List of U.S. state songs

Forty-nine of the fifty U.S. states that make up the United States of America have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature, and/or state governor, as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state.

"State song" redirects here. For sovereign states, see national anthem. For equivalent songs found in other countries, see regional anthem.

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 9 official state songs and an official bicentennial rap.

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.[1]

Two individuals, Stephen Foster, and John Denver, have written or co-written two state songs. Foster's two state songs, "Old Folks at Home" (better known as "Swanee Ribber" or "Suwannee River"), adopted by Florida, and "My Old Kentucky Home" are among the best-known songs in the U.S. On March 12, 2007, the Colorado Senate passed a resolution to make Denver's trademark 1972 hit "Rocky Mountain High" one of the state's two official state songs, sharing duties with its predecessor, "Where the Columbines Grow".[2] On March 7, 2014, the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" one of four official state songs of West Virginia. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the resolution into law on March 8, 2014.[3] Additionally, Woody Guthrie wrote or co-wrote two state folk songs - "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On" and "Oklahoma Hills" - but they have separate status from the official state songs of Washington and Oklahoma, respectively. Other 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), 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.

New Jersey has no official state song, while Virginia's previous state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", adopted in 1940,[1] was later rescinded in 1997 due to language deemed racist by the Virginia General Assembly.[4] In 2015, "Our Great Virginia" was made the new state song of Virginia.[5]

Maryland ("Maryland, My Maryland") and Iowa ("The Song of Iowa") use the tune from the song "O Tannenbaum" as the melody to their official state songs.[6]

State songs
State State song Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Year adopted
 Alabama "Alabama"Edna Gockel GussenJulia S. Tutwiler1931[1][7]
 Alaska "Alaska's Flag"Elinor DusenburyMarie Drake1955[1][8]
 Arizona State song: "Arizona"Rex Allen and Rex Allen, Jr.Rex Allen and Rex Allen, Jr.1981[1][9]
State anthem: "Arizona March Song"Maurice BlumenthalMargaret Rowe Clifford1919[1][9]
 Arkansas State anthem: "Arkansas"Eva Ware BarnettEva Ware Barnett1917/1987[1][10]
"Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me)"Wayland HolyfieldWayland Holyfield1987[1][10]
"Oh, Arkansas"Terry Rose and Gary KlaffTerry Rose and Gary Klaff1987[1][10]
State historical song: "The Arkansas Traveler"Sanford Faulkner(Official lyrics by committee, 1947)1949/1987[1][10]
 California "I Love You, California"Abraham F. FrankensteinF. B. Silverwood1951[1]
 Colorado "Where the Columbines Grow"A.J. Fynn1915[1][11][12]
"Rocky Mountain High"John Denver and Mike TaylorJohn Denver2007[11][13]
 Connecticut State song: "Yankee Doodle"1978[1][14]
State cantata: "The Nutmeg"2003[1][14]
 Delaware "Our Delaware"Will M. S. Brown George Beswick Hynson 1925[1]
 Florida Official song: "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)" (with revised lyrics)Stephen FosterOriginal: Stephen Foster

