Washington state is incredibly beautiful and is known for having rivers and mountains sprawled throughout. There have been multiple tracks written about it over the years, and we’ve compiled the 33 best songs about Washington, The Evergreen State, so keep reading to find out what made our list!
1. The Shadow Of Seattle – Marcy Playground
First on the list is The Shadow Of Seattle by Marcy Playground, which was released in 1997. This song is all about the city and how there’s a lot of darkness within it, such as buildings that are abandoned and clubs that are underground. Lead singer John Wozniak has very emotional vocals in this track as he describes Seattle as hell and a place that’s full of secrets and sadness.
2. Hello Seattle – Owl City
Next is Owl City with Hello Seattle from the 2009 album Ocean Eyes. This song made it to six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, and it’s a positive track all about the city. The song goes into how Seattle has a skyline that’s mesmerizing and beautiful and how the city is just so fun and charming.
3. Talkin’ Seattle Blues – Todd Snider
Next is Todd Snider with Talkin’ Seattle Blues, which comes from his 1994 album Songs For The Daily Planet. He sings similarly to Bob Dylan, and he also is in the same genre of folk and country, so it’s a comforting voice to listen to. He sings about how the grunge scene was taken over by the mainstream and how opportunistic it was.
Essentially, when grunge became popular, a lot of bands ended up finding success that wasn’t even good or real, and the real bands outside of that genre ended up left behind during the grunge years.
4. Black Ball Ferry Line – Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby makes the list with Black Ball Ferry Line, which was released in 1950 on his album Sixty Acres. This song is all about the ferry that went from Seattle to Victoria, BC during that time. This track might be fairly short, but it’s a cute tribute song to the ferry that was a staple to those living in the city during this time.
5. Seattle – Ethan Rowe
Next on the list is Ethan Rowe with Seattle, which is all about how lonely you will feel in the city because it’s always raining and cloudy. It’s a gloomy song that will make you feel melancholy, and the strumming of the guitar along with the soft vocals just add to this feeling. In the lyrics, the way Seattle has changed through the years is talked about while he walks around, and it’s an introspective yet sweet track about the city he loves.
6. I Love Seattle – Tacocat
Next is the 2016 song I Love Seattle by the alternative band Tacocat from the album Lost Time. They were part of the punk and indie scene and are similar to the feminist rock bands we saw in the 90s. This track is all about the threat of climate change and also about the beauty of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
7. Washington State – Tybud
Next up is Tybud with Washington State, which was released in 2008. This is a hip hop song that is a tribute to Washington and the amazing culture and landmarks you’ll see there. The track talks about the Space Needle, the mountains, and the many other beautiful landmarks and natural wonders it has to offer. If you live in Washington then you’ll be sitting there feeling pride as you listen to this song pay homage to your hometown.
8. Dark Moon – Bonnie Guitar
Bonnie Guitar makes the list with Dark Moon, which is a country song from 1957 that takes place in Washington. This is a track about someone who has just gone through a breakup while standing under the dark moon. You can hear the sadness and pain in her voice as she describes her feelings of despair and sorrow.
It’s a melancholy song where she wishes that the dark moon could bring her man back to her, and it’s a classic track about heartache. This song made it to six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and 14 on the Hot Country Singles chart.
9. Aurora – Foo Fighters
Next up is Foo Fighters with Aurora, and as you probably know, Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana started this band after the suicide of Kurt Cobain. This song is from their 1999 album There Is Nothing Left To Lose. It’s a track that’s all about the highway called Aurora, which goes through Seattle. He is also having trouble dealing with his past in this song, so he uses the highway as a metaphor for his past.
10. Sunny In Seattle – Blake Shelton
In 2011, country star Blake Shelton released the song Sunny In Seattle from the album Red River Blue. This track is a tribute to Seattle, and it talks about the people as well as the beauty of the city. He sings of life’s simple pleasures as well as how great it is to be in love.
The hook is catchy and the melody is very upbeat, so it’s a positive song where you can feel the celebratory vibe all throughout. This country pop track is going to leave you smiling from ear to ear, and it’s so infectious that you’ll be singing it all day.
11. My Oh My – Macklemore And Ryan Lewis
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis make the list with My Oh My, which is all about Ken Griffey Jr., who is a baseball legend in Seattle. The song details his career including the good and bad. It’s definitely a track to check out if you’re a fan of baseball.
