Header image: Freepik
Whatโs the best way to describe Montana culture?
The food? The people? The weather?
โฆ
What about the music?
Songs about Montana range from country western ballads to abstract tales about raising crops of dental floss. Yet somehow, each artist whoโs written a song about Montana has managed to evoke the spirit of this state.
Here is a list of the top 25 songs about Montana. They evoke every aspect of the Montana spirit โ the weather, the people, the mountains, the sky.
Sit back, scan through the list, and see if you catch a feeling of the Big Sky state.
Skip to our Montana Songs playlist for 90 minutes of Montana song.
Songs about Montana:
- Wild Montana Skies โ John Denver
- Dreamy Montana Moon โ Rex Allen
- Montana Song โ Hank Williams Jr.
- Twodot Montana โ Hank Williams Jr.
- Meet Me in Montana โ Dan Seals & Marie Osmond
- Montana Lullaby โ Ken Overcast
- Montana Rodeo โ Chris LeDoux
- Goodnight Montana โ David Walburn
- Montana โ Frank Zappa
- Montana on My Mind โ Shane Clouse
- Midnight in Missoula โ Nanci Griffith
- Home is Where Montana is โ Bruce Anfinson
- 200 Miles From Montana โ Greensky Bluegrass
- Blue Montana Skies โ Riders in the Sky
- Missoula Song โ Jewel
- Iโll Wait for You โ Joe Nichols
- Big City โ Merle Haggard
- My Homeโs in Montana โ Wylie & the Wild West
- Say Goodbye to Montana โ Don Edwards
- Montana Moon โ Red Foley
- Montana Melody โ LeGrande Harvey
- Look for Me in Butte โ Utah Phillips
- Montana โ Dave Stamey
- When the Flowers of Montana are Blooming โ Patsy Montana
- Montana State Anthem โ Charles Cohan and Joseph E. Howard
- PLAYLIST โ Songs about Montana (90 min)
1. Wild Montana Skies
John Denver ยท 1983
โOh Montana, give this child a home
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skiesโ
This beautiful song by John Denver tells the story of a boy born in Montana, who lost his family at a young age and grew into adulthood by the influence of the farm, and life in the wild. It evokes a feeling that many seek.
2. Dreamy Montana Moon
Rex Allen ยท 1965
โDreamy Montana moon, keep on shining so bright
Canโt you see Iโm riding all alone tonightโ
This soft, but uplifting song about Montanaโs moon evokes a feeling of one of Montanaโs bright nights lit by a full moon, finished off with some pleasant yodling.
3. Montana Song
Hank Williams Jr. ยท 1975
โWay out there, the blues will never find meโ
Montana may have left an impression on country outlaw singer Hank Williams, Jr. as he wrote several songs about Montana. This is another country western song about Montana, heading into the stateโs deep snowy mountains, and taking a rest through the winter.
Planning a trip to Montana? Discover charming Dillon, Montana here
4. Twodot Montana
Hank Williams Jr. ยท 1983
โIโve climbed up the Rockies and
Swam down the Snake
I spent winters trappinโ in
The Missouri Breaksโ
Another country western song about Montana from Hank Williams Jr. โ the third and last song about Montana from Hank Williams Jr. on this list. This song tells tragic, western-themed story.
5. Meet Me In Montana
Dan Seals & Marie Osmond ยท 1985
โMeet me underneath that big Montana skyโ
In the song โMeet Me in Montanaโ, Dan Seals and Marie Osmond sing a slow and soothing song about Montana. Here, heโs dreaming about the state, a distant love, and the big Montana skies.
6. Montana Lullaby
Ken Overcast ยท 2000
โThe breaking of dawn brings a meadowlark song
A Montana lullabyโ
The name of this Montana country song speaks for itself. โMontana Lullabyโ evokes a feeling of slow, rested days, plus yodling and the sound of a soothing harmonica.
Interested in Montanaโs mountains? Discover the most stunning mountains in Montana here
7. Montana Rodeo
Chris LeDoux ยท 1983
โThereโs a rodeo in Montana where they come from miles aroundโ
In this song about Montana cowboys, Chris LeDoux evokes the upbeat, energized atmosphere of Montana in the summmer. LeDoux lists off the range of characters one might meet on a trip through Montana, from cowboys to Native Americans, all to the sound a full band including piano and harmonica.
