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List of U.S. state songs facts for kids

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Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Well-known state songs include "Yankee Doodle", "You Are My Sunshine", "Rocky Top", and "Home on the Range". A number of others are popular standards, including "Oklahoma" (from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name), Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind", "Tennessee Waltz", "Missouri Waltz", and "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away". Many of the others are much less well-known, especially outside the state.

Some U.S. states have more than one official state song, and may refer to some of their official songs by other names; for example, Arkansas officially has two state songs, plus a state anthem and a state historical song. Tennessee has the most state songs, with 12 official state songs and an official bicentennial rap.

Two individuals, Stephen Foster and John Denver, have written or co-written state songs for two different states. Foster wrote the music and lyrics for "My Old Kentucky Home", adopted by Kentucky in 1928, and "Old Folks at Home" (better known as "Swanee Ribber" or "Suwannee River"), adopted by Florida in 1935. John Denver wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music for "Rocky Mountain High", adopted by Colorado in 2007 as one of the state's two official state songs, and co-wrote both lyrics and music for "Take Me Home, Country Roads", adopted by West Virginia in 2014 as one of four official state songs. Additionally, Woody Guthrie wrote or co-wrote two state folk songs – "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" (Washington) and "Oklahoma Hills" (Oklahoma) – but they have separate status from the official state songs of both states.

New Mexico has two state songs in Spanish: "Así Es Nuevo México" is the official Spanish state song, while "New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico" is the state bilingual song.

Iowa's "The Song of Iowa" uses the tune from the song "O Tannenbaum" as its melody.

Arizona has a song that was written specifically as a state anthem in 1915, as well as the 1981 country hit "Arizona", which it adopted as the alternate state anthem in 1982.

Absences and removals

New Jersey has never adopted a state song. A resolution to declare the song "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen as the state song passed the Assembly, but failed the state Senate as the song's lyrics depict a desire to leave New Jersey.

Oklahoma's state "rock song" from 2009 to 2011 was "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips, but the state legislature vote was not ratified. The move might have purportedly been due to offensive lyrics and a band member wearing of communist symbols on a shirt.

Maryland had a state song until 2021. "Maryland, My Maryland" was removed due to pro-Confederate language, but no replacement was established.

Virginia's previous state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", adopted in 1940, was rescinded in 1997 due to language deemed racist by the Virginia General Assembly. In 2015, "Our Great Virginia" was made the new state song of Virginia.

In 2021, Louisiana made "You Are My Sunshine" their only official state song by removing the less-popular "Give Me Louisiana". "You Are My Sunshine" is so beloved by Louisiana residents that many of them, including state legislators, were unaware that a second official song existed prior to the proposed removal. "Southern Nights" was added at the same time as the removal, but given a new designation as a state cultural song.

State songs

State State song Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Year adopted
 Alabama "Alabama (Julia Tutwiler song)|Alabama]]" Edna Gockel Gussen Julia S. Tutwiler 1931
 Alaska "Alaska's Flag" Elinor Dusenbury Marie Drake 1955
 Arizona State song: "Arizona" Rex Allen and Rex Allen, Jr. Rex Allen and Rex Allen, Jr. 1981
State anthem: "Arizona March Song" Maurice Blumenthal Margaret Rowe Clifford 1919
 Arkansas State anthem: "Arkansas" Eva Ware Barnett Eva Ware Barnett 1917/1987
"Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)" Wayland Holyfield Wayland Holyfield 1987
"Oh, Arkansas" Terry Rose and Gary Klaff Terry Rose and Gary Klaff 1987
State historic song: "Arkansas Traveler" Sandford C. Faulkner State Song Selection Committee 1949/1987
 California "I Love You, California" Abraham F. Frankenstein F. B. Silverwood 1951
 Colorado "Where the Columbines Grow" A.J. Fynn 1915
"Rocky Mountain High" John Denver and Mike Taylor John Denver 2007
 Connecticut State song: "Yankee Doodle" 1978
Second state song: "Beautiful Connecticut Waltz" Joseph Leggo 2013
State cantata: "The Nutmeg" Stanley L. Ralph 2003
State polka: "Ballroom Polka" Ray Henry 2013
 Delaware "Our Delaware" Will M. S. Brown George Beswick Hynson 1925
 Florida Official song: "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)" (with revised lyrics) Stephen Foster Original: Stephen Foster