12. Belltown Ramble – Robyn Hitchcock
Next is Robyn Hitchcock with Belltown Ramble, which was released in 2006. This song is all about the Belltown area of Seattle and the historic landmarks you’ll see there. The melodies are haunting because of the acoustic guitar, and the vocals are very whimsical. You’ll hear about the alleys and bars in the area, and it’s a very nostalgic track looking at one of the most iconic neighborhoods within the city and how it’s changed over the years.
13. Waitsburg – Bob Frank
On the list next is Bob Frank with Waitsburg, which was released on his self-titled album in 1972. This song is all about a town struggling to stay afloat in Washington. The folk track is sad yet also hopeful because it talks about how resilient people are and how a small-town community will come to each other’s side in times of need.
14. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle – Nirvana
Nirvana makes the list with the song Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle from their 1993 album In Utero. The themes of this track include depression and suicide, so it’s a very dark song. Frances Farmer was a real person and she was actually an actress in Hollywood. Sadly, she was put into a mental hospital and faced systemic abuse.
15. Posse On Broadway – Sir Mix-A-Lot
Next is rapper and hip hop legend Sir Mix-A-Lot with Posse On Broadway from his 1988 album Swass. This song is a tribute to Seattle, which is his hometown, and a tribute to all of the wonderful people living there. It’s thought to be his first breakthrough track, and it went to 44 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart and made it to 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
16. Welcome To Seattle – Boom Bap Project
Boom Bap Project had a hip hop hit with Welcome To Seattle. This song was released in 2005 on the album Reprogram. The track is a great representation of what rap music was like in the city during the early 2000s, and it’s still a song that holds up today, as a tribute to Seattle.
17. Seattle – Perry Como
In 1969, Perry Como released the track Seattle, which was his cover of this song that celebrated the city and everything it had to offer. The track was a television theme for Here Comes The Brides, which was a show that had been set in Seattle. What’s cool is that he scored a Top 40 hit with his rendition of this song. The soccer team the Seattle Sounders use this track as their anthem and fans sing it all throughout the matches.
18. Working Titles – Damien Jurado
Next on the list is Damien Jurado with Working Titles, which was released in 2012 on the album Maraqopa. He is an indie singer from Seattle, and this song is all about how someone thinks they will never be as good as the person they idolize.
There is doo-wop in this track, which uses females for those vocal parts, and the end of the song features him responding to a letter that asks him how the city and Washington in general is. This is such a unique sound and a track that’s worthy of being on our list.
19. This Place Is A Prison – The Postal Service
The Postal Service makes our list with This Place Is A Prison, and this is a side project for Ben Gibbard, who you may know from Death Cab For Cuties. It comes from their 2003 album Give Up, and it’s all about someone who is caught up in addiction and the party lifestyle. You can hear the story which used the Cascade Range to help tell the sad tale. Even sadder, Gibbard himself would struggle with drugs, and only several years after this song was released would he become sober.
20. Thrice All American – Neko Case
In 2000, Neko Case would release Thrice All American on his album Furnace Room Lullaby. She is from Tacoma, which also had a bustling music scene in the 90s, although often it was overshadowed by grunge. She has more than 30 years in music from country to pop, and she can sing in multiple styles.
In the song, she sings about how wonderful the city is, even though it doesn’t look that pretty on the outside. When you listen to this track, you can tell she’s proud of Tacoma and loves her city like no other.
21. Fun In Washington – Afroman
Fun In Washington is a song released in 2008 by Afroman on his album Waiting To Inhale. This track is all about the women he happened to come across in Washington, from Tacoma to Seattle. He clearly is talking about having sex with these women and partying with them, so it’s a song with a lot of explicit lyrics and adult themes.
22. Washington My Home – Sicko
One celebratory song on our list we have to mention is Washington My Home with the most famous version being by Sicko. This track is a very catchy tune that celebrates the people and beauty that you’ll find in the state. There is a rock and punk element to this song as well as a guitar riff that’s catchy and upbeat. You’ll notice that the chorus is one you can sing along to, and it’s one of the best anthems of Washington and everything it has to offer its people and everyone who visits.
23. Walk, Don’t Run – The Ventures
The Ventures were from Tacoma, and they were one of the most important bands of the 60s. This is a rock song that’s purely instrumental, and it became a hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While they are known for helping get the surf sound mainstream, it’s this instrumental track that they are best known for and still play all these years later.
24. White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes
In 2008, Fleet Foxes released White Winter Hymnal, which is a song all about the harsh winters in the Pacific Northwest. If you’ve lived somewhere where the winter is bleak, cold, and dreary then this track is going to be relatable to you and you’ll understand the emotions converted in the song.
