If you had the songwriting skills, wouldn’t you write a song about Utah, too? Ranging from the beauty of its mountains to the Great Salt Lake, the Beehive state has inspired artists enough to sing about it.
Artists have performed the songs for Utah concerts and others practically lived here. Billy Joel performed one of his rarities that has Utah in the lyrics while on stage at the then Energy Solutions Arena in downtown Salt Lake when he visited in 2007. And Utah was home away from home for the Beach Boys, according to Deseret News' Doug Robinson. "Salt Lake City" wasn't the group's only song with a connection to the Western state. Did you know “Fun, fun, fun” was about a Salt Lake girl with a T-bird?
Here's our non-exhaustive playlist of songs that mention Utah.
1. "Salt Lake City" by The Beach Boys
Lyrics: “Down in Utah / The guys and I dig a city called Salt Lake / It's got the grooviest kids / That's why we never get tired of Salt Lake”
2. “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” by Billy Joel
Lyrics: “Well, he robbed his way from Utah to Oklahoma / And the law just could not seem to track him down”
3. "Utah" by The Osmonds
Lyrics: “Well I'm going back to Utah / Utah is the place where I want to be Utah, / You tell me bout all the places that you / Wish you could see / Just give me my home, my girl, my friends, my family / Give me time to rest my mind, then we'll have a party”
4. “Ballad for a Friend” by Bob Dylan
Lyrics: “A diesel truck was rolling’ slowly / Pulling’ down a heavy load / It left him on a Utah road”
5. "The Promised Land" by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics: “On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert / I pick up my money and head back into town / Driving cross the Waynesboro county line / I got the radio on and I'm just killing time”
6. “Don’t Get so Down on Yourself” by Chris Isaak
Lyrics: “I got the picture, that you finally sent / I read your letter, and I know what you meant / That's you and me, in Salt Lake City / You sure look pretty”
7. “Rodeo Trails” by Chris LeDoux
Lyrics: “Marked eighty points on that old Brahma bull / The entry fees high up in Utah they tell me / But you’re going there with a back pocket full”
8. “My Elusive Dreams” by David Houston and Tammy Wynette
Lyrics: “I followed you to Texas / I followed you to Utah / We didn't find it there, so we moved on”
9. “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Hank Snow
Lyrics: “Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City / Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity / I've been everywhere, man / I've been everywhere, man”
10. “California Zephyr” by Hank Williams
Lyrics: “From the Great Salt Lakes of Utah / To California's golden shore / Colorado and Nevada / Through the deserts burnin' door”
11. “Sign on the Window” by Bob Dylan
Lyrics: “Build me a cabin in Utah / Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout / Have a bunch of kids who call me ‘pa’ / That must be what it's all about”
Cover by Jennifer Warnes
12. “I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City” by Julie London
Lyrics: “I lost my sugar in Salt Lake City / Oh, why did I go there / I should have stayed down in New Orleans / And never gone nowhere”
Cover by Judy Garland and Johnny Mercer
13. “I’m Going Home” by Kingston Trio
Lyrics: “I have driven open highway / Through the golden Utah valley / And I watched the rivers gently gliding / I wave my hand to friendly people”
14. “Rodeo Cowboy” by Lynn Anderson
Lyrics: “In Salt Lake City Utah he told me that he loved me / But still I knew he wasn't born to be the settling kind / For with tomorrow's sun he'd pack up his ol' suitcase / And leave all thoughts of me and love a hundred miles behind”
15. "Utah Carol" by Marty Robbins
Lyrics: “And now my friends you've asked me what makes me sad and still / And why my brow is darkened like the clouds upon the hill / Run in your ponies closer and I'll tell to you my tale / Of Utah Carol my partner and his last ride on the trail”
16. "The Mess Inside" by The Mountain Goats
Lyrics: “We took a weekend, drove to Provo / The snow was white and fluffy / A weekend in Utah won't fix what's wrong with us / The gray sky was vast and real cryptic above me”
17. “Palace of the Brine” by Pixies
Lyrics: “Beneath reflections in the fountain / the starry sky and Utah mountains / they are swimming happily”
18. “Beehive State” by Randy Newman
Lyrics: “I see the gentleman from Utah / Our friendly Beehive state / How can we help you, Utah? / How can we make you great?”
19. “The Wild Horse” by Rod Stewart
Lyrics: “We rode a freight train up to Cleveland / Across the Utah plains / Proud men, troubadours torn and frayed / Sleeping under the stars”
20. “Rock This Country!” by Shania Twain
Lyrics: “From Utah to Texas, Minnesota, Mississippi too / Or Nevada, no matter where you live-this buzz is for you”
21. “Grand Canyon” by Timber Timbre
Lyrics: “Cloud shadows on the mountain / And our shadow on the mountainside / After Salt Lake City / I have time to close my eyes”
Bonus: “Teach Me How To Jimmer” by Feel Good Music Coalition
Lyrics: “It seems that these days even Utah fans be gushing/ Houston -Vegas -Provo welcome to the Jimmer show”
Spotify playlist