Adapted: Stephen Foster Memorial at the University of Pittsburgh

2008 (revised lyrics)
1935 (original lyrics)
Official poem: "I Am Florida" Walter "Clyde" Orange Allen Autry Sr. 2013
State anthem: "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)" Jan Hinton 2008
 Georgia "Georgia on My Mind", sung by Ray Charles Hoagy Carmichael Stuart Gorrell 1979
 Hawaii State anthem: "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" Henri Berger King David Kalākaua 1967
 Idaho "Here We Have Idaho" Sallie Hume Douglas McKinley Helm and Albert J. Tompkins 1931
 Illinois "Illinois" Archibald Johnston Charles H. Chamberlain 1925
 Indiana "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" Paul Dresser 1913
 Iowa "The Song of Iowa" Melchior Franck S. H. M. Byers 1911
Official Companion State Song: "Make Me a World in Iowa" Effie Burt 2002
 Kansas "Home on the Range" Daniel E. Kelley Brewster M. Higley 1947
Official state march: "The Kansas March" 1935
Official march: "Here's Kansas" 1992
 Kentucky State song: "My Old Kentucky Home" Stephen Foster 1928
Bluegrass song: "Blue Moon of Kentucky" Bill Monroe 1988
 Louisiana "You Are My Sunshine" Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell 1977
State march: "Louisiana My Home Sweet Home" Castro Carazo Sammie McKenzie and Lou Levoy 1952
State environmental song: "The Gifts of Earth" Frances LeBeau 1990
State cultural song: "Southern Nights" Allen Toussaint 2021
 Maine State song: State of Maine Roger Vinton Snow Roger Vinton Snow 1937
State ballad: Ballad of the 20th Maine The Ghost of Paul Revere Griffin Sherry 2019
 Maryland None N/A N/A N/A
 Massachusetts State anthem: "All Hail to Massachusetts" Arthur J. Marsh 1981
State folk song: "Massachusetts" Arlo Guthrie 1981
State ceremonial march: "The Road to Boston" Unknown 1985
State patriotic song: "Massachusetts (Because of You Our Land is Free)" Bernard Davidson 1989
State glee club song: "The Great State of Massachusetts" J. Earl Bley George A. Wells 1997
State polka: "Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts" Lenny Gomulka 1998
State ode: "Ode to Massachusetts" Joseph Falzone 2000
 Michigan An official state song: "My Michigan" H. O'Reilly Clint Giles Kavanaugh 1937
 Minnesota "Hail! Minnesota" Truman Rickard Cyrus Northrop 1945
 Mississippi "Mississippi" Bonita Crowe 1916
"One Mississippi" Steve Azar 2022
 Missouri "Missouri Waltz" melody: John V. Eppel
arranged: Frederic K. Logan
J.R. Shannon 1949
 Montana "Montana" Joseph E. Howard Charles Cohan 1945
State ballad: "Montana Melody" 1983
State lullaby: "Montana Lullaby" 2007
 Nebraska Official: "Beautiful Nebraska" Jim Fras Jim Fras and Guy Miller 1967
 Nevada "Home Means Nevada" Bertha Rafetto 1933
 New Hampshire Official: "Old New Hampshire" Maurice Hoffman John F. Holmes 1949
1977
Official: "Live Free or Die" Barry Palmer 2007
Honorary: "New Hampshire, My New Hampshire" 1963
Honorary: "New Hampshire Hills" 1973
Honorary: "Autumn in New Hampshire" 1977
Honorary: "New Hampshire's Granite State" 1977
Honorary: "Oh, New Hampshire" 1977
Honorary: "The Old Man of the Mountain" 1977
Honorary: "The New Hampshire State March" 1977
Honorary: "New Hampshire Naturally" 1983
 New Jersey None N/A N/A N/A
 New Mexico State song: "O Fair New Mexico" Elizabeth Garrett 1917
Spanish state song: "Así Es Nuevo México" Amadeo Lucero 1971
State ballad: "Land of Enchantment" Michael Martin Murphey, Don Cook, and Chick Rains 1989
Bilingual song: "New Mexico – Mi Lindo Nuevo México" Pablo Mares 1995
State cowboy song: "Under New Mexico Skies" Syd Masters 2009
 New York State song: "I Love New York" Steve Karmen 1980
State hymn of remembrance: "Here Rests in Honored Glory" Donald B. Miller 2018
 North Carolina "The Old North State" E.E. Randolph William Gaston 1927
 North Dakota "North Dakota Hymn" C. S. Putman James Folely 1947
 Ohio "Beautiful Ohio" Mary Earl Ballard MacDonald (1918)
Wilbert McBride (1989)
1969
Rock song: "Hang On Sloopy" Wes Farrell and Bert Berns 1985
 Oklahoma Official state song: "Oklahoma" Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II 1953
Official state waltz: "Oklahoma Wind" 1982
