Could This Be the Most Popular Song About Washington State?

I have a bone to pick with Blake Shelton. It has nothing to do with his marriages to  Miranda Lambert and Gwen Stefani. It has nothing to do with him leaving The Voice or America's Got (No) Talent, or whatever name that show is.

My bone to pick is over the lyrics to his song, Sunny in Seattle and snowing down in New Orleans. I get that the song is meant to be sarcastic but it's actually not that hard to find gorgeous sunny days in the Emerald City.

I am a cranky old bird when it comes to defending my new home state of Washington. I've almost lived here half my life, so I'm claiming it and will raise an old man fist at anyone or anything that mocks it.

via GIPHY

I'm also a music nut, so today I decided to go digging around for the most popular song about Washington state. There have been several people who've tried to narrow it down, but I want to sit in the judge's seat today.

Now, I'm not old enough to remember any Bing Crosby songs other than his big Christmas hit that gets played out every year, but I've been told that he once had a hit tune about Washington State. Have you heard of it?

Black Ball Ferry Line came out in the 1950s.

There actually still is a Black Ball ferry line here in Washington; it's in Port Angeles.

"On the Black Ball Ferry Line up in Seattle.
Every single G.O.P. and Democratic'll...
Hear the whistle blow and the bell go clang.
As the ferry boat goes chuggin' right along!"

Besides giggling at the word 'chuggin', if you pay attention to the entire lyrics of Black Ball Ferry Line, you'll discover this jam is about that time a guy hopped on board a ferry ride from Seattle and he realized there was a bunch of Republicans and Democrats making out with each other on the upper deck. At least, that's the way I understand it.😁

Now let's get to the good stuff--the most popular songs about Washington state that don't involve some good old-timey hanky-panky on public transportation.

Runners up:

"THRIFTSHOP" BY MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS

FUN FACT: Did you know there is a WALKING TOUR of the filming locations where Macklemore & Ryan Lewis shot the video for Thriftshop? Me neither!

Thriftshop is an ode to a youngster listing off all of the treasures he found at the thrift shop in Seattle.

It was only recently that I verified "popping tags" meant shoplifting. So, I should perhaps rephrase my earlier statement: This song is about thievery and being too cheap to buy hand-me downs at a Goodwill in Seattle. But then again, everything is expensive in Seattle!

Here we go...the most popular song about Washington state is...I dare say it's a TIE!

#1: "POSSE ON BROADWAY" by SIR MIXALOT

"Picked up the posse on 23rd and Jackson...at 23rd and Union, the driver broke left. Kevin shouted, "Broadway!" it's time to get def...MY POSSE'S ON BROADWAY!"

(TIED FOR #1) SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT by NIRVANA

Whenever I hear this song, I instantly think of 90s grunge music, striped shirts, a few acid washed jeans with ripped holes in the knees, watching The Real World of Something on MTV, and listening to my twenty-something coworkers wax poetic about songs from groups like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Foo Fighters, and Dave Matthews Band (although DMB is not grunge music, that band was a huge part of my 90s life soundtrack growing up in Tennessee).