JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICAN MUSIC

Here are 10 songs that celebrate the beauty of America!

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It’s no surprise that "America the Beautiful" and its landscapes, oceans, and mountains have been recognized by countless works of art. Every state has inspired legendary musicians and songwriters with the many wonders they have to offer. From Frank Sinatra’s moonlit Vermont to Elvis's wild nights in Vegas, we remember some of these iconic composers with a selection of ten songs that celebrate U.S. states.

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We start this list with a timeless classic. Ray Charles sings a tender and moving love song to his home state, pining for a "road that leads back" to his sweet Georgia. You might be surprised to learn that this song wasn’t actually written by Ray Charles, but rather by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and first recorded by Carmichael in 1930.

Nevertheless, Ray Charles’ version is, without a doubt, the most iconic, so much so that it was declared Georgia’s official state song in 2006.

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As Dorothy Gale sings in The Wizard of Oz, "There’s no place like home." Who else but Dorothy herself could make you miss Connecticut with just a song? Judy Garland and Bing Cosby sing their praises of Connecticut in this 1944 tune written by Broadway legends Ira and George Gershwin. Garland’s happy-go-lucky voice lovingly describes this "land of dreams and moonlit streams" before declaring "Connecticut will always be my home, sweet home."

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This 1944 song has had many incredible versions (including legendary names like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald), but perhaps Frank Sinatra’s version is the most well-known. The Sultan of Swoon’s dulcet tones line perfectly with the lyrics: an idyllic image frozen in time of a hypnotizing, dimly lit summer night in Vermont’s majestic mountains.

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Jimmy Buffet’s 1986 album Floridays, and the track of the same name, paint a lovely picture of the Sunshine State. The song’s narrator keeps "looking for better days", while apparently finding them on those Floridays filled with "blue skies and ultraviolet rays."

While the song has an unquestionable nostalgic feeling to it, one can’t help but picture cold beers and the sun setting over the Miami coastline while listening to this song. Fun fact: This was the last studio album to feature Jimmy Buffet’s trademark mustache since he shaved it by 1988’s Hot Water.

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Another tale of a version becoming more popular than the original, "Jersey Girl" was written by legendary composer and musician Tom Waits for his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine, and was first covered by Springsteen in 1981. You can tell how the Boss is truly one of New Jersey’s favorite sons in his live performance of this song at Meadowlands Arena: when he sings about riding "across the river to the Jersey side", the crowd erupts in deafening cheers.

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While this is the first song in this list to reference a city rather than a whole state, Sufjan Stevens's 2005 concept album Illinois is a beautiful exploration of a state the songwriter describes as the "center of gravity of the American midwest." In that sense, "Chicago" is a sad but beautiful depiction of the Windy City. A powerful orchestra backs Steven’s melancholic voice in a song about love, mistakes, and driving back to Chicago while "all things go."

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Another song named after a city, this iconic track is one of the King’s most popular songs. "Viva Las Vegas" (and the 1964 film of the same name) have become synonymous with the Entertainment Capital of the World. Elvis's energetic lyrics about the city that would be his home five years later describe the frenzy and enjoyment this "bright light city" has to offer.

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We could have easily included Diamond’s powerful patriotic song "America" in this list, but this ode to the Bluegrass State was too good to pass. Diamond sings about a strong-willed gal who "shines with her own kind of light," and that seems to incarnate all the qualities that Kentuckians take pride in. Many are more familiar with Deep Purple’s rock cover, filled with drum fills and electric guitar solos, but Diamond’s acoustic ballad is a classic love letter to a whole state.

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John Denver’s songs are known for their acoustic guitar chords and lyrics filled with praise for nature and disdain for city life. This melancholic ballad to the Cowboy State is no exception. The song that Wyoming sings for Denver’s narrator (a lonesome cowboy tired of riding) is comprised of the sounds of a moonlit prairie, filled with the "cottonwood whispers" and the wild melodies of nightbirds and coyotes.

