Countless songs have been written about the East and West coasts, but far fewer celebrate the flyover states that comprise the nearly 3,000 miles between either end of the continental U.S. Even their “flyover” nickname alludes to the fact that these states (and their many cities and towns) are often overlooked, culturally speaking.
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Here are six songs to remedy that.
“Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell
Anyone who has driven past the Mississippi River into Colorado knows just how flat, expansive, and boring the entire state of Kansas can seem. But these long, vast stretches of highway and rural landscape are exactly what inspired Jimmy Webb to write “Wichita Lineman” in the late 1960s. The dreamy arrangement and Glen Campbell’s romantic vocal delivery made this song an instant classic, despite being based in a city and state that are less popular than, say, Los Angeles.
“By The Time I Get To Phoenix” by Glen Campbell
Interestingly, Glen Campbell began his flyover state song tradition with an earlier track, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”, which Jimmy Webb also wrote. The earlier track from 1967 was so successful that Campbell asked Webb to write what would become “Wichita Lineman”. “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” garnered Campbell two Grammy Awards in 1968 and was a staple in his catalogue in the decades that followed.
“Look at Miss Ohio” by Gillian Welch
If you’ll forgive our inclusion of an entire flyover state, not just a city, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings’ 2007 track, “Look at Miss Ohio”, is another fantastic addition to this Midwest celebration. The wistful, nostalgic, and softly defiant track captures the restlessness one might feel living in a state like Ohio—and this writer would know, as she spent most of her childhood there feeling that exact way.
“Vienna” by Billy Joel
Billy Joel technically wrote this 1977 ballad about the Austrian capital, but we’re adding it to the list in celebration of a tiny town only those familiar with southern Illinois will recognize: Vienna. If you’re not from the area, you likely haven’t heard of this 1,350-person town. But it’s technically the perfect place to heed Joel’s call to “slow down, you crazy child, take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while.”
“That’s How I Got To Memphis” by Tom T. Hall
Memphis, along with bigger cities like Nashville, Atlanta, and New Orleans, gets the benefit of being cultural hotspots despite being located in what are technically flyover states. One of the best songs about Memphis is easily Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis”, which became a country music standard upon its 1970 release. Indeed, Hall proved that “if you love somebody enough, you’ll follow wherever they go,” even if it’s to southwest Tennessee.
“Tulsa Time” by Don Williams
Don Williams’ boot-scooting 1978 track, “Tulsa Time”, is another excellent song that makes a flyover state like Oklahoma suddenly seem a lot cooler. (No hate to the Okies, it’s just that driving through Oklahoma isn’t much different than Kansas.) The laidback country-rock groove gives Tulsa, Oklahoma, a casual allure that even those outside of the Great Plains can enjoy. Without this country classic, “living on Tulsa time” might not seem so appealing.
Photo by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
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