Josh Zuckerman & This Week's Statistics

Hello, everybody! I’ve managed to write a second story after only three days. I think that we may be back on the right track.

Today’s story is about a rock musician who has been out right from the start and has recorded some very interesting albums during the last fifteen years. I discovered him early – a little after he released his first album – and I’ve been waiting for the chance to write his story. He is Josh Zuckerman.

Josh Zuckerman (born August 18, 1970) is an American performer, musician, singer, songwriter, and recording artist. He plays the guitar, violin and some piano on all six of his albums; while some of his early work shows his talent musically where he fiddles with the violin; fusing the country music and rock/pop sound.

Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, a music town in its own right, Josh developed his first love for music at the age of eight when he was introduced to the violin, which he studied for the next five years. Inspired by the music sounds of the east coast, Josh's interest in music drifted to rock’n’roll. After gigs in several cover bands, Josh relocated to New Jersey where he began to compose his own melodies and lyrics. 

He performed extensively with his former band China White from 1990 to 1996. Josh went solo in 1996 and toured extensively, while he also performed with the group, Up With People from 1996 through 1998. All I Want For Christmas was a single he released with China White:

Before his recording music career, Josh Zuckerman was a teacher at Highlands Elementary School in Highlands, New Jersey.

Rocco Colella of Edge Media Network wrote, "While...his other early influences, from Bon Jovi to Kiss, don’t top his list of favorite musicians today, Zuckerman cannot deny their influence on his music. '(Joan Jett) and these artists had really strong hooks and melodies, which is what I focus on with my music, in terms of hooks and chorus," he said. 'Back in those days, people really put on a show.' As a child of the 80s, Zuckerman remembers these artists very well and 20 years later tries to incorporate these antics into his own musical and performance stylings."

He released his first album, A Totally New Sensation, on the indie label PLH Records in 2002. I found the album a few years later, while I was searching for albums by gay musicians. I was pleasantly surprised by his sound; it had echoes of Tom Petty and lots of good energy. This is the title track:

The title track received limited airplay and its accompanying music video was popular with some success online among the gay community. The album received positive reviews and Zuckerman promoted it mostly by performing at Gay Pride events and nightclubs across the United States.

Zuckerman is quoted in his website saying, "this studio album was a catalyst to my solo career and introduced me to a larger audience. With the first single receiving online attention by national media and through print publications, my career was catapulted to a new level."

From the same album, this is Spiritual:

… And this is Karma:

Since for many of you, some of these videos are geo-blocked, alternatively, this is a live version of Karma. The quality of the audio and video are not very good, however, it conveys the feeling of Zuckerman’s work on stage.

Most of his songs are original compositions. However, the album’s last song was Josh’s cover of The Devil Went Down To Georgia:

Josh Zuckerman's second album, Out From Under, was released in 2006. It is a 13-track CD of original material. The album features Steve DeVito of The Secret Syde.

Indiemusic.com, Jennifer Layton, wrote: "Always one of my indie faves. Josh is country, he's edgy, he's sophisticated, and he's playful. He brings everything to the table - his spiritual nature, his love of rock and roll, his string-scorching violin playing, and his brazenly honest lyrics. Zuckerman's CD, Out From Under, is stamped with the words BE REAL. I get the feeling this artist wouldn't know how to be anything else. Good thing for us."

After the album's release, the first single Out From Under soared to number one for four weeks on Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006. The music video for Out From Under was ranked #1 for 8 consecutive weeks for 2006 on MTV Logo's The Click List and ranked #4 for 4 consecutive weeks for 2006 on Sirius XM OutQ. Here it is:

At an interview with ChicagoPride.com, Josh revealed the inspiration for this song. JZ: it was actually written about a famous guy in Sweden that I fell for and was obviously in the wrong but it ended up being a good thing because the title song came from that experience ;)

At the same interview, Josh says: “My favorite song on the album is Be Real because it is really the motto for my life lately. I try to remind myself this as much as possible, to just be Josh and be myself!” This is Be Real:

Another song that received love from the radio stations and the public was Something Inside:

Another song that stood out was Another Reason. Its music video was highly regarded for being uniquely and completely animated with its science fiction storyline:

During this time, bass player Ricardo Rodriguez joined the band.

