by Tyler Glover

They don’t make as many Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits as they used to in this streaming music era, playing a role in how the charts are compiled. That’s a big reason why there were only nine Billboard No. 1 hits in 2025, not counting Mariah Carey’s perennial Christmas classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which once again found its way onto the chart this holiday season, and has now spent more weeks at No. 1 than any song in Billboard Hot 100 history.
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Here is a ranking of all of the year’s new No. 1s from best to worst… 
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1. “The Fate of Ophelia” by Taylor Swift 
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” is the best song of the year that went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has spent eight weeks at No. 1, tying “Anti-Hero” as Swift’s most successful single to date. Upon the release of Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, “The Fate of Ophelia” was released as the lead single. Something Swift is notoriously known for among her fandom is how, sometimes, she does not always pick the most successful single that represents the album, or they feel others may have performed better. There is no doubt that this was the correct choice. “The Fate of Ophelia” has Swift rewriting Shakespeare's “Hamlet” into a happy ending. This is something she first did with “Love Story” on her second studio album, Fearless, which re-wrote the tragic love story “Romeo & Juliet.” “The Fate of Ophelia” is a bop that will surely be remembered by the Grammys in 2027 and be nominated for Record and Song of the Year. It is one of Taylor Swift’s best singles to date. 
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2. “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars 
“Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars is not only one of my favorite songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 this year, but also already one of my favorites of all time. “Die With A Smile” won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo Group Performance for Gaga and Mars and was nominated for Song of the Year. “Die With A Smile” was the most listened to song of 2025 on Spotify, and it is not shocking to see why. There is just something incredibly romantic about someone saying that when the world is ending, that you are the person they want to be with. It tugs on the heartstrings and makes us all want to sway to the powerhouse vocals by Gaga and the incredibly charming Mars. In 2025, “Die With A Smile” was No. 1 for five weeks. It is a genuinely touching song that will be remembered for decades not only as a No. 1 hit but also as one that touches people’s hearts. 
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3. “Golden” by HUNTR/X: Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami 
​“Golden,” the incredibly popular song from the blockbuster phenomenon, “KPOP Demon Hunters, went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. “KPOP Demon Hunters” was a movie I was a little late to, but finally gave in to the hype and had to see what all the excitement was about. After watching the incredible film, I was in love with the phenomenal soundtrack. “Golden” is my favorite song from the film, but all of the songs are incredible. ”Golden” has been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and is considered a frontrunner for the Academy Award in the same category. Anytime a song from an animated “children’s” film reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it shows that the music has transcended the film and into mainstream pop culture. “Golden” is a powerhouse anthem sung by the fictional K-pop female group, HUNTR/X. It is an inspiring song that makes us all believe that anything is possible and that we can achieve our dreams. It has also been nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys and is considered a major contender in the category. “Golden” will definitely be seeing some gold in the coming months of this award season. 
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4. “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter 
Sabrina Carpenter’s lead single, “Manchild,” from her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, only managed to go No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in its debut week. That does not diminish how amazing it is! Carpenter chose the perfect lead single for the album, and it is equally catchy as her previous top-10 Billboard hits, “Taste,” “Please, Please, Please” and “Espresso.” “Manchild” is nominated for Record and Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards. It is a song in which Carpenter criticizes an ex-boyfriend for being “stupid, slow, useless” and incompetent. Carpenter feels like she only attracts the boys who can’t seem to work on becoming men. It is a playful, catchy song for anyone who has dealt with difficult boyfriends.  

5. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar 
“Not Like Us” was the winner of the Record and Song of the Year Grammy Award this year. The song went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week this year. Lamar has had quite a year: he performed at the Super Bowl, won two of the most significant Grammy awards of the night and released the single “Luther,” which spent many weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Not Like Us” is a catchy rap song that attracts people who are not even casual rap listeners. I absolutely love the song, and rap is something I never really choose to listen to. It is a diss track to fellow rapper Drake, but through the power of music, we all identify with this by inserting our own enemies into Drake’s place. Lamar’s ability to attract more listeners to the rap genre is remarkable.
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6. “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA 
“Luther” is a really personal song. The “Luther” in the song refers to the dearly departed R&B singer Luther Vandross. It interpolates his hit song, “If This World Were Mine.” The song, featuring Grammy winner SZA, is a romantic love song in which the lovers tell each other what they would do for each other if the world were theirs. The expression of love in this song is the kind of love we all hope to achieve in this world. We all want someone not only to choose us but to make us their world. “Luther” went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, making it the longest-running No. 1 of 2025. It is nominated for Record and Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards and is considered a frontrunner by many pundits. The song is one of the best of the year, and one of the best love songs of all time. 

7. “Ordinary” by Alex Warren  
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. I personally don’t get the appeal at all. Every time it comes on the radio, I want to skip it, but my daughters love it. The fact that this No. 1 hit is one of the few that didn’t receive nominations in the big Grammy categories makes me believe I am not alone in not seeing the appeal. “Ordinary” is a song that has a sweet sentiment: the person they love makes them feel that life is extraordinary. That alone does not save a song, though. It is such a boring song that lacks any real drama or significant depth, and it will be forgotten in years to come. 
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8. “What I Want” - Morgan Wallen feat. Tate McRae 
Morgan Wallen has some good songs, but I won’t listen to them because I genuinely don’t think he is a good person. I ranked this Billboard Hot 100 above Travis Scott simply because I do prefer country music, but this song, even though it became a hit, will not stand the test of time.  
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9. “4x4” by Travis Scott 
Travis Scott’s song, “4x4,” went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. Rap is not a genre that I normally vibe with, and this song is a clear example of why. I want to listen to music that really tries to say something and speak to the world we live in. Songs like this lack depth and are not catchy enough to really vibe with. It is difficult for me to form an opinion about this song.
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9. "Truest Colors" by Jason Boland & the Stragglers
My husband and I go to a lot of concerts, and the red dirt/Texas country band Jason Boland and the Stragglers ranks high on the list of artists we’ve seen the most. I remember hearing “Truest Colors” for the first time last year at the Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith, Ark. I was immediately hooked and then promptly disappointed the song wasn’t released yet. I was thrilled when it was released on their 2025 album The Last Kings of Babylon. The song is upbeat, fast and catchy, while its message is less upbeat — it’s a song about how some people just suck and it’s best to move on. I’m a sucker for a creative lyric, and I love these two: “I′ll be back around when Satan needs coat” and “Fare thee well, it′s been hell.” Boland’s twangy voice makes the lyrics even more fun. AHS

8. "The Subway" by Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan is easily one of the most exciting artists to come out in the last couple of years. She has an unbelievable way of making us all feel connected to her material by telling her stories with honest and raw vulnerability. “The Subway” is one of her most haunting songs. The song talks about her running into an ex on the subway, imagining running into her in her places, and how it still haunts her. She longs for the day that her ex will be another “girl in the subway.” It is a feeling we can all relate to, especially when we are in the trenches of trying to get over the person we loved, who we can’t anymore, for whatever reason. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the songs is when Chappell Roan transitions “She’s got a way” to “She got away.” She cleverly sings it so many times in a row that upon first listen, you are taken aback. The emotional impact of this song will continue on forever. TG

6. The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift 
A lot of people have various opinions on The Life of a Showgirl and where it ranks among Taylor Swift’s 12 albums. I wouldn’t call myself a true “Swiftie,” but I have come to appreciate her music and songwriting more in recent years. ‘Showgirl’ is not an album that really showcases her writing — it’s more about fun melodies — but the first track and single, “Fate of Ophelia,” is a total earworm. She discussed on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” how she wanted to blend classic and new, weaving in more polished lyrics like “The venom stole her sanity” to the modern, “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.” The premise is her love story with fiancé Travis Kelce, which fans ate up. I loved how ‘Ophelia’ created a moment with so many people recreating the dance moves. It’s just a fun song and sets the tone for the whole album. AHS

5. "Twilight Zone" by Ariana Grande 
My most-listened-to song of 2025 was “Twilight Zone” by Ariana Grande. Grande has always been a very talented songwriter, but she is absolutely slaying on this one. “Twilight Zone” is a song that uses the metaphor of the twilight zone to express the bewilderment of a former relationship that happened. Some of my favorite lyrics are “I hope you win for Best Actor cuz’ I had you completely wrong” and ”Does she know you’re not who you say you are?” It is a haunting synth-pop song that stays with you forever. Sometimes, relationships leave us with the mindset: “I cannot believe all of this happened: the good, the bad, that this person came into my life and was all I needed for a while.” Grande truly captures some of the nuances of the tragic consequences of an ended romance perfectly. I think the song manages to be something that many of us can relate to in so many different situations and circumstances. It truly is the kind of song that helps you heal. TG

3. "Searching for a Light" by Turnpike Troubadours
Evan Felker is one of my favorite songwriters, so I was so happy when they released another album, The Price of Admission, this year, just two years after A Cat in the Rain, following the band’s indefinite hiatus in 2019. His stint in rehab and his sobriety have really set the band on a better path, and this album proves it. I like several songs on this album: “Heaven Passing Through” is likely the best one, and “Be Here,” about his journey toward sobriety, is definitely near the top for me. But the lyrics of “Searching for Light” resonated with me the most. Written by Felker and fellow Oklahoma musician John Fullbright, ‘Searching’ is a redemption song, likely about Felker, but the choruses do not point to a clear subject. It honestly makes the song more relatable. It was released at a time when I was in the midst of grief and needed a song that sat with me in that brokenness with lyrics like, “Forgive me of my nonsense, I’m still out here chasing shadows,” but also that still had a hopeful message with words like, “But I will not trade tomorrow for a pain I feel today.” This song pierced my heart differently. AHS

