“Washington, My Home” is the official state song of Washington, written by Helen Davis in 1950 and declared official in 1959. The song’s copyright is owned by the Davis estate, but the state holds an exclusive license for its use. The song’s lyrics reflect the state’s scenery and terrain. Despite being the official song, it is little known. In 1985, there was an unsuccessful campaign to replace it with “Louie Louie.” In 2011, a basketball fan filed an initiative to change it to “Not in Our House,” the former official song of the Seattle Supersonics.
Washington’s state song is “Washington, My Home,” which was written by Helen Davis in 1950. The Washington legislature passed a bill declaring the song the official state tune in 1959. This proclamation superseded Washington’s unofficial state song, Edmond Meany’s “Beloved Washington.”
“Washington, My Home” is codified as the state song of Washington in the Revised Code of Washington, Title 1, Chapter 20, Section 70. The law requires that all proceeds from the sale of any recording or performance of the song be placed in a general state fund. The song’s copyright is still owned by the Helen Davis estate, but the state holds an exclusive license for its use and reproduction.
Davis was a resident of South Bend, Washington. A state senator from that city proposed his song to Congress in early 1959 as a contestant for the official Washington state song. Both the House and the Senate passed the motion, and the song became official unanimously.
The song has two verses with a repeating chorus. The Washington scenery, pace of life, and mountainous terrain all contribute to the lyrics. The title comes from the chorus, which proclaims “Washington my home; / Wherever I may roam; / This is my land, my homeland, / Washington, my home.” Stuart Churchill provided the musical arrangement.
Davis’ song, despite being the official song of Washington state, is little known, even among the state’s most prominent residents. Public school children typically learn the state song along with state emblems and state symbols in elementary school. The tune is sometimes played at official state events, but not with any regularity. Sometimes choirs and choral groups are commissioned to sing the song at government meetings, although this is rare.
In 1985, a group of rock music enthusiasts launched a nearly successful campaign to replace “Washington, My Home” with the Kingsmen’s 1965 version of “Louie Louie” as Washington’s state song. The Kingsmen were a popular rock band from nearby Portland, Oregon. A so-called “Louie Louie resolution” passed the state senate, but failed at home. However, lawmakers have declared April 12 “official Louie Louie day.”
As late as early 2011, the state song found itself under attack when a basketball fan filed an initiative with the Secretary of State to change the song to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s rap number, “Not in Our House”. That song was the official song of Seattle’s former professional basketball team, the Seattle Supersonics. The Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. Per the fan initiative, the song would return to “Washington, My Home” if and when the team returned to the state.
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