Louisiana has six official state songs, including the first one adopted in 1932, “Louisiana Song,” and the popular “You Are My Sunshine.” The state also has an official environmental song and a song to commemorate Hurricane Rita and Katrina recovery efforts. Most of the songs were already popular before being honored by the state legislature. The honor is usually honorary and does not benefit the songwriter or copyright owner.
Depending on the source and context, any of the six songs can legitimately be claimed as an “official” state song of Louisiana. The first song adopted by the state legislature, in 1932, was the “Louisiana Song”. The legislature took action again in 1952 to add “Louisiana, My Home Sweet Home” as the official march song, a different honor. Come 1970, though, and the popular ballad “Give Me Louisiana” was added as a secondary status song, and in 1977 a third, “You Are My Sunshine,” joined these ranks. In addition, the state has approved an official environmental song, “The Gifts of Earth,” and an official song to commemorate Hurricane Rita and Katrina recovery efforts, “Come Back to Louisiana.” All represent something distinct about Louisiana culture and history even though they are usually considered to be very different from one another when it comes to style.
Understanding the meaning of status song in general
All but one of the US states have adopted official songs, usually as a way to capture something significant about the spirit of the people or the geography of the place. Sometimes the songs were specifically commissioned by the government or lawmakers to serve as a state song, but other times the songs earned their own way of being “official” by becoming popular or first earning a place in the public consciousness. All six Louisiana songs were written and performed extensively before being honored by the state legislature with an official state title.
In most cases the honor is simply that: it is honorary and in no way benefits the songwriter or copyright owner. Accepting the honor usually means the state is able to reproduce the song at official functions and reprint the lyrics without conflicting with broadcast rights or other copyright laws, but not always. Most of Louisiana’s songs are in the so-called “public domain,” which means that the rights to them are free and accessible to everyone.
Louisiana song
The first song to be named the official “state song of Louisiana” was “Song of Louisiana,” which classical music composer Vashti Robertson Stopher wrote and released in 1928. Stopher was at that time a professor of musical arts at Louisiana State University of Baton Rouge. The Louisiana legislature voted to name the opera the official state song in 1932.
Louisiana, my home sweet home
In 1952 state legislators decided to enrich the local portfolio with the addition of an official march chant. Sammie McKenzie, Lou Lavoy and Castro Carazo’s “Louisiana, My Home Sweet Home” received this honor. Carazo was a musician by trade and band director at Louisiana State University for many years after he was plucked from the national jazz circuit by then Louisiana Governor Huey Long. Carazo, along with McKenzie and Lavoy, composed this song as a piece for members of the school marching band to perform at games and other public events. He soon became popular throughout the region, and was known and loved by many.
Give me Louisiana
In 1970, the state added Doralice Fontaine’s “Give Me Louisiana” as the official state song. There is some controversy when it comes to whether this action replaced the 1932 “Song of Louisiana” honor, or is simply being added to the state roll. “Give Me Louisiana” is often the first song mentioned when talking about official state tunes, and many covers and remixes have been made over the years.
You are my sun
Of all the songs Louisiana honors, “You Are My Sunshine” is perhaps the best known on a national and potentially even international scale. Unlike the others, this song is not specifically about Louisiana and does not mention the state directly in the lyrics. The song was written by Jimmie Davis, the 47th governor of Louisiana, however, and by most accounts was actually composed while he was in office. According to widespread rumors, the song was written about an illicit relationship Davis had with a younger woman, although this has never been confirmed. It remains a popular country music ballad and has been remastered and covered by thousands of artists worldwide. The Louisiana legislature added it to the official song list in 1977.
The gifts of the earth
The state is one of the only ones in the country to have an official “environmental song,” named for the song’s importance to the state’s efforts to preserve nature and watch out for resource depletion. Francis LeBeau’s “Gifts of Earth” received this honor in 1990.
Back to Louisiana
Finally, in 2006, the legislature named “Come Back to Louisiana” the official song of the hurricane recovery efforts of late 2005. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of New Orleans, struck in August of that ‘year; Rita followed soon after in late September, hitting new areas and worsening the damage from Katrina. “Come Back to Louisiana” was written by New Orleans natives Jay Chevalier and Bob Attwood, and was used in numerous promotional venues and fundraising efforts in the early recovery.
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