The United States of Songs: Arkansas

Friday, May 20, 2011

It’s time again for what’s become a Friday ritual here on the Woot Blog: The United States of Songs. And yes, I am already regretting not naming it “The United Songs of America.” If you haven’t read one of these entries before, I’m going through each state alphabetically to find the ONE song written about it that absolutely captures the feel of being in that state. The song has to have the state name in the title, and has to be an ode to the whole state, not just a city or area. So far we’ve had two drawling, country ballads and one politically-charged rap. It’s time to see what’s in store for Arkansas…

The State: Arkansas
The Song: “Arkansas Grass” by Axiom

I had a feeling we’d end up with some Southern Rock for Arkansas; I guess you can’t get more Southern than Australia, the country that gave us Axiom. But be honest: if I hadn’t just told you that, you would’ve believed these guys were sons of Little Rock. Just listen to that chorus of oohs, the twang in the guitar, the random flute popping in, and the vocal harmonies at the end of each verse: if someone asked you to reverse engineer the most stereotypically late-’60s/early-’70s song possible, you couldn’t do better than this.

And I feel like Arkansas’s the kind of place where a song like this still gets plenty of airplay on the radio. I grew up in Southern Illinois and lived in Missouri for awhile, which, St. Louis aside, is basically “Arkansas North.” There are plenty of hicks (I use that term lovingly) riding around in beat-up trucks with filthy stars-and-bars-adorned ballcaps blasting tunes just like this. 

Seems legit.

You’ve done well for yourself here, Arkansas. Pickers of nits might try to argue that this is a song about the Civil War more than Arkansas, but those people are wrong. This is a song about a guy, who just happens to be expressing anti-war sentiment during the Civil War, wishing he and his brothers in arms could return home to lie on the grass of their home state. Of course since it was released right in the middle of the Vietnam War, it was pretty relevant.

Or, since this came out in 1969, maybe he’s just talking about getting high. Either way, it’s a fitting tribute to The Natural State. Next week things officially get tough when we take on possibly the most-sung-about state in the union: California.

Runner up: “When Electricity Came to Arkansas” by Black Oak Arkansas
Most laughable suggestion: “Arkansas“  by Roger Miller

Do you like the song? Are you a horribly offended citizen of Arkansas? Got a suggestion for a future state? Let us know in the comments!

Flickr photo Arkansas Quartz Crystals by Clinton Steeds used under a Creative Commons License.

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