1. "Opalite" by Taylor Swift
While the reviews of Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, have been mixed, there is one thing not up for debate. The third track on the album, “Opalite,” is one of the best pop songs of her entire career. The beat is so insanely catchy that even non-Swifties in my life are uncontrollably dancing. In her song, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” Swift sings, “put narcotics into all of my songs, and that’s why you’re still singing along.” I can guarantee that she definitely put some narcotics into this song. This upbeat pop song is a love song about Swift being really happy. She uses gemstone metaphors in her lyrics that contrast the dark “onyx” nights of failed relationships with the bright, opalescent sky of her life now. The song brings so much joy and makes us all want to dance and forget all of the problems of the world. What more can we ask of music in these dark times? TG

by Julian Spivey

The First 50
*these are listed alphabetically by artist

The Top 50

50. "It's the Little Things" by Charles Wesley Godwin
Album: Lonely Mountain Town EP
Songwriter: Charles Wesley Godwin

Charles Wesley Godwin, one of my favorite up-and-coming singer-songwriters on the outskirts of mainstream country, didn’t even release a new album in 2025, and still placed multiple songs on this year-end list. My favorite of those was “It’s the Little Things,” which sees the down-to-earth West Virginian, opining about never taking the little things in life – like a day’s first sip of coffee or a loving look from your significant other – for granted. ​​
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49. "Four on the Floor" by Adam Hood & Brent Cobb
Album: Non-Album Single
Songwriters: Adam Hood, Brent Cobb & Jason Saenz

Adam Hood and Brent Cobb are a great fit together on “Four on the Floor,” which they co-wrote with Jason Saenz. “Four on the Floor” has soulful guitar licks all the way through, with Hood and Cobb taking turns on lines that ooze with Southern swagger. It’s a whole lot of fun, like the two are just in a room jamming together. 
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48. "Bad Girls" by Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly
Album: Non-Album Single
Songwriters: Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly 

Steve Earle and Reckless Kelly weren’t a collaboration I ever saw coming, but I’m damn sure glad it happened. Earle and the veteran Texas country band share a similar country-rock style, and Earle was no doubt an influence on the kind of music Reckless Kelly has recorded for nearly 30 years. The collaboration brought two singles in 2025, “Bad Girls” and “Dead or Gone to Dallas,” both excellent, but “Bad Girls” is the one that made this list with Earle and Reckless Kelly frontman Wily Braun trading off lines about having a thing for the bad girls - the kind who like to hang out in bars and honky tonks and listen to artists like, well, Steve Earle and Reckless Kelly. 
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47. "Trailblazer" by Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert & Reba McEntire
Album: Non-Album Single
​Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert & Brandy Clark

“Trailblazer” is one of the collaborative highlights of 2025 in country music with two of today’s finest and brightest country female vocalists, Lainey Wilson, the current CMA Entertainer of the Year, and Miranda Lambert, the most honored female in CMA history paying tribute to the great female country singers that came before them and paved the way like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. The song truly becomes incredible when Reba McEntire, essentially the torchbearer from that generation to today’s generation, joins in to help show that the future is in good hands. 
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46. "Nothing Like You Nowhere" by Walker Montgomery 
Album: Non-Album Single
Songwriters: Mitch Oglesby & Phil O'Donnell

Walker Montgomery has neo-traditional country music in his veins as the son of ‘90s hitmaker John Michael Montgomery. It seems the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with a song like “Nothing Like You Nowhere,” a beautiful love song written by Mitch Oglesby and Phil O’Donnell that feels like it couldn’t have come out anytime in the last 35-40 years. “Nothing Like You Nowhere” talks about some of the great things the narrator has seen, like Merle Haggard at the Ryman Auditorium and Dale Earnhardt finally winning the Daytona 500 in 1998, but how none of it compares to the sight of the one he loves. 
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45. "Los Diablos Tejanos" by The Wilder Blue
Album: Still in the Runnin'
Songwriter: Zane Williams

Zane Williams, songwriter and lead vocalist for the Texas country band The Wilder Blue, has been one of the genre's finest storytellers for a while. The band’s latest album, Still in the Runnin’, features a handful of terrific story songs with “Los Diablos Tejanos,” a story about Texas Rangers battling with outlaws at the Texas/Mexico border, standing out as a nice country-rocker with Paul Eason on lead guitar and Lyndon Hughes on drums as particular standouts.   
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44. "Big Money" by Jon Batiste
Album: Big Money
Songwriters: Jon Batiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan

The term Americana comes from the melding of roots music that developed in the United States, much of it coming from African American traditions. Jon Batiste’s music combines many of these roots genres: blues, soul, R&B, etc., into one big melting pot that sounds glorious, and makes you want to get up on your feet and dance. “Big Money,” off his latest album of the same name, is a joyous number about a mama’s advice to her son, most importantly about how “you can be living the life but not living the dream.” 
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43. "Hands of Time" by Eric Church
Album: Evangeline vs. The Machine
Songwriters: Eric Church, Jay Joyce & Scooter Carusoe

Eric Church has been worrying some longtime fans, whether rightly or wrongly, because his sound has leaned more toward soul and gospel lately. “Hands of Time,” the first single from his latest album Evangeline vs. The Machine should’ve gone a long way in quelling those worries, as the North Carolina country-rocker feels in his sweet spot with a tune about helping him remain young by reliving all the great moments and songs of his past with terrific name and song drops of Bob Seger, Tom Petty, Waylon and Willie and more. 
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42. "Game I Can't Win" by Charley Crockett
Album: Lonesome Drifter
Songwriter: Charley Crockett

Charley Crockett’s output is unmatched among his peers. He released two albums in 2024, including one of my favorites of the year, $10 Cowboy. He released two more albums in 2025: Lonesome Drifter and Dollar A Day. “Game I Can’t Win” was one of the standout tracks on Lonesome Drifter. It’s not a stranger of a theme for Crockett as he croons about the state of the music business and relationships with the quip: “I’ve always loved a game I can’t win.” 
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41. "Yellow Rose" by Tony Logue
Album: Dark Horse
​Songwriter: Tony Logue

If there were one singer-songwriter under the radar I’d love to see break out the most, it would be Tony Logue, who has released some of my favorite songs over the last few years, but still seems to be flying under the radar. His fourth album, Dark Horse, has been one of my favorites this year with a heartland rock sound and real-life grittiness in his songs that is striking, like “Yellow Rose,” an ode to a stripper who is doing what she has to to provide for her family while her man scrapes and struggles to find ways to make a living, so that one day she can lay the fishnet hose and that life behind. 

40. "Bible Belt" by Vandoliers
Album: Life Behind Bars
Songwriters: Jenni Rose, Dustin Fleming, Cory Graves, Mark Moncrieff, Trey Alfaro & Travis Curry

​How hard must it be growing up in a strict, religious community when you’re a different kind of person – one that some Christians who don’t follow Jesus’s words and hold more conservative viewpoints don’t accept? That’s what Vandoliers sing about in “Bible Belt,” off their latest album Life Behind Bars, the group’s first since vocalist Jenni Rose came out as a trans woman. The lyrics find Rose singing about some of the worst moments of her youth in lines like: “I was hurt/I was broken/I was everything that you hate,” with Cory Graves, the band’s keyboardist/organist, wailing on an organ sound that mixes Elvis Costello’s “Radio, Radio” with the sound of church. It’s a terrific bit of cowpunk. 

39. "Solitary Tracks" by Kip Moore
Album: Solitary Tracks
Songwriters: Kip Moore, Dan Couch & Brett James

​Kip Moore broke out in the mainstream country music world in 2012 with his debut album Up All Night, which featured a No. 1 hit in “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck” and a top-10 hit in “Beer Money.” I liked those songs; there was a bit of heartland rock in them that reminded me of John Mellencamp, and not some of the bad ‘80s hair bands many country stars were trying to emulate around that time. Following the debut, Moore’s music drifted a little bit outside of the mainstream; he hasn’t had a top-20 hit in the last half-decade, but he built up a loyal fan base. There wasn’t much in his work that stuck with me, until the title track of his most recent album, Solitary Tracks, which I loved from the outset. “Solitary Tracks” feels like an anthem for Moore, a lone wolf trying to do things his own way. He wrote on his Facebook page in February: “This record was accepting and finding comfort in living on the fringe away from the crowd. It’s being OK with choosing to not walk with the pack.” It might be the best song of Moore’s career.  

38. "Average American" by Colby Acuff
Album: Enjoy the Ride 
Songwriters: Colby Acuff, Chandler Brown, Noah Gunderson & Holden James Potter
 
​A lot of country music stars strive to come off as an “average American” to their legions of fans, but their view of an “average American” doesn’t really seem realistic. It at least glosses over the hardships. Colby Acuff doesn’t gloss over the real. He knows life for an “average American” isn’t always roses, and he gets honest in his song, “Average American.” The song realizes the American dream isn’t as easy as we were led to believe, and it includes struggles like debt, divorce, never being wealthy enough to own a home, etc. Written by Acuff, Chandler Brown, Holden James Potter and Noah Gunderson, it’s nice to see someone in step with what it’s actually like for many of us hard-working folks out here in the real world. 

