Installment 3 of 50 of our American Musical Tour is here, and today we're visiting the great state of Arizona. Also known as The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State, or The Valentine State, Alaska was the 48th state admitted into the Union in February 1912. Let's dive into our fact dump real quick:
-Capital City: Phoenix
-Area: 113,990 square miles (America's 6th largest state)
-Population: 7,151,502 as of 2020 (14th most populous state)
-Big 4 Major League Professional Sports Teams (Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey): 4/4 (Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Suns, Coyotes)
-Named College: University of Arizona (est. 1885, Tucson, AZ)
-State Bird: Cactus Wren
-State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom
-State Butterfly: Two-Tailed Swallotail Butterfly
-State Tree: Blue Palo Verde
-State Gemstone: Turquoise
-State Dog: Chihuahua (unofficially)
-State Quarter: Released June 2008 (features the Grand Canyon and a Saguaro Cactus, but separated by a banner because the Saguaro does not grow in the Grand Canyon)
As before, we'll be looking at artists that were born and bands that were established in Arizona. This is obviously not all of them, but it's a good sampling to get ya'll some fun music to listen to. Let's dive in!
Let Me Down Slowly by Alec Benjamin (written by A. Benjamin, M. Pollack, N. Lambroza)
Alec Benjamin was born in Phoenix, Arizona in May 1994. The Arizonan singer-songwriter/musician studied at the University of Southern California, is proficient on vocals, guitar, and piano and is known for his indie, folk pop, and alt pop styles. Throughout his nine year career, Benjamin has released two studio albums. Let Me Down Slowly was originally featured on his 2018 mixtape Narrated for You and is known as his breakout hit, having been released both as a solo and a duet with Alessia Cara. I was introduced to Alec Benjamin through a former student of mine a couple of years ago and have really loved his work ever since. He has a very honest and open songwriting style and a very clear, pleasant tenor voice that really works well with his preferred genres.
This night is cold in the kingdom, I can feel you fade away/From the kitchen to the bathroom sink and your steps keep me awake/Don't cut me down, throw me out, leave me here to waste, I once was a man with dignity and grace/Now I'm slippin' through the cracks of your cold embrace, so please, please/Could you find a way to let me down slowly, a little sympathy, I hope you can show me/If you wanna go, then I'll be so lonely, if you're leavin', baby, let me down slowly/Let me down, down, let me down, down, let me down/Let me down, down, let me down, down, let me down/If you wanna go then I'll be so lonely/If you're leavin', baby, let me down slowly
Somewhere on a Beach by Dierks Bentley (written by A. Palmer, D. Nuncio, J. Boyer, J. Mirenda, M. Spragg)
Frederick Bentley, best known by his middle name Dierks, was born in Phoenix, Arizona in November 1975. The Arizonan musician/singer/songwriter/record producer studied at the University of Vermont and at Vanderbilt before becoming one of the most well-known figures in country and bluegrass music today. Proficient at guitar, banjo, and vocals, Bentley has released eleven studio albums and won three Country Music Association Awards over the last twenty years. Somewhere on a Beach was originally featured on his 2016 album Black and is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. I've been a fan of Dierks since What Was I Thinkin', which came out on the radio when I was in the sixth or seventh grade. His brand of country music is so fun, and he's someone who has stayed very true to his sound while still evolving it over the years, never feeling like he's sold out to the "new" country sound that so many fans of the genre can't stand.
Bet you think I'm sitting at home, nah/Bet you think that I'm all alone, nah/Bet you think I'm missing you and wishing you would call my phone/Hell, nah/I went wheels up on a runway/And that ticket was a one way/I’m somewhere on a beach, sipping something strong/Got a new girl, she got it going on/We drink all day and party all night/I’m way too gone to have you on my mind/She got a body and she's naughty/And she got me like you ain't never got me/I’m getting sun, getting some, and I ain't slept in a week/Yeah, I'm somewhere on a beach
The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (written by J. Adkins, T. Linton, Z. Lind, R. Burch)
Jimmy Eat World is an alt rock/emo pop/emo/power pop/pop punk/post hardcore/skate punk band that formed in Mesa, Arizona back in 1993. With no hiatuses and only one personnel change over the last thirty years, the band currently consists of Jim Adkins (lead guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, percussion, and backing vocals), Tom Linton (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals, and keyboards), Zach Lind (drums, percussion, programming, accordion, and concertina), and Rick Burch (bass guitar, backing vocals). Jimmy Eat World have released ten studio albums, and their absolute most recognizable and popular song, The Middle, was originally featured on the 2001 album Bleed American. This is a song pretty much everyone 40 and under will at least recognize, even if they don't know all the words or the title, because for years and years and years it has shown up on radio station and playlists and caused everyone to have a great time. It's a really fun, nostalgic song with great instrumentation and classic early 00's vocals.
Hey, don't write yourself off yet/It's only in your head, you feel left out or looked down on/Just try your best, try everything you can/And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away/It just takes some time, little girl/You're in the middle of the ride/Everything, everything'll be just fine/Everything, everything'll be alright, alright
Battlefield by Jordin Sparks (written by L. Biancaniello, R. Tedder, S. Watters, W. Wilkins)
Jordin Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona in December 1989. The Arizonan singer & actress shot to stardom in 2006 when she won the sixth season of American Idol. A gifted vocalist, she has released four studio albums over the last seventeen years, primarily in the pop and R&B genres. Battlefield was originally featured on her 2009 album of the same name and charted at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. I love to see other Jordans succeed, no matter how they spell their names, and being pretty close in age to Sparks made it pretty exciting to watch her do so well on Idol. Her songs are so fun, high energy, and empowering, and her talent and love of her art shine through in all of her projects.