Josh Zuckerman's third album, Got Love? was released in 2009. This album received high praise for the production value and lyrics by magazines and indie critics with reviews from Edge Magazine - Boston, TimeOut NYC. Bay Windows – New England, PM Entertainment and Instinct Magazine; among many others.

Brian Juergens from our dearly departed AfterElton.com wrote: “A little bit country …  a little bit Rock N Roll … 100% Josh Zuckerman. That’s what we heard when the out music icon himself took his place on the all-knowing couch at Homophonic and shared his exhausting, exhilarating summer stories with Alex. Inspired by the music of his birthplace, St. Louis, Missouri, and influenced by a cadre of outstanding artists from blues, rock, and country, Josh’s work as a singer-songwriter has won praise from queer and mainstream media alike.  And, despite a cold and a whirlwind performance schedule, he still found the time to lend a little of his cred to our boys at Homophonic.”

Tommy Raniszewski from Out In Jersey was enthusiastic: "Solid", "Electric", "Amazing from beginning to end". These are just a few of the things fans are saying about Josh Zuckerman's CD Got Love? Boy, oh Boy, how right they are! Got Love? is 12 red-hot, smokin' rock songs that will certainly be making waves on the independent music scene. With this latest effort, Zuckerman has achieved an entirely new level of production quality, and a higher standard to which he will no doubt surpass as he continues to make his mark as one of the independent music's most charismatic performers. One of the album's tracks most likely to become an instant hit sensation is the highly charged When We Dance, which in this writer's opinion is the heart of one of the best and most highly polished rock albums to come along in the past few years.

This is the album’s title track:

This is a rocker called I Thought You Loved Me:

Fall In Love Again is a cool ballad:

… and this is When We Dance:

Josh Zuckerman's fourth album, Mr. Z and the Shashka Frashkas From A to Mr. Z, was released in 2012. It is a CD of original music geared to children of early elementary school age.

A kindergarten teacher in New Jersey himself, Josh has stated on his CD Release, "This long-awaited CD had been in the works for almost 6 years. Mr. Z and the Shashka Frashkasis a perfect CD for parents and children. Mr.Z puts the fun in learning with just enough eclectic sounds of today's modern music!"

The video release of It Starts With You received thousands of views on Youtube and has become a motivational and positive message for parents, teachers, and students across the nation. Here it is:

In 2014, Josh Zuckerman's fifth album, Background Static of Perpetual Discontent, was released. It contained songs like The Turn Around:

… Cause I’m Gone:

… Evaporate:

Guilty Pleasure:

… Who’s That Cat?:

Finally, there’s Apart:

The latest from Josh Zuckerman was titled Gone With The Music and was released in 2018. The lineup included special guest musicians - legendary drummer Thommy Price and original bassist Gary Ryan from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. This was a dream come true for Josh as these were his musical heroes growing up.

From this album, here’s Who I Am Is:

This is the album’s title track:

This is Wait Till I See You:

This is Up:

And – finally for today – this is My Hallelujah:

Josh Zuckerman's motto is: "Be who you are, Be Real, it’s all about love..." He and his band members have donated much of their musical talents performing for many charitable events including the American Red Cross, HRC for Kids in NYC, 4-H for kids, Relay for Life (a breast cancer benefit), The Matthew Shepard Foundation, The Robert Mapplethorpe Residence,The Rivington House for people affected by HIV, and many others. After Super Storm Sandy devastated the New Jersey Shore, Zuckerman and his band performed fundraisers to help raise money for the victims of the disaster. He has donated performances to various New York City Charities, including Life Beat, for the LGBT Community to raise funds for HIV prevention and research. He has proclaimed himself an 'out' musician and is proud of the work he has done to further the LGBT causes. Happy to have you on our team, Josh.

Now, it’s time for our statistics. The most recent stories, A Salute To the United States and Pansy Division did well but it’s older stories, like the all-time most visited story (George Maharis), Joe Jackson, Peter Straker, Dave Clark, and Freddie Jackson that get the most visits.

As far as countries are concerned, Canada and Germany kept their percentages stable, while winners include the United States, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, and Ukraine. The other major players suffered minor losses.

