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Music is good for the soul, so if you’re feeling a little blue, these nostalgic Oklahoma songs might be just the ticket to brighten your day.
We’ve chosen some of the best songs about Oklahoma to bring back some good memories.
With the returning memories, you can read more about the backstories related to these favorite Oklahoma songs and artists.
You will love learning more about these Oklahoma songs if you’re from Oklahoma. They will resonate in your soul when you understand the origins.
You will also sound awfully clever when you share your nuggets about the song’s backstory in a conversation!
Best Songs About Oklahoma
Looking for new songs for your Oklahoma playlist? Read on!
Most Famous Songs About Oklahoma
1. You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma
Sandy Pinkard and Larry Collins wrote this Oklahoma country song that was a massive hit for David Frizzell and Shelly West.
It’s about a couple pining for each other when the girl leaves her cowboy lover to go to California.
Shelley and David’s agent approached the well-known record producer Snuff Garret who was due to work on a soundtrack for Clint Eastwood’s movie, Any Which Way You Can.
When the legendary actor heard the song, he knew it was perfect and included it in the soundtrack, and it soon went to number one on the charts across the country.
Read next: 26 Facts About Oklahoma You Need to Know
2. Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa
Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa is a slow and melancholy song about a see-sawing relationship alternating between love and heartbreak.
George Strait did a cover of the original song written by Red Lane in the 1980s. His rendition reached its peak at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles in July 2003.
George Strait began making country music with a band in 1973 while stationed at his army post in Hawaii.
After the success of the hit Unwound, he became one of the most successful country singers of all time, with 61 #1 hits.
3. Okie From Muskogee
Merle Haggard and his band’s drummer, Eddie Burns, wrote the song Okie From Muskogee around the time of the Vietnam War, which ran concurrently with the Hippie era.
At the time, rebellion and protesting were everyday occurrences.
The song protests against these protesters and supports the soldiers who went to war.
Merle Haggard performed the song with his band, the Strangers, and it spent a month at #1 on the Billboards country charts.
Although Haggard wasn’t born in Oklahoma, his parents were “Okies.”
This is one of the songs about Oklahoma that instilled pride and patriotism in its residents, who believed in upholding old-fashioned morals and values.
Read next: Best Florida Songs For Your Playlist
4. Oklahoma Christmas
Jenny Fleenor, Trent Willmon, and Rob Byus wrote Oklahoma Christmas.
Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire recorded the duet for his Cheers, It’s Christmas album.
Both singers come from Oklahoma and have sung several Oklahoma songs during their careers.
The song tells a story of a couple who long for their typical Oklahoma Christmas celebrations, even though they can’t get home due to bad weather.
So they decide to replicate their traditions in their own home, just the two of them, making do with what they have.
5. Oklahoma-Texas Line
This is one of those Oklahoma songs that is a peaceful, non-dramatic piece of music.
It tells the story of a man’s love for his wife, home, and quiet rural lifestyle on the Oklahoma-Texas line. Everything he wants and needs is there.
The three band members of the Rascal Flatts, Jay Demarcus, Joe Don Rooney, and Gary LeVox, co-wrote this sweet love song.
Joe Don Rooney spent some of his childhood in Oklahoma and considers himself an Okie. The group’s career spanned twenty years, and they finally disbanded in 2020.
Read next: 54 Best Songs About Texas For Your Texas Playlist
6. My Oklahoma Home
There’s nobody quite like the Boss, and he performed a splendid rendition of My Oklahoma Home with the Seeger Sessions Band.
Sis and Bill Cunningham wrote the song about 40 years ago, portraying a funny but poignant story about living on the Oklahoma plains during the Dust Bowl days.
It’s one of those Oklahoma songs that shows the mettle of its residents, who find the silver lining in every cloud.
The days of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression were tough, but the writers turned the experience into a fun song.
People love to sing along with it, and Springsteen’s charismatic performances always elicited an enthusiastic response.