8. Goodnight Montana
David Walburn ยท 2003
โYou can never say goodbye, just goodnightโ
In this song about Montana, David Walburn expresses his love for the state. According to Mr. Walburn, you can never say goodbye to Montana, just goodnight, because no matter where you go, youโll hear Montana call.
9. Montana
Frank Zappa ยท 1973
โI might be movinโ to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Flossโ
This is perhaps one of the most famous songs about Montana, as itโs from the world-renowned musician, Frank Zappa. In this Montana song, Mr. Zappa considers moving to Montana to be his own boss, raise a crop of dental floss, and sell it out of a white box.
Thereโs something spacious and inviting about this song, that seems fitting for a song about Montana.
Have you seen Montanaโs sky at night? Discover the best places to stargaze in Montana here
10. Montana on My Mind
Shane Clouse ยท 2003
โI find comfort in the mountains
In that open sky
The northern lights on winter nights
The snow on the Great Divideโ
A Montana song about working, feeling lonely, and missing home. In this song, Shane Clouseโs home is Montana and heโs reflecting on the northern lights on winter nights, snow on the Great Divide, and the prairie wind.
11. Midnight in Missoula
Nanci Griffith ยท 2001
โAre you sleeping now? Itโs midnight in Missoula.
Where the Black Hills know your name.
Is the snow piled high around your window frame?
Is there enough frost left to write our names upon the pane?โ
Missoula is one of the best places to live in Montana. If youโre considering a move to this charming town, then listening to Nanci Griffithโs song about Missoula, Montana, may just convince you to take the leap.
This song evokes a strong feeling of walking in Missoula at midnight, even if youโve never been there.
12. Home Is Where Montana Is
Bruce Anfinson ยท 1991
โThereโs a new birth in the springtime and summer comes alive
Thereโs gathering in autumn, winterโs cold and quietโ
This is a classic song about Montana on guitar. โHome is Where Montana Isโ features beautiful plucking and strumming of the guitar paired with colorful lyrics that paint an appropriate image of Montana.
Planning a trip to Montana? Discover charming Cut Bank, Montana here
13. 200 Miles From Montana
Greensky Bluegrass ยท 2008
โ200 miles from Montana
The sun is beating down
On Wyoming
Homeward boundโ
This is a bluegrass song about Montana that features a splendid solo about two-thirds of the way through the song. This is one of the best songs about Montana from the bluegrass genre.
14. Blue Montana Skies
Riders in the Sky ยท 2003
โRiding alone under blue Montana skies
Feelinโ at home under blue Montana skies
Where nature sings her song in harmonyโ
This is the perfect song about Montana for a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon. The Riders in the Sky lay out a slow, bouncing, uplifting melody with yodling that gently carries you along under blue Montana skies.
15. Missoula Song
Jewel ยท 2010
โSo do you do you wanna wanna wanna do you do you
Come on down to the city of Missoula
On a summer day the Clark Fork River is gonna cool youโ
In 2010, renowned singer-songwriter Jewel wrote a song for each town she visited while on tour. She wrote a song about Missoula, Montana called Missoula Song several hours before her show in this town. She performed it only once, that night at the Wilma Theater, on June 22, 2010.
Pretty cool, huh?
16. Iโll Wait For you
Joe Nichols ยท 2005
โThe snow in Montana was three feet high
The lady at the counter said there ainโt no flights
And so he called her on the telephone
He said, โIโll rent a car, and Iโll drive homeโโ
This is a popular country western song about Montana from the early 2000s โ almost a classic. In this Montana song, Joe Nichols about is stuck in Montana, snowed in with no flights, and longing for his family back home.
Planning a trip to Montana? Discover the best places to visit in Montana here
17. Big City
Merle Haggard ยท 1981
โTurn me loose, set me free, somewhere in the middle of Montanaโ
This is one of the top country songs about Montana, from one of the most renowned country western musicians of the U.S. โ Merle Haggard. Merle gently croons through his woes of city life, longing for the open space of Montana.
18. My Homeโs in Montana
Wylie & the Wild West ยท 2006
โMy homeโs in Montana
I wear a bandana
My spurs are of silver
My pony is grayโ
This is one of the lighthearted songs about Montana cowboys. Itโs about roaming the hills on a pony, sitting by a campfire at night, and whistling a song of the trail while trailing off to sleep.