State Folk Song: "Oklahoma Hills" Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie 2001
Official state children's song: "Oklahoma, My Native Land" Martha Kemm Barrett 1996
Official state gospel song: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" Wallis Willis 2011
 Oregon "Oregon, My Oregon" Henry Bernard Murtagh John Andrew Buchanan 1927
 Pennsylvania "Pennsylvania" Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner 1990
“Pennsylvania” Gertrude Rohrer Gertrude Rohrer 1960
 Rhode Island State march: "Rhode Island" 1996
State song: "Rhode Island, It's for Me" 1996
 South Carolina "Carolina" Anne Curtis Burgess Henry Timrod
G.R. Goodwin (editor)
1911
"South Carolina on My Mind" Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge 1984
 South Dakota "Hail, South Dakota!" DeeCort Hammitt 1943
 Tennessee "My Homeland, Tennessee" Roy Lamont Smith Nell Grayson Taylor 1925
"When It's Iris Time in Tennessee" Willa Waid Newman 1935
"My Tennessee" Frances Hannah Tranum 1955
"Tennessee Waltz" Pee Wee King Redd Stewart 1965
"Rocky Top" Felice and Boudleaux Bryant 1982
"Tennessee" Vivian Rorie 1992
"The Pride of Tennessee" Fred Congdon, Thomas Vaughn, and Carol Elliot 1996
"A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996" Joan Hill Hanks 1996
"Smoky Mountain Rain" Kye Fleming
Dennis Morgan
2010
"Tennessee" John R. Bean 2012
"The Tennessee in Me" Debbie Matthas 2023
"Copperhead Road" Steve Earle 2023
 Texas "Texas, Our Texas" William J. Marsh William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright 1929
 Utah State song: "Utah...This Is the Place" Sam and Gary Francis 2003
State hymn: "Utah, We Love Thee"
(state song from 1937 to 2003)
Evan Stephens 2003
 Vermont "These Green Mountains" Diane Martin (composer)
Rita Buglass Gluck (arranger)
Diane Martin 1999
 Virginia Traditional state song: "Our Great Virginia" Jim Papoulis (arranger), based on "Oh Shenandoah" Mike Greenly 2015
Popular state song: "Sweet Virginia Breeze" Steve Bassett and Robbin Thompson 2015
Emeritus state song: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (retired as official song in 1998) James A. Bland 1940
 Washington State song: "Washington, My Home" Stuart Churchill (arranger) Helen Davis 1959
State folk song: "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" based on "Goodnight, Irene" Woody Guthrie 1987
Unofficial state rock song: "Louie Louie" Richard Berry Richard Berry unofficial
 West Virginia Official state song: "The West Virginia Hills" Henry Everett Engle Ellen Ruddell King 1963
Official state song: "This Is My West Virginia" Iris Bell Iris Bell 1963
Official state song: "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home" Julian G. Hearne, Jr. Julian G. Hearne, Jr. 1963
Official state song: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert 2014
 Wisconsin State song: "On, Wisconsin!" William T. Purdy Charles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard 1959
State ballad: "Oh Wisconsin, Land of My Dreams" Shari A. Sarazin Erma Barrett 2001
State waltz: "The Wisconsin Waltz" Eddie Hansen Eddie Hansen 2001
 Wyoming State song: "Wyoming" George Edwin Knapp Charles E. Winter 1955
State song: "Wyoming Where I Belong" Annie & Amy Smith Annie & Amy Smith 2018

Federal district songs

Federal district Song Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Year adopted
 Washington, D.C. Song: "Washington" Jimmie Dodd 1951
March: "Our Nation's Capital" Anthony A. Mitchell 1961

Territory songs

Territory Song Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Year adopted
 American Samoa "Amerika Samoa" Napoleon Andrew Tuiteleleapaga Mariota Tiumalu Tuiasosopo 1950
 Guam "Stand Ye Guamanians" Ramon Manalisay Sablan Ramon Manalisay Sablan

Lagrimas Untalan (translation)

1919
 Northern Mariana Islands "Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi" Wilhelm Ganzhorn David Kapileo Taulamwaar Peter

Jose and Joaqin Pangelinan

1996
 Puerto Rico "La Borinqueña" Félix Astol Artés Manuel Fernández Juncos 1977
 United States Virgin Islands "Virgin Islands March" Sam Williams and Alton Adams 1963

See also

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