Tennessee Official State Songs

It’s really official — this is the list of Tennessee’s 15 state songs as set forth in State Code, Title 4.

I separated the songs into groups of 5 so I could put in some videos, two of which are relevant to the 11/27/24 Final Jeopardy! clue (2 songs that mention moonshine). Of course, “The Tennessee Waltz” is one of the 3 songs in 3/4 time. I have not heard many of these songs, so I don’t know the 2 other 3/4 time songs.

1. “My Homeland, Tennessee” (Taylor & Smith) adopted 1925
2. “When It’s Iris Time In Tennessee” (Waid) adopted 1935
3. “My Tennessee” (Tranum) adopted 1955 as the state’s official public school song
4. “The Tennessee Waltz” (Stewart & King) adopted 1965
5. “Rocky Top” by (B&F Bryant) adopted 1982

🎶 Once two strangers climbed ol’ Rocky Top
Lookin’ for a moonshine still 🎶

6. “The Pride of Tennessee” (Congdon, Vaughn & Elliot) adopted 1996
7. “Tennessee” (Bean) adopted 2011
8. “Amazing Grace” (John Newton) adopted 2021
9. “I’ll Leave My Heart in Tennessee” (Staley) adopted 2022
10. “My Tennessee Mountain Home” (Dolly Parton) adopted 2022

John Newton’s 18th century hymn “Amazing Grace” performed by a favorite son of Memphis

11. “The Tennessee in Me” (Watts) adopted 2023
12. “Copperhead Road” (Earle) adopted 2023
13. “Tennessee, In My Dreams” (Kaylor) adopted 2024
14. “Tennessee, Tennessee” (Jerrolds) adopted 2024
15. “Under a Tennessee Moon” (Lang) adopted 2024

🎶 Everybody knew that he made moonshine 🎶

There are some other songs that are on TN.gov, the state government’s website, that do not appear in the statute. Upon further investigation, I found that an official Act (like this one for “Amazing Grace”) is necessary for a song to be included in the Tennessee Code Annotated state song list. The following 2 songs were adopted by Resolutions designating them “official state songs” but no Act was passed to amend Title 4.

1992 “Tennessee” (Rorie)
2010 “Smoky Mountain Rain” (Fleming & Morgan)

These songs have specific designations other than “official state song”

Official Bicentennial Rap song, adopted 1996
A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap: 1796-1996

Official Holiday Song adopted 4/16/2024
“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
An Act was then passed requiring the TN Secretary of State to include the song in the Tennessee Blue Book.

Why is No. 3 “My Tennessee” in the official list if it’s designated the state’s official public school song? NetStates.com found that this song was originally designated an official state song by the 67th General Assembly of Tennessee on 7/2/1931. Somehow they didn’t get around to adding it to the Code until 1955. Otherwise, it would have been No. 2!