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March Music Madness—River Song Show Down

March 16,2026

Battle of the River Song—LET’S GET READY TO RUMMMMMBBBBBLLLLLEEEEEEE!!

Author: Tony LaGreca, Stewardship Manager

Announcing the first ever Colorado Water Trust River Song Show Down! Water Trust Staff have assembled the Ultimate River Song Playlist, and not only do we want to share it with you, but we also want you to crown one of these songs “Best River Song Ever”! Check our Instagram for daily opportunities to vote for your favorite songs in our March Madness tournament style show down.

We will regularly post stories pitting one of the staff’s favorite river songs against another and you can vote in the poll to determine the winner of each round. Vote early and vote often, recruit your friends and family to stuff the ballot box. Tell us which song is best and cheer loudly when your pick advances or bitterly complain when your favorites go down in flames. We have 33 of the finest river songs out there so stay tuned and keep voting throughout March to see your favorite song run the gauntlet to glory.  Don’t forget, Water Trust staff will be following closely to see which of us wins bragging rights for the rest of the year.

If you want to read about the genesis of the Ultimate River Song Playlist keep on reading. If you want to skip down to see the staff selections and why they chose those songs, scroll on down. If you don’t already follow us on Instagram click here to get in on the action.

How It All Began…

It all started over breakfast at the fall staff retreat in Durango. Our vacation rental had a record player with an extensive collection of old vinyl. Josh (CWT Senior Staff Attorney) and I were perusing the collection while sipping our coffee and in the spirit of the movie High Fidelity (or the book if you are too cool) I challenged Josh to think of his top 5 songs about rivers. We did our best to think of good River Songs and it became a running challenge during our downtime over the next few days. Towards the end we came up with a decent list and Josh monumented our goofing off by building a pretty sweet Spotify playlist.

The Colorado Water Trust team at their staff retreat in Durango.

But as any music nerd knows, a playlist is never truly finished, and the following months were filled with random texts and zoom messages.

“Did we get Waterfalls by TLC?  OMG how did we miss that??!!”

“Does every Creedence River Song belong on the list?”

“Does the song have to be about a river, or can it just have the word river in it?”

“What about creek songs, do they count? Yes. Lake Songs?  Probably not. Sea songs? DEFINITELY NOT!!”

The list grew and grew, and we thought about releasing it to Water Trust supporters as a Christmas Gift and promptly forgot to do it. Eventually we got busy and the playlist gathered digital dust until Josh resurrected it and asked the rest of the staff to add their favorite river songs.

The results were amazing (as you would expect from our awesome staff). Old songs, new songs, rock, folk, country and hip hop. Songs I couldn’t believe we had missed and songs I had never heard of. The playlist exploded (it’s at 79 as I write this) and we all had so much fun connecting our passion for Colorado’s Rivers and Creeks with our passion for music that we couldn’t wait to share it with our community of supporters.

March Music Madness

Just sharing a link to a playlist, however, seemed boring so we decided to share out each staff member’s top three songs and the reasons why they love them in this blog. We also wanted to get into the March Madness spirit and have a head-to-head tournament to determine the BEST RIVER SONG EVER! So, join us on Instagram for the fun.

Your Additions to the River Song Playlist

Most importantly, we want to hear what you think. What did we miss? Tell us why it’s a travesty that your favorites lost or why your picks are superior, after all the most fun of the playlist is the debate. Tell us your favorite river songs. Tell us why they make you laugh, cry or think about going fishing. We all have a very personal connection to water and to music. We know they mean as much to you as they do to us. We will add your suggestions to the final list to be released at the end of the tournament—either email them to Barrett (bdonovan@coloradowatertrust.org) or send them to us on Instagram!

So, without further ado here is the link to the tournament playlist and read below to see your favorite staff member’s songs and why they chose them.