Here are this week's Top 10 countries:

1. the United States

2. Russia

3. the United Kingdom

4. Germany

5. Canada

6. Egypt

7. Brazil

8. Ukraine

9. Australia

10. Greece

Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Ghana, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia. Happy to have you all!

And here's the all-time Top 10:

1. the United States = 34.4%

2. France = 15.7%

3. the United Kingdom = 11.2%

4. Greece = 7.3%

5. Russia = 2.9%

6. Canada = 2.0%

7. Germany = 2.0%

8. Australia = 0.97%

9. Italy = 0.85%

10. Cyprus = 0.74%

That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!

Pansy Division

After personal and professional issues kept me away from writing for more than a couple of weeks, I have the itch to write a new story. I could continue the Gay Icons/The Divas series or the Oscar-winning Songs Countdown, or I could put to paper one of the hundred-or-so new ideas that I have in my head. Instead, I actually wanted to go back to what was the original scope of this blog, the stories that I’ve been mostly doing during the first two years, presenting LGBTQI musicians and songs. Then, I realized that the last new story of an LGBTQI musician (save for a couple of revisits) appeared as long as 16 months ago. It was about the ill-fated Zelim Bakaev. It duly became one of the most-visited stories that I ever presented. So, ladies, gentlemen, and gender non-binary readers, today I present the story of Pansy Division.

Before I begin at the beginning, I will move slightly forward to present two of my favorite Pansy Division songs. One presents their lighter side and the other reveals their darker side. The first song is a cover – and has quite a story of its own.

Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other was written in 1981 by Latin country musician Ned Sublette and - based on his experiences growing up in Portales, N.M. - the song cleverly satirizes the stereotypes associated with cowboys and gay men. These are the lyrics:

“There's many a strange impulse out on the plains of West Texas;
There's many a young boy who feels things he don't comprehend
Well small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes
No, small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men

Well I believe in my soul that inside every man there's a feminine
And inside every lady, there's a deep manly voice loud and clear
Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he does with his women
But the ones who brag loudest are the ones that are most likely queer

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other —
What did you think those saddles and boots was about?
There's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels towards his brother
Inside every cowboy, there's a lady who'd love to slip out

Ten men for each woman was the rule way back when on the prairie
And somehow those cowboys must have kept themselves warm late at night
Cowboys are famous for getting riled up about fairies
But I'll tell you the reason a big strong man gets so uptight:

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other —
That's why they wear leather, and Levi's and belts buckled tight
There's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels towards his
Brother;
There's many a cowboy who's more like a lady at night

Well there's always somebody who says what the others just whisper
And mostly that someone's the first one to get shot down dead:
When you talk to a cowboy don't treat him like he was a sister
Don't mess with the lady that's sleepin' in each cowboy's head

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other —
Even though they take speed and drive pickups and shoot their big guns;
There's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels towards his
Brother;
There's many a cowboy who keeps quiet about things he's done”

This is the original version:

Pansy Division covered the song in 1994, for a split single called "Stop Homophobia":

Country legend Willie Nelson received a tape of the song in the mid to late 1980s. Nelson said, "I thought it was the funniest goddamn song I'd ever heard. I had it on the bus for 20 years, and people would come in and I'd play it. When Brokeback Mountain come out, it just seemed like a good time to kick it out of the closet."

The song was released as a single on Valentine’s Day, 2006 and became Nelson’s highest charting solo single since his 1984 duet with Julio Iglesias, To All the Girls I've Loved Before (#5), debuting at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Here it is:

Their “darker” song is called Denny (naked) and first appeared on their 1994 album, Deflowered, as well as on the 1995 EP James Bondage. The song is about suffering in the age of AIDS set to a perversely chippy melody. These are the heartbreaking lyrics:

“Denny picked me up, Denny did me
He's got a tattoo of his dick on his belly
It was double vision, disorienting
Denny's kind of a dorky fella
Denny's dramatic, Denny's dark
He ain't nothing like the restaurant
He's got HIV+ tattooed in black
In 6" letters on his back
He said "I want them to see
What they've done to me"
Denny

Denny's reading the Decameron
About a plague that came before
'Cause Denny's dying and Denny don't like it
And Denny don't dance no more
He's kinda New Age, but Denny's not too smart
Trying to love himself
But he doesn't really know how
He's got a heart tattoo with his own name in it
Trouble is, Denny doesn't really get it
Self-esteem is just a dream for Denny