19. Say Goodbye to Montana
Don Edwards ยท 2010
โSay goodbye to Montana
Where the northers always blow
The paint brush will be blumminโ
By the time I get you homeโ
This is one of the best songs about Montana on guitar. It starts out with soothing, intricate fingerpicking before shifting into steady strumming that carries the rhythm throughout the entire song.
Here, Don Edwards tells the tale of waking up early to take a rocky road back to Texas from Montana.
Planning a trip to Montana? Discover the best hot springs in Montana here
20. Montana Moon
Red Foley ยท 1941
โMontana moon keep shining
let your friendly light
Guide me with its beam so paleโ
This is a classic Montana waltz, recorded in Chicago in 1941. Red Foley yodles and croons through a lighthearted and touching Montana song about traveling home guided by the light of the Montana moon.
21. Montana Melody
LeGrande Harvey ยท 1982
โCharlie Russell clouds paint sunsets in the West,
in colors of red, blue and gold.
Snow-capped peaks reach endless to the sky,
and the grain-fields with gentle breezes flow.โ
LeGrande Harveyโs Montana Melody is a song about Montana state. Harvey paints a picture with his words thatโs almost inescapable and evokes the feeling of driving Montanaโs highways, strolling through itโs meadows, or gazing out across its valleys.
This uplifting song belongs on any list of the best songs about Montana.
22. Look for Me in Butte
Utah Phillips ยท 2005
โLook for me in Butte if youโre lookinโ anywhere
Whatever Iโve been missinโ itโs sure bound to happen there
Bessie put the kettle on, Iโve been out on a toot
When thereโs no place left worth lookinโ for
Look for me in Butteโ
This is another song about leaving the big city and heading to Montana. In this case, Butte, Montana. Utah Phillips portrays his love for one of Montanaโs most notorious mining cities in this upbeat song.
23. Montana
Dave Stamey ยท 1997
โAnd the cattle would walk through the dark and the cold
With steam in their breaths and ice on their coats
The snow beneath my boots would glitter and squeakโ
This gentle tune is about a boy growing up in Montana. He tells of his mother and father, the things he did while growing up, and how he turned into an adult. This song about Montana is sorrowful but uplifting.
24. When The Flowers Of Montana Are Blooming
Patsy Montana ยท 1932
โWhen the flowers of Montana are blooming
And the meadowlark is building its nest
Where the snow white peaks are looming
Oโer my old prairie home in the westโ
โWhen The Flowers Of Montana Are Bloomingโ was recorded in 1932 in New York City, a distinct time in Montanaโs music history. Ruby Blevins, also known as Patsy Montana was born in Arkansaw in 1908 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
This beautiful, touching song about Montana is timeless.
25. Montana State Anthem
Charles Cohan and Joseph E. Howard ยท 1910
The Montana State Anthem was written and composed one autumn evening in September 1910.
It was September 27, 1920 and fall theater season had just begun. Joseph Howard had just finished a performance in Butte, Montana, with one of his past performers was in the audience, Mrs. E. Creigton Largey. After the show, while speaking with Howard, Mrs. Largey chided him for playing โIllinoisโ.
Howardโs production consisted of several songs, but Mrs. Largey suggested he create something for Montana. She turned to Charles C. Cohan, a local editor of the Butte Miner, asking if he would help. Little did she know, this little conversation set in motion what would become the official state song of Montana, 35 years later.
The two men disappeared into the music room and, thirty minutes later, emerged with the foundation of a song. They finished it that night, and Howardโs arranger put the finishing touches on it the next morning. Over the next 35 years, the song grew dear to Montanans, and Governor Sam C. Ford and the Legislature made it the official Montana state song on February 20, 1945.
Songs about Montana โ the full Playlist
Play all the above songs about Montana in this playlist.
FAQ โ Songs about Montana
Below are answers to common questions about songs related to Montana.
Does Montana have a state song?
โMontanaโ is the official Montana State Song. It was written and composed in one night in September of 1910 by Charles Cohan and Joseph E. Howard. Over the next 30 years, it grew in popularity until Governor Sam C. Ford made it the official Montana state song on February 20, 1945.
Who sings the song about Montana?
The Montana State song, โMontanaโ, was written and composed by Charles Cohan and Joseph E. Howard in one night in September 1910. There are over 50 other songs about Montana sung by a range of artists both known and lesser known, such as John Denver, Jewel, Ken Overcast, and Patsy Montana.