Staff Picks

Karlyn Armstrong, Water Resources Specialist

  1. The River – Garth Brooks. Classic Garth Brooks. What more needs to be said? It is a simple, iconic song about chasing life with courage and heart. I have always loved it, and it is impossible not to include in a songs-about-rivers competition!
  2. One Tree Hill – U2. I have many memories of listening to U2’s The Joshua Tree when I was young, and “One Tree Hill” always stayed with me. For me, it is a song about loss, grief, and the search for hope, with river imagery that carries those emotions, releases them, and provides a way forward. It also feels like a natural choice for this competition, linking the coastal waters of my youth with the rivers I work in today.
  3. Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival.  This song has always made me feel good, dream big, and want to dance. I love Tina Turner’s version too, but the original has a low-key groove that is hard to beat. And for a songs-about-rivers bracket, it is hard to top a classic that rolls along with this much energy and river spirit.

Josh Boissevain, Senior Staff Attorney

  1. Up on Cripple Creek – The Band. One of the best grooves ever recorded: Levon Helm’s voice, that funky clavinet, and more river imagery than you could shake a canoe paddle at. A perfect slice of riverbank Americana, and a tough draw for whatever song has to face this in the bracket.
  2. The River – Leon Bridges. This modern soul classic starts quiet and somehow ends up feeling enormous. Leon Bridges turns the river into a place for forgiveness and redemption, about as perfect a river theme as it gets. Like the Mississippi, this one runs deep and carries plenty of sentiment.
  3. The Broad Majestic Shannon – The Pogues. A song about missing home when you’re far away—even the boring bits. The Pogues may be raising a glass to Ireland’s River Shannon, but we all have a river like that back where we come from. With all that poetry, nostalgia, and whiskey, this might be the greatest pub song ever written.

Andrea Bonato Gach, Staff Attorney

  1. Fallingwater – Maggie Rogers. This is one of my favorite river songs not only because it’s just magical, but because the lyrics include some beautiful metaphors related to rivers and streams. I’ve often listened to this song while driving through Colorado’s beautiful landscapes.
  2. Meet Me at the Creek – Billy Strings. This song highlights how rivers are special places for many. Plus, it’s a fun listen, especially if you enjoy bluegrass.
  3. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. I chose this song because it brings me joy, and it’s iconic!

Bryce Denton, Chief Financial Officer

  1. Green River – Creedence Clearwater Revival. First one that comes to mind is Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Growing up in the Midwest to a dad that grew up as a poor farmer, we spent a lot of time fishing for catfish and crappie in muddy waters of southern Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. And this song makes me think of my childhood time with him fishing.
  2. Going to California – Led Zepplin. I’ve always interpreted the following lyrics to be about spring hitting the mountains and unleashing water to rivers and getting caught up in the rush of the river. Seems that the wrath of the gods Got a punch on the nose, and it started to flow I think I might be sinking Throw me a line, if I reach it in time I’ll meet you up there where the path runs straight and high.
  3. Black Muddy River – The Grateful Dead. …because who doesn’t like walking along a river by themselves with nothing but their own thoughts

Barrett Donovan, Development & Engagement Manager

  1. Down to the River to Pray – Alison Krauss. We listened to this in the car all the time growing up. My dad driving, my mom in the passenger seat, and me and my sisters singing along from the back. I love how the song builds on itself like a river does—so beautiful and with so many voices. And going down to the river to pray can mean so many things… praying, meditating, fishing, swimming, whatever it means to you!
  2. And It Stoned Me – Van Morrison. Another gem that me and my sisters would sing in the car with my dad driving—this song feels like home. And it’s got such good imagery and storytelling.
  3. Crossing Muddy Waters – I’m With Her, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan. This is an utterly beautiful and heartbreaking song with so many glorious, powerful female voices.