Denny could be very funny
Says he wanted my asshole tattooed on his chin
But Denny's very demanding
'Cause Denny ain't got long to live
Denny did porno, photos, and films
Until his tattoos ruined his career
He stares at the video, feeling dejected
Helplessly watching himself get infected
Denny's got pneumocystis
And a new tattoo as well
Denny got a skull and crossbones
Smack in the middle of his forehead
Says, "I want them to see
what they've done to me"
Denny”

Now, let’s go back to the start: once upon a time, Jon Ginoli, frustrated by the lack of openly gay rock musicians, started performing solo sets under the moniker Pansy Division (a pun on Panzer division and the word "pansy") around San Francisco. Shortly after this, in 1991, Ginoli placed an ad in the San Francisco Weekly looking for “gay musicians into the Ramones, Buzzcocks, and early Beatles”. This caught the attention of Chris Freeman, who joined on as a bassist. Ginoli and Freeman then recruited drummer Jay Puget, forming the first all-gay rock band that any of them had known. They hoped to defy the stereotype that gay men preferred pop divas and show tunes, by playing punk rock music.

“As a band, our mission was to not live in a world where there was not an out, queer rock band,” said Chris Freeman. “We thought that should be in existence, so we did it ourselves.”

Raised on a diet of 60s pop and 70s punk, their sound was suitably crunchy and catchy as hell. They wrote in-your-face lyrics but did it with a sense of humor. Not only did their music and stance defy stereotypic norms of rock musicians being openly gay, but they also broke gay cultural stereotypes that rock wouldn't interest gay people. 

In 1993, following extensive Californian touring, several 7" singles and compilation appearances, Pansy Division signed to Lookout! Records, released their first album, Undressed, and embarked on their first national tour. Here are some songs from Undressed. The second song on the album, Fem in a Black Leather Jacket, had been their first ever single, a year earlier:

On that single (but not on the album) we also find Smells Like Queer Spirit which is based on… Seriously, I don’t have to say it, do I?

The Byrds-influenced Boyfriend Wanted is a departure for the band:

Cocksucker Club was a fun track with bold lyrics:

All the album’s songs were written by Jon Ginoli, except for Rock and Roll Queer Bar, which was the Ramones’ classic Rock and Roll High School with different lyrics by Ginoli:

Their music caught the attention of former Lookout! labelmates Green Day, who took Pansy Division on tour for a couple of months in 1994 at the height of the mania surrounding their breakthrough album Dookie. Says Ginoli, “When we started our band we thought we’d be playing our music to people in their 20s & 30s who were gay or gay-friendly. Suddenly we faced thousands of high school kids each night, an amazing opportunity we never expected to have.” The response was decidedly mixed, but their popularity soared. The fact that their second album, Deflowered, was very good, definitely helped.

From this album, which also contained Denny (naked), Groovy Underwear features Ginoli and Freeman sweetly harmonizing:

James Bondage is among the album’s funnier tracks:

Fluffy City is a hilarious portrait of L.A.'s mainstream gay/club scene with one sharp putdown after another:

On the other hand, Deep Water is about feeling lost and desperately alone in a small town:

A winning version (with gender changed) of Jonathan Richman's A Song of Remembrance for Old Boyfriends fits in perfectly with the general mood:

Pile Up (1995) was a compilation album. In it were Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other, Denny (naked), and Smells Like Queer Spirit. Also in this album, other singles, like Homo Christmas:

… Bill & Ted's Homosexual Adventure:

… Jack U Off:

… also a cover of Jackson, a duet with Calvin Johnson:

Their third studio album, Wish I'd Taken Pictures (1996), had a stronger punk kick than Deflowered, helped in part by Dustin Donaldson's turn on the drum kit and tighter riffs from Jon Ginoli and Chris Freeman. A song like Pee Shy captures a perfect, classic Ramones style of volume plus a melody that's better than the band had done before:

Still, the real kickers can be found in Ginoli's increasing range of lyrical reflections on the ups and, much more often, the downs of life, romantic and otherwise. Songs like the exquisitely poignant I Really Wanted You, directed to a past love settled into a heterosexual marriage. The single’s music video actually played once on MTV:

The Summer You Let Your Hair Grow Out is perhaps the best of the bunch on that front, an enjoyable acoustic guitar/electric bass rave-up with Ginoli deftly touching on questions of whether or not love might be in the air:

Freeman once again gets a humorous moment of glory with the hilarious and fun tale of lust Dick of Death, which covers the situation where, as the liner notes say, "sometimes bigger is better."

