As we are on the subject of a state song and in light of our recent
nominating process for great/important Virginians, I propose that
members of the list offer opinions on what might make the best song for
our beloved Virginia.

I'll get things started and suggest John Phillips's "Oh Virginia."
Phillips, best known as leader of the Mamas and the Papas and that
group's paean to the left coast "California Dreamin'," actually spent
much of his childhood in Virginia and attended Hampden-Sydney for a year
in the 1950s. Like his more famous tune, "Oh Virginia" is a nostalgic
dedication to the state, sung by a homesick narrator. Recorded in the
1970s with the help of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and with a
laid-back, twangy sound somewhat reminiscent of the Rolling Stones'
early 1970s work, the song was not actually released until about 2000,
shortly before Phillips died. I'm a little fuzzy on the lyrics, but the
refrain includes references to the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge
Mountains, and something that sadly seems less and less a characteristic
of Virginia, its "change of seasons."

Bland Whitley
Library of Virginia

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