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Alabama is the state where it’s a Class-B felony to wrestle with a bear, but it is also one of the most famous subjects of country songs.
Some songs suggest that the state is all about blue skies and whiskey-drinking men, but there’s more to the state than stereotypical imagery. It’s filled with a rich history, including a connection to the Civil War and the first moon landing.
As songs about Alabama are many, it is a great way to learn about this beautiful state.
12 Songs About Alabama
1. “Song of the South” by Alabama
“Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch
We all picked the cotton but we never got rich
Daddy was a veteran, a southern democrat
They oughta get a rich man to vote like that”
The song was written in 1980 and depicted the story of a poor cotton farm family during the years of the Great Depression. The song references F.D. Roosevelt and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) as well. It serves as a great remembrance for Alabama’s past struggles and shows its full potential as a great country song.
2. “Ala-Freaking-Bama” by Trace Adkins
“I’m from Ala-Freakin-Bama
Tell me what’s it to ya
Ala-Freakin-Bama
‘Bama”
This song is a perfect way to relax and take it easy. It is filled with southern humor and outlandish fun from Adkins’s album “Cowboy’s Back in Town,” written in 2010. It gives listeners a humorous take on what to expect from Ala-Freaking-Bama. The song is proud of its Alabama heritage and sings about how there is no shame from where you come from.
3. “Old Alabama” by Brad Paisley
“Now we’re listenin’ to old Alabama
Parked somewhere in Tennessee
A little Dixieland delight and it feels so right
And it’s love in the first-degree ee!”
As one of the most popular country singers in America, Brad Paisley takes us on a journey through the roads of Alabama. It uses nostalgia as many different songs about Alabama are mentioned here as the couple listens to them while driving down the road to their unknown location. It is very catchy, so you will for sure find yourself singing along with it.
4. “Alabama Pines” by Jason Isbell
“Somebody take me home
Through those Alabama Pines”
This song tells the story of Alabama in the autumn and pines that you have to go through to get home. Like many country songs, this also shows the importance of home. As the singer is also from Alabama, he paints the perfect picture of the beauties and the peacefulness that Alabama can bring.
5. “Alabama Getaway” by Grateful Dead
“Heard your plea in the courthouse
Jury box began to rock and rise
Forty-nine sister states all had
Alabama in their eyes”
This mention on our list is unlike any of the other ones. It’s a rock song written in 1980, showing what it’s like seeing your home everywhere. It was played all across pubs and became a popular beer-drinking song. And if that doesn’t tickle your bubble, it can also be a great addition to your road trip mix.
6. “Bama Breeze” by Jimmy Buffett
“In 1984 Mick Jagger passed through town
Bought the house around
Signed his name on the wall
In the Ladies bathroom stall, yeah”
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones have passed through Alabama many times from the 60s to the 90s, making the band’s fans very happy on many occasions. And this song, like the modern country songs we all grew to love, catches our attention with its fun lyrics about getting a fake I.D. and drinking beer.
7. “Alabama Song” by The Doors
“Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We’ve lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why”
We have come to the “love” side of rock music, or should I say the heartbreak side of it. This song was written in 1927 by a German songwriter. However, the band did something different and made it very popular. Many say listening to this song is the perfect opportunity to try Alabama’s official drink, Conecuh Ridge Whiskey.
8. “Stars fell on Alabama” by Billie Holiday
“We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama last night”
If you like to jam to a little bit of smooth jazz, this song is for you. The book of the same name, “Stars fell on Alabama” by Carl Carmen, inspired the song. The title refers to the meteor shower of 1833. In the book, Carmen travels through the state where he encounters many traditions, local myths, and superstitions that perfectly represent Alabama. The song managed to paint a perfect picture of the meteor shower.
9. “Zip City” by Drive-By Truckers
“I got 350 heads on a 305 engine
I get ten miles to the gallon
I ain’t got no good intentions”
Alabama is known for its small towns, in this case, Zip City. This song perfectly shows the anxiousness of being a teenager in a small town and trying to escape it. It’s a song for when you are driving somewhere and unsure where or why you are going. The piece perfectly depicts being young and trying to find your way. And the singer, as he has done in most of his songs, leaves the best lines for last, which perfectly paints a teenager full of angst.
10. “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama
“On a Tennessee Saturday night
Couldn’t feel better
I’m together with my Dixieland delight”
We can’t finish our list without another mention of a band named after the state. They always paint the perfect picture of the Heart of Dixie. It was written in 1982, and it became the number one singalong song at the Alabama games. The song usually starts playing in the fourth quarter long after everyone has had a couple of drinks. Though the song talks about Saturday nights in Tennessee, it still became a staple for Alabama residents during the games.
11. “Paint Me a Birmingham” by Tracy Lawrence
“Paint me a Birmingham
Make it look just the way I plan
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there on the front yard swing
Cotton dress make it early spring
For a while she’ll be mine again
If you could paint me a Birmingham.”
This song, written in 2004, tells the story of longing. The narrator longs to go back to Birmingham, Alabama, to the girl of his dreams, to live in a home with a white picket fence by the edge of town. Yet he has to settle only for a painting of it since it can never come to reality. It is a sad song, yet it is nonetheless beautiful.
12. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you.”
What a song! I have found myself singing this way too many times to count. It’s a proud song for the proud people of Alabama, saying that they don’t need Neil Young to sing about the Southlands; they can do it themselves. You have probably heard this song and sang it aloud, as many of us have. Yet none of us have to be from Alabama to enjoy it and imagine the beautiful scenery this song depicts.
Final Thoughts on Songs About Alabama
This collection of songs about Alabama will show you what a fun time you can have in this state and introduce you to its rich history.
So for all you fans of Alabama (not the band) and for anyone who just wants to learn more about this amazing state, make sure to check out our links of 12 songs about Alabama above. We have something for everyone, from smooth jazz to old rock to teenage angst and country music.
Let us know which song and artist is your favorite in the comment section below!
