MN lawmakers want to add Prince, Dylan tunes as official state songs
Prince headlines the main stage on the last day of Hop Farm Festival on July 3, 2011 in Paddock Wood, United Kingdom. (Photo by Neil Lupin/Redferns) (Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A group of Minnesota senators want to add two songs by two of the state's most iconic artists as official state songs.
What is Minnesota's state song?
The backstory:
Minnesota already has a state song, "Hail Minnesota", composed by Truman Rickard and Arthur Upson.
Under a new proposal being considered in the Minnesota Senate, the state would add two more songs as "state songs."
Several states have more than one state song, including Tennessee which has 11.
What songs do lawmakers want to add?
What's new:
The legislation would add Prince's "Purple Rain" and Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" as state songs.
"Purple Rain" -- the song, the album, and the movie -- is Prince's best known work. The album marked its 40th anniversary last year, while work is underway to turn it into a Broadway musical. The musical is set to make its pre-Broadway debut in Minneapolis this fall.
Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" is based off an arrangement of the folk classic "Scarsborough Fair". He famously did a duet of the tune with country legend Johnny Cash. This song has also been transformed into a musical that features the music of Dylan.
What's next:
The proposal was introduced last week and has been referred to the State and Local Government committee. The song has bipartisan authorship in the Senate but no companion bill yet in the Minnesota House.