It's a state of mind

New York is a state of mind – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys weren't the first musicians to write a song about it (I grew up listening to Billy Joel's "New York State Of Mind"). These two New Yorkers started putting us all in an Empire state of mind with their hit song and video last year, but since then, thanks to lots of great "State Of Mind" parodies on YouTube, New York isn't the only place we have to go.

From New Jersey to Chicago to Washington, DC and beyond, Jay-Z and Alicia have inspired a lot of creative – and often comedic – types to write some great lyrics about their hometowns and states. Now I've found some parodies which make me think, it's not so much about New York as a state of mind, it's about home as a state of mind.

Of course, thanks to music, TV and movies, a lot of us feel at home in New York. We all feel like we know NYC – even without having spent a lot of time there, we know it well enough to get into that state of mind that Jay-Z is singing about. That all makes New York a great city to sing about, because we can all feel like New Yorkers.

But it was "Granite State Of Mind" by a group called the SuperSecretProject that reminded me, I'm actually a New Englander. New Hampshire is the Granite state, and it's right next to my home state of Maine. This video made me laugh out loud and miss home all at the same time.

If you aren't familiar with northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont), there's probably a lot in the video you won't get or find funny. But still, this video might give you an idea about what it's like to be from New England. The lyrics are here, by the way.

"We like to say whatsup guy, it's the way we say hi
In February it is good to know a plow guy"

Welcome to the Granite State.

I searched YouTube, but didn't find any "State Of Mind" parodies about Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Do you know of any? Leave a comment and let me know!