9806010241
DETROIT FREE PRESS
980531
Sunday, May 31, 1998
METRO FINAL
1F
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1998, Detroit Free Press
OUR STATE NEEDS AN OFFICIAL SONG
Ilove songs. Always have. There is a song in my head pretty much all the
time, which sometimes causes problems, because right in the middle of, say, a
big political press conference, I might drift off and begin to unconsciously
warble, just loud enough for people to turn their heads.
Lou-ie, Lou-ie
Whoa, nooo,
Me gotta go.
But that's just me. And this column is not about me. Well, it's sort of about
me. It's about me as a citizen of my state, Michigan, which, unlike me, does
not have a song. Did you know that? There is no official state song. Which
reminds me of the old song about that:
Without a song, the day would never end,
without a song, the road would never bend
This is bad. I mean, if the road never bends, eventually we will drive right
out of Michigan, and then we'll be talking about whether Ohio has a state
song. Which it does, by the way. It's called "Beautiful Ohio." Same goes for
Wisconsin, with "On Wisconsin!" And Indiana, which has "On the Banks Of The
Wabash, Far Away."
(Hey, they're Hoosiers. Whaddya expect?)
The point is this: Michigan, which has its own fish, fruit, lakes, streams,
forests, hockey teams and pizza makers, should have its own song, too.
I have a suggestion.
It's got good lyrics
The song I have in mind was written by a friend, the great singer/humorist
Mike Ridley. He has been singing it for years, and every time he does, people
ask him about it. Ridley, I should point out, was born and bred in Michigan,
and loves his state like few people I have ever known. He went to school here,
got married here, is raising his children here, and has played his guitar from
Monroe to Mackinac, a musical Johnny Appleseed. Recently, even politicians
have begun to nudge the idea of his tune as a state song. He even sang it in
Lansing to kick off Michigan Week.
It's called "Michigan Man." These are some of the lyrics:
When I wander far away
A dream stays with me night and day
The road that leads to my home state
I am a Michigan man
Changing seasons paint the scenes
Like rainbow trout in hidden streams
The whitetail deer, the tall pine trees
I am a Michigan Man
(CHORUS)
I am, I am, a Michigan man
Ask where I'm from, I'll show you my hand
Lord above, I love this land,
I am a Michigan man . . ."
Now, OK. Before we continue. About the "man" thing. Remember that when Mike
wrote the song, he was singing it himself. It would be hard for him to get up
in a nightclub and sing "I Am a Michigan Woman." I mean, there are clubs where
that would go over. And there are those where it wouldn't. And the latter are
the kind where you get your face smashed into the cigarette machine.
But if the song were to go statewide, so to speak, Ridley says he'd be happy
to fiddle with the lyrics to include Michigan Woman, as well as Michigan Man.
It can be done. A minor adjustment. Meanwhile, check out the rest:
From the Keweenaw down to St. Joe
Kalamazoo east to Monroe
Sault Ste. Marie and back again
I am a Michigan Man ...
If I should die across the sea
On a peninsula you can bury me
And on my headstone it should read
"Here lies a Michigan Man" ...
Nice, huh?
It's got a good beat
There are more choruses to the song, and even a bridge that has some authentic
Indian lyrics, a nod to our heritage and history. The melody is simple,
folksy, a campfire kind of thing.
The point is, it's easy, memorable and original. For years we've had an
"unofficial" state song, called "Michigan, My Michigan." But its lyrics were
written in the 1800s, and it sounds like it ("Thy mines unmask a hidden store,
but richer thy historic lore"). And besides, the melody is stolen from the
holiday song, "O, Tannenbaum," which I always remember from the Charlie Brown
Christmas Special. And while I have nothing against him, per se, I don't want
to sing my state song and picture Linus and his blanket.
No. We deserve an original. I called Candice Miller, the secretary of state,
who said she would favor forming a commission to pick a state song. "
'Michigan Man' would definitely be a strong candidate," she said.
So if you'd like Michigan to adopt it, or any other song, you should contact
your local legislator or the Secretary of State's Office, at 430 Allegan,
Lansing, 48918.
After all, as the old lyric says, without a song, the day never ends. And who
can stay up that long?
To leave a message for Mitch Albom, call 1-313-223-4581.
THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE.
COLUMN;STATE SONG