Don't try to explain your mind, I know what's happening here/One minute it's love and suddenly it's like a battlefield/One word turns into a war, why is it the smallest things that tear us down/My world's nothing when you're gone, I’m out here without a shield, can't go back now/Both hands tied behind my back for nothing, oh no/These times when we climb so fast to fall again, why we gotta fall for it now/I never meant to start a war, you know I never wanna hurt you/Don't even know we're fighting for, why does love always feel like a battlefield/A battlefield, a battlefield /Why does love always feel like a battlefield/A battlefield, a battlefield/Why does love always feel like
Arizona by Rex Allen Sr. & Rex Allen Jr. (written by R. Allen, R. Allen)
Arizona was written by country music father and son Rex Allen and Rex Allen Jr. A beautiful country western song, it was adopted as the alternate state anthem of Arizona in 1981. The vocals are beautiful, rich, classic country vocals with full harmonies and lovely instrumentation. Rex Sr. was an Arizonan by birth, and you can hear in every lyric how much he loves and respects his home state.
I love you, Arizona/Your mountains, deserts, and streams/The rise of Dos Cabezas/And the outlaws I see in my dreams/I love you Arizona/Superstitions and all/The warmth you give at sunrise/Your sunsets put music in us all/Oo, Arizona/You're the magic in me/Oo, Arizona/You're the life-blood of me
Arizona March Song by Rick Pickren (written by M. Clifford, M. Blumenthal)
The Arizona March Song was written by Margaret Rowe Clifford and composed by Maurice Blumenthal in 1915 and is the official state anthem of Arizona. It's a pretty standard state anthem as far as the lyrics go - beautiful imagery about what the state's inhabitants love about it, and lots of loyalty to where you come from. Pickren's version is very bouncy and fun, with great guitar picking and vocals that make you feel right at home.
Come to this land of sunshine, to this land where life is young/Where the wide, wide world is waiting, the songs that will now be sung/Where the golden sun is flaming into warm, white shining day/And the sons of men are blazing their priceless right of way/Sing the song that's in your hearts, sing of the great Southwest/Thank God for Arizona in splendid sunshine dressed/For thy beauty and thy grandeur, for thy regal robes so sheen/We hail thee, Arizona, our Goddess and our queen
Stand Back by Stevie Nicks (written by S. Nicks)
Stephanie "Stevie" Nicks was born in Phoenix, Arizona in May 1948. This Arizonan rock icon studied at San Jose State University prior to becoming a verified legend on her own as well as a member of Fleetwood Mac. With her unique and undeniable vocal style, she has released eight solo studio albums and won two Grammy Awards with Fleetwood Mac over the last fifty-seven years. Stand Back was originally feataured on Nicks's 1983 album The Wild Heart and charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #5. Stevie Nicks is truly one of a kind, and the older I get the deeper my appreciation for her music grows. She has such an ethereal, mystical sound to her music that makes it so fun, and with bangers like this song, Edge of Seventeen, and Leather and Lace, what's not to love?
No one looked, I walked by/Just an invitation would have been just fine/Said no to him again and again/First he took my heart then he ran/No one knows how I feel/What I say unless you read between my lines/One man walked away from me/First he took my hand/Take me home/Stand back, stand back/In the middle of my room/I did not hear from you/It's alright, it's alright/To be standing in a line/Standing in a line/To be standing in a line/I would cry
Hypnotic by Zella Day (written by A. Barry, N. Bailey, R. Ogden, Z. Kerr)
Zella Kerr, better known by her stage name Zella Day, was born in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona in March 1995. The Arizonan indie pop/desert rock singer-songwriter is a proficient vocalist and guitarist. Over the last fourteen years, she has released three studio albums, has appeared on late night shows hosted by Seth Meyers and Conan O'Brien, and has performed at Coachella. Hypnotic was originally feataured on Day's 2015 album Kicker and hass been certified Gold by the RIAA. I discovered Zella Day when her cover of Seven Nation Army was featured in a commercial and I dug it immediately. Hypnotic has a very Melanie Martinez-esque vibe to it in my opinion, a little poppy but still something more along the lines of indie or alt that give it an extra bit of zest.
I wanna be on the front line, knotted up suit ties/Talking like a headstrong mamma/Got a picture in your wallet/Making me a habit, wearing your vintage t-shirt/Tied ribbons on your top hat/Telling me I'm all that, just like the girls from your hometown/Sweet blooded and I'm stranded, see/If I can stand it, shrinking in the shallow water/Magnetic, everything about you/You really got me now/You do it to me so well, hypnotic taking over me/Make me feel like someone else, you got me talking in my sleep/I don't wanna come back down, I don't wanna touch the ground/Pacific Ocean, dug so deep, hypnotic taking over me
Skin by Zola Jesus (written by N. Hummel)
Nicole Hummel, known now by her legal name Nika Daniolva and better known by her stage name Zola Jesus, Wass born in Phoenix, Arizona in April 1989. The Arizonan singer/songwriter/record producer studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before making her mark on the synth pop, dark wave, art pop, hypnogogic pop, and industrial music scenes. Over the last seventeen years, she has released six studio albums. Skin was originally featured on her 2011 album Conatus and is her top listed song on Apple Music. I discovered Zola Jesus initially through the NPR podcast All Songs Considered on an episode where they highlighted her song Exumed, which is a total banger that you should also check out. She has some powerful vocals and a super interesting style, particularly if that avant-gard pop genre isn't something you typically gravitate towards, and I really love the beautiful piano part on Skin.
Safety net, don't hold me now/In this hole I've fallen down/Secret home I made and found/And you wait to breathe/Skin of all, skin of all/I’ve had enough, ooh ohh/Skin of all
I hope you found some fun, interesting new artists and songs out of this beautiful section of our country today. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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