The reason for Thursday

I started last Thursday's post by wanting to put together a playlist of state songs. I'd just listened to Lyle Lovett's It's Not Big, It's Large album and was really enjoying "Up in Indiana" - no luck finding it on Seeqpod, however, so the playlist ended up being Ohio songs...

But, that doesn't preclude today's list post...

Songs with states in the title...let's find the best song for each state, many of which I've still got blank...

And just for the fun or it, I've bolded the ones that I'd say might qualify as the best state song ever...and I've put the ones added since the original post in italics...

Alabama

"Sweet Home Alabama" (Lynyrd Skynyrd), "Alabama" (John Coltrane), "Alabama Song" (Bertold Brecht and others), "Alabama Bound" (Leadbelly)

Alaska

"North to Alaska" (Johnny Horton)

Arizona

"Arizona" (Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere & the Raiders), "Arizona" (Alejandro Escovedo)

Arkansas

"Arkansas Traveler" (public domain)

California

"Going to California" (Led Zeppelin), "California Dreamin" (Mama's & Papas), "Californication" (Chili Peppers), "Goin' Back to Cali" (B.I.G.), "California Girls" (Beach Boys), "Hotel California" (Eagles), "California Sun" (The Rivieras and The Ramones), "California Love" (2Pac, Dr Dre), "California Stars" (Wilco & Billy Brag), "California" (Low), "Dani California" (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Colorado

-none-

Connecticut

"Connecticut" (Judy Garland, Bing Crosby)

Delaware

"Delaware" (Perry Cumo)

Florida

-none-

Georgia

"Sweet Georgia Brown" (various), "Georgia on My Mind" (Ray Charles)

Hawaii

"Blue Hawaii" (Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley), "Hawaii" (Beach Boys)

Idaho

"Idaho" (Yonder Mountain String Band), "Idaho" (Jesse Stone and others)

Illinois

"Illinois" (Dan Fogelberg)

Indiana

"Up in Indiana" (Lyle Lovett), "Back Home Again in Indiana" (Hoagy Carmichael), "Indiana" (Louis Armstrong)

Iowa

-none-

Kansas

-none-

Kentucky

"My Old Kentucky Home" (Stephen Foster), "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Elvis and others), "Kentucky Woman" (Neil Diamond), "Kentucky Rain" (Elvis), "Kentucky Waltz" (Bill Monroe and others), "Kentucky" (Everly Brothers)

Louisiana

"Louisiana 1927" (Randy Newman), "Louisiana" (Count Basie), "Louisiana Lady" (New Riders on the Purple Sage), "Louisiana Man" (Doug Kershaw and others), "Louisiana Blues" (Muddy Waters), "Louisiana" (Percy Mayfield), "Louisiana Bayou" (DMB)

Maine

-none-

Maryland

"Maryland, My Maryland" (various artists), "Maryland" (Vonda Shepard)

Massachusetts

"MTA" (Kingston Trio), "Massachusetts" (Bee Gees), "Massachusetts" (Gene Krupa)

Michigan

"Say Yes to M!ch!gan!" (Sufjan Stevens)

Minnesota

-none-

Mississippi

"Mississippi Moon" (John Anderson), "Mississippi Moon" (Jimmie Rogers), "Mississippi Queen" (Mountain), "Bright Mississippi" (Thelonious Monk), "Mississippi Mud" (Ray Charles), "Mississippi" (Bob Dylan, Cheryl Crow), "Mississippi" (Red Foley), "Mississippi" (Pussycat)

Missouri

"Missouri Waltz" (Glenn Miller and others), "Missouri" (Merle Travis)

Montana

-none-

Nebraska

"Nebraska" (Bruce Springsteen)

Nevada

"Reno, Nevada" (Fairport Convention, et al)

New Hampshire

"New Hampshire" (Sonic Youth)

New Jersey

"Jersey Girl" (Tom Waits), "Jersey Bounce" (various artists)

New Mexico

"New Mexico" (Johnny Cash)

New York

(not the city, specifically about the state)-none-

North Carolina

-none-

North Dakota

"North Dakota" (Lyle Lovett, again)

Ohio

see Thursday's entire post, "Ohio" (Neil Young), "Ohio (back to Texas)" (Bowling for Soup), "Ohio" (Over the Rhine)

Oklahoma

"Oklahoma Hills" (Jim Reeves and others), "Oklahoma" (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

Oregon

"Oregon Trail" (Woody Guthrie)

Pennsylvania

"Pennsylvania 6-5000" (Andrews Sisters and others)

Rhode Island

"Sweet Rhode Island Red" (Ike & Tina Turner)

South Carolina

-none-

Tennessee

"Tennessee Sucks in the Summer" (Ryan Adams), "Tennessee Stud" (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), "Tennessee" (Arrested Development), "Tennessee Waltz" (Roy Acuff and others), "Tennessee" (Carl Perkins)

Texas

"Texas Flood" (Stevie Ray Vaughn), "T for Texas" (Jimmie Rodgers)

Utah

-none-

Vermont

"Moonlight in Vermont" (various - in my head, Willie Nelson)

Virginia

"East Virginia" (public domain), "Oh Virginia" (Blessed Union of Souls)

Washington

-none-

West Virginia

-none-

Wisconson

-none-

Wyoming

"Emperor of Wyoming" (Neil Young)

Oh, and to quote The Girl, "compulsive much?"