Best 13 songs about Florida, from Kenny Chesney, Tom Petty, Dominic Fike, others

Summer officially begins soon, and there’s no better way to kick it off than a play list with songs about the steamiest state of all, Florida.

You’ve likely not heard every song here, so give those unfamiliar ones a chance.

And these aren’t just generic songs about beaches and fun in the sun. They include at least a few lyrics about the state or even a city or place, and they best represent Florida across generations, geography and musical genres.

“Flora-Bama” ― Kenny Chesney

The iconic Flora-Bama bar sits on Perdido Key in Florida, adjacent to the Florida-Alabama line. Since it opened in 1964, Flora-Bama has served as a destination for good times. Kenny Chesney seemed the perfect musician to pen a song about the place, as he did in 2014 with the lyrics: "Can't say I got a whole lot of cares/I'm in the redneck Riviera/It's getting crazy, getting hammered/Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama."

“3 Nights” ― Dominic Fike

Naples native singer, songwriter, rapper and actor Dominic Fike ("Euphoria" on HBO) released this song in 2018, based on his experience staying up late at a motel in the “City of Palms,” or Fort Myers. It remains one of Dominic Fike’s top hits. "Three nights at the motel/Under streetlights/In the City of Palms."

“Walk Between Raindrops” ― Donald Fagen

The last song on Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen’s acclaimed 1982 “The Nightfly” album runs two minutes and 38 seconds. Fagen creates an up-tempo South Florida vibe from yesteryear, pounding away on his synthesizer, organ and electric piano alongside legendary musicians Larry Carlton on guitar, Steve Jordan on drums and Greg Phillinganes on synthesizer bass. Fagen’s musical notes almost sound like rain, matched with beautifully crafted lyrics: “A shadow crossed the blue Miami sky/As we hit the causeway by the big hotels” and later, “That happy day, we'll find each other on that Florida shore/You'll open your umbrella/And we'll walk between the raindrops back to your door.”

“Gainesville” ― Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Arguably the greatest songwriter and musician from Florida, Tom Petty sings about his hometown in the 1998 song “Gainesville.” While it’s not among his biggest hitsm it’s probably one of the most personal. The final lyrics reflect on the distance from his home to his worldwide fame: “On and on and on we go/Good times roll and then move on/Long ago and far away, another time, another day/Gainesville was a big town.”

State of music: From Southern rock to Miami sound, here's a look at Florida's most influential musicians

“Four Walls of Raiford” ― Lynyrd Skynyrd

This band that formed in Jacksonville and honed its craft in nearby Green Cove Springs, along the Black Creek that flows into the St. Johns River, has more popular songs than “Four Walls of Raiford.” Even so, the ballad showcases the range of Lynyrd Skynyrd, as front man Ronnie Van Zant sang about the 62-year-old prison officially called Florida State Prison in Bradford County. The song ― about a Vietnam veteran who can't find work after returning home and ends up in prison ― also pulls back the curtain on the state, with a history that's more than Disney World, pink flamingoes and beaches. "For the only time I seen sunshine is when I hit the dirt/Diggin' ditches for the chain gang, sleepin' in the cold."

“Florida Man” ― Blue Öyster Cult

The Long Island, New York, band known for its cowbell on “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” delves deep into the South with this song that became a popular meme and hashtag in the past decade. The song is on Blue Öyster Cult’s 2020 album “The Symbol Remains” and begins with, "Should you settle down in the Sunshine State? You should know of its tangled fate," and ends with, “Don't you laugh, it could be you. The Florida curse always comes true. You can jeer, but you don't understand. Any fragile soul can be a Florida man.”

“Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season” ― Jimmy Buffett

Any list like this must include a song from the unofficial spokesperson of the state. Jimmy Buffett's “Floriday” is more specific about his adopted state but it’s not as solid musically and lyrically as this one. And any Florida list must include some reference to hurricanes, and we’re all trying to reason with hurricane season about every year. “There's somthing 'bout this Sunday/It's the most peculiar gray/Strollin' down the avenue that's known as A1A."

“The Everglades” ― Waylon Jennings

An original country outlaw, Texas native Waylon Jennings released "The Everglades" on a 1967 album. Written by Detroit-born Harlon Howard in 1960, the song was first recorded by The Kingston Trio. Both sound different, but Jennings' version captured the essence of Florida and the Everglades. It begins with, "He was born and raised around Jacksonville/A nice young man bout the kind to kill/But the jealous fight and the flashing blades/Sent him on the run through the Everglades" and later, perhaps the best line, repeated a few times, "If the skeeters don't get him, then the gators will."

“Don’t Let Me Die in Florida” ― Patty Griffin

We get it, non-Floridians. You treat us Sunshine Staters with contempt and then you visit us once a year. This list needs a snarky tune that perfectly summarizes that attitude, a plea to be removed from the state in the final hours of life. The Patty Griffin song begins and ends with the same lyrics, just substitute "Daytona" in the beginning of the song's last lines: "Please don't let me die in Florida/I don't care about my name/If you catch me dying in Orlando/Throw my bed on to a train."

“Deep Down In Florida” ― Muddy Waters

Legendary blues musician and singer Muddy Waters was born in Mississippi, headed to Chicago by age 30 and never looked back. He recorded many songs, including "Deep Down In Florida" that begins with a bluesy harmonica lick: "Yeah, I be going down in Florida/Where the sun shines damn near every day" and later, "Well, you know I believe I'll go back down in Gainesville/And this time I'm goin' to stay."

“Kokomo” ― The Beach Boys

It seems a foregone conclusion to include this Beach Boys hit, but it took some time. "Kokomo" (a utopic island off the Florida Keys) has been played so often over the last 35 years, from the film "Cocktail" co-starring Tom Cruise, that we're tired of hearing it. But step back from that and realize the music ― steel drums, accordion, percussion, especially ― minus lyrics really feels like Florida. And this line alone sums up the reason for coming here: "We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow."

“Welcome To Miami” ― Pitbull

Mr. Worldwide and Mr. 305 himself, rapper, songwriter, singer and businessman Pitbull was born in Miami and truly is Miami. "Welcome To Miami" covers everything Miami, from Dolphins' legend Dan Marino to the Heat, from 2 Live Crew to Uncle Al (Miami rapper DJ Uncle Al, killed in 2001), and from cities and places that make up South Florida. "This is a city full of culture and different races," Pitbull sings, and later, "Palm trees blue skies ganstas and goons/Where parties don't stop till the next afternoon."

"The Florida Song" ― Ricky Sylvia

This sounds more like a ukulele-strumming Hawaiian song about the state, but "The Florida Song" touches all the bases. Longtime Florida musician Ricky Sylvia begins his 2017 tune with "I'm just a lonely snowbird ..." then mentions cities, regions, activities (golf, shuffleboard, bingo, fishing) and sports teams, "Springtime for the Yankees and the Dodger blue." We'll forgive that the iconic Dodgers left Vero Beach 15 years ago for Arizona. Sylvia ends with what many of us already know: "It's like a Caribbean holiday. Everyday in Florida."

.Dave Osborn regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press., got here fast 22 years and has been taking it slow ever since. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Best songs about Florida: Petty, Buffett, Chesney, Skynyrd, Fike, more