All about US states in the top 40 titles

The United States has 50 states. We've now seen 13 of them in the top 40 titles. Beyoncé's Texas Hold 'Em puts another state on the list. It's time to dig deeper into these “government strikes.”

The first is in the top 40
The first state we've ever encountered in the Dutch Top 40 is California. This happened with The Beach Boys' “California Girls”, which remained in the charts for 4 weeks from September 11, 1965, and did not go higher than No. 28. It was the successor to the Beach Boys' first hit single in the Netherlands, Help Me, Rhonda, which rose to No. Exactly one hit in the top 40 in 7 weeks.

Most mentioned country
California is the most mentioned title in the top 40, appearing twelve times. Katy Perry scored the biggest “statewide hit” ever via California Gurls, and thus also the biggest hit with “California” in the title. The American singer was on the list for 19 weeks in 2010, but missed the top spot: the song of the summer, “We No Speak Americano”! By Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup kept California Gurls in second place. Miss California by Dante Thomas and Pras (2001), Dani California (2006) by Red Hot Chili Peppers, California King Bed by Rihanna (2011), Hotel California by Eagles (1977), California by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2000), California by Highlight (1977), California Love by 2Pac and Dr. Dre (1996), It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond (1972), California Girls by The Beach Boys (1965), California Calling by Fickle Pickle (1971), California Dreamin' by Royal Gigolos (2004) and California by Lenny Kravitz (2004) are, from largest to smallest, another Top 40 song with the state of California in the title.

California Girls by Katy Perry

California by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Smallest country
In terms of population, California is the largest state in the United States. So it's no surprise that it's also frequently mentioned in Top 40 song titles. But which state with the smallest population was mentioned in a Top 40 history title? With a population of about 1,360,301 people, it is Hawaii. That state has been in the Top 40 twice, via Hawaii 5-0 by Party Animals in 1996 and via Hawái – Remix in 2020 by Maluma and The Weeknd. Those two strokes just beat Idaho's Anita Myers, who has “slightly” more by about 1,567,582. You should shake hands with them all… Hawaii is also the latest state to appear in the title of a Top 40 song: it only became part of the USA on August 21, 1959. If we look at the size in terms of area, the state of Massachusetts, which the Bee Gees sang in 1967, slightly smaller than Hawaii.

Hawaii – Remix by Maluma and The Weeknd

Massachusetts by Bee Gees

Smaller “state hits”
We now know the smallest states that appeared in the top 40 list. But now we dig deeper into the results file and look for the smallest “hit case”, if we look at the number of top 40 points. The Eurovision entry Colorado by Zandra (Sandra Reimer), from 1979, spent only 2 weeks in the Dutch Top 40 and never went higher than 37th. It received 6 points, the same as Lenny Kravitz in California. This number peaked slightly lower at 38 and was on the list for only two weeks.

Colorado by Zandra

California by Lenny Kravitz

Number 1 hits
Two songs with a US state in the title managed to reach number one. The Bee Gees' Massachusetts hit was at No. 1 for three weeks in 1967. Until the triumphant march of Katy Perry's “California Gurls,” it was the biggest “state hit” ever in the Top 40 for over 42 years. The legendary song was on the chart for 15 weeks and reached 453 spots out of the top 40. In 2001, Dante Thomas and Brass accomplished what seemed nearly impossible after the Bee Gees: scoring their first hit with a US state title. Miss California, an ode to a very attractive woman in that state, held the top spot for one week and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks.

Miss California by Dante Thomas and Brass

Alarm tablets
A song with a US state in its title has been advertised as an alarm disc only six times. This first happened in the days of Veronica Marine Radio, when Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young managed to escape with the all-important disc in July 1970. In the cold of November 1972, Albert Hammond's “It Never Rains in Southern California” became a wake-up disc. After that, it was a long wait, but in 2001, Miss California, led by Dante Thomas and Bras, broke the ban. This was followed by “Danny California” produced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006), “California Gurls” produced by Katy Perry (2010), and “California King Bed” produced by Rihanna (2011). Rihanna still has the last Staten Alarm CD to her name.

Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Rihanna's California King Bed

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Editor's Note: Virginia is not included in this overview: Top 40 headliners sang about the girl's name. One New York title is included, because other hit songs are based around the city.

Image: Texas Hold 'Em single cover

(02/25/2024)