Also in 1996, the band released a couple of EPs. There was Valentine's Day:

… Then, there was the imaginatively titled, For Those About to Suck Cock… We Salute You. The lead track was Headbanger:

During this time, Pansy Division primarily performed as a trio, with Freeman and Ginoli being the only constant members amid a slew of perpetually rotating drummers, both gay and straight. In 1996, the band finally found a permanent gay drummer in the form of Luis Illades and became a quartet in 1997 with the addition of lead guitarist Patrick Goodwin.

Right from the top, their next album, Absurd Pop Song Romance (1998), conveys a sense that Pansy Division has evolved from its early days of no-holds-barred homocore. The first track is a brief, eerie sound sample, immediately followed by February 17 - a track with all the upbeat rock power of previous albums, but with a decidedly more serious, frustrated tone.

On the other hand, the next track, Sweet Insecurity, reverts to a happy, mellow pop/rock beat with sweet, self-doubting lyrics.

Bad Boyfriend demonstrates that Ginoli’s earnest and humorous approach to subjects is retained in full, whether the tone is cynical or celebratory.

You're Gonna Need Your Friends has echoes of the Kinks:

In 2001, Pansy Division was finally ready to record another album, but the lack of support from Lookout! caused the band to leave their long-time label and sign with Alternative Tentacles later that year. What resulted was 2003's Total Entertainment!, an album that the band described as a meeting point between the lighthearted humor of their early work and the introspective rock of their previous album.

The bouncy and bittersweet Spiral eschews simple pop-punk for crunchy power pop:

They've also got a knack for new wave, like the vocodered No Protection:

The dark and grinding Alpine Skiing is reminiscent of the Pixies’ punk - and if you don't know what that euphemism means, well, you'll just have to either think about it for a few minutes or listen to the song:

2009 saw the release of their seventh studio album, titled That’s So Gay. This is the title track:

Iconic punk-rocker and Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra takes turn singing vocals on Average Man (a slam on the blue collar-types who bestow prejudice):

Pansy Division take a long, hard look at their illustrious career with 20 Years of Cock reminiscing fondly, "Well yeah I'm aging but I'm still raging/I'm getting grayer but feeling gayer."

Some of My Best Friends is the first original Pansy Division song with lyrics written by a heterosexual (this time dealing with the hatred of homophobic behavior from a straight guy's perspective) The song appears on this webisode of Jonah. (It begins at 5:47.)

Their last album, which was released in 2016, is called Quite Contrary. In Love Came Along, Ginoli and Freeman celebrate middle age:

Blame the Bible is a scathing condemnation of politicians who use religion to attack civil liberties. There are so many of them… but they won’t prevail.

… The last song in today’s story is also from their last album: it’s called Kiss Me At Midnight:

Freeman and Ginoli know that Pansy Division’s mission didn’t end with Elton or Etheridge coming out – or even the existence of singers like Sam Smith and bands like the Scissor Sisters selling millions of records while being out and proud. “As long as people in other parts of the world are being stoned to death or thrown off buildings or tortured for being gay, then we still have a mission,” Freeman said in an interview for The Guardian. “We have certain factions in this country who don’t want ‘gay’ to be a norm – look at Orlando. As long as someone can say, ‘That voodoo God in the sky says gay is wrong’, I’m going to continue to knock down the door.”

This sense of mission has been intensified by the Orlando murders. “It’s sort of shocking to think that 20 years ago we couldn’t have had a conversation about gay marriage. But now we have it. And yet people are still being killed because they’re gay. So you’ve got one side of the ship is going up and the other side is going down. We want to try and make the whole thing float if we can.”

Keep on fighting the good fight, guys. We are by your side.

A Salute to the United States & This Week's Statistics

Hello again, after a long absence. Sorry that I’ve been away so long, I’ll make it a point to write more frequently. Also, I’ll try to get back on the threads that are already underway.

