Alabama’s state song, written by Julia S. Tutwiler in the late 1860s and set to music by Edna Gockel Gussen, was adopted in 1931. The song references the state’s history of agriculture and mining and aims to inspire loyalty. Other popular songs about Alabama include “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”
The state song of Alabama is appropriately titled Alabama. The song comes from a poem written in the late 1860s by Julia S. Tutwiler; it was later set to music and adopted by the state government as an official song in 1931. The song recognizes Alabama’s history of agriculture and mining and is intended to inspire loyalty in the citizens of the state. The music for Alabama was composed by Edna Gockel Gussen, an organist and choirmaster from Birmingham, Alabama.
Tutwiler was originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, having been born there in 1841. She was instrumental in furthering women’s education in the state and helped reform the prison system. In her early years, she was one of the first students to attend Vassar College in New York and continued her education in Europe. During her stay in Germany, she admired the nation’s patriotic songs and was inspired to write Alabama for her home state.
Gussen’s music for the song was chosen in 1917 through a state contest sponsored by the State Federation of Music Clubs. The poem and accompanying music were finally adopted as the official state song of Alabama on March 9, 1931. The state legislature act was signed by then Governor B. M. Miller.
The state song of Alabama references many of the state’s geographic features and its location in the southeastern United States. The second verse mentions several of the state’s major rivers, including the Tombigbee, Black Warrior, and Coosa Rivers. The third verse references Alabama’s cotton industry, which was vital to the state’s economy when the poem was written. This verse also mentions coal and iron mining in the state, which had become more significant by 1931 when the song was adopted. The song’s chorus of “Alabama, Alabama, we’ll be true to you!” tries to inspire in others the sense of loyalty to the state that Tutwiler achieved during his stay in Germany.
Over time, other songs about the state have become more popular than Alabama. Stars Fell on Alabama is a 1930s jazz standard commemorating a notable meteor shower observed in the state’s skies. Sweet Home Alabama, by the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, is another popular song and is often played by marching bands throughout the state. The titles of both of these songs have appeared on state license plates. Tutwiler’s version continues to be the official state song of Alabama, however, serving as a tribute to the state’s history and Tutwiler’s work.
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