Dana Hatlelid, Deputy Director

  1. River of Dreams – Billy Joel. This is a timeless song with such emotional depth – it resonates with every generation and gets us all moving! I must have sang this song a billion times as a kid in the 90’s with a spatula held up to my mouth as a microphone, and I know you did too.
  2. Fishin’ in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The ultimate feel-good anthem that captures the magic of summer nights under the stars. No one can listen to this song and not reminisce or daydream with a smile on their face. It don’t matter if we sit forever and the fish don’t bite.
  3. Waterfalls – TLC. Such beautiful storytelling, so catchy, it really showcases the power of fast-moving water, things that are out of our control, don’t try to control them, folks. Let water be water.

Tony LaGreca, Stewardship Manager

  1. Take Me to the River – Talking Heads. This slow, soulful and groovy cover of the Al Green original is almost always on the stereo or in my head while rigging my raft or driving shuttle.  Its slow groove can calm my nerves when the river is running high or help me slow my thoughts to get my brain on “river time” after frantically packing for a multiday trip.
  2. London Calling – The Clash. Hard to beat the best song by the only band that matters. Any good water nerd must shout along to the anthemic chorus line “I LIVE BY THE RIVERRRRR!!!!”
  3. Rio – Duran Duran. Since all these songs were popular when I was less than 4 years old, I guess that means I was born about 12 years too late.  Anyway, this smash hit by Duran Duran is easily the most danceable hit on my list and always warrants cranking the volume up whenever it comes on the radio.  As a bonus point it names the Rio Grande River whose headwaters are in Colorado.

Drew Majcen, Legal Extern

  1. One Little Drink – Bendigo Fletcher. One of my favorite songs and bands, One Little Drink is about the mismanagement of the Colorado River. It discusses how we don’t seem to learn from mistakes surrounding water operations around the country, and how traditional uses that may seem humble are contributing to the struggles we face each dry year.
  2. Peace Like a River – Paul Simon. To me, this song speaks of the uncertainty of the future and the historical violence faced by those who protest for change. I was raised on Paul Simon’s music and hearing how his style changes throughout his discography is representative of the need to be creative and rethink yourself in order to keep your ambitions within reach.
  3. The Ballad of Ira Hayes – Johnny Cash. Bitter Tears: Johnny Cash Sings Ballads of the American Indian was an album that was heavily refused airtime by most radios that supported Johnny in his prime. The ballad of Ira Hayes is about the marine who was present at the iconic hoisting of the flag over Iwo Jima and the mistreatment he faced upon returning to the land he fought and became somewhat famous for defending.

Blake Mamich, Programs Director

  1. Cover Me Up – Jason Isbell (NOT Morgan Wallen).  One of the best songs ever written, and includes a dam removal
  2. Rivers in Your Mouth – Ben Howard. One of the standouts on a 10/10 album for me. Does water not take the shape of all it surrounds?
  3. God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise – Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs. Quintessential Road trip song for me. It’s got it all. A love story, a cattle drive, an antagonist creek and death.

Kate Ryan, Executive Director

  1. Denial is a River – Doechii. The lyrics are amazing, the beat is strong, and Doechii rocks a suit better than your average water lawyer.
  2. Indian River – Goose. Invokes transcendentalism and Hindu text comparing rivers with the transience of life and enduring relationships between friends.
  3. Down by the River – Neil Young. It just sounds great, but the lyrics are basically terrible so don’t listen too close.

Danielle Snyder, Water Resources Specialist

  1. At the River – Groove Armada. Lovely blend of house and funk — one of their greatest hits. Great chill vibes.
  2. Rivers & Roads – The Head and the Heart. The only constant is change. A beautiful melancholic riff on life, love, and community, connecting people to rivers.
  3. Moon River – Frank Sinatra. Ol’ Blue Eyes is a favorite of my father’s so it’s nostalgic for me. I love the wanderlust and the romantic idea of ‘two drifters’ floating through life’s adventures together.

Join In On the Fun

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy our Ultimate River Song Playlist. And make sure to check our Instagram for daily opportunities to vote for your favorite songs in our March Madness tournament style show down. Plus, don’t forget to let us know what awesome river songs we’re missing, and we’ll share out a bigger, even better playlist next month!