The song “Beach in Hawaii” by Jamaica’s Ziggy Marley has been selected as the best state song for Hawaii by Street, a content partner of USA Today, for its “Best State Song List.” The song reflects the Marley family’s tradition of loving the beach, as well as the artist’s love for the island state. The song has been played 40,320,000 times on Spotify, and Ziggy Marley himself made a guest appearance on the new “Hawaii Five-0” series on the CBS television network in the United States.
The best song about every state was chosen through a review by 24/7 Wall Street of the songs about each state and songs that used a state as a major theme that were most-played on Spotify as of July 25, 2018. Some of the songs were about a state’s popular cities, and they came from every musical genre, illustrating the diverse nature of the US itself. Some songs on the list were tributes written by hometown heroes, but many others were written by people from outside the state. Some include personal thoughts of the songwriter and only use a state as a background, while others even express the writer’s unhappiness with a state.
Below is the list of the Best State Songs compiled by 24/7 Wall Street.
Alabama
Song: Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Alaska
Song: North to Alaska by Johnny Horton
Arizona
Song: Take It Easy by The Eagles
Arkansas
Song: Mary Queen of Arkansas by Bruce Springsteen
California
Song: California Love by 2Pac
Colorado
Song: Rocky Mountain High by John Denver
Connecticut
Song: Peace Connecticut by Apathy
Delaware
Song: Delaware Slide by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Florida
Song: Miami by Will Smith
Georgia
Song: The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band
Hawaii
Song: Beach in Hawaii by Ziggy Marley
Idaho
Song: Private Idaho by The B-52’s
Illinois
Song: Illinois by Brett Eldredge
Indiana
Song: Small Town by John Mellencamp
Iowa
Song: Iowa (Traveling, Pt. 3) by Dar Williams
Kansas
Song: Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell
Kentucky
Song: Blue Moon of Kentucky by Elvis Presley
Louisiana
Song: House of the Rising Sun by The Animals
Maine
Song: Portland, Maine by Donovan Woods
Maryland
Song: Baltimore by Nina Simone
Massachusetts
Song: I’m Shipping Up to Boston by The Dropkick Murphys
Michigan
Song: Detroit Rock City by Kiss
Minnesota
Song: Say Shh by Atmosphere
Mississippi
Song: Mississippi Girl by Faith Hill
Missouri
Song: Kansas City by Wilbert Harrison
Montana
Song: Meet Me in Montana by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond
Nebraska
Song: Omaha by Counting Crows
Nevada
Song: Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry
New Hampshire
Song: New Hampshire by Matt Pond PA
New Jersey
Song: Jersey Girl by Bruce Springs
New Mexico
Song: Albuquerque by Neil Young
New York
Song: Theme from New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
North Carolina
Song: Carolina in My Mind by James Taylor
North Dakota
Song: North Dakota by Lyle Lovett
Ohio
Song: Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Oklahoma
Song: Oklahoma Sky by Miranda Lambert
Oregon
Song: Portland, Oregon by Loretta Lynn
Pennsylvania
Song: Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springs
Rhode Island
Song: Rhode Island is Famous for You by Blossom Dearie
South Carolina
Song: Hickory Wind by The Byrds
South Dakota
Song: Badlands by Bruce Springs
Tennessee
Song: Tennessee Love by Yelawolf
Texas
Song: Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings
Utah
Song: Salt Lake City by The Beach Boys
Vermont
Song: Moonlight in Vermont by Frank Sinatra
Virginia
Song: Virginia Moon by Foo Fighters
Washington
Song: Hello Seattle by Owl City
West Virginia
Song: Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
Wisconsin
Song: Lake Marie by John Prine
Wyoming
Song: Paint Me Back Home in Wyoming by Chris LeDoux
Info and Photo Source: Ziggy Marley Facebook, USA Today
