State Song Battle Strikes Off Tune

By: Mary
Published On: 1/26/2006 2:00:00 AM

Virginia is at peril?from Missouri!

Senator Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William County) is leading an effort to make the song Shenandoah Virginia?s state song. OK, granted, it has a pretty tune. Trouble is, the song is about Missouri. Reports the Washington Post:

"At no point was it ever associated with or written about the Shenandoah valley or river."

Holy Saint Louis! This song even failed to finalize in the doomed 1998 State Song Competition! Senator Martin put it well:

?Whose district does the Missouri flow through??

Inside sources in Richmond tell me that there is a group favoring Sweet Virginia Breeze by Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett. However, Jimmy Dean has lobbied hard for  a ditty he wrote just for the 1998 competition. Nevertheless, Shenandoah passed its committee vote yesterday with an 8-5 vote.

The death knell for this evidently tawdry effort to make Virginia (ahem) subject to Missouri and Midwestern values may be the varying attempts made by key Senators (and one AG) to sing Shenandoah to a Washington Post reporter.

Oh, my...

Comments



Two versions of "Oh, (Robert J. Clouse - 4/4/2006 11:31:38 PM)
Two versions of "Oh, Virginia" can be heard at this website: www.bobclouse.com
"Oh, Virginia" is one of the eight compositions
still under consideration.


I heard Suzanne McDe (Ardi Kipling - 4/4/2006 11:31:38 PM)
I heard Suzanne McDermott perform Carry Me Back to the Beautiful last May at a concert in Petersburg.  It's gorgeous and PERFECT for the State song!!!



No to Shenandoah, Ac (Laurie - 4/4/2006 11:31:38 PM)
No to Shenandoah, Across the wide Missouri.  The best song I have ever heard for the new state song is Carry Me Back to the Beautiful by Suzanne McDermott - http://virginiasong.suzannemcdermott.com/


Good point, Paul! No (Mary - 4/4/2006 11:31:38 PM)
Good point, Paul! No, I hadn't thought of that! However, I'd say Kaine is much more firmly Virginian at this point. Sadly, however, that reporter never got the Governor to sing: He's a surprisingly good singer and likely to know the lyrics.