List of U.S. state songs facts for kids
Did you know that almost all U.S. states have their own special song? These songs are like musical symbols, chosen by the state's lawmakers to represent that state. Some well-known state songs include "Yankee Doodle", "You Are My Sunshine", "Rocky Top", and "Home on the Range". Other popular ones are "Oklahoma" (from the musical), Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind", and "Tennessee Waltz". Many other state songs are not as famous, especially outside their own state.
Some U.S. states have more than one official song. They might even call them by different names, like a state anthem or a state historical song. For example, Arkansas has two state songs, plus a state anthem and a state historical song. Tennessee has the most state songs, with 12 official songs and even an official bicentennial rap song!
Two famous songwriters, Stephen Foster and John Denver, wrote songs that became official for two different states. Stephen Foster wrote "My Old Kentucky Home" for Kentucky and "Old Folks at Home" (also known as "Swanee Ribber") for Florida. John Denver co-wrote "Rocky Mountain High" for Colorado and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" for West Virginia. Another songwriter, Woody Guthrie, wrote two state folk songs – "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" (Washington) and "Oklahoma Hills" (Oklahoma). These are different from the official state songs.
New Mexico has two state songs in Spanish: "Así Es Nuevo México" is the official Spanish state song, and "New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico" is the state bilingual song. Iowa's "The Song of Iowa" uses the same tune as the well-known Christmas song "O Tannenbaum". Arizona has a song written just for the state in 1915, and also adopted a popular country hit from 1981 called "Arizona" as an alternate state anthem.
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Why Some States Don't Have a Song
Some states have removed their state songs or never picked one at all.
New Jersey has never officially adopted a state song. There was a try to make "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen the state song. It passed one part of the state government, but not the other. This was because some people felt the song's lyrics showed a desire to leave New Jersey.
Oklahoma had a state "rock song" from 2009 to 2011 called "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips. However, the state's lawmakers did not fully approve it. This might have been because of some of the song's lyrics or a band member wearing communist symbols.
Maryland had a state song until 2021. The song, "Maryland, My Maryland", was removed because it had words that supported the Confederacy from the American Civil War. No new song has been chosen to replace it yet.
Virginia's old state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", was adopted in 1940 but removed in 1997. This was because some of its words were seen as racist by the state's lawmakers. In 2015, "Our Great Virginia" became the new state song for Virginia.
In 2021, Louisiana made "You Are My Sunshine" their only official state song. They removed another song called "Give Me Louisiana" because it was less popular. "You Are My Sunshine" is so loved in Louisiana that many people, including lawmakers, didn't even know there was a second official song before it was removed! At the same time, "Southern Nights" was added as a state cultural song.
Official State Songs List
Here is a list of the official songs for each U.S. state:
| 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 | |
Songs for Federal Districts and Territories
Beyond the states, some U.S. federal districts and territories also have their own songs.
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 |
U.S. 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
- List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
- Lists of United States state symbols
- List of regional anthems