Adapted: Stephen Foster Memorial at the University of Pittsburgh

 2008 (revised lyrics)[15]
1935 (original lyrics)[1]
Official poem: "I Am Florida"Walter "Clyde" OrangeAllen Autry Sr.2013[16][17]
State anthem: "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)"Jan Hinton2008[18]
 Georgia "Georgia on My Mind", sung by Ray CharlesHoagy CarmichaelStuart Gorrell1979[1]
 Hawaii State anthem: "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī"Henri BergerKing David Kalākaua1967[1][19]
 Idaho "Here We Have Idaho"Sallie Hume DouglasMcKinley Helm and Albert J. Tompkins 1931[1]
 Illinois "Illinois"Archibald JohnstonCharles H. Chamberlain1925[20]
 Indiana "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"Paul Dresser1913[1]
 Iowa "The Song of Iowa"Melchior FranckS. H. M. Byers 1911[1]
Official Companion State Song: "Make Me a World in Iowa"Effie Burt2002[1][21]
 Kansas "Home on the Range"Daniel E. Kelley Brewster M. Higley 1947[1]
Official state march: "The Kansas March"1935[1]
Official march: "Here's Kansas"1992[1]
 Kentucky State song: "My Old Kentucky Home"Stephen Foster1928[1]
Bluegrass song: "Blue Moon of Kentucky"Bill Monroe1988[1][22]
 Louisiana "Give Me Louisiana"Doralice Fontane[23]1970[1]
"You Are My Sunshine"Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell1977[1]
State march: "Louisiana My Home Sweet Home"1952[1]
Environmental song: "The Gifts of Earth"[24]
 Maine State song: State of MaineRoger Vinton SnowRoger Vinton Snow1937[1]
State ballad: Ballad of the 20th MaineThe Ghost of Paul RevereGriffin Sherry2019
 Maryland "Maryland, My Maryland"
(to the tune of "O Tannenbaum")		Melchior Franck James Ryder Randall1939[1][25]
 Massachusetts State anthem: "All Hail to Massachusetts"Arthur J. Marsh1981[1][26]
State folk song: "Massachusetts"Arlo Guthrie1981[1][27]
State ceremonial march: "The Road to Boston"unknown 1985[1][28]
State patriotic song: "Massachusetts (Because of You Our Land is Free)"Bernard Davidson1989[1][29]
State glee club song: "The Great State of Massachusetts"J. Earl Bley George A. Wells 1997[1][30]
State polka: "Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts"Lenny Gomulka[31]1998[32]
State ode: "Ode to Massachusetts"Joseph Falzone 2000[1][33]
 Michigan An official state song: "My Michigan"H. O'Reilly ClintGiles Kavanaugh1937[1]
 Minnesota "Hail! Minnesota"Truman Rickard Cyrus Northrop 1945[1]
 Mississippi "Go, Mississippi"
(sometimes called Go Mis-sis-sip-pi)		William Houston Davis 1962[1]
 Missouri "Missouri Waltz"melody: John V. Eppel
arranged: Frederic K. Logan		J.R. Shannon1949[1]
 Montana "Montana"Joseph E. Howard Charles Cohan 1945[1]
State ballad: "Montana Melody"1983[1]
State lullaby: "Montana Lullaby"2007[34]
 Nebraska Official: "Beautiful Nebraska"Jim FrasJim Fras and Guy Miller 1967[1][35]
 Nevada "Home Means Nevada"Bertha Rafetto 1933[1]
 New Hampshire Official: "Old New Hampshire"Maurice Hoffman John F. Holmes 1949[1]
1977
Official: "Live Free or Die"Barry Palmer2007
Honorary: "New Hampshire, My New Hampshire"1963[1]
Honorary: "New Hampshire Hills"1973[1]
Honorary: "Autumn in New Hampshire"1977[1]
Honorary: "New Hampshire's Granite State"1977[1]
Honorary: "Oh, New Hampshire"1977[1]
Honorary: "The Old Man of the Mountain"1977[1]
Honorary: "The New Hampshire State March"1977[1]
Honorary: "New Hampshire Naturally"1983[1][36]
 New Jersey None[37]N/AN/A
 New Mexico State song: "O Fair New Mexico"Elizabeth Garrett1917[1]
Spanish state song: "Así Es Nuevo Méjico"Amadeo Lucero1971[1]
State ballad: "Land of Enchantment"Michael Martin Murphey, Don Cook, and Chick Rains 1989[1]
Bilingual song: "New Mexico – Mi Lindo Nuevo México"Pablo Mares1995[1]
State cowboy song: "Under New Mexico Skies"Syd Masters2009
 New York State song: "I Love New York"Steve Karmen1980[38]
State hymn of remembrance: "Here Rests in Honored Glory"Donald B. Miller2018[39][40]
 North Carolina "The Old North State"E.E. Randolph William Gaston 1927[1]
 North Dakota "North Dakota Hymn"C. S. Putman James Folely 1947[1]
 Ohio "Beautiful Ohio"Mary EarlBallard MacDonald (1918)
Wilbert McBride (1989)		1969[1][41]
Rock song: "Hang On Sloopy"Wes Farrell and Bert Berns1985[1][42]
 Oklahoma Official state song: "Oklahoma"Richard RodgersOscar Hammerstein II 1953[1][43]
Official state waltz: "Oklahoma Wind"1982[1]
State Folk Song: "Oklahoma Hills"Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie2001[44][45]
Official state children's song: "Oklahoma, My Native Land"Martha Kemm Barrett1996[46]
Official state gospel song: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"Wallis Willis2011[47]
 Oregon "Oregon, My Oregon"Henry Bernard MurtaghinJohn Andrew Buchanan 1927[1]
 Pennsylvania "Pennsylvania"1990[1]
 Rhode Island State march: "Rhode Island"1996
State song: "Rhode Island, It's for Me"1996[1]
 South Carolina "Carolina"Anne Curtis BurgessHenry Timrod
G.R. Goodwin (editor)		1911[1]
"South Carolina on My Mind"Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge1984[1]
 South Dakota "Hail, South Dakota!"DeeCort Hammitt1943[1]
 Tennessee "My Homeland, Tennessee"Roy Lamont SmithNell Grayson Taylor1925[48]
"When It's Iris Time in Tennessee"Willa Waid Newman1935[1][48]
"My Tennessee"Frances Hannah Tranum1955[48]
"Tennessee Waltz"Pee Wee KingRedd Stewart1965[1][48]
"Rocky Top"Felice and Boudleaux Bryant1982[1][48]
"Tennessee"Vivian Rorie1992[48]
"The Pride of Tennessee"Fred Congdon /
Thomas Vaughn /
Carol Elliot		1996[1][48]
"A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996"Joan Hill Hanks1996[48]
"Smoky Mountain Rain"Kye Fleming
Dennis Morgan		2010[48][49][50]
"Tennessee"John R. Bean2012[48]
 Texas "Texas, Our Texas"William J. MarshWilliam J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright1929[51][52]
 Utah State song: "Utah…This Is The Place"Sam and Gary Francis2003[53]
State hymn: "Utah, We Love Thee"
(state song from 1937 to 2003)[54]		Evan Stephens2003[1]
 Vermont "These Green Mountains"Diane Martin (composer)
Rita Buglass Gluck (arranger)		Diane Martin1999[1][55]
 Virginia Traditional state song: "Our Great Virginia"Jim Papoulis (arranger), based on "Oh Shenandoah"Mike Greenly2015[5]
Popular state song: "Sweet Virginia Breeze"Steve Bassett and Robbin Thompson2015[5]
Emeritus state song: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (retired as official song in 1998)James A. Bland[56]1940[1][4]
 Washington State song: "Washington, My Home"Stuart Churchill (arranger)Helen Davis1959[1]
State folk song: "Roll On, Columbia, Roll On"based on "Goodnight, Irene"Woody Guthrie1987[1][57]
Unofficial state rock song: "Louie Louie"Richard BerryRichard Berryunofficial[58]
 West Virginia Official state song: "The West Virginia Hills"Henry Everett EngleEllen Ruddell King1963[1][59]
Official state song: "This Is My West Virginia"Iris BellIris Bell1963[1][59]
Official state song: "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home"Julian G. Hearne, Jr.Julian G. Hearne, Jr.1963[1][59]
Official state song: "Take Me Home, Country Roads"John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert2014[60]
 Wisconsin State song: "On, Wisconsin!"William T. PurdyCharles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard1959[1][61]
State ballad: "Oh Wisconsin, Land of My Dreams"Shari A. SarazinErma Barrett2001[1][61]
State waltz: "The Wisconsin Waltz"Eddie HansenEddie Hansen2001[1][61]
 Wyoming State march: "Wyoming"George Edwin KnappCharles E. Winter1955[1][62]
State song: "Wyoming Where I Belong"Annie & Amy SmithAnnie & Amy Smith2018

