Here in the U.S., the summer road trip is a time-honored tradition.
May I present to you: the musical version.
Starting with a state on the Atlantic Coast and finishing with a state on the Pacific Coast:
I’ve picked a song that mentions a specific state, city, or landmark in that state – either in the title of the song or as its subject matter.
The trip is metaphorically by car, so each state must share a common border with the next state on the route.
- Road rule:
One song per state, and no entering a state twice.
If this were an actual trip, it would zigzag an extraordinary number of times and rack up tens of thousands of miles—but who’s counting? Some states brought lots of great options to mind, so there were some great choices that were left in the driveway on cinder blocks. Being that they do not border another U.S. state, Alaska and Hawaii were ineligible, but everyone else is here.
If you’d like to suggest songs you would have chosen for any given state, have at it in the comment section. If you want to create your own musical road trip—whether it’s across the U.S. or any place in the world—I would love to see it.
In the meantime:
Pack up the Ford Country Squire station wagon, flip up that rear-facing back seat, pile in, and let’s hit the road.
And don’t leave anyone behind at a gas station in Nebraska. Not that that ever happened to anyone in our family.
The Road Trip Playlist:
Maine
“Maine”
Noah Kahan
New Hampshire
“New Hampshire”
John Linnell
Vermont
“Moonlight in Vermont”
Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong
Massachusetts
“Dirty Water”
The Standells
This not-so-flattering portrait of Boston and its polluted river has become an anthem. Whatever the sport, if the home team wins, you’re going to hear it.
Rhode Island
“Sweet Rhode Island Red“
Ike & Tina Turner
Suddenly, Rhode Island just got a whole lot grittier.
Connecticut
“157 Riverside Avenue“
REO Speedwagon
This is down and dirty pre-Kevin Cronin, not your little sister’s REO. The title of the song is the address where the band stayed when they recorded the album in Westport, Connecticut.
New York
“Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down“
Alicia Keys
Pennsylvania
“Motownphilly“
Boyz II Men
Delaware
“Delaware Slide“
George Thoroughgood & The Destroyers
Titled after George’s home state.
Maryland
“(Don’t Go Back to) “Rockville“
R.E.M.
Virginia
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“
The Band
The song takes place during the last year of the Civil War, when George Stoneman was raiding Virginia.
West Virginia
“Take Me Home, Country Roads“
John Denver
Ohio
“Cleveland Rocks“
Ian Hunter
Michigan
“Detroit Rock City“
Kiss
Indiana
“Goin’ Back to Indiana“
The Jackson 5
Kentucky
“Kentucky Rain“
Elvis Presley
Tennessee
“Nashville Cats“
The Lovin’ Spoonful
North Carolina
“Carolina in My Mind“
James Taylor
South Carolina
“Charleston“
Enoch Light
It’s usually instrumental, but the original lyrics are about Charleston, SC.
Georgia
“Georgia on My Mind“
Ray Charles
Florida
“Tallahassee Lassie“
Freddy Cannon
Alabama
“Red Dirt Girl“
Emmylou Harris
Takes place in a small Alabama town. One of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard.
Mississippi
“Mississippi Queen“
Mountain
You know what I mean.
Louisiana
“Down in New Orleans“
Dr. John (from The Princess and the Frog)
Texas
“All My Ex’s Live in Texas“
George Strait
New Mexico
“(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66“
Nat King Cole
Any U.S. cross-country road trip has to include this classic route. It travels through many states, but New Mexico gets the song because, c’mon, Tucumcari.
Oklahoma
“Out of Oklahoma“
Lainey Wilson
Arkansas
“When Electricity Came to Arkansas“
Black Oak Arkansas
Missouri
“Kansas City“
Wilbert Harrison
Illinois
“Lake Shore Drive“
Alliota Haines Jeremiah
Lake Shore Drive is the iconic, picturesque stretch of Route 41 along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Chicago.
Wisconsin
“Highway 51 Blues“
Bob Dylan
Highway 51 goes through several states, but Wisconsin is the one specifically mentioned here.
Iowa
“Iowa Stubborn“
from The Music Man
Minnesota
“Escapade“
Janet Jackson
There’s a shout-out to Minneapolis at the 3:10 mark. Does it count? Yes, it does.
North Dakota
“Theme from Fargo“
Carter Burwell
Based on the Norwegian folk song “Dem Bortkomne Sauen.”
South Dakota
“Badlands“
Bruce Springsteen
Is it about the actual Badlands in South Dakota? Maybe not, but I don’t care. This jam has to be included.
Nebraska
“Nebraska“
Bruce Springsteen
Kansas
“Wichita Lineman“
Glen Campbell
Colorado
“Rocky Mountain High“
John Denver
Wyoming
“Cheyenne Anthem“
Kansas
Montana
“Midnight in Missoula“
Nanci Griffith
Idaho
“Private Idaho“
B-52s
The opening 10 seconds? About the best beginning of a song, ever.
Washington
“Tiger Mountain Peasant Song“
Fleet Foxes
Tiger Mountain is located in Washington state, about 50 miles southeast of Seattle. This song is tragically beautiful.
Oregon
“Wallowa Lake Monster“
Sufjan Stevens
Wallowa Lake is located in the northeast corner of Oregon. There have been several reported sightings over the years of a lake monster residing there. His name is Wally.
Nevada
“Leaving Las Vegas“
Sheryl Crow
Utah
“Utah“
The Osmonds
Arizona
“In the House of Stone and Light“
Martin Page
The title of the song is the English translation of the name given to the Grand Canyon by the Havasupai people who have lived there for roughly 800 years.
California
“California Lovet“
2Pac, Roger, Dr. Dre
Ending our trip with a big party. That’s Cali for ya!
The Full Roadtrip Playlist
You can listen to the full playlist of this musical road trip on Spotify:
What do you think of the playlist?
Have any songs you would have picked? Share them in the comments below!
And if you’re inspired to create your own musical road trip across any region, I’d love to hear it. Happy travels!
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… and anyway, what other options could there possibly be for South Dakota?
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few, especially in the genre of country, but it just has to be Badlands.
And you both have opened the door for a favoriteSpringsteen pop quiz trivia question:
By his own admission, what 1960s song did Springsteen “borrow” for the main melody hook in “Badlands”?
I had a dream last night that I was responding to your question with the answer “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. When I woke up, I was like “well that’s obviously wrong.”
Still don’t know the answer. Thinking it may be something by The Four Seasons, but no clue really.
He changed the riff to a major key!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2sz_YwwwQ4
Awesome. I would have never gotten this.
To avoid doubling up on the Boss I think “You and I” by Lady Gaga should have been the Nebraska one.
A solid choice.
An extensive musical travelogue. Nice work. I’m fairly sure that I would not be able to complete the set for British counties. I’m open to being proved wrong but the challenge of getting the name of Clackmannanshire into lyrics is one that has so far proved beyond our songwriters.
I’ll admit I enjoyed the road signs as much as the song suggestions. Ohio is letting the side down; no motto, illustration or governorial detail and just a plain font. Take a look at Georgia and do better.
You could still do a roadtrip and just avoid that county, as long as it’s geographically possible.
I started working on a transcontinental musical trip of countries from Ireland and U.K. to the far east of Asia, but I didn’t get far. “London Calling” is a no-brainer but it gets tougher after that.
Depends on where you cross into Ohio.
That’s more like it!
I have crossed between Indiana and Ohio on Interstate 70 hundreds of times. I’ve never seen a more grandiose state line marker than this one.
I’m guessing Elsie had a copy of Hi Infidelity.
Elise most certainly did! I knew every song from that album because of her, and I’m not gonna lie and say I didn’t like at least some of them. We would swim at a neighbor’s pool in the summer of ’81, and it was often just me and girls, and that album was constantly playing, so maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome?
Yikes! I’d rather be remembered for Journey “Lights” for San Francisco, California
“She doesn’t like the tough guys
She says that they’ve got brains all where they sit
They think they’re full of fire
She thinks they’re full of…”
Journey was never going to top that, and you know it, sis.
As far as I am concerned, this is THE Montana anthem: “Movin’ to Montana soon, Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)” – Montana by Frank Zappa
Was not aware of that one. We’ll be in Montana next month and at some point, I will have to crank it.
A classic!
At least it was in my 1970s dorm room.
So glad that you picked “Going Back to Indiana” over R. Dean Taylor’s “Indiana Wants Me,” which I loathe.
“In the House of Stone and Light”–man, what a throwback that one is. It’s already 30 years old?! Wow. Seemed like Martin Page was on his way to be the next big male singer a la Sting and Bryan Adams, but he couldn’t nail a followup.
For my native state, I’m so glad that you took the song written by my hometown buddy James Taylor (we both grew up in Chapel Hill, albeit he a generation earlier than me). However, as an alternate pick, I don’t think you’d do too bad substituting it with this, magnificently written and performed by Michael Martin Murphy as his followup to his big hit “Wildfire”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnP93ID_3kg
A strong entry for NC. The piano on the chorus is crazy good.
In a just world, this would have gotten more attention on the heels of Wildfire.
Of the two, I prefer this one.
I would like to add “Salina” by The Avett Brothers. It mentions quite a few cities and is a gorgeous song. We get Kansas, Ohio, New York and North Carolina of course!
I should have known the Avetts would have something that fit the bill. A great traveling song.
We music nerds are into categorizing and tallying and statistics. Here’s my lifetime accumulation of counties that I’ve visited. You, too, can keep track at the website that looks like it was designed almost 30 years ago, mob-rule.com . That’s why they call them counties!
This is very cool. You’ve been to many counties! Looks like a good stretch of Route 66 is outlinedl. I’m not used to seeing Indiana completely blue. (Sorry, bad political humor.) Now you need to get to the gulf coast, Southern Cali, and the western part of the U.P. On the last one, may I recommend either the Keweenaw Peninsula or Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I’ve heard Alaska is amazing. Not been there.
I am pretty weak on the southern US border. Louisiana and Alaska are my two remaining states to visit.
That’s really impressive. There are 11 states I have not been to yet, and we like to visit new places.