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What’s the best way to describe Montana culture?
The food? The people? The weather?
…
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 who’s 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 – 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 – John Denver
- Dreamy Montana Moon – Rex Allen
- Montana Song – Hank Williams Jr.
- Twodot Montana – Hank Williams Jr.
- Meet Me in Montana – Dan Seals & Marie Osmond
- Montana Lullaby – Ken Overcast
- Montana Rodeo – Chris LeDoux
- Goodnight Montana – David Walburn
- Montana – Frank Zappa
- Montana on My Mind – Shane Clouse
- Midnight in Missoula – Nanci Griffith
- Home is Where Montana is – Bruce Anfinson
- 200 Miles From Montana – Greensky Bluegrass
- Blue Montana Skies – Riders in the Sky
- Missoula Song – Jewel
- I’ll Wait for You – Joe Nichols
- Big City – Merle Haggard
- My Home’s in Montana – Wylie & the Wild West
- Say Goodbye to Montana – Don Edwards
- Montana Moon – Red Foley
- Montana Melody – LeGrande Harvey
- Look for Me in Butte – Utah Phillips
- Montana – Dave Stamey
- When the Flowers of Montana are Blooming – Patsy Montana
- Montana State Anthem – Charles Cohan and Joseph E. Howard
- PLAYLIST – Songs about Montana (90 min)
1. Wild Montana Skies
John Denver · 1983
“Oh 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 skies”
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 · 1965
“Dreamy Montana moon, keep on shining so bright
Can’t you see I’m riding all alone tonight”
This soft, but uplifting song about Montana’s moon evokes a feeling of one of Montana’s bright nights lit by a full moon, finished off with some pleasant yodling.
3. Montana Song
Hank Williams Jr. · 1975
“Way out there, the blues will never find me”
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 state’s 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. · 1983
“I’ve climbed up the Rockies and
Swam down the Snake
I spent winters trappin’ in
The Missouri Breaks”
Another country western song about Montana from Hank Williams Jr. – 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 · 1985
“Meet me underneath that big Montana sky”
In the song ‘Meet Me in Montana’, Dan Seals and Marie Osmond sing a slow and soothing song about Montana. Here, he’s dreaming about the state, a distant love, and the big Montana skies.
6. Montana Lullaby
Ken Overcast · 2000
“The breaking of dawn brings a meadowlark song
A Montana lullaby”
The name of this Montana country song speaks for itself. ‘Montana Lullaby’ evokes a feeling of slow, rested days, plus yodling and the sound of a soothing harmonica.
Interested in Montana’s mountains? Discover the most stunning mountains in Montana here
7. Montana Rodeo
Chris LeDoux · 1983
“There’s a rodeo in Montana where they come from miles around”
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 · 2003
“You can never say goodbye, just goodnight”
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, you’ll hear Montana call.
9. Montana
Frank Zappa · 1973
“I might be movin’ to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss”
This is perhaps one of the most famous songs about Montana, as it’s 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.
There’s something spacious and inviting about this song, that seems fitting for a song about Montana.
Have you seen Montana’s sky at night? Discover the best places to stargaze in Montana here
10. Montana on My Mind
Shane Clouse · 2003
“I find comfort in the mountains
In that open sky
The northern lights on winter nights
The snow on the Great Divide”
A Montana song about working, feeling lonely, and missing home. In this song, Shane Clouse’s home is Montana and he’s reflecting on the northern lights on winter nights, snow on the Great Divide, and the prairie wind.
11. Midnight in Missoula
Nanci Griffith · 2001
“Are you sleeping now? It’s 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?”
Missoula is one of the best places to live in Montana. If you’re considering a move to this charming town, then listening to Nanci Griffith’s 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 you’ve never been there.
12. Home Is Where Montana Is
Bruce Anfinson · 1991
“There’s a new birth in the springtime and summer comes alive
There’s gathering in autumn, winter’s cold and quiet”
This is a classic song about Montana on guitar. ‘Home is Where Montana Is’ 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 · 2008
“200 miles from Montana
The sun is beating down
On Wyoming
Homeward bound”
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 · 2003
“Riding alone under blue Montana skies
Feelin’ at home under blue Montana skies
Where nature sings her song in harmony”
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 · 2010
“So 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 you”
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. I’ll Wait For you
Joe Nichols · 2005
“The snow in Montana was three feet high
The lady at the counter said there ain’t no flights
And so he called her on the telephone
He said, ‘I’ll rent a car, and I’ll drive home’”
This is a popular country western song about Montana from the early 2000s – 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 · 1981
“Turn me loose, set me free, somewhere in the middle of Montana”
This is one of the top country songs about Montana, from one of the most renowned country western musicians of the U.S. – Merle Haggard. Merle gently croons through his woes of city life, longing for the open space of Montana.
18. My Home’s in Montana
Wylie & the Wild West · 2006
“My home’s in Montana
I wear a bandana
My spurs are of silver
My pony is gray”
This is one of the lighthearted songs about Montana cowboys. It’s 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 · 2010
“Say goodbye to Montana
Where the northers always blow
The paint brush will be blummin’
By the time I get you home”
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 · 1941
“Montana moon keep shining
let your friendly light
Guide me with its beam so pale”
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 · 1982
“Charlie 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.”
LeGrande Harvey’s Montana Melody is a song about Montana state. Harvey paints a picture with his words that’s almost inescapable and evokes the feeling of driving Montana’s highways, strolling through it’s 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 · 2005
“Look for me in Butte if you’re lookin’ anywhere
Whatever I’ve been missin’ it’s sure bound to happen there
Bessie put the kettle on, I’ve been out on a toot
When there’s no place left worth lookin’ for
Look for me in Butte”
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 Montana’s most notorious mining cities in this upbeat song.
23. Montana
Dave Stamey · 1997
“And 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 squeak”
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 · 1932
“When the flowers of Montana are blooming
And the meadowlark is building its nest
Where the snow white peaks are looming
O’er my old prairie home in the west”
“When The Flowers Of Montana Are Blooming” was recorded in 1932 in New York City, a distinct time in Montana’s 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 · 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 “Illinois”.
Howard’s 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 Howard’s 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 – the full Playlist
Play all the above songs about Montana in this playlist.
FAQ – Songs about Montana
Below are answers to common questions about songs related to Montana.
Does Montana have a state song?
‘Montana’ 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, ‘Montana’, 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.