Territories

Along with Washington, D.C. (a federal district), some U.S. overseas territories, although not U.S. states, have songs and marches of their own.

Territory Song Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Year adopted
 American Samoa "Amerika Samoa"Napoleon Andrew Tuiteleleapaga Mariota Tiumalu Tuiasosopo 1950
 Washington, D.C. Song: "Washington"Jimmie Dodd1951[63]
March: "Our Nation's Capital"Anthony A. Mitchell1961[63]
 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 Anthem: "La Borinqueña"Félix Astol ArtésManuel Fernández Juncos1977
 United States Virgin Islands "Virgin Islands March"Sam Williams and Alton Adams 1963

See also

References
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  2. "Official State Song". Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  3. "Colorado State Song Rocky Mountain High composed by John Denver". www.netstate.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  4. "Official State Song of the Commonwealth of Virginia". 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  5. "Listen: Virginia Now Has 2 State Songs". 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  6. "Maryland, my meh song", The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, 15 March 2016. Retrieved on 05 June 2017.
  7. Act 31-126, Acts of Alabama, "STATE SONG: Alabama". Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama. Alabama Department of Archives & History. 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  8. "Official State Song". Alaska Information. State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  9. "Arizona State Anthems". SOS for Kids. Arizona Secretary of State's Office. 2003. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  10. "State Songs". Arkansas Secretary of State's Office. Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
  11. "State Songs". Colorado State Archives. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  12. "Colorado State Song". Colorado State Symbols & Emblems. State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. Archived from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
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  15. Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine "Summary of Bills Related to Arts, Cultural, Arts Education. Or Historical Resources That Passed the 2008 Florida Legislature May 5, 2008", Retrieved 2011-12-14
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  17. "I Am Florida". www.iamflorida.org. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  18. from janhintonmusic.com "Home" page. Retrieved on November 27, 2008
  19. "Hawaii Revised Statutes §5-10". hawaii.gov. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
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  36. "Section 3:7 State Songs". www.gencourt.state.nh.us. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  37. reynolds. "Frequently Asked Questions | NJ Facts". www.state.nj.us. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  38. "New York State Information and Emblems: New York State Library". www.nysl.nysed.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
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  40. Arnold, Chad (January 3, 2019), "New York gets new veterans' hymn despite objections to Christian theme", Democrat and Chronicle, retrieved 2019-12-26
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  42. House Concurrent Resolution 16 on November 20, 1985.
  43. "25 Okla. Stat.] § 94.1–3". state.ok.us. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
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  46. 25 Okla. Stat. § 94.5–7
  47. 25 Okla. Stat. § 94.11–13
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  56. The song was rescinded in 1998 but is still not yet replaced and still in use until for the time being.
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