37. "Bury Me" by Jason Isbell 
Album: Foxes in the Snow
Songwriter: Jason Isbell 

Jason Isbell’s solo album Foxes in the Snow, surely one of the Americana candidates for Album of the Year, is just his voice and guitar, featuring some of his career's most emotional songwriting and singing, with tracks split between his divorce and his new relationship. “Bury Me” opens with Isbell's fantastic voice alone for the first verse, before his guitar accompanies him on the second. It might be the countriest (particularly country & western) of his discography, with images of swinging bar doors, windy plains and typical Western iconography. However, he admits he’s neither a cowboy nor an outlaw. 
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36. "Dollar Store" by Ben Kweller feat. Waxahatchee 
Album: Cover The Mirrors
Songwriters: Ben Kweller & Jonny Schoen

Ben Kweller has been around the indie-rock, indie-folk, etc. circles for a long time – more than two decades, in fact – but his music hadn’t yet caught my ear or attention. Then I heard “Dollar Store” early this year (probably because it features Waxahatchee on guest vocals, and my algorithm knew I’d want to listen to it), and the pain of the lyrics from a narrator who seems stuck in life without much inspiration hit me, as well as opening with this wonderfully jangly guitar tone that instantly piqued my interest, and by the end finds itself in a full-throttle barrage, as if it’s make or break time.  
 

35. "Anything But Me" by Jesse Welles
Album: Middle
Songwriter: Jesse Welles 

​Jesse Welles, a folk singer from Arkansas, has burst upon the scene relatively quickly, thanks to some songs that have gone viral on social media apps like TikTok. Don’t let the way he’s found stardom fool you, though; he’s the real deal when it comes to songwriting. My favorite track from his album Middle is “Anything But Me,” which is about everything he wishes he could have been, but himself. It includes the excellent chorus: “I should’ve been a bird/a sparrow or an eagle/a crow or a seagull/flyin’ over the sea/I should’ve been a sailor/a cowboy or a jailer/anything but me.” The chorus's vocal flow is beautiful. 

34. "Born Runnin' Out of Time" by Lukas Nelson
Album: American Romance
Songwriters: Lukas Nelson, Jon Decious & Nate Ferraro

Lukas Nelson’s “Born Runnin’ Out of Time,” which he co-wrote with Jon Decious and Nate Ferraro for his most recent album American Romance, sees the singer-songwriter (and son of legendary Willie Nelson) battling with life as a traveling musician, where it’s hard to juggle home life with road life. There’s a driving feel to the song that makes it sound like it could’ve been on an album from someone like Tom Petty or Bob Seger, and Nelson’s urgent vocal is one of the best of his career. 

33. "Returning to Myself" by Brandi Carlile 
Album: Returning to Myself 
Songwriter: Brandi Carlile  

​I wasn’t aware that Brandi Carlile needed to return to herself. Things seemed to be better than ever for the beautifully voiced singer-songwriter after years of Grammy-nominated and winning records and of performing with and becoming friends with her heroes like Joni Mitchell and Elton John. But maybe somewhere in performing with and making music with her heroes, she lost her own music and voice. “Returning to Myself,” also the name of her latest album, sees her going more inward, “returning to myself/is such a lonely thing to do/but, it’s the only thing to do.” Carlile has moments on all of her work where she hits notes that make you marvel at her vocal gift, and when she hits, “Oh, keeper, how I love you/I love you and you and you,” we feel it. 

32. "Found" by Cody Jinks 
Album: In My Blood
Songwriters: Andrew Peebles, Brett Sheroky & Ward Davis

​Cody Jinks has never shied away from being open about his fight with demons in his work, and “Found,” off his latest album In My Blood, sees him open and honest about fights he’s had in his life with the bottle, religion, etc. and wondering, “how lost is a sinner like me gonna have to be before he gets found?” Ward Davis, Andrew Peebles and Brett Sheroky wrote “Found,” but you can hear in Jinks’ performance that he’s been down this road. It’s this willingness to be open about dark matters in life that has earned Jinks a loyal fan base, and it’s nice to see he’s overcome some of his demons.  

31. "Away It Goes" by Amanda Shires
Album: Nobody's Girl
Songwriters: Amanda Shires & Lawrence Rothman

​One of Americana’s most recent tragedies was the divorce of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, who were basically the Americana “It” couple. Both artists laid their souls bare this year with their most recent albums: Shires’ Nobody’s Girl and Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow. There’s sadness throughout both albums, but none probably as tear-jerking as “Away It Goes” by Shires, which tells the story of a love just fading away, vanishing into thin air, with a beautiful melody and music that sort of flutters away itself and Shires’ vocal quiver fitting the emotion of the track perfectly. 

30. "Rushmere" by Mumford & Sons
Album: Rushmere
Songwriters: Marcus Mumford, Dave Cobb, Greg Kurstin & Natalie Hemby

​It might not be 2010 anymore, but Mumford & Sons are still out there, playing their terrific brand of folk-rock, featuring excellent instrumentation and anthemic vocals. “Rushmere,” the title track on the band’s fifth studio album – its first in seven years – sounds like classic Mumford & Sons with Marcus Mumford belting nostalgically about the band’s origins – Rushmere being a pond in Wimbledon Common in southwest London where Mumford, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane first conceived the idea of forming a band. It’s a rousing good time that will make you want to scream along. 

29. "Chickasaw Church of Christ" by Muscadine Bloodline 
Album: ... And What Was Left Behind
Songwriter: Gary Stanton

​Muscadine Bloodline – the country duo of Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton from Southern Alabama – feels like a group that should have hit songs on mainstream country radio and be nominated for ACM and CMA awards. I’m not sure why they aren’t there yet, but they have a loyal fan base they’ve earned with real-life inspired songs like “Chickasaw Church of Christ,” a highlight of … And What Was Left Behind, one of the duo’s two albums of 2025. The song is a slice of life many have experienced with a teenage, high school love, forced to go their separate ways by impending adulthood and life changes that come with graduation. Muncaster and Stanton sound terrific together on the chorus. 

28. "Oneida" by Tyler Childers
Album: Snipe Hunter
​Songwriter: Tyler Childers  

​“Oneida” is a song Tyler Childers has had in his bag for a while. In fact, he first played it nearly a decade ago during one of his Red Barn Radio sessions in 2016. The ode to a lover who is much older than the narrator finally received a proper recording on Childers’ Snipe Hunter this year. The tune, one of the more stripped-down tracks on the album, is a lovely song about a young man learning a thing or two from a woman who is “referencing movies I’m too young to know” and remembers when Cyndi Lauper had radio hits. It’s mostly Childers and his guitar until this beautifully cacophonic of strings and horns hits near the song’s midpoint with a wondrous instrumental that exudes joy, like a boy experiencing romance for the first time. 

27. "Cerulean Skies" by Telander & Kaitlin Butts
Album: Non-Album Single 
Songwriters:  Zack Telander & Kaitlin Butts

​One of my favorite duets of 2025 was “Cerulean Skies,” by Austin-based band Telander with Oklahoma country queen Kaitlin Butts, which finds Zack Telander and Butts musing about ambition and a will to break into something bigger than their small-town life. The lines that Telander and Butts trade off on in the verses are beautiful little summations of burgeoning love like “you’re a lit cigarette when the beers are hitting me just right” and “you’re a faint little star poking through cerulean skies.” 

26. "Elderberry Wine" by Wednesday
Album: Bleeds
Songwriters: Ethan Baechtold, Karly Hartzman, MJ Lenderman, Xandy Chelmis & Richard Miller 

25. "Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle)" by Hayes Carll 
Album: We're Only Human
Songwriter: Hayes Carll & Aaron Raitiere 

​Hayes Carll has been one of the best singer-songwriters in the Americana/outskirts of mainstream country music world for two decades now. His best track off his latest album, We’re Only Human, is the pointed “Progress of Man (Bitcoin & Cattle),” which he wrote with Aaron Raitiere, and explores how the “progress of man” might not actually be very progressive, hence great lines about “the world’s getting’ turned on by assholes and racists.” ‘Progress of Man’ is classic tongue-in-cheek Carll songwriting and will likely be among his many greatest works when it's all said and done.   

24. "Sailing Away" by James McMurtry 
Album: The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy
​Songwriter: James McMurtry 

​James McMurtry is known as a great songwriter with novelistic lyrics. He’s a great storyteller, but I don’t know if he gets enough credit for his melodies. “Sailing Away,” off his latest album The Black Dog and the Wandering  Boy, is an excellent example of a song in which the chorus has this terrific melody that worms its way into your head in the best way and stays there. The verses of the song tell of a weary musician having a war within themself about whether it’s even worth continuing to do what they do (“wonderin’ if I’m even worth the paper I’m printed on/it’s a judgment call”). McMurtry lays bare the mundanities of a touring musician with the type of specificity only a songwriter of his caliber can achieve. 

