50 songs about 50 states

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I accepted a fairly stupid bet. I have to make a list of songs that contain a state in its title . i can use any resource i can find . Dinner is riding on this !

― anthonyeaston, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, you can end your search pretty quickly by heading straight to John Linnell's album State Songs. It's 50 song album with titles like "Arizona", "Michigan", "North Carolina", "Washington", "Nebraska" and so on...

I haven't heard the album, but John Linnell is from They Might Be Giants so it probably sucks.

― Oliver Kneale, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i am sorry i forgot the last conditions , he thought there night be a concept album so they have to be a seperate artist for each song, cannot be state anthems and have to be vocal.

― anthony, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anthony, have a look at the AMG (all music guide). There you can look for song titles. I just searched for "Iowa" and got 10 results.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Dandy Warhols--"Minnesoter"

bonus points for obvious misspelling.

― BRianR, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

and that Linnell album only has about 12-13 songs, not 50. but it is a concept, and dsiqualified from suggesting

also: Public Enemy--"By The Time I Get To Arizona"

― BRianR, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Crucifucks cd Our Will Be Done has Wisconsin

― kevin enas, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Big Black "Texas" (not that it'd be hard to find a song abt Texas, but this is something else..)
Liz Phair "South Dakota" off Juvenalia (err, is the title longer? can't remember. anyhow.)
Petey Pablo "Raise Up" (for North Carolina..)
By the way, what about DC? We don't count? just 'cause we can't vote..?

― daria gray, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Private Idaho" (B-52s), "Mississippi Goddam" (Nina Simone),"Moving to Florida" (Butthole Surfers), "The Day Electricity Came to Arkansas" (Black Oak Arkansas), "Nebraska" (Springsteen)

― dave q, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Perry Como - Delaware (and the lyrics get through another half a dozen or so)

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

R Dean Taylor - Indiana Wants Me

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
New York, New York by Frank Sinatra (though it meant to be the city but who cares).
Massachusetts by The Bee Gees.
Hotel California by The Eagles or better California by Joni Mitchell.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The BeeGees - The Lights Went Out in Massachusetts
? - The Banks of the Ohio
there's loads of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma etc tracks in Western Swing, and the same must go for Blues and Mississippi, Tennessee etc

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Jersey Girl (i forget who did the original, only have covers)
Midnight Train to Georgia
Folkes Brothers - Oh Carolina (does that count?)

― michael, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kansas by Wedding Present.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's A Wall In Washington - Iris DeMent (probably means DC, but as with NY NY above, who cares?)
Maryland Electric Rainstorm - The Divine Comedy
California Dreaming - Mamas And The Papas
Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
Iowa - Slipknot
Illinois - Dan Fogelberg
Moonlight In Vermont - (a standard. I think Sinatra did it, but you'll have to find an alternative version if you go with his take on NY NY. Come to think of it, I think Sinatra did a whole album of these. So did Ray Charles - "Genius Hits The Road")

― Jeff W, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ohio - Crosby Stills & Nash
Kentucky Woman - Neil Diamond (or Deep Purple)
Tennessee Waltz -
Pennsylvania 6-5000
Georgia on My Mind

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Virginia Plain - Roxy Music
West Virginia Bound - The Beltways

I'm just getting warmed up.

― Jeff W, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Alaskan Summer (Tangerine Dream)
Hawaii (Beach Boys)
North Dakota (Lyle Lovett)
Missouri (Low)

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Holiday In Rhode Island - The Softies
Tennessee - Arrested Development
Blue Hawaii - Elvis
Song of Wyoming - John Denver
Oklahoma! - Rogers & Hammerstein

― Jeff, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Going to Alaska - The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black

― fritz, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oregon Trail - CW McCall
Colorado Beetle - The Bluetones
Somewhere In New Mexico - Jill Sobule
The Wives Are In Connecticut - Carly Simon
I Travel (Utah Saints mix) - Simple Minds (getting desperate now ;-) What's left?)

― Jeff, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thrush Hermit also have a song called "North Dakota".
Moxy Fruvous (shudder) did a track called "Michigan Militia".
Josh Rouse crooned his way through "Dressed Up Like Nebraska".

― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Jab Tujhe Maine' by Sadhna Sargam and Udit Narayan (tee hee)

― Jeff, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Checking CDNow, it looks like the Shaw Brothers have a track called "New Hampshire Naturally" -- and naturally, it's the only one without a sound sample. Someone called Anne Hills has a track called "Rye, New Hampshire", which well might be vocal. Everything else I saw at first glance looked instrumental.

― Phil, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

? - The Banks of the Ohio
I didn't know Question Mark dumped the Mysterians and pursued a solo career. ;-)

― helen fordsdale, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Here's what's missing:

"Montana" - Mothers of Invention "Nevada" - Pere Ubu

South Carolina - .. (don't have one...)

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Wanted Man"! Of course. Nick Cave's, especially, is quite formidable. He's even a wanted man in Ohio. I mean, Baton-Rouge or Wounded Knee sound exotic enough, but Ohio?

― Simon, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

South Carolina - The Outlaws

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Dambuilders had a fifty songs for fifty states project going where every release had one or two songs with a state in the title. I don't think they ever finished it, but they recorded quite a few.

― Miranda, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think we have missed some of the flyover (Wisconson,Indiana,Illinois)

― anthony, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nope. All present and correct upthread.

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Jonathan Richman's 'New England' takes out quite a few in one go. 'Signed D.C.' by Love might be of some use.

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That D.C. is a reference to Love drummer Don Conka,not the District of Columbia.

― Damian, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Magnetic Fields -- "Washington DC". Also, "Going to Georgia" by The Mountain Goats, tho I'm fairly sure we have that covered already.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wyoming - Lucksmiths

― Joris Gillet, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm aware that DC = Don Conka, but does the other half of the bet know?

― Snotty Moore, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

tennesse stud by doc watson (also done by johnny cash)

― bilechile, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Here's a 'proper' Utah one, in case your dinner date quibbles when you order the caviar: "The History of Utah" by Camper van Beethoven

― Jeff W, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

California Uber Alles (sp?) Dead Kennedys

Maybe one for each state, pro- and anti-?

Wasn't Feeling Minnesota a (downbeat, depressing) song before it was a (spectacularly bad) movie?

― cbs, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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