Having said that, today is another special. Since a very big number of our readers come from the United States of America – I thought I’d take a look at the total number of visits by each State and make a list. I mean, we talk about countries every week – and we have already counted down the cities with the most visits [here], so counting down the States would be a logical next step. There is also the challenge of dedicating to each State a song that carries the name of the State on its title. To make it even more challenging, whenever there is a choice, I go for the more obscure rather than the well-known songs. Did I manage to find songs for every State? Read on and learn…

There are 50 States but we have 51 positions in our countdown because the District of Columbia (more commonly known as Washington D.C.) is also included. Let’s go.

At #51 is the State of Wyoming and this is probably the oldest recording that we’ll hear today. It’s Charles Hart singing Wyoming Lullaby (Go to Sleep, My Baby), in 1921:

At #50 is the State of Alaska, the northernmost border of the US. Here is a recent song called Alaska (2016). The singer is Maggie Rogers:

Next up are the two Dakotas. They are next to each other, as they are in real life, at #49 & #48. The song North Dakota, South Dakota, sung by Jerry Lewis in 1952, mentions them both:

There are also songs for each one: first comes North Dakota by Chris Knight from 2001:

… Then we have Jakey with South Dakota (2017):

At #47 is the State of Montana. This is Blue Montana Sky by Duane Eddy (1975):

At #46 is the State of Vermont. This is a different Moonlight in Vermont, by Bobby Womack (1968):

At #45 is the State of Idaho. The chosen song is also called Idaho and it’s by the Four Seasons (1969):

At #44 is the State of West Virginia. This is Hills Of West Virginia, by Phil Ochs (1964):

At #43 is the State of Delaware. This is Delaware, by Perry Como (1959):

At #42 is the State of Hawaii. The song by The Beach Boys is also called Hawaii (1963):

At #41 is the State of Maine. This is Spring In Maine, by Dorothy Collins (1957):

At #40 is the State of New Hampshire. This is New Hampshire You're My Home, by Beverly Rush:

At #39 is the State of Nebraska. This is Nebraska, by Bruce Springsteen (1982):

At #38 is the State of Iowa. This is Iowa, A Girl's Name, by the Baroques (1967):

At #37 is the State of New Mexico. This is Taos, New Mexico, by Waylon Jennings (1967):

At #36 is the State of Rhode Island. This is Poor Little Rhode Island, by Dale Hawkins (1960):

At #35 is the State of Utah. This is The Red Hills Of Utah, by Marty Robbins (1963):

At #34 is the State of Arkansas. This is Arkansas Twist, by Bobby Lee Trammell (1962):

At #33 is the State of Kansas. This is Kansas Rain, byJohn Stewart (1972):

At #32 is the State of Mississippi. There are many songs that I could choose from, like Mississippi Queen by Mountain or Mississippi by Pussycat. Finally, I chose Mississippi Kid. There is an earlier version of this song by Lynyrd Skynyrd but I preferred to play the little-known 2014 version by Jerry Lee Lewis, in which he is accompanied by Ronnie VanZant, Al Kooper, Robert Burns:

At #31 is the State of Oklahoma. This is Oklahoma Boogie, by Louie Bashell (1958):

At #30 is the State of Kentucky. I could have presented Kentucky Rain by Neil Diamond – but I finally decided on KentuckybyThe Everly Brothers (1958):

At #29 is the State of Louisiana. This is Louisiana Twist, by June Bailey (2012):

At #28 is the State of South Carolina. This is South Carolina, by The Flirtations (1969):

At #27 is the State of Nevada. This is Nevada, by The Browns (1960):

At #26 is the State of Alabama. There are so many songs I could go with: the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic Sweet Home Alabama, Brecht/Weill’s Alabama Song, or the 1934 jazz standard Stars Fell on Alabama. I chose the more obscure Alabama Sue, by Roy Gaines (1956):

At #25 is the State of Wisconsin. This is In Wisconsin, by Johnny Mathis (1963):

At #24 is the State of Connecticut. This is Connecticut, by Martha Tilton (1946):

At #23 is the State of Oregon. This is The Oregon Trail, by Burl Ives (1961):