23. "Eileen" by Jason Isbell 
Album: Foxes in the Snow
​Songwriter: Jason Isbell 

​I suppose “Eileen” sounds better in a song than “Amanda”? Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow, the first album since his divorce from fellow musician Amanda Shires, features some devastating songs undoubtedly about the harshness of the ending of a marriage. There are no heroes or villains in this quiet breakup song, just a dead relationship both played a hand in. Isbell has always been an intimate, vulnerable songwriter, but never as heartbreakingly so. 

22. "Memory Bank" by Drew & Ellie Holcomb 
Album: Memory Bank
Songwriters: Drew Holcomb, Ellie Holcomb & Cason Cooley 

​One of the best, and surely underrated, musical couples today is Drew and Ellie Holcomb, who both have successful singer-songwriter careers solo, but have made magic coming together with Memory Bank. The title track sees the husband-and-wife duo singing about how moments spent together create long-lasting memories that make a relationship fun and successful. I particularly like the opening lines: “Singing Fleetwood Mac, reading Kerouac/with an old Kodak on the dashboard.” 

21. "Casseroles" by Hailey Whitters 
Album: Corn Queen
Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Tom Douglas & James Slater 

​I don’t understand how Hailey Whitters hasn’t broken through as a star in mainstream country music yet, but it might have something to do with how her songwriting (though she didn’t have a hand in this one) and performance are true to real life, both the good and the bad. She has the tragedy down pat with “Casseroles,” off her latest album Corn Queen. “After the casseroles stop coming” is a terrific line about how life follows a tragedy, and such a small-town way of putting it, with the tradition of neighbors and friends bringing over food like casseroles in the aftermath of devastation. Written by Hillary Lindsey, James Slater and Tom Douglas, this can be understood by anyone who has suffered a loss. 

20. "Catch Me If You Can" by Ketch Secor 
Album: Story the Crow Told Me
​Songwriters: Ketch Secor & Jody Stevens

It’s actually somewhat surprising that Ketch Secor, the leader of Old Crow Medicine Show, took more than 25 years into his music career before releasing a solo effort. His debut album, Story the Crow Told Me, was a bit surprising in how different it sounded from his work with O.C.M.S. It’s a bit more polished in sound. That polish works well for “Catch Me If You Can,” which Secor co-wrote with Jody Stevens, and features former O.C.M.S. members Critter Fuqua and Willie Watson on backing vocals. The song both came out of old childhood nicknames and a long career on the road as a touring musician. Secor told mxdwn.com: “Ever since I was young, people have inevitably made a pun with my name. One phrase I always heard was ‘Catch Me if You Can.’ Well, last spring when I was going through this catharsis of playing back the hands of time in the proverbial rearview mirror, I sat down with Jody Stevens and wrote this song in a short bittersweet burst. I was to explore the feeling of sacrifice that it takes to love someone like me. Someone who probably is going to miss your birthday party because I’m going to be playing a show.” 

19. "Nobody Knows Your Love" by Madison Hughes & Brent Cobb
Album: All That I Am
Songwriters: Lucie Silvas, Abe Stoklasa, Daniel Tashian, Josh Jenkins & Ryan Griffin

​This has been an outstanding year for Americana/country duets. My favorite was “Nobody Knows Your Love” by Madison Hughes and Brent Cobb from Hughes’ All That I Am album. It contains one of my favorite and lovely choruses of the year: “We can be in the middle of the dance floor/fiddle and the guitar strumming along/and the raindrops drippin’/and I can’t stop trippin’ on my two left feet/and every song is you/nobody knows your love like I do.” There is such a soulful intimacy between Hughes and Cobbs, making for one of the loveliest tracks you’ll hear all year. 

18. "The Others" by Cody Jinks 
Album: In My Blood
Songwriters: Cody Jinks, Tennessee Jet & Ray Wylie Hubbard 

Cody Jinks has always found himself a champion of the “others” – the underdogs, the hard-working blue collar crowd, the cowboys and the hippies. “The Others” is his ode to all of these types who may not completely fit into the mainstream, but there are legions of them just wanting to share a moment, and they can do so at a Cody Jinks show. He told American Songwriter: “We recorded a video for that song in Chattanooga, and we had such a cool time. We had all kinds of people. You name the kind of person, and we had them. We had cowboys and punks and metalheads and goths. We had business people and just regular-looking Joes and fans.” All of these folks belong at a Cody Jinks show. 

17. "Cinnamon Blonde" by Tony Logue
Album: Dark Horse
Songwriter: Tony Logue 

​Tony Logue had one of my favorite songs of 2023 with “Thundertown,” a Bruce Springsteen-esque tune off his album, The Crumbs. He’s returned this year with another terrific album of heartland country-rock called Dark Horse. “Cinnamon Blonde” is about thinking of the one you love back home, while you’re out on the road making a living for the two of you. If you’re a fan of early Steve Earle records, you’ll enjoy this. 

16. "Bleed on Paper" by Eric Church 
Album: Evangeline vs. The Machine
Songwriters: Tucker Beathard, Casey Beathard & Monty Criswell 

Eric Church has always done things his own way – I think this is why he’s managed to carve out a little niche in mainstream country music, where he’s been able to be popular, but his music still stands out as better and different than the other popular bros of the genre. “Bleed On Paper,” written by Casey Beathard, Tucker Beathard and Monty Criswell, off Church’s latest album Evangeline vs. The Machine, is probably how he's been able to accomplish that – by putting his heart and soul into his work and never being afraid to be honest and adapt. It’s a bit surprising that Church didn’t have a hand in penning this tune (it’s the only non-cover on the album he didn’t write/co-write), but, no doubt, he identified with its message.  

15. "Bad As I Used to Be" by Chris Stapleton 
Album: F1 The Album
Songwriter: Chris Stapleton 

Chris Stapleton’s kickass bluesy-rocker “Bad As I Used to Be” was the perfect anthem for Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 driver character Sonny Hayes in this summer’s movie blockbuster, “F1,” directed by Joseph Kosinski. In fact, the scene where Pitt is testing an F1 car, with this song playing over the footage, was my favorite in the movie. “Bad As I Used to Be” sees Stapleton at full bravado, a song about knowing you’re a badass and reveling in it, and, like many Stapleton tracks, it comes equipped with terrific guitar work and solos. 

14. "Easy Money" by Charley Crockett
Album: Lonesome Drifter
​Songwriter: Charley Crockett 

Charley Crockett’s output of releasing two albums per year over the last couple of years is unmatched by anyone, especially when it comes to the quality of said releases. Lonesome Drifter was my favorite of his two this year (though this list also includes a track from Dollar A Day). My favorite track on Lonesome Drifter is “Easy Money,” which draws inspiration (at least in part) from John Schlesinger’s 1969 Oscar Best Picture winner “Midnight Cowboy” and from an old friend of Crockett’s sister, who was a stripper in Dallas. Crockett told Billboard: “It all hit me, this idea of ‘easy money,’ but if you’re poor, there’s no such thing as easy money.” Crockett’s laconic Texas drawl fits such a song perfectly. 

13. "On the Red River" by Turnpike Troubadours
Album: The Price of Admission
Songwriters: Evan Felker & Ketch Secor

​Fans of the Turnpike Troubadours know that frontman and primary songwriter Evan Felker went through Hell with alcoholism and came out on the other side a better man, and one who’s potentially more introspective than ever before. “On the Red River,” off the band’s sixth studio album The Price of Admission, sees Felker reminiscing in a country waltz on memories – some lovely, some hurtful – about living a simple life of a rancher, and how recovering from the hardship of that life and celebrating the end of the day often meant drinking. It’s not specifically a true story, but it feels as if a good amount of realism from his life snuck through. Felker told Holler: “That was based on some real people, a bunch of them, it’s not any one real story per se, but a mixture of those and my life and people I’ve known as well.” It ends with a man remembering his father after his death – thankfully for Felker, that part is fictional.  

12. "True Believer" by Jason Isbell
Album: Foxes in the Snow
Songwriter: Jason Isbell 

​Like most of the best songs on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow, Jason Isbell’s “True Believer” is an honest telling of the end of his marriage. “True Believer” mixes the many feelings that come with the end of a marriage, the sadness with the anger, the bitterness with the nostalgia. It’s Isbell at his most raw.  

11. "The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy" by James McMurtry
Album: The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy
Songwriter: James McMurtry

​“The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy,” the title track off James McMurtry’s 11th studio album, has its origins in something tragic to McMurtry and his family: his father, the legendary novelist Larry McMurtry’s aging and failing health. The mysterious figures of the title appeared to his father in hallucinations brought on by dementia before he died in 2021, and according to James’s stepmother, Faye, they were his favorite hallucinations. James McMurtry took the bit of truth and applied it to a fictional story about a character who seems to be losing his grasp on reality. 

10. "Truest Colors" by Jason Boland & the Stragglers
Album: The Last Kings of Babylon
Songwriter: Jason Boland 
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​Jason Boland & the Stragglers have been one of the best, and for my money the most underrated, acts in Red Dirt country music for the quarter-century they’ve been active. With each new album, Boland has at least one track that will last amongst the best work of his career, and for his latest album, The Last Kings of Babylon, that song is “Truest Colors.” “Truest Colors” sees Boland with some venom in his words and vocal on a great “screw you” song about someone or something (or both) in his life that did him wrong. Mainstream country music might be one of the devil's Boland is writing off with a line like: “to tell the truth I hate the business/it praises people I despise.” 

