Birmingham takes #1 on new list of Alabama’s best songs

From karaoke classics to Southern rock staples, our state has inspired plenty of songs over the years—and Paste Magazine just rounded up its picks for the 10 best songs about Alabama.

Topping the list is a 1975 song with a special Birmingham connection: Emmylou Harris’ “Boulder to Birmingham” took the No. 1 spot. Read on for the full list.

Emmylou Harris sings about Birmingham

Released in 1975 on Harris’ album Pieces of the Sky, “Boulder to Birmingham” is a country classic that connects two places: Boulder, Colorado, and Birmingham, Alabama. Harris co-wrote the song with Bill Danoff, and it became one of her signature songs.

The song was written following the death of Harris’ longtime musical collaborator and friend Gram Parsons, with the title reflecting the emotional distance Harris felt between Colorado, where Parsons died, and Birmingham, Alabama. Over the years, “Boulder to Birmingham” has become one of the most recognizable songs in Harris’ catalog.

Here’s what Paste writer Matt Mitchell said about the song:

“I think the greatest Alabama musician to ever live is Emmylou Harris, who wrote her greatest song while consumed with grief over her longtime singing partner Gram Parsons’ death. While recording Pieces of the Sky, she and Bill Danoff came up with “Boulder to Birmingham,” using her birthplace as a spiritual destination in her prayer to make peace with Parsons’ ghost.

The album Pieces of the Sky was a commercial smash, producing a top five country hit in “If I Could Only Win Your Love,” but fifty years later, “Boulder to Birmingham” is what pushed Harris past the brink of stardom. Her loving tribute to a cosmic cowboy like Parsons remains anchored in the cotton and the crimson tide.”

Top 10 songs about Alabama

Here’s the full list of 10 best songs about Alabama, according to Paste:

1. Emmylou Harris, “Boulder to Birmingham”
2. John Prine, “Angel from Montgomery”
3. Drive-By Truckers, “The Three Great Alabama Icons”
4. John Coltrane, “Alabama”
5. Jerry Reed, “Guitar Man”
6. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Alabama Pines”
7. Jim Croce, “Alabama Rain”
8. Alan Jackson, “Midnight in Montgomery”
9. Dolly Parton, “Alabama Sundown” 
10. Jimmy Buffett, “Saxophones”

And of course, some honorable mentions:

Before we dig in, I’d like to give a shout-out to a handful of songs that just missed the cut: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” David Allan Coe’s “The Ride,” Eric Church’s “Talladega,” Alabama’s “My Home’s In Alabama,” and the Louvin Brothers’ “Alabama.”

Paste

Did your favorite Alabama song make the cut? Tag us @bhamnow and let us know!