Idaho needs an enduring, eternal song

Many states among the 50 United States of America, none of them as heavenly as Idaho, have memorable songs which, when people hear them, make them think, "That must be a marvelous place. I need to go there!" Think “California, Here I Come”; “Deep In The Heart Of Texas”; “On Wisconsin”; “Oklahoma!” Neither Colorado nor West Virginia had much to crow about until John Denver came along and in the early 1970s recorded “Colorado Rocky Mountain High” and “Take Me Home Country Roads” ("West Virginia, mountain mama, take me home, country roads"). The eagles rock combo did the same favor for Winslow, Arizona with their hit, “Take It Easy” ("It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me"). And imagine the curiosity created about the sunflower state when Dorothy, upon landing in Munchkinland, told Toto, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Then, waking up in Kansas, added "There's no place like home."

And what does Idaho have? A swing hit from the early 1940's recorded first by Benny Goodman and then by the Count Basie band titled “Idaho”, known only by a fading fistful of archaic big band fans. And then there is “Our Idaho”, the vandals' alma mater, familiar mainly to students and alumni of the University of Idaho. (If you sang it to anyone from the provincial east coast Ivy League, for instance, they would assume it was about Iowa or Ohio or Oregon). And of course there is “Here We Have Idaho”, since 1931 the official state song, which earlier had spawned “Our Idaho”. Maybe one out of a thousand adult Idahoans could whistle it from familiarity. Elementary kids might do better because they learn the song in school.

Not only do we lack a memorable state aria, Idaho hasn't a single city honored by an ageless, evergreen melody. We do have “It Happened In Sun Valley”, from the 1941 movie, Sun Valley Serenade, but does anyone remember it? (Curiously, the Glenn Miller Orchestra played “Chattanooga Choo Choo” in the film and that song, about a Tennessee town, remains a durable big band classic). Boise or Lewiston or Moscow or Twin Falls deserve a song like “St.Louis Blues” (Missouri); “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (California); “I Got A Gal In Kalamazoo” (Michigan): “Manhattan” ("We'll have Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, too …” (New York); San Antonio Rose (Texas); “Chicago” "Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town, I'll show you around …” (Illinois). “Basin Street” is a classic jazz/blues song about New Orleans. And “Moon Over Miami” is one of countless pop tunes about Florida cities. Even Kokomo, Indiana received a song salute, a major hit named “Kokomo”, in 1947. And thanks To Willie and Waylon, Luckenback, Texas (population 3) has a catchy, much listened-to ditty about itself.

Arguably America's most perfect state and one to which much of the national population appears to be moving, Idaho owes itself an epic song. Like “Moonlight in Vermont”. Or “Stars Fell On Alabama”. Or “Georgia On My Mind”. Or “Away Back Home In Indiana”. Or “My Old Kentucky Home”. And how about “Nothing Could Be Finer Than to be in Carolina in the Morning”? With a nod to Cole Porter and the Broadway musical Anything Goes, how does this sound, for starters: "You're the top, you're Lake Pend Oreille — you're the top, hey! hey! hey! hey!)

But wait! Do we really need another reason for people to keep on moving here?

TIM H. HENNEY

Sandpoint