#50SS 2018 Weekly Updates: Running Order, Five More Song Announcements

Greetings! Although not all songs are yet known (and don't worry, they will be very shortly!), the running order for this year's 50 States of Song contest is officially released. Here's how it'll break down for 2018:

SEMIFINAL ONE:

1. Oklahoma

2. Tennessee

3. Louisiana

4. Florida

5. Rhode Island

6. Georgia

7. Washington

8. South Dakota

9. Ohio

10. Iowa

11. Arizona

12. Illinois

13. Connecticut

14. Colorado

15. Michigan

16. Massachusetts

17. Mississippi

18. Pennsylvania

19. West Virginia

20. Montana

21. Kansas

22. Arkansas

23. Maine

24. New Hampshire

25. Nebraska

SEMIFINAL TWO

1. North Dakota

2. New Mexico

3. Guam

4. Virginia

5. Oregon

6. Vermont

7. Wyoming

8. Idaho

9. Alabama

10. Indiana

11. Nevada

12. Maryland

13. Alaska

14. Wisconsin

15. Missouri

16. New Jersey

17. Kentucky

18. North Carolina

19. Texas

20. New York

21. Delaware

22. South Carolina

23. Minnesota

24. Hawaii

25. Utah

A couple things to note: Because California won the contest in 2017, they go straight to the Final Round; they do not have to compete for a spot in the Top 25, which is comprised of 12 qualifiers from each semifinal plus California. Additionally, the song itself hasn't been announced yet, but our "51st entry" for this year will be coming from Guam! So... now you know what to expect. :)

That being said, we have some songs to share with you today. Just a forewarning that we won't get to announcing all the songs before we hold the semifinals, but we will give each entry its due diligence in fair time.

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Today, though, we do have five more entries to introduce to you, and we hope you enjoy them just as much as everything else!

ALASKA

Earl - Tongue Tied

The song is a tale of twos - this is the second song in the history of the contest to have the title "Tongue Tied," and the second time that Kate Earl (a.k.a. Earl), who grew up just outside of Anchorage, will represent her home state of Alaska. She participated last year with "I Love You," placing a very respectable 14th. The 50SS Rules say you can compete again if you did not place in the Top Ten the previous year.

This song is VERY different from "I Love You" in that it's jazz-influenced pop: 1920's/30's instrumentation overlaid with a pop-electro beat. If you like it, there's plenty more out there.

So the question is whether Earl can beat 14th? What do you think?

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IDAHO

Marching To Sirens - TradeDistanceForLove (TDFL)

Idaho hasn't been so lucky in 50 States of Song - up until now. Can the up-and-coming alternative band from Boise change this? Marching To Sirens is Vincent Aquino and Tyson Boschee; they're still focused on touring Idaho and have just recently started gaining attention beyond state borders.

"TradeDistanceForLove," which is shortened to "TDFL" on their album release, speaks to that often-felt lament for being far away from the one you love, especially when left alone to your thoughts. Perhaps you can trade some points for love...ing this track? (Okay, it was a stretch, but you know what we mean.)

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MINNESOTA

Lizzo - Water Me

The story of Minnesota's entry for 2017 is an interesting one. Every year, The Current releases a Top 89 Local Songs list, and it is from this list that the state chooses their entry - it's one of the few states that has a strategy for their selection method. Anyway, Melissa Jefferson - known professionally as Lizzo - was born in Detroit, grew up in Houston, and moved to Minneapolis in 2011. It is in the Land o' Lakes that she's developed her music career. Her song, "Truth Hurts," placed fourth in this year's chart. Unfortunately, this song did not qualify for the contest (due to its lyrical content) and, thus, we opted to send her other single, "Water Me."

It's about time that we see Lizzo make it to the contest; she previously placed first in the 2015 Top 89. The song brings another flavor to the contest and we're interested in seeing how she fares against stiff competition!

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SOUTH DAKOTA

Judd Hoos - Awake

This song will WAKE YOU UP! - and it's not terribly often that music videos tell stories anymore. But Judd Hoos (and his band), who hail from the Black Hills region of South Dakota and the motorcycle mecca called Sturgis, brings us a pop-rock anthem that's just as killer as the rest of his album Music in the Dark.

Believe it or not, they have been on the music scene since 2003, making them one of our most experienced acts to take part in this contest. We're feeling good about Judd's chances of cracking the Top 25 - what are your thoughts?

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NORTH CAROLINA

Delta Rae - A Long And Happy Life

Delta Rae are a country-pop-folk band from Durham, led by vocalists Elizabeth Hopkins and Brittany Holljes. They're best known for collaborating with Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham on their single "If I Loved You" in 2013, which narrowly missed out the Top 40 on the Rock Airplay charts. Now that they're signed to the Big Machine label, they're surely destined for greatness. But before they make it "big"-big, we've got them here in the 50 States of Song.

If you're not smiling along to this, well... figure it out, sir/madam! (And if you're wondering about the song length - another little-known rule: the last note sung must begin prior to the 3:30 mark, and thus it's accepted.)

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See you next week!