"Oregon, My Oregon" is the

regional anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Written for a song contest in 1920, the 16-line, 2-verse song became the state's official state song in 1927. The lyrics, widely considered to convey racist sentiments, were updated by an act of the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

in 2021.

History

In 1920, the Society of Oregon Composers held a competition to select a state song for Oregon. The winning entry, "Oregon, My Oregon," was a collaboration between

John Andrew Buchanan John Andrew Buchanan (October 2, 1863 – December 22, 1935) was a judge and politician in Astoria in the U.S. state of Oregon, and an amateur poet who wrote the lyrics to the Oregon state song. In 1920 he composed the lyrics to " Oregon, My Ore ...

, who wrote the lyrics, and Henry Bernard Murtagh, who composed the music. Buchanan was an amateur lyricist who was an Astoria city judge, while Murtagh was a professional musician with a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credit, but who was best known as a professionally trained

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements o ...

ist on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

during the

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...

era. Following the song's selection, the Society promoted the song by conducting performances at public gathering spaces around the state and at schools and universities (the state

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

had endorsed the song). On February 12, 1927, the song was officially adopted as the state song by a joint resolution of the

Oregon State Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

. In 2009, legislator

Gene Whisnant Gene Whisnant (born December 8, 1943) is a Oregon Republican Party, Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He serves in the Oregon House of Representatives representing Oregon's 53rd House district, District 53, which encompasses mos ...

proposed choosing a new official state song. In 2017, a bill proposed in the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

sought to update the song's lyrics, "to reflect cultural, historical, economic and societal evolution" of the state.

Description

Buchanan's lyrics contain two main themes: honoring the early settlers and pioneers of Oregon, and praise for the natural beauty of the state. Murtagh composed the song as a

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

. Unlike two other similarly named state songs—"

Maryland, My Maryland "Maryland, My Maryland" was the state song of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1939 until 2021. The song is set to the melody of "Lauriger Horatius" — the same tune "O Tannenbaum" was taken from. The lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by ...

" and "

Michigan, My Michigan "Michigan, My Michigan" is a popular anthem in the State of Michigan, and erroneously believed by many to be Michigan's official state song. The actual state song, "My Michigan", was formally adopted in 1937 but remains relatively obscure, partially ...

"—"Oregon, My Oregon" is not set to the tune of "

O Tannenbaum "" (; "O fir tree", English: O Christmas Tree) is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song which was unrelated to Christmas, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree. History The modern lyrics were written in 1824 ...

." On June 6, 2021, the

approved changes to the lyrics of Oregon's state song. The lyrics of the song "Oregon, My Oregon" were modified by lyrics written by Oregonian Amy Donna Shapiro, so that "Land of the Empire Builders, Land of the Golden West; Conquered and held by free men, Fairest and the Best" in the first verse were replaced with "Land of Majestic Mountains, Land of the Great Northwest; Forests and rolling rivers, Grandest and the best", and "Blest by the blood of martyrs" in the second verse was replaced with "Blessed by the love of freedom".

Lyrics

:Land of Majestic Mountains, :Land of the Great Northwest; :Forests and rolling rivers, :Grandest and the best :Onward and upward ever, :Forward and on, and on; :Hail to thee, Land of Heroes, :My Oregon. :Land of the rose and sunshine :Land of the summer's breeze; :Laden with health and vigor, :Fresh from the Western seas. :Blessed by the love of freedom, :Land of the setting sun; :Hail to thee, Land of Promise, :My Oregon.

References

External links

{{List of U.S. state songs Oregon 1927 Anthems of non-sovereign states Music of Oregon Symbols of Oregon Songs about Oregon