The Great White North

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I've never been to Alaska. Let me get that out of the way right now. In fact, I have never been anywhere close to Alaska. I know a few people who have taken Alaskan cruises or plan on taking an Alaskan cruise, but I have never taken that journey myself. I would imagine if I ever do make it to the northernmost state in the union, it will probably be on some kind of cruise.

@mrsbozz and I actually work with a guy who lived in Alaska for a while. He would work during the school year as a teacher and then in the summer he goes back to Alaska to work on the pipeline or something like that. I heard a rumor that he has a house back in Alaska so as a property owner he gets a cut of the oil revenue, but I don't know how true that is.

As I said, I've never been there. The travels that my family took when I was younger limited us mostly to the eastern portion of the United States. In fact, I never made it West of Indianapolis until I was in high school and beyond. I don't know if it wasn't on my parents radar or the logistics were just too much. After my dad retired, my mom and dad did make a trip out west for several weeks, but they never made it as far as Alaska.

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I mention all of this because as you might remember, for my #threetunetuesday post sponsored by @ablaze, I am going through the states in America alphabetically and sharing three songs that have the state name either in the lyrics or the title. Since last week was Alabama, that means this week is Alaska. I thought it was going to be difficult to find three songs, but as @tengolotodo pointed out, there are actually quite a few that fit the bill. So here we go!

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If you aren't familiar with Johnny Horton, you are in for a real treat. While he is more famously known for his hit about the 1814 Battle of New Orleans, he had a string of other songs that were popular in their own right as well. "North to Alaska" is a perfect example of that. I can appreciate the fact that Horton has a distinct voice and delivery for his songs. I can also appreciate that some folks might not be able to get past that.

However, I think it is important to point out that Horton was a really great storyteller and that comes across in his songs. Both humorous, and educational, there is a lot to be gleaned from his lyrics. As an introduction to the 49th state, "North to Alaska" fits the bill perfectly. This song highlights the gold rush in the late 1800's.

Horton actually wrote a couple of songs about Alaska. The second one is called "When It's Springtime in Alaska", but it isn't quite as upbeat as the previous one. It's actually a quite dark song with a bitter ending. Kind of like the Winters in Alaska I would imagine.

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While I thought the majority of his work was isolated to the lower 48 states with a specific focus on Colorado, it appears John Denver was no stranger to Alaska as well. I actually am not sure I have ever heard this song before, but as I listen to it, I can't help but feel it fits really well with his theme.

Denver had a way of delivering songs that make a lot of them feel like Irish jigs or shantys. I can't help but see the parallels with this song as well. After a quick Google search it appears Denver was actually born John Deutschendorf and his ancestry is German and Irish. I can understand how why his songs sound they way they do. I can also understand why he changed his last name!

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Finally, for the third song I am keeping it old school, but probably just as obscure. If you had told me that the Bee Gees had a song about Alaska I probably would have said you were crazy. Massachusetts sure, but Alaska, that is just a road too far.

This is actually the first time I have ever heard "Road to Alaska" by the Bee Gees. As the Internet states, this song is a bit of a departure from there normal sound. It leans more into a dirty rock groove with little of the dance or harmonic tendencies that we usually expect from them.

If anything this song makes me realize just how unfamiliar I am with the work of the Bee Gees outside of their big hits that were famous in the US. I should probably fix that at some point. Perhaps tomorrow when the building is empty and I don't have to worry about being judged for my musical selections!

Thanks for coming along on this musical road trip. Check back next time as we visit a new state!

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