25. Thrift Shop – Macklemore And Ryan Lewis Feat. Wanz
Everyone knows this next song, which is Thrift Shop by Washington’s own Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. This track was released in 2012 on his album The Heist, and it’s all about the second-hand store in Seattle and a tribute to all of the good deals you’ll find in these thrift shops. There is also commentary in the song about wearing jewelry and other bling.
What’s amazing is that Macklemore was an independent musician, and with this track, he made it to number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and stayed there for over 15 weeks! This is his signature track, and he would go on to collaborate multiple times with Ryan Lewis.
26. The Day Seattle Died – Cold
The Day Seattle Died by Cold makes the list. This comes from their 2003 album Year Of The Spider. This song is an homage to the lead singer of Alice In Chains, Layne Staley. It talks about April 5, 2002, which is when it’s thought he died of a drug overdose. Scooter Ward, lead singer of Cold, loved Layne, and back in 1998, he wanted to see him when the band was in Seattle.
During this time, Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains was on a solo concert tour, and Cold just released their debut album. He was able to get Layne out of his condo to meet Cold, even though Layne was bad off by this point. It was hard for the band, especially Ward, to see Layne that way as he was their idol. This is their tribute track to him and also to Kurt Cobain, who died on April 5, 1994, of suicide. It’s a sad and haunting song about the end of an era in Seattle and grunge.
27. Roll On Columbia – Woody Guthrie
Next up is a 1941 song by Woody Guthrie called Roll On Columbia. This track would go on to be named the official folk song for the state, and it’s all about the Columbia River. There were 11 dams that were built, which were hydroelectric and helped the farming industry boom. However, these dams also changed the dams for good, so it came with some drawbacks. You may know this track since it was an anthem of the public works sector during the New Deal.
28. Claiming The City – Macklemore Feat. Abyssinian Creole
In 2005, Macklemore released the song Claiming The City, which is all about how there are so many issues in Seattle. He talks about the racial issues and disparities that exist and wants people to see how bad the situation is. He also talks about his own life, and how when he was growing up, he was unaware of those racial and social issues.
29. Slick Watts – Blue Scholars
Next up is Blue Scholars with Slick Watts, which is all about Slick Watts, the Seattle Supersonics basketball star. The lyrics go into how beautiful the city is as well as the culture and it pays homage to the player at the same time.
30. Moving to Seattle – The Material
The Material released Moving To Seattle in 2007, and it’s all about how the narrator is moving to the city and starting a new life. There is hope for new opportunities and to meet new people, although hardships exist when you move to a new place. The lyrics are catchy, and the song is upbeat and hopeful.
31. Jet City Woman – Queensrÿche
Coming in next is Jet City Woman by Queensrÿche on their 1990 album Empire. This song is all about heading back home to the city to see the people you love after being gone for a whole. Jet City is a name for Seattle, and you can tell that the narrator feels happy being back home to see his woman and his family once again. This was a huge hit for them and made it to number six on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
32. Seattle Was a Riot – Anti-Flag
In 2001, Anti-Flag released the song Seattle Was A Riot, which was all about the riot that happened in the city during the 1999 World Trade Organization Conference. The lyrics go into how the riots led to police brutality among other things. There is talk of corporate greed as well in the track, so it’s definitely one that was popular during this time in history.
33. City of Orphans – The Classic Crime
The Classic Crime released City Of Orphans in 2012, and it’s all about Seattle’s Capitol Hill district. This is where the members of the band are from, and it talks about how people move there thinking they will be happy, but in reality, it’s empty and desolate.
Even though people think the city is all about having a good time, there’s nothing else there to fill the void and it’s trendy but lacking substance. Everyone in Seattle is an orphan essentially, and they have left their lives behind for this depressing and rainy city in the Pacific Northwest.
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From the time she was little, Florence loved listening to music and quickly learned how music can make you happy and feel fulfilled. One of her favorite memories is being in the garage with her dad working on classic cars with the local rock station blaring in the background. Ever since Florence was 3, she loved grunge music and spent hours listening to bands such as Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Soul Asylum, and Soundgarden.
She also enjoys classic rock, modern rock, nu metal, alternative rock, and old 90’s R&B. Her love of music grew as she got older, and used music to help her get through tough times in her life. More often than not, you’ll see Florence with earbuds in while she’s writing, cooking, cleaning, and doing other tasks. She also loves to debate music with her friends such as which lead singer is the best vocalist, the most iconic guitar solos in music, and what songs are really the best of the decade.