If North Carolina had an official rock song, what would it be?

Dome and our brother-in-blogging David Menconi opened up the lines for your suggestions earlier this week.

The top five suggestions, as judged by no particular standard, are:

* "Carolina in My Mind," by James Taylor: The hands-down frontrunner, a classic song with inoffensive lyrics and a secret darker edge.

* "Carolina Girls," by General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board: The beach music classic that spawned a thousand "Best in the World" T-shirts.

* "Oh My Sweet Carolina," by Ryan Adams with Emmylou Harris: A touching duet about leaving the South from a guy who never visits.

* "Raleigh," by Rey Norteno: Perhaps a controversial pick with some, but few bands have sung so movingly about why they love Raleigh.

* "Wagon Wheel," by Old Crow Medicine Show: OK, so it's not rock either, but it's got to be in the running for neo-traditional bluegrass song.

Other suggestions after the jump.

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* Conservative blogger Chris Hayes says what Perdue did was not a furlough, it was a pay cut; speculates that's a frame to sell the plan better.

* Republican consultant Carter Wrenn defends UNC president Erskine Bowles from criticism that he's too busy to run the state colleges.

* All anyone can suggest for Dome's Official North Carolina State Rock Song contest is ... well, you know ... by James Taylor. Other suggestions?

North Carolina does not have a state rock song.

Sure, you're thinking, who does? As it turns out: Washington, Oklahoma and Ohio.

When Dome was a teen-ager, a local comedy sketch show staged a campaign to have the incomparable "Louie, Louie" declared the state song.

Legislators were loath to jettison the existing tune, so they named the Kingsmen's one-off hit the state rock song instead.

Recently, a group in Oklahoma held an online contest to determine that state's rock song.

The winning song — "Do You Realize??" — was referred to the legislature, though there were a few hiccups when a member of The Flaming Lips wore a T-shirt with a hammer and sickle.

Ohio also named "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys.

So, North Carolina, what would be your official state rock song?

Post your comments in the thread below or e-mail dome@newsobserver.com.