9. "Territory Town" by Joe Stamm Band 
Album: Little Crosses
Songwriter: Joe Stamm

​Joe Stamm Band is one of the best acts today to capture that heartland rock sound that emerged in the ‘80s, thanks to artists like John Mellencamp, which capture the highlights and lowlights of small-town life. “Territory Town,” my favorite track of the group’s latest album Little Crosses, is one of the most infectious, fun songs of the year – sort of like a modern take on Hal Ketchum’s ‘90s country hit “Small Town Saturday Night.” “Territory Town” is the tale of kids, probably late teens/early twenties, just having a blast during the summertime when there isn’t much to do but try to avoid getting into trouble. 

8. "Under a Big Sky" by Bruce Springsteen
Albums: Track II: The Lost Albums
​Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen 

​Bruce Springsteen released A TON of new music in 2025, though it was all old. Tracks II: The Lost Albums, released in June, featured 83 previously unreleased songs – all in album form (seven complete albums)- suddenly available to his avid fan base. It’s such an expansive output that I have only scratched the surface, and he’s my all-time favorite artist. The album in the compilation I spent the most time with was Somewhere North of Nashville, which would’ve essentially been Springsteen’s “country record” had it been released in the ‘90s, as initially planned. “Under a Big Sky,” a ballad that tells the tale of a man who consistently leaves behind his loved ones for the Western skies and ranching work, is the standout track. Springsteen’s vocal is one of his best, perfectly matching the plaintive cry of the steel guitar and harmonica, and the feel of the lyrics.   

7. "Old Melodies" by Paul Thorn 
Album: Life Is Just a Vapor
​Songwriter: Paul Thorn 

I’m not sure there was a line from a song this year that exemplified 2025 more than: “’Amazing Grace’ used to be our favorite song, but now it’s ‘We Shall Overcome’.” The line from Thorn’s “Old Melodies,” the final track on his latest album Life Is Just a Vapor, blew me away the first time I heard it, and it has ever since. It’s a perfect statement about the country we’re currently living in, but came out of something experienced in Thorn’s life, according to his website: “We had a family problem a long time ago, a relative that ran off the tracks with drugs and everything. When my dad was dealing with the pain of the heartache that somebody he loved was in a dark hole, he was just standing there, crying. And he said, ‘Man, ‘Amazing Grace’ used to be my favorite song, but now it’s ‘We Shall Overcome.’ Boy, that just hit me right between the eyes. They’re both great songs, but ‘Amazing Grace’ is more like a praise song. ‘We Shall Overcome’ is, ‘We got something we gotta deal with, and we’re gonna deal with it, and we’re gonna get past it.’ I thought that was a beautiful thing he said.” 

6. "Melt in the Sun" by Mason Via
Album: Mason Via
Songwriters: Mason Via & Charlie Chamberlain

​Mason Via’s “Melt in the Sun,” off his debut, self-titled album, is one of the most beautiful songs of the year, both lyrically and instrumentally, and shows the young fella, who began his career with a stint in Old Crow Medicine Show, might be a force to be reckoned with in roots genres. The song finds Via singing about an undying, timeless love over some of the year’s best picking and playing, featuring a beauty of a mandolin solo from Aaron Ramsey. The instrumentation featuring Ramsey, Via on guitar, Jason Davis on banjo, Jim Van Cleve on fiddle and Jeff Partin on dobro all meld in an intertwining glory. Via told American Songwriter: “I was inspired by watching The War on Drugs shred a sunset performance at Bonnaroo for my first time, I wanted to write something in a similar psychedelic indie rock vein of music.” 

5. "Outlaw Country" by Dylan Earl 
Album: Level-Headed Even Smile
​Songwriter: Dylan Earl 

​Ain’t it funny how many folks in this country who view themselves as “outlaw” are, in fact, a bunch of bootlicking sycophantic authority worshippers. That’s not what the Outlaw Movement in country music of the ‘70s was all about. So, I was tickled pink when I first heard Dylan Earl’s “Outlaw Country,” which torches the idea of the MAGA American male and the absurdity and hypocrisy run amok in this country. It’s a twangy, honky tonk song with a bunch of punk ethos behind it in its openness to others. It’s also a great example of how being from somewhere – as Dylan is from Arkansas and identifies with the Deep South – doesn’t mean you’re a stereotypical type of person, as folks from other regions might assume.  

4. "Sugar in the Tank" by Julien Baker & TORRES
Album: Send A Prayer My Way
Songwriter: Julien Baker & Mackenzie Scott

​Some would call the collaboration between Julien Baker and TORRES indie-rock, but I saw the term “queer country” published somewhere earlier in the year about the duo and would prefer to label, at least, “Sugar in the Tank” that. The vocals of the two meld beautifully in this tune about completely giving yourself over to another in a romantic sense, in a way that might actually be life-saving. 

3. "Heaven Passing Through" by Turnpike Troubadours
Album: The Price of Admission
Songwriter: Evan Felker

​My favorite tracks from the most recent Turnpike Troubadours album, The Price of Admission, the band’s sixth studio release, find frontman and primary songwriter Evan Felker perhaps quieter and more introspective than he’s ever been, which is interesting because this band has had many barn-burners among their best work throughout their tenure. On “Heaven Passing Through,” Felker reflects on life’s little pleasures, like stargazing with his three-year-old, and realizes that it is these moments that mean the world, and that “living in the here and now” is all one really needs sometimes. It’s beauty in simplicity, something Felker has always managed to do among the best of anyone in his field.  

2. "Raised by Wolves" by Lola Kirke
Album: Trailblazer
Songwriters: Lola Kirke & Daniel Tashian 

​Lola Kirke is cool as hell. That’s a realization I’ve come away with from listening to her music in the last few years, culminating on one of the year’s best albums, Trailblazer. Her voice has a warm, husky quality that gives it a soulful feel, which I’d consider to be indie-country. My favorite track from her excellent album is “Raised by Wolves,” which she wrote with Daniel Tashian on their first collaboration. Kirke told The Line of Best Fit about working with Tashian: “I’m a huge fan, so I was extremely nervous for our session and weirdly decided to break the ice by forcing him to let me read the first chapter of my then unfinished book, in which I say, ‘I was raised by wolves in the wildnerness, but the wolves in question repurposed vintage nightgowns as dinner dresses and the wilderness consisted of various brownstones scattered below 14th Street.’ Fortunately, he found this inspiring, not self-indulgent, and we wrote the song.” It’s a beautiful song about feeling like an outcast and finding solace in someone from a similar background. 

1. "Gravelweed" by Jason Isbell 
Album: Foxes in the Snow
​Songwriter: Jason Isbell

​No lyric hit me as hard this year as “now that I live to see my melodies betray me/I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today” from Jason Isbell’s “Gravelweed.” Isbell and Amanda Shires were the “it” couple in the Americana musical community that I’ve loved since the first time I heard Isbell’s music more than a decade ago. They were “goals,” as the kids like to say. But the marriage ended, leaving a fan base unsure how to listen to terrific songs like “Cover Me Up” and “If We Were Vampires.” That line seems to be written just as much for Isbell’s legions of fans as it was for him and his ex-wife. 

The Kennedy Center Honors used to be something I looked forward to watching at the end of every year. Typically, there would be a musician or actor I admired and wanted to see them get the flowers they deserved for a career well done in their respective fields.
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Hopefully, that feeling will return one day. However, I knew once President Donald Trump ran a coup on the Kennedy Center and its board of trustees, put himself in charge and recreated it in his own image that it wouldn’t be the same, the honor of being chosen wouldn’t be the same. There’s a possibility it might never be again.

This year’s Kennedy Center Honorees are rock band KISS, actor Sylvester Stallone, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, Broadway actor Michael Crawford and Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait. I don’t care about most of these people, but there is one I care a great deal about.

You can make up for your own, whether or not you think most of these honorees deserve the honor, but I won’t accept any arguments that Strait shouldn’t be a Kennedy Center Honoree.

Strait is one of the most successful artists in the history of country music when it comes to record sales, concert ticket sales, awards won, and nobody has ever recorded as many No. 1 hits as the 50-plus Strait has had in his career. Strait is a legend in his field. Arguably one of the 10 greatest country music artists of all time.

This is an honor Strait deserves, but I hate that he has accepted it this year. I hate that he accepted the honor from President Trump, especially in the year President Trump essentially dismantled the Kennedy Center and turned a body and honor that had never been politicized before into something heavily politicized. I hate that Strait accepted the honor from a man who has been so hateful to so many different kinds of people, including folks who can’t stand up for themselves.

Strait has never done anything in his career that could tarnish it. He’s never gotten political in his work. He’s never really done anything political in the public eye. Yes, he’s had a friendship with the Bush family, but it’s never seemed more than a fellow Texan respecting one another. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe musicians should “shut up and sing.” My favorite musician ever is the very politically outspoken Bruce Springsteen. But Strait seemingly has never had an interest in doing anything that might negatively impact his reputation.

Strait might feel like this honor isn’t political. As I said previously, it hasn’t been in the past. When George W. Bush was President, it didn’t feel like a gut punch for a celebrity I admired to accept this honor. But President Trump is different. Today’s world is different. And I’m disappointed in Strait for accepting the honor. And make no mistake, he could’ve turned it down had he wanted. Actor Tom Cruise reportedly did so when offered it this year.

