25 Best Songs About Minnesota: Land Of 10,000 Lakes

Minnesota offers some of the most beautiful views and is known as the Land Of 10,000 Lakes, and several tracks have been written about its landscape through the years. Continue reading as we tell you the 25 best songs about Minnesota, the Land Of 10,000 Lakes below! 

1. I’m From Minnesota – Alex Frecon 

I'm from Minnesota

First up on our list is Alex Frecon with his song I’m From Minnesota, which came out in 2018 on his album of the same name. In this track, he is talking about all of the good qualities that this state has and wonders why Minnesota isn’t more popular. The lyrics go into the beauty of the state as well as the charming and welcoming people who live in it. 

2. Walls of Red Wing – Bob Dylan 

Bob Dylan - Walls of Red Wing (Studio Outtake - 1963 - Official Audio)

In 1991, Bob Dylan released Walls Of Red Wing, which is a song that’s all about the prison that is in the city. He grew up in Minnesota and was born in Duluth, so he knows all about the state and the Red Wing Prison, which houses both juvenile boys and men. This folk track goes into detail about the horrible conditions within the correctional facility and sings about the juveniles that are housed there. 

3. Uptown – Prince 

Prince - Uptown (Official Music Video)

Next up is Prince with Uptown, which comes from his 1980 album Dirty Mind. This song is all about Minneapolis, Minnesota, and places such as the Uptown Theater. He talks about the commercial industry within the city, and he goes into detail about the places he fondly remembers from his childhood and how freeing the city was.

Out of all of the tracks about Minnesota, this might be one of the most well-known. When the song was released, it landed on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles and Hot Dance Club Singles at number five. 

4. Minnesota – Lil Yachty Feat. Quavo And Skippa Da Flippa

Lil Yachty - Minnesota ft. Quavo, Skippa da Flippa (Official VIdeo)

Lil Yachty released a mixtape in 2016 called Summer Songs 2, and Minnesota was one of the tracks released on it. The music video was shot within the state, and the song is very upbeat with trap music and autotune being the main components behind his vocals.

He has a very unique style and sound and that helped this track hit three on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. He talks about his personality being cold just like Minnesota, so there are a lot of references to the state in this song. 

5. Duluth – Trampled By Turtles 

Duluth is next on our list, which was released by the group Trampled By Turtles. It’s all about the memories he had with a girlfriend in this city in Minnesota. The memories mostly occurred during the winter when it was really cold. He’s looking back on this relationship and knows that he can’t ever make it work, but he’s holding onto all of those fond memories he has with the woman anyway. 

6. The Minnesota Song – Dan Adler

The Minnesota Song - Dan Adler

Next is The Minnesota Song by Dan Adler, which was released in 2010. This is a very folk-like track that has a harmonica and an acoustic guitar as the main instruments. You can hear his smooth vocals and the lyrics talk about the simple life in the state. He talks about how the beauty of Minnesota is an escape from all of the business that is city life, and how it’s so peaceful up there. People who live or have lived in the state love this song because it’s a lovely tribute to the serenity found throughout Minnesota.

7. Skyway – The Replacements 

Skyway (2008 Remaster)

The Replacements are on the list with Skyway, which came out in 1987 on the album Pleased To Meet Me. This song is all about a guy who is riding the subway and has a meager existence, and while he’s down on his luck, he looks up and sees the girl he’s enamored with on the skyway. He compares her on the skyway to his situation on the subway and notes the contrasts between the two.

There is a melody in this track that’s infectious, and it has a catchy chorus that’s going to leave you wondering what happened between the two of them and if he manages to find a happy ending with this girl or if he continues on his path of loneliness and nothingness. 

8. Say Shh – Atmosphere 

Atmosphere - Say Shh (Lyric Video)

In 2003, Atmosphere released the album Seven’s Travels, and Say Shh is one of the songs from this album. They are from Minneapolis and in the hip hop genre, so this track is all about them rapping about their life and childhood in the city and Minnesota in general. He raps about some of the bad, such as there being a lot of mosquitoes, but also talks about the good, such as how beautiful the state is too. 

9. Minnesota Girl – Green Day

Green Day: Minnesota Girl [Demo, 2001]

Green Day makes the list with Minnesota Girl, which is a song that was released on their website and not on an album. It’s all about how Billy Joe Armstrong had a thing for a girl in the state and they were dating. The thought is that it’s about Adrienne, his wife because she is from the city of Minneapolis. It’s an endearing track about spending time with this girl in Minnesota, even though they are getting eaten up by mosquitoes all day. 

10. Rock And Roll Is Alive! (And It Lives In Minneapolis) – Prince

Prince - Rock And Roll Is Alive! (and It Lives In Minneapolis)

Prince is on our list again with Rock And Roll Is Alive! (And It Lives In Minneapolis), which came out in 1995 on the album Gold. The song features his amazing vocals as well as a lot of fun guitar riffs, and it’s an upbeat energetic track you can’t only listen to one time. You get the feeling that he loved Minnesota when you hear this song and how much he appreciates his state and everything it has to offer. 

11. Big River – Johnny Cash 

Big River (2017 Remaster)

Johnny Cash is on the list with Big River from his 1985 album The Highwaymen. In this song, he talks about stopping in Minnesota as he travels towards the Mississippi River and meets a woman while on his trip. However, he doesn’t stick around with her because he feels that nature is calling him elsewhere. This track peaked on the Billboard Country Song chart at number four. 