A must-know song about Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Hills,” written by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie, is Oklahoma’s official folk song.
7. Blown Away
Carrie Underwood’s song, Blown Away, was written specifically with her in mind by Josh Kear and Christ Tompkins.
Carrie hails from Oklahoma, giving the songwriters the idea for a revenge song with a tornado element to bring the karmic justice.
The song is about an abusive, drunken father who passes out on the couch during a twister while his daughter shelters in the cellar.
The daughter gets revenge on her mean father without lifting a finger against him, as he gets “blown away!” Carrie’s performance in the music video ensures that her fans are blown away.
Old Songs About Oklahoma
8. Oklahoma Borderline
Oklahoma Borderline is an upbeat, happy country song co-written and recorded by Vince Gill.
It reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot Singles & Tracks charts. Vince Gill is a native Okie and has also recorded songs about Oklahoma.
The song is about an Oklahoma guy whose Houston girl leaves him. He has very to his name and decides to head back to his home state, Oklahoma.
He’s excited about reaching the border, seeing his Mama, and the Oklahoma girls who would treat him better than his ex.
That Oklahoma borderline is symbolic of being back in his happy place and starting over.
9. If You’re Ever In Oklahoma
If You’re Ever In Oklahoma is a bluesy rock song sung by J.J. Cale.
It warns travelers of the tough cops in Oklahoma, advising them to travel at night and detailing how the police can make your life a misery!
J.J. Cale was a singer-songwriter born and raised in Oklahoma City.
Although he wrote music that inspired some superstar performers like Eric Clapton, he always said his music was more famous than he was.
This was partly because of his principles. He once turned down a slot on American Bandstand that would have boosted his career significantly.
He refused to appear because the show wanted him to lip-sync the words to his songs, and his band would not be able to join him on stage.
10. Tulsa Time
Don Williams was a legendary country singer and the first one to record the song Tulsa Time.
It’s a story about a young guy that leaves his home in Oklahoma to seek his fortune in Hollywood.
After a while, his dreams don’t work out, and he decides to go back to Tulsa, where the pace is slower. So he adjusts his watch back to Tulsa Time.
Don Williams’ guitarist, Danny Flowers, wrote the song.
Several other artists did covers of Tulsa Time, among them Eric Clapton, Reba McEntire, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, and Billy Ray Cyrus.
11. Oklahoma Swing
The Oklahoma Swing is an upbeat, fun country song performed by Vince Gill and Reba McEntire, who both originate from the Sooner state.
Gill co-wrote the song with Tim Du Bois, and it peaked at number 13 on the Billboards Hot Country Singles and Tracks charts.
Oklahoma Swing tells the story of a pretty young redhead and her boyfriend enjoying kicking up the sawdust with not a care in the world.
The redhead’s Mama may not be as keen as her daughter on the guy because he had done some time in California.
But the young couple doesn’t care about anything besides having fun in each other’s arms on the dance floor.
12. Oklahoma Sunday Morning
Country singer Glen Campbell released this nostalgic song written by Albert Hammond, Lee Hazlewood, and Tony Macaulay.
It reached number 15 on the Billboards Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.
Oklahoma Sunday Morning is about a man who traveled far and wide and stayed in different places. But none of those places are home.
He looks forward to going back to his true home as he remembers those special Oklahoma Sunday mornings.
Campbell’s career spanned a massive 55 years until he retired in January 2013 at the age of 76.
He recorded 64 albums over the years, selling 45 million across the globe, and received many different accolades during his career.
13. Crazy About Oklahoma
Al Smith wrote Crazy About Oklahoma, and Jimmy Reed recorded it. This somewhat strange song compares Texas and Oklahoma.
He then describes a girl’s big legs, comparing them to Willie May’s baseball bat!
That is certainly an original comparison! One has to wonder if it’s a remark that would have been well-received!
Jimmy Reed was a blues singer-songwriter whose career spanned a few decades between the 1940s and the mid-1970s.