Note, this doesn’t mean I’m canceling George Strait. It doesn’t mean I’m going to break or burn my many Strait albums. It doesn’t mean I’m going to remove his fantastic songs from my playlist. I think culture has gotten out of control with stuff like this. But I couldn’t let the weekend of the Kennedy Center Honors go by without publicly stating I’m disappointed in his decision to be a part of it. Yeah, I know he’s almost certainly never going to read this. But I feel a bit better for stating it.

by Julian Spivey
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50. “Rock and Roll All Nite” by KISS
I’ve never really understood the appeal of KISS. The group has always felt more like a theatrical act than a serious musical one. That being said, “Rock and Roll All Nite,” probably the song the group is most known for, is still a fun little number – even if there’s unsurprisingly not a whole lot of substance to it. The studio version of the song barely cracked the top 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, but a quickly released live version, which captured more of what the group was about, would reach No. 12 in early 1976. 

49. “Science Fiction Double Feature” by Richard O'Brien
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” might be a cult classic movie now, and for much of the last half-century, but when it was first released in September of 1975, it was mostly panned, flew under the radar, or was viewed as weird. I’m fully aware there are more popular songs from the soundtrack, especially “Time Warp,” but my favorite is the one that opens the film and its soundtrack, “Science Fiction/Double Feature,” written and performed by Richard O’Brien (with Richard Hartley as co-composer). The opening song is a tribute to science-fiction B movies of the past, which inspired and served as a source of parody for the film.   

48. “Boulder to Birmingham” by Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris came up in the music business as a partner and mentee of country-rock musician Gram Parsons, who died of a drug and alcohol overdose in 1973 at just 26. Harris poured her grief into “Boulder to Birmingham,” which she co-wrote with Bill Danoff. The song, off her second studio album Pieces of the Sky, includes the beautifully written line: “I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham if I thought I could see, I could see your face.” Harris wouldn’t directly write about Parsons again for nearly 40 years. 

47. “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles)” by Gary Stewart
When you see the question of “most underrated country artist” online, you’ll almost always see Gary Stewart’s name in the responses. His most notable song was 1975’s “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles),” which would be his only career No. 1 country hit. Stewart was a bit too honky tonk for country music in a time when the genre was either too glossy or too outlaw for that old barroom jukebox style to really connect with fans, but he sure inspired many acts to come. It’s classic honky tonk, with crying steel guitar and weeper lyrics about a woman who’s running around on a man, and he drowns his feelings at the bar. 

46. “I’m Not Lisa” by Jessi Colter
Today, Jesi Colter is primarily known as the late Waylon Jennings's wife, but in 1975, she had one of the biggest hits in country music, so big it crossed over to the pop charts. “I’m Not Lisa,” written by Colter, is a devastating tune about dating a man who hasn’t gotten over a past love, and seemingly never will. “I’m Not Lisa” was a No. 1 country hit but crossed over to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

45. “Linda on My Mind” by Conway Twitty
To be frank, Conway Twitty’s “Linda on My Mind” sounds a bit old-school country, even for 1975. It’s not quite as hip as most of the country songs that made the cut on this list. But if there was one thing Conway Twitty could do among the best in country music was heartbreak, cheating songs and “Linda on My Mind,” which tells of the narrator thinking of this Linda, while beside his wife in bed, is one of the best of his career. It was a No. 1 country hit in 1975. 

44. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon
Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” the second single off his 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, started as a way to teach his son, Harper, about rhyming. The basic rhyming in the song, like “slip out the back, Jack” and “hop on the bus, Gus” has certainly annoyed some listeners over the years, but it’s not so much a cutesy, rhyming song as one about the end of a relationship – as Simon makes plain to see in his wryly written verses. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1976.   

43. “Evil Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra
“Evil Woman” would become one of Electric Light Orchestra’s biggest hits, going to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is generally considered one of the band’s greatest hits. It was also a last-second addition to the band’s 1975 album, Face the Music. The band needed one more song for the album, so while his bandmates were out of the studio, Jeff Lynne sat down at a piano and knocked out “Evil Woman,” which he claims is based on a real woman but has never revealed who, in a matter of minutes. Face the Music saw ELO transform to more of a radio-friendly, pop-rock sound, and “Evil Woman” would be the first of a string of hits that would include “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” 

42. ​“Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Bad Company
Bad Company, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, had arguably it’s biggest hit (it wasn’t chart wise, but probably more remembered than “Can’t Get Enough”) in 1975 with the No. 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” off the band’s sophomore album, Straight Shooter. An early example of a “power ballad,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love” is just simple lyrics – written by Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs – about wanting to make love to a woman, with a kickass riff by Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke wailing on drums throughout the chorus. 

41. “Lady Marmalade” by Labelle
"Lady Marmalade” doesn’t sound like it could’ve or even should’ve been written by two white dudes, but that’s exactly who Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, who wrote it after Crewe took a trip to New Orleans, are. It was first recorded in 1974 by a band called Eleventh Hour to no success. Afterward, Crewe showed the tune to producer Allen Toussaint, who decided to record it with the soul girl group Labelle, led by Patti LaBelle. Labelle had been around a long time, but hadn’t done much on the charts; one of their biggest songs had been a cover of the Irish standard, “Danny Boy,” a decade earlier. Doing a funk-soul number about a prostitute propositioning a customer in French was quite a bit different – and it was just different enough to become a No. 1 hit. It was memorably covered for the “Moulin Rouge!” soundtrack in 2001 with Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil’ Kim. 

40. "Waymore's Blues" by Waylon Jennings
Non-single album tracks becoming popular in country music just isn’t something that happens often. Country music has always been a singles and radio-driven genre. But “Waymore’s Blues,” a non-single off Waylon Jennings’ 1975 album Dreaming My Dreams, has always been a well-respected track in Jennings’ repertoire, as it served as something of a personal anthem blending country, rock and blues with themes of rebelliousness and his rambling lifestyle. 

39. "Turn Out the Light And (Love Me Tonight)" by Don Williams 
Nobody throughout the history of country music has likely ever had a more soothing voice than the silky-smooth vocals of Don Williams. Williams’ voice was perfect for suave love songs like Bob McDill’s “(Turn Out the Light And) Love Me Tonight,” which he took to No. 1 on the country chart (his third No. 1). The song will instantly make you want to cuddle up with your significant other. 

38. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender hit it big in 1975 when two of the songs off his 1974 debut album, Before the Next Teardrop Falls, hit No. 1 on the country charts. The biggest of these was the title track, which didn’t just top the country chart, but also the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, a rare occurrence of a country song crossing over and going all the way to the top. “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters, had been recorded many times before Fender got hold of it, but it was Fender’s vocal on the tender, heartbreak ballad that took it to No. 1. In the song, the narrator tells a woman he has feelings for, but loves another man, that he wishes her well but will be there for her if things fall through. Fender recorded the first verse in English and the second in Spanish, making it another rare hit with its bilingual nature. 

37. "Sister Golden Hair" by America
America’s most popular song is, without a doubt, its 1972 No. 1 hit, “A Horse with No Name,” but I’ve always found their second No. 1, 1975’s “Sister Golden Hair,” to be the folk-rock group’s best song. Written by Gerry Beckley, the song, which opens with this wonderfully whiny slide guitar by Beckley on a lap steel guitar, was surprisingly not inspired by any actual woman, but by the works of Jackson Browne. The song finds the narrator, who’s in love with a woman, but isn’t ready to settle down and get married, contemplating his predicament. 

36. "Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan 
“Shelter from the Storm,” off Bob Dylan’s 1975 album Blood on the Tracks, sees Dylan back to folk-rock basics on the instrumentation side: it’s just him playing a simple three-chord guitar tune with his harmonica at the end, and bassist Tony Brown as the only other musician on the track. The lyrics tell the story of a man, coming from nothing, who finds salvation in the form of a relationship – some suspect Dylan’s first wife, Sara Lownds – only to see it fall apart by the song’s end. 

35. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John 
“Someone Saved My Life Tonight” is probably one of the most emotional, personal and revealing songs Elton John has ever recorded, which is interesting because his lyrics have always been written by Bernie Taupin. The bond between Taupin and Elton John was close enough for Taupin to understand the complex emotions his friend and collaborator was feeling when he seemingly felt trapped in a relationship with a woman, many years before Elton would come out as gay, and even went as far as attempting a half-hearted suicide attempt. The “Sugar Bear” in the song is musician Long John Baldry, who took Elton under his wing and ultimately convinced him to stop living the charade of the relationship he was in.   

34. "Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd 
Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar,” written by Roger Waters, is essentially the follow-up to “Money,” which appeared on the band’s previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, in that it continues the theme of corporate greed, this time focusing on it within the music industry. The opening verse sees a record executive having a conversation with the band: “Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar, you’re gonna go far/you’re gonna fly/you’re never gonna die.” My favorite line is the sarcastic ending to the verse, “Oh, by the way, which one’s Pink,” showing the absolute cluelessness of the suits trying to make money out of art. The fact that the band brought in a vocalist not actually in the band, Roy Harper, for lead vocals, adds to the cynicism of the whole thing, though that was likely more happenstance than anything, as neither Waters nor David Gilmour liked their own vocals when they attempted to take the lead. The opening melding of electric guitar by Gilmour, bass by Waters and synthesizer by Richard Wright is a chef’s kiss of classic rock instrumental.