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While they might be more well-known for writing the quintessential soundtrack to New York’s disco scene, the Bee Gees’s 1973 "South Dakota Morning" is a slow-paced, melodic ballad about the "Mount Rushmore" State. The Gibb brothers sing a sad but beautiful tale about a rainy South Dakota morning, and about laying down "on the South Dakota grass."

Strength in numbers

Words that can’t resist loneliness: 11 plural-only terms explained

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Some words just can’t be left alone. You can have a pair of glasses, climb the stairs, or dip into your savings, but try talking about just one "glass," (for your eyes) "stair," or "saving," and it suddenly feels a bit off. These traits go unnoticed most of the time, but they do exist. These 11 common words exist only in the plural form.

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It probably has to do with a pair of glasses having two separate pieces of glass, one for each eye. A similar element, but with a single glass, would be called a monocle.

Therefore, glasses only exist in their plural form, as only two make a complete set.

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The word "clothes" is always plural because it refers to multiple garments, not just one. Also, it differs from "cloth," which means the material.

Historically, "clothes" evolved from "cloths," once the plural of "cloth," which also meant a garment. As "cloth" shifted to mean just fabric, "clothes" kept their meaning as a collection of items like shirts, pants, or socks.

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A pair of scissors is composed of two blades, each with a handle attached to it, held together by a screw in the center. That is why it is called a pair of scissors and not just one scissors.

Theoretically, one could have a single scissor, meaning one blade, but it would not serve its natural purpose of cutting things by sliding the two blades together.

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The word "stairs_"_ is plural because it refers to a set or flight of steps, not just one. The structure involves multiple steps, making the plural form more natural in everyday use.

Yes, "stair" can appear in older texts or compound words like "staircase," but it’s less common and often refers to a single step or the entire flight. Still, most people use "stairs" to describe the full set.

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Not unlike the previously mentioned glasses, "pants" are always plural because they come from pantaloons, which were originally two separate pieces: one for each leg. Even though modern pants are a single garment, the plural form stuck.

"Pants" is just a shortened form of "pantaloons," and the idea of two leg coverings helped keep the plural usage alive through habit and tradition.

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This one can seem tricky at first, since a person could, theoretically, own a single thing, but there is a logical explanation as to why it is a plural-only word. "Belongings" is plural because it refers to a collection of personal items someone owns, like clothes, books, or furniture. It implies more than one object, making the plural form natural.

The singular "belonging" has a different meaning altogether: it describes the feeling of being accepted or fitting in, not physical possessions.

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The word "headphones" is usually plural because it refers to a device with two earpieces worn on both ears. While "earphones" can describe the individual parts, the full set is commonly called "headphones."

Modern headphones are typically stereo and designed as a pair, which, in turn, reinforces the use of the plural form.

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The word "species" is used for both singular and plural forms, especially in biology. It comes from Latin, where the form was the same in both cases, which explains the modern usage.

In the world of taxonomy, "species" acts as a collective noun for organisms with shared traits.

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Similar to scissors, the word "tongs" is always plural because it describes a tool made of two connected parts that work together, just like scissors or pliers. This dual structure leads to the use of a plural noun, even for a single tool.

In English, tools with two joined parts are often plural nouns used only in the plural. It’s a common use born out of how these items are constructed and used.

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A word with grim connotations, indeed, "remains" is usually plural because it refers to leftover parts or pieces of something, like uneaten food or human remains. Even when it’s one item, it’s seen as part of a whole that’s no longer intact.

It works as a collective noun, emphasizing the idea of multiple fragments. Though not strictly plural-only, it’s almost always used in the plural to reflect this meaning.

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No one talks about "saving," meaning a collected amount of money. And that is because the word "savings" looks plural but can act as either a plural or a mass noun. For example, "significant savings" treats it as plural, while "the savings are substantial" treats it as a total amount.

As a mass noun, "savings" refers to the money saved overall, much like "money" itself. As it was seen in the previous examples, context determines whether it's treated as singular or plural.