it. Not only did the rock icon grow up in Springfield, Virginia, but Virginia is also his mother's name.
© Getty Images
46 / 51 Fotos
Washington
- Known for his blend of folk and rock, Matt Nathanson's 'Washington State Fight Song' isn't your usual state tribute.
© Getty Images
47 / 51 Fotos
West Virginia
- Jazz singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. sings a heartfelt tribute to his home state of West Virginia in 'Come Home to West Virginia.'
© Getty Images
48 / 51 Fotos
Wisconsin
- Originally from the Badger State, indie rock band Bon Iver jams about their home state in the 2007 song 'Wisconsin.'
© Getty Images
49 / 51 Fotos
Wyoming
- John Denver's 'Song of Wyoming' is about a homesick man who hears the coyote and the canyon cottonwood singing. See also: Sun-drenched songs about California
© Getty Images
50 / 51 Fotos
The best songs for each US state
Songs as varied and colorful as the country’s culture!
© Getty Images
From east to west, and north to south, the US has produced some of the best songs in the world. And many of these tunes have been written about the nation itself. Or, more specifically, about the different states. With artists singing about their birthplaces and songwriters telling wild tales about cowboys, these songs will allow you to travel around the whole country.
Click on to discover 50 tracks that capture the spirit of America like nothing else.
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