33. "Low Rider" by War 
War’s “Low Rider” was one of the coolest-sounding songs of 1975, and half a century later, it’s still one of the coolest-sounding songs you’re ever going to hear. Everything about this song is just cool, from the opening cowbell to B.B. Dickerson’s driving bass line to the alto saxophone by Charles Miller. If this were an instrumental, it would still likely be on this list, but the lead vocals, also by Miller in a talk-singing style, convey the laidback image of a “lowrider,” a customized car with a lowered body that was popular in Chicano culture in Southern California. 

32. "Texas 1947" by Guy Clark 
I’ve always loved a good train song, and Guy Clark’s “Texas 1947,” off his incredible debut Old No. 1, is one of the best there has ever been. The song recounts a moment in Clark’s childhood when he and damn near everyone in his little hometown encountered a streamline train passing through for the first time. Though just six years old at the time, Clark claimed to remember the event vividly, and those details sure come to life in a song with an appropriately chugging chorus given its inspiration. 

31. "Lyin' Eyes" by Eagles 
The Eagles were the most successful band of the ‘70s when it came to melding country and rock music, and 1975’s “Lyin’ Eyes” is probably the countriest of their country-rock numbers. The song, written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey with Frey on lead vocals, is about a woman who is so obviously cheating on her significant other that she can’t even hide her lyin’ eyes. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would be the band’s biggest country hit, peaking at No. 8 on that chart. “Lyin’ Eyes” would be nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards, losing to Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” (barf). 

30. "Beautiful Loser"/"Travelin' Man" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
OK, so “Beautiful Loser” and “Travelin’ Man” are actually two songs by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, so forgive me if you consider this cheating, but those songs from his 1975 album Beautiful Loser were paired together for 1976’s ‘Live’ Bullet live album and often played together on classic rock format radio stations, so they belong together in my mind. “Travelin’ Man” is pretty straightforward about a man who could never be happy staying in one place,” while “Beautiful Loser,” which was inspired by a novel by fellow songwriter Leonard Cohen, is about people who don’t dream big enough and seem fine with a life without achievement. Together, they make for nearly nine minutes of rock music perfect for windows-down summer drives. 

29. "Gloria" by Patti Smith
​Has anybody ever debuted with a more stirring lyric than: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine”? The song combined Patti Smith’s poetry about sexual liberation and freedom from her restrictive Jehovah’s Witness upbringing with the raucous garage rock of Them’s “Gloria,” written by its leader Van Morrison. The result of combining this garage rock sound and personal poetry with Smith’s overall look and performance style led to one of the earliest punk rock staples. 

28. "Diamonds & Rust" by Joan Baez
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were in a romantic partnership in the early ‘60s when Baez was already a folk star, and Dylan was just an up-and-comer. But Baez, who mostly covered traditional folk songs, as was customary at the time, didn’t have the songwriting talent that Dylan did, and Dylan often cruelly reminded her of it. “Diamonds & Rust,” off Baez’s 1975 album of the same name, recalls her relationship a decade prior with Dylan and did so beautifully and poetically that it must have felt truly triumphant, with lines like the opening verse which recounts some of that cruelty: “Well, I’ll be damned, here comes your ghost again/But that’s not unusual/it’s just that the moon is full, and you happened to call/And here I sit, hand on the telephone, hearing a voice I’d known a couple of light years ago/heading straight for a fall/As I remember, your eyes were bluer than robin’s eggs/my poetry was lousy, you said, ‘Where are you calling from?” It’s amazing that Baez laid it all out there bare for everyone to hear, but initially, she couldn’t bring herself to admit to Dylan that it was about him, so she lied, saying it was about another ex.    

27. "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian 
Few songs have likely ever captured what it's like to be a teenage girl, especially a social outcast, like Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen,” which, frankly, was a surprising top-five hit in 1975. Ian, who wrote “At Seventeen” at 23, was inspired to write the song after reading a New York Times article about a young woman who thought her life would improve after a debutante ball and was disappointed when that didn’t happen. It’s an intensely honest look at life for teen girls who aren’t exactly the popular, prom queen types with devastating lyrics like: “to those of us who knew the pain/of valentines that never came” and the opening: “I learned the truth at seventeen/that love was meant for beauty queens/and high school girls with clear-skinned smiles/who married young and then retired.” 

26. "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell 
Glen Campbell certainly had better songs in his career, like his ‘60s output of “Galveston,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman,” but there was perhaps no song more synonymous with his career than his 1975 country smash and crossover pop hit, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Written by Larry Weiss, who recorded it without much fanfare the previous year, “Rhinestone Cowboy” is about a performer who’s been around the block, putting in his dues and hoping to see the big time one day. Campbell had, obviously, already seen the big time, but this song was sort of a new chapter for him after years without a huge hit. 

25. "Fire on the Mountain" by The Marshall Tucker Band 
George McCorkle of The Marshall Tucker Band had written “Fire on the Mountain” in hopes that his friend, Charlie Daniels, would record it on the Charlie Daniels Band’s album, which shared a name with the song. Daniels passed on it, which turned out to be to the benefit of The Marshall Tucker Band, which included the fantastic story song of a Southerner who moves his family to California during the Gold Rush in hopes of providing a better life for them, only to wind up murdered for a worthless claim, on their own Searchin’ for a Rainbow. It would become the band’s first top-40 hit, reaching No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, and would be one of their most recognized songs. 

24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out by Bruce Springsteen
“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” off 1975’s Born to Run, is the origin story of the E Steet Band and the great friendship and musical companionship between the group, especially between Bruce Springsteen and saxophonist Clarence Clemons. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” is a great song to pump you up. I don’t think I could possibly explain it better than author Jim Beviglia did in his book Counting Down Bruce Springsteen: His 100 Finest Songs when he said: “Every superhero worth a damn needs a great origin story. Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive insect. Superman crash landed from another planet and gained inhuman strength from Earth’s sun. Bruce Springsteen was hit by a saxophone blast from Clarence Clemons and made it his mission to save rock and roll.” You nerds can have Superman and Spiderman. Bruce Springsteen is my superhero, and God bless the big man, Clarence Clemons. 

23. "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith 
“Sweet Emotion,” off Aerosmith’s third studio album, Toys in the Attic, would become the group’s first top 40 hit, when it peaked at No. 36 in the summer of 1975. It seems much of “Sweet Emotion” was an account of inner turmoil between frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry’s then-wife, Elyssa. Some of the lyrics like: “you talk about things that nobody cares/you’re wearing out things that nobody wears” are a kiss off to his bandmate’s spouse. 

22. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights by Freddy Fender
“Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” was a smash country hit for Freddy Fender in 1975 and even crossed over to the pop charts, reaching the top 10, but the story of how it wound up there was more than a decade-and-a-half in the making. Fender had written and recorded the song initially in 1959, as a blues ballad, but while his career was starting to take off, he was arrested and convicted on charges of possession of marijuana. This stunted his career, but in the mid-‘70s, when “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” became a huge hit for Fender, it gave him the chance to re-record “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” and riding the new wave of popularity, it became a hit too. 

21. "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin
I’ve never been the biggest Led Zeppelin fan. I can’t really identify much with their lyrics, a bit too whimsical for me, but there’s no denying their sound – and they’re at the top of their game with “Kashmir,” off 1975’s Physical Graffiti, with that propulsive “duh, duh, duh/duh, duh, duh” sound via Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass and John Bonham on drums becoming one of the most recognizable sounds in rock music. “Kashmir” was inspired by a drive vocalist Robert Plant took through a desolate portion of the Moroccan desert, with the name “Kashmir” taking the place in the title. It became a staple of the band's live concerts. 

20. "Black Water" by The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers’ No. 1 hit “Black Water,” off the band’s 1974 album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits, has one of the coolest acapella, polyphonic moments in the history of popular music where lead vocalist Patrick Simmons sings one part of the song, while his bandmates Tom Johnston and Tiran Porter are singing other parts at the same time. This section, which really showcases the Doobies' great harmonization, led to it becoming one of the biggest roots-rock/Southern rock jams of all time. 

19. "One of These Nights" by Eagles
One of These Nights, the fourth studio album for the Eagles, was the big breakthrough album for the band. I think a lot of that has to do with the title track, the first single off the album, having more of a pop-rock sound to it than the country-rock singles the band had been releasing prior. It was a conscious idea by the band. Don Henley told Rolling Stone magazine at the time: “We wanted to get away from the ball syndrome with ‘One of These Nights’. With Don Felder in the band now, we can really rock. Felder’s addition gave the title track a nice bluesy guitar feel, and Henley’s vocals, with Randy Meisner’s high harmony on the chorus, gave the track a more soulful vibe. 

18. "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith
“Walk This Way,” like many of Aerosmith’s biggest and best hits, is 100% pure sex. Opening with a great drum part by Joey Kramer that leads into an epic guitar riff by Joe Perry, the song, written by frontman Steven Tyler and Perry, tells the story of a high school boy losing his virginity. Initially, Tyler just scatted nonsensical words over the music, and then, according to Perry, “The words have to tell a story, but for Steven, they also have to have a bouncy feel for flow. Then he searches for words that have a double entendre, which comes out of the blues tradition.” Well, the words to “Walk This Way” are certainly bouncy and certainly include double entendre. 