12. Good Old Days – Macklemore Feat. Kesha

MACKLEMORE FEAT KESHA - GOOD OLD DAYS (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

In 2017, Macklemore released the single Good Old Days from his album Gemini, and this song features Kesha in what’s one of the best duet performances about Minnesota out there. In this tune, he talks about his time in the state and how those memories from his teenage years are thought of as the good old days just hanging with friends and having fun. It peaked at three on the Adult Top 40 chart, 18 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

13. The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota – “Weird Al ” Yankovic

The Biggest Ball of Twine In Minnesota

Next is “Weird Al” Yankovic with his parody song The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota, which was released on UHF in 1989. The track is pretty funny, and it’s about a family that is traveling for three days to go see the biggest twine ball, which at the time there was one in Minnesota that was in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

14. Escapade – Janet Jackson 

Janet Jackson - Escapade

In 1989, Janet Jackson released the album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, and one of the tracks on this album was Escapade. This is a catchy dance song that infuses a lot of pop, and it’s a very groovy and infectious track that made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Club Songs charts. She gives shout-outs to Minneapolis throughout the track, and the album was recorded in Minnesota too. 

15. North Country – Rocket Club

Next is North Country by Rocket Club, which was released in 2011, and it went to number 52 on the Hot Country Songs Billboard chart. They came up with the term “North Country” to describe their style of country music, which is focused more on the guitar instead of being Southern-style country. Since they came up with the term, they released a track that made it into an anthem for the North. 

16. Girl From The North Country – Bob Dylan And Johnny Cash 

Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash - Girl from the North Country (Official Audio)

Up next is Bob Dylan with Girl From The North Country featuring Johnny Cash. This song was recorded originally in 1963, but the duet version with Cash was released in 1969. It’s all about a woman that they both are trying to get close to and want, although it’s never said who this woman is in real life. When you hear this track and the two of them together, it’s just amazing because both men have unique voices that blend country and rock together to form one of the best songs of the decade. 

17. Lake of Fire – Nirvana 

Nirvana - Lake Of Fire (Live On MTV Unplugged, 1993 / Unedited)

While the Meat Puppets initially was behind Lake Of Fire, when Nirvana covered this song, it took this folk tune to new heights. In the lyrics, you hear about a lady from Duluth, Minnesota, and it mentions how she died too soon because of a dog with a rabid tooth that bit her. With Nirvana’s amazing cover of this track, it landed on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and peaked at 22. 

18. Truth Hurts – Lizzo 

Lizzo - Truth Hurts (Official Video)

Lizzo is from Minnesota, and in the 2017 song Truth Hurts from the album Cuz I Love You, she mentions the Minnesota Vikings more than once. This track went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Mainstream Top 40, among others. While the song isn’t just about Minnesota, it’s a great track that gives a shout-out to her hometown NFL team and a couple of other notable things the state has to offer. 

19. Laydown – Prince 

In 2010, Prince released the album 20Ten, and one of the hit songs on the album was Laydown, which is only one of a few tracks that he made where he specifically mentions Minnesota. He talks about being from the heart of the state in the song and calls himself Purple Yoda and how he’s bringing a new sound to town. 

20. On A Bus To St. Cloud – Trisha Yearwood 

Trisha Yearwood - On A Bus To St. Cloud

Next is country star Trisha Yearwood with On A Bus To St. Cloud, which came out in 1995. She sings about being on a bus when it’s snowing outside and believing she saw someone she used to know standing there. This is a very whimsical track about traveling the United States and making a stop in this city in Minnesota. While it received a fair amount of play, it only went to 59 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

21. minnesota is a place that exists – glaive 

glaive - minnesota is a place that exists (official video)

The singer glaive is on the list with minnesota is a place that exists, which was released in 2022 on an album of the same name. It’s one of the more bizarre songs on our list since it’s about a guy who is having issues with his girl because he thinks that she hasn’t been emotionally available, and he thinks about killing her. While he doesn’t kill her, he does leave her and tells his own family that she was the one who left him and ran off to Minnesota. 

22. Cold Like Minnesota – Yung Scrappy

Cold Like Minnesota

Next is Yung Scrappy with Cold Like Minnesota, which came out in 2016 on the album of the same name. This song goes into detail about the harsh reality of life on the streets in the state as well as the bitter cold winter weather and snow. He talks about how much of a struggle life is living in Minnesota, especially trying to break into the music business, and how dangerous these types of environments can be when you’re at a disadvantage already in life.  

23. My Minnesota State Fair – Ann Reed

My Minnesota State Fair

In 2008, Ann Reed released Songs For Minnesota, and one of the tracks on this album is My Minnesota State Fair. This song is all about the state fair and the things to see and do at the fair, including the food and games. She has a love for the state, and you can hear the pride in her voice as she sings about Minnesota. 

24. Christmas Card From a Hooker In Minneapolis – Tom Waits 

Tom Waits - "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis"

Next is Tom Waits with Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis, which is from his 1978 album Blue Valentine. This song is all about a prostitute who is sending a Christmas card to a man named Charlie, and in the card, she says she’s clean and sober now and pregnant.

She talks about how her new man will raise the baby and thinks of all the things she’d do with the money she spent on drugs. However, the end of the track reveals she’s not pregnant, doesn’t have a man, and is actually in prison with a parole hearing on Valentine’s Day. It’s a weird song but a funny one that mentions Minnesota. 

25. Drown Soda – Hole 

Hole - Drown Soda (previously unreleased)

In 1995, Hole released Drown Soda on the album Tank Girl, and Minnesota is mentioned in this song a couple of times. She mentions how she would like to bomb the state as she’s drinking drown soda while she’s lying in bed.

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