He impacted the music of several prominent musicians from that era, including Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, and Hank Williams Jr., who all recorded some of his popular songs.
14. Oklahoma USA
It’s not often that British pop bands release Oklahoma songs. But the Kinks, a British pop band, recorded the song Oklahoma USA.
The Kinks began their career in the 1960s, infusing their rhythm-and-blues style with social commentary.
Oklahoma, USA, is a tale of a young woman who leads a mundane life. She daydreams about being the star of the Musical, Oklahoma!
She walks to work to her boring job and daydreams that she is one of the famous Hollywood stars, like Doris Day or Rita Hayworth, waiting to be swept off her feet by a romantic hero.
15. Fly Over States
Fly Over States was Jason Aldean’s ninth #1 hit, a country song about an overheard conversation on a plane.
Some passengers are making condescending small talk about the countryside below them, which they guess to be Oklahoma.
They can’t imagine why anyone would want to live there.
The singer concludes that the men making the comments have never been to those flyover states, or they would understand why God these places.
He lauds the hard-working, solid people of these overlooked areas. The beauty, freedom, and uniqueness of America’s hidden gems are lost on those dismissing them as “the middle of nowhere.”
Newer Songs About Oklahoma (or Related)
16. Tulsa Jesus Freak
Lana Del Rey wrote and sang the taunting song, Tulsa Jesus Freak.
Oklahoma is known to be one of the most religious American states, and disparaging people often refer to devout Christians as “Jesus Freaks.”
In Tulsa Jesus Freak, a woman dares her religious, gin-drinking lover to love her as much as he apparently loves his Bible and religion.
The song suggests that the man is conflicted between his beliefs and desires for the woman as she invites him to her bed.
But some fans suggested that it referred to an ex-boyfriend who pretended to be a good Christian and was, in fact, an alcoholic.
17. Oklahoma Sky
Sometimes songwriters just set out to write a hit, but this is one of those Oklahoma songs that has a backstory.
Songwriter Allison Moorer was in New Zealand in a fishing cabin with nothing to do and realized she had to write some songs.
She was thinking about singer Miranda Lambert and her then-husband, Blake Shelton, and already had the title Oklahoma Sky on her mind.
As Moorer was rummaging through her purse, she found a quarter, heads up, and guessed it was an Oklahoma coin, and it was.
She saw it as a sign confirming she should write the ballad for Lambert.
Although Miranda Lambert is a Texan, she felt Oklahoma Sky was an ode to her new home state, as she had moved to Oklahoma with Shelton, a native Okie.
18. Oklahoma Breakdown
Oklahoma Breakdown is a country song written and first recorded by Mike Hosty.
But Stoney LaRue had a massive hit with this tune, reaching #1 on the Texas Music Charts in April 2007 and eventually becoming its song of the year.
Oklahoma Breakdown is a story about a guy who loves to go drinking by the river and making out with his girlfriend.
She, however, is sobbing her eyes out, which he refers to as an Oklahoma Breakdown.
Despite her tears, he begs her to say she loves him. It was all probably the result of the Friday night activities!
19. Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble To Me
Many Oklahoma songs seem to focus on Tulsa, and this upbeat, fun country rock song represents the story of a Tulsa guy who took his girlfriend out to lunch, ditched her, and fell in love with another woman.
He misses Oklahoma but knows he won’t be welcome due to his misdeeds!
Famous singer-songwriter Shawn Camp wrote the song, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band included it on their album Speed of Life.
The band has been active since 1966, a fantastic achievement to make music for over fifty years, and they’re still going strong.
More Oklahoma Songs You Want to Listen
- Oklahoma Gals by Bob Wills
- Big Boat Across Oklahoma by Hank Thompson
- 24 Hours From Tulsa by Gene Pitney
- Rodeo by Garth Brooks
- Oklahoma Bound by Zeke Clemons
- Oklahoma Rose by Jim and Jesse
- Oklahoma Moon by Michael Cooper
Did we miss your favorite Oklahoma song? Then let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!