​17. "When Will I Be Loved" by Linda Ronstadt 
Some artists can take awesome, notable songs and do them so well that they become the best or most recognized versions of those songs. That’s what Linda Ronstadt did in 1975 with her cover of The Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.” The Everlys took their version, written by Phil Everly, to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1960. Fifteen years later, Ronstadt took her version to No. 2. The song would be a crossover hit for Ronstadt, going all the way to No. 1 on the country chart. 

16. "Young Americans" by David Bowie
For many years, “Young Americans” was my favorite David Bowie song. It’s been surpassed by “Changes,” and probably some tracks off ‘Ziggy Stardust,’ but it still ranks very high for me. It was a change in tone for Bowie after the massive success of his Ziggy Stardust era, going from the highly theatrical glam rock to a soulful, R&B style that would eventually become known as “blue-eyed soul,” or essentially white folks performing soul music. “Fame” is, no doubt, the most popular and famous song off the Young Americans album, but I’ve always preferred the title track more, with its quick-paced lyrics, which were reportedly influenced by the early albums of Bruce Springsteen, its danceable groove and the great backing vocals, which were arranged by a then-unknown Luther Vandross. It’s just a blast. 

15. "Saturday Night Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd 
“Saturday Night Special” by Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been a curiosity for me, as you wouldn’t really expect a song that could be considered “anti-gun” from a Southern Rock band. And certainly, the band wasn’t always “anti-gun”; after all, “Gimme Back My Bullets” is another one of their best songs. However, “Saturday Night Special,” off Nuthin’ Fancy, has a rather obvious point to make with lines like: “ain’t good for nothin’/but put a man six feet in a hole” and “handguns are made for killin’/ain’t no good for nothin’ else.” 

14. "L.A. Freeway" by Guy Clark
Guy Clark’s 1975 debut album Old No. 1 is both one of the most underrated and most influential country albums of all time, with his songwriting taking on a more personal narrative and his sound different from what mainstream Nashville acts were doing at the time. It’s country music done the Texan way. One of the album’s most personal tracks is “L.A. Freeway,” which recounts Clark and his wife, Susanna, getting out of Los Angeles and heading east to Nashville to make more of a go at recording music. Texas country brethren Jerry Jeff Walker was the first to cut the song in 1972, but Clark’s version is the definitive one. 

13. "Take It to the Limit" by Eagles 
1975 was a killer year for the Eagles, as you can tell by all three of the band’s singles from that year’s One of These Nights, making this list. The best of those singles is “Take It to the Limit,” released in late 1975, which proved to be Randy Meisner’s greatest contribution to the group, as he was the primary songwriter (he would seek help from Glenn Frey and Don Henley to finish it) and the lead vocalist on the track. The song would also reportedly be part of the reason for Meisner’s departure from the band, as it was an audience favorite, and fights over his reluctance to perform it ultimately led to his ouster. Frey would assume lead vocals on the track about never giving up in life and always trying your best when the band performed it following Meisner’s departure. 

12. "My Little Town" by Simon & Garfunkel 
It’s probably not the greatest tourism tagline for my hometown, but every time I hear Simon & Garfunkel’s “My Little Town,” their first song together since the duo broke up in the early ‘70s, I think of my hometown. Written by Paul Simon, “My Little Town,” which found a place on Simon’s 1975 album, Still Crazy After All These Years and Art Garfunkel’s 1975 album, Breakaway, is about hating where one comes from and, longing to break free of and, as per typical, Simon & Garfunkel classics has more of a bright sound than the lyrics would suggest. Simon began writing it for Garfunkel, whom he thought was singing too many happy songs, and it wound up being a revival for the duo and the last of their greatest hits. 

11. "Backstreets" by Bruce Springsteen
Roy Bittan’s minute-plus-long piano intro in “Backstreets,” which ends side one of Born to Run, is his most beautiful composition of the many beauties he performed with the E Street Band. In his review of Born to Run for Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Greil Marcus said: “[Roy Bittan’s piano intro] might be the prelude to a rock & roll version of The Iliad.” Listening to this intro makes me think of James Cagney’s gangster crossing the street in the rain, walking directly toward the camera with this menacing look on his face in “The Public Enemy.” But the song itself doesn’t have quite as violent a story. It’s Springsteen reminiscing about the good old days of a relationship that burned bright but seemingly fast. Born to Run is an album filled with cinematic songs that could all be their own little movies, and “Backstreets” is one that might make you smile until you cry. 

10. "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train" by Guy Clark
Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting for a Train” is one of the greatest tributes ever written to a loved one, written about the boyfriend of Clark’s grandmother, who served as a father figure to him. In the song, Clark regales listeners with all the things he and Jack used to do and the life lessons he learned from the relationship. It’s also a devastating story about getting old and seeing the ones you love age and fade away. Clark wrote about real-life stuff in a matter of fact yet poetic way, which made him a father figure to many country, folk and Americana singer-songwriters for generations to come. 

9. "Tangled Up in Blue" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue” has always been one of those story songs that I’ve never quite understood its inspiration – though I’ve never really read into it – but I’ve always loved how it sounded anyway. The sole single from 1975’s Blood on the Tracks, the song is about a relationship that goes its separate ways, but I don’t know if it came just from Dylan’s mind or if there were specific inspirations. Novelist Ron Rosenbaum has said that Dylan told him he'd written “Tangled Up in Blue” after spending a weekend listening to Joni Mitchell’s 1971 classic album Blue, which would be a terrific recording to get “tangled up in.” 

8. "Dreaming My Dreams with You" by Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings was a tough-talking, brash outlaw country singer, but he could also record some of the sweetest ballads you’ve ever heard. His sweetest performance is “Dreaming My Dreams With You,” off 1975’s Dreaming My Dreams, which recalls a lost love so fondly and lovely it’ll bring a tear to your eyes. Substituting his Texan growl for a gentle whisper, Jennings wrings so much emotion out of the Allen Reynolds-penned tune.  

7. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” arguably the band’s greatest hit, is the unlikely story of a hit song that became a bigger hit years after the fact. It was a top-10 hit in America in 1975 and a No. 1 hit in the band’s home country of the United Kingdom, but following its use in the 1992 film “Wayne’s World,” it had another resurgence and went to No. 2 in America, the rare case of a song becoming a top-10 hit multiple times. It had actually topped the U.K. charts again in 1991, following frontman Freddie Mercury’s death. Mercury referred to the song as a “mock opera,” as it was actually the melding of three different songs he had written, which is why parts of it seem drastically different. It worked, though, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” became one of the greatest and most famous songs of all time. In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the 17th greatest song of all time. 

6. "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" by Waylon Jennings
Only Waylon Jennings could take a song criticizing mainstream country music and its system and make it one of the greatest country songs of all time. That’s exactly what he did with “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?,” off 1975’s Dreaming My Dreams. The song takes aim at country music’s “Nashville sound” and the control record companies held over their artists, to the point of dictating how they sounded, virtually stripping them of their personal artistry. Jennings knew it wasn’t the way country started, it wasn’t the way it was meant to be, and it damn sure wasn’t going to be how he made records. Rolling Stone magazine called the song the “closest thing outlaw country has to a mission statement.”  

5. "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd
“Wish You Were Here” has always been my favorite Pink Floyd song. The title track off the band’s 1975 album saw guitarist David Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters collaborating on writing, with Gilmour taking the lead vocals. Over the years, many have described the lyrics as a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, but in the documentary “The Story of Wish You Were Here,” the co-songwriters disagree with that assessment. Waters felt the lyrics were directed at himself, about being present in his own life. Gilmour did say, however, that he never plays the song without remembering Barrett. One of the band’s simpler, straightforward songs, compared to much of their repertoire, it’s interesting how it often ranks near the top of lists of their greatest songs, and Billboard has ranked it as their best.  

4. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson
I’ve always found it remarkable that Willie Nelson is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, but his finest recording (honestly, a few of his finest recordings) was a cover song. “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” was written by Fred Rose in the mid-‘40s, nearly three decades before Nelson cut it, and had been recorded by famous names like Roy Acuff, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, but nobody was able to wring as much emotion out of the lyrics as Nelson in his No. 1 country hit, that Rolling Stone magazine called “the beating heart” of his 1975 concept album classic Red Headed Stranger. 

3. "Jungleland" by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen wrote a good many epics in the ‘70s, but none were as grand in scale as the Born to Run album's closing track, “Jungleland.” World-building isn’t something you see a whole lot in songwriting – there isn’t enough time, as most songs are two to four minutes long – but there’s an entire community built in “Jungleland,” the most cinematic of Springsteen’s output. We’re introduced at the beginning to our main characters: Magic Rat and the barefoot girl. We follow them through this glorious New York City night where everywhere you see and feel a mixture of love, desperation, violence, despair, danger, longing, escapism and so many other words that describe Springsteen’s entire ethos. All of this culminates in Clarence Clemons’s greatest saxophone solo of all time, which was actually a studio creation by Springsteen himself, editing bits and pieces of multiple takes together in what Clemons said in his memoir Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales: “To me, that solo sounds like love.” The sax solo might sound like love – between Springsteen and Clemons, between Magic Rat and the barefoot girl – but the song quickly turns tragic in its finale, which finishes out the epic in a way that truly makes Springsteen New Jersey’s Shakespeare.  