At #22 is the State of Minnesota. This is Minnesota Fats, by Johnny & the Hurricanes (1962):

At #21 is the State of Indiana. I could have gone with Indiana Wants Me by R. Dean Taylor – but instead, I went with Indiana Waltz by Jack Scott (1960):

At #20 is the State of Colorado. This is Out In Colorado, by Dion & The Belmonts (1957):

At #19 is the State of Missouri. This is Bad Man of Missouri, by Jimmy Ricks & The Suburbans (1957):

At #18 is the State of Arizona. Instead of Mark Lindsay’s Arizona, this is Arizona Sun, by The Rivieras (1964):

At #17 is the State of Maryland. This is My Maryland, by Terry Lightfoot & the New Orleans Jazzmen (1962):

At #16 is the District of Columbia. The Magnetic Fields mainly is gay artist Stephin Merritt. There will be a detailed presentation, hopefully soon. The Magnetic Fields’ song is called Washington D.C. (1999):

At #15 is the State of Washington. This is Washington State, by DJ Baba James (James Whetzel) (2004):

At #14 is the State of Tennessee. This is not the Tennessee Waltz but Tennessee Zip, by Kenny Parchman (1956):

At #13 is the State of Virginia. This is Carry Me Back To Old Virginny, by Louis Armstrong and The Mills Brothers (1937):

At #12 is the State of Ohio. I was tempted to go with Neil Young’s Ohio – but instead, I went with Girl From Ohio, by The Outlaws (1976):

At #11 is the State of New Jersey. This is Steve Forbert with Strange Names (New Jersey’s Got ’em) (2007):

At #10 is the State of Michigan. This is the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Especially in Michigan (2006):

At #09 is the State of North Carolina. This is North Carolina Line, by Gene Vincent (1970):

At #08 is the State of Pennsylvania. No, I’m not playing Pennsylvania 6-5000 by Glenn Miller. Instead, this is Pennsylvania, by Heart (2012):

At #07 is the State of Massachusetts. Massachusetts by the Bee Gees is the first song that comes to mind. I went for the second: Massachusetts, by The Four Vagabonds (1942):

At #06 is the State of Georgia. There are three songs that mention Georgia that are among my all-time favorites: Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips, Rainy Night In Georgia by Brook Benton, and Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles. If you don’t know these songs, you should. But you should also have a listen to The Georgia Slop, by Jimmy McCracklin (1959):

At #05 is the State of Florida. This is Florida Special, by Wilbert Harrison (1955):

At #04 is the State of Texas. I could have chosen Luckenbach, Texas or Yellow Rose Of Texas, instead, I chose I'm From Texas, byLee Graves (1940s):

At #03 is the State of Illinois. Picking a song from Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album of the same name was tempting – but I resisted temptation. This is Blow Illinois Blow, by Illinois Jacquet (1947):

At #02 is the State of New York. There are so many songs about New York  but The Boy From New York City, by The Ad Libs (1964) is as good as any:

Finally, at #01 is the State of California. Another State with tens of songs to choose from: California Dreaming by The Mamas & Papas and California Girls by the Beach Boys are classics – but most of you know them, don’t you? Finally, I chose California Sun, by Joe Jones (1961):

After this one-off list, these are our weekly statistics; the stories most visited during last month were, George Maharis, Joe Jackson, Dave Clark, Peter Straker, and Alicia Bridges. The most recent stories, Songs About Religion and Cher, part 2, occupy positions #7 and #8, respectively.

As far as countries are concerned, most major players kept their percentages stable. Minor gains for the United States, Australia,  Brazil, and Belgium and minor losses for France, Greece, and Cyprus. Otherwise, no changes.

Here are this week's Top 10 countries:

1. the United States

2. the United Kingdom

3. Russia

4. Germany

5. Canada

6. Australia

7. France

8. Brazil

9. Greece

10. Belgium

Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia. Happy to have you all!

And here's the all-time Top 10:

1. the United States = 34.2%

2. France = 15.9%

3. the United Kingdom = 11.3%

4. Greece = 7.5%

5. Russia = 2.8%

6. Canada = 2.0%

7. Germany = 2.0%

8. Australia = 0.99%

9. Italy = 0.87%

10. Cyprus = 0.75%

That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!