Hey, here's something fun I did and maybe you all can help fill in the gaps.

Can we collectively tour every state in the U.S. by song title?

No showtunes or official state anthems, please. I'm trying to look for nontraditional original songs.

Alabama - NEIL YOUNG - ALABAMA

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas - DAMIEN JURADO - ARKANSAS

California - LED ZEPPELIN - GOING TO CALIFORNIA

Colorado -

Connecticut -

Delaware - POOKY BLUEM - EVERYONE LOVES DELAWARE (GOING TO WILMINGTON)

Florida - SUGAR - PANAMA CITY MOTEL

Georgia - [I was going to go for any modern version of Georgia on my Mind, but that is a state anthem!]

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois - SUFJAN STEVENS - CHICAGO

Indiana

Iowa - FIERY FURNACES - MASON CITY

Kansas

Kentucky - SHUDDER TO THINK - NO RM. 9, KENTUCKY

Louisiana - FATS DOMINO - WALKING TO NEW ORLEANS

Maine -

Maryland -

Massachusetts - DISMEMBERMENT PLAN - ICE OF BOSTON

Michigan - DAVID BOWIE - PANIC IN DETROIT

Minnesota -

Mississippi -

Missouri - various - KANSAS CITY

Montana - FRANK ZAPPA - MONTANA

Nebraska - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - NEBRASKA

Nevada - ELVIS PRESLEY - VIVA LAS VEGAS (don't like this, but if any of you have something better?)

New Hampshire - SONIC YOUTH - NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Jersey - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - ATLANTIC CITY

New Mexico - NEIL YOUNG - ALBUQUERQUE

New York - THE AD LIBS - THE BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY

North Carolina -

North Dakota -

Ohio - RANDY NEWMAN - DAYTON OHIO - 1903

Oklahoma -

Oregon -

Pennsylvania - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA

Rhode Island - SONIC YOUTH - PROVIDENCE

South Carolina -

South Dakota -

Tennessee -

Texas - FIERY FURNACES - DRIVE TO DALLAS

Utah -

Vermont -

Virginia -

Washington - NIRVANA - FRANCES FARMER WILL HAVE HER REVENGE ON SEATTLE

West Virginia -

Wisconsin - XIU XIU - HELLO FROM EAU CLAIRE

Wyoming - SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB - CHEYENNE

Oklahoma is easy.

is it Moonlight In or On Vermont?

Bob Dylan - Mississippi

Loretta Lynn - Portland, Oregon

West Virginia: John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Road"
I like this one better for New York: Frank Sinatra, "New York, New York"

North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
Indiana Wants Me - R.Dean Taylor

... does that John Denver song about West Virginia specifically? The song title doesn't reveal anything.

Anyway...

Sonic Youth gets a third song in our tour...

CHAPEL HILL - from 1992's Dirty album, for North Carolina

For Kentucky, I would go with "Kentucky Rain" by Elvis.

There are a bunch more Kentucky songs here: http://www.settingthewoodsonfire.com/2008/07/man-in-kentucky-sure-is-lucky.html

Michelle Shocked's Anchorage talks about Alaska

For Tennessee there's "Sequestered in Memphis" by The Hold Steady.

For my great state of Pennsylvania, I'd suggest "Amish Paradise" I guess? Or Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom".

I also always thought New York, New York by the Chairman was a showtune? That's of course an obvious choice. If I could manage a whole 50 state list with nothing but quirky indie rock that would be amazing.

Without looking at the link to the Kentucky list, I just thought of

NEIL DIAMOND - KENTUCKY WOMAN

written and recorded by the artist, nonetheless

I should point out that I'm trying to pick songs I actually enjoy listening to. Although I found some very recent entries to my iTunes from mp3 blogs that I'm just beginning to take in (aka Damien Jurardo - Arkansas)

New York's should be New York State of Mind by Billy Joel or New York, New York by Frankie S.

As for California, You could use California Dreamin' (the mamas and the papas), California Man (Cheap Trick) or California Girls (beach boys).

California could also be: Joni Mitchell's California or more recently Joanna Newsom's In California

Oh, Jonah. To represent my home state, you chose a song about That City at the Wrong End of I-45? You break my heart.

Especially when you could have gone with any of these…

Glen Campbell, “Galveston”
Waylon Jennings, “Luckenbach, Texas”
Lyle Lovett, “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas)”
R.E.M., “Houston”
R.E.M., “Texarkana”
Marty Robbins, “El Paso”
Jimmie Rodgers, “T for Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1)”
Bob Wills, “San Antonio Rose”
ZZ Top, “La Grange”

For Colorado, "Rocky Mountain High", unless we've already exceeded our quota of John Denver songs. :)

For Nevada, you could pick "Leaving Las Vegas" by Sheryl Crow.

Here's an oddball choice for Nebraska...Richard Marx's "Hazard"

For Georgia, "The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia"
by Reba McEntire, or "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels.

Grizzly Bear have a song called Colorado on the Yellow House LP.

Just found Stephen Malkmus' latest album in the library...

There's a song called

Baltimore

which takes care of Maryland!