Leave it to New Jersey to be the only state without an official state song. The state that has produced Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Wyclef Jean can't agree on a tune that will resonate with residents.
Songs have been proposed and debated by state lawmakers for nearly 50 years. There have been contests and finalists selected - but no winner. Not even Springsteen's "Born to Run," which some might say fits to a T.
The lawmakers need to turn up the volume and listen up. It's not the most important issue, but if New Jerseyans want a state song, they should have one. And it shouldn't take a complicated process or costly study to name the right tune.
Hold another contest, and this time stand by the results. Solicit entries from amateur and professional songwriters from around the state. Let the New Jersey State Council on the Arts decide the finalists.
It won't be easy coming up with a single, memorable song like "Georgia on My Mind," "The Tennessee Waltz," "My Old Kentucky Home," or "Oklahoma" - especially in a state as easily identified with the Jersey Shore as it is with Jersey City.
If the state Senate can't agree on one tune, maybe it could follow a recommendation in committee last month to choose four official state songs - an anthem, a pop song, a children's song, and a ballad.
There are some states with multiple songs. Such a playlist would allow New Jersey lawmakers to recognize multiple attributes and regions of the state - and perhaps avoid the partisan bickering that has left them unable to reach a compromise.
New Jersey has long danced to its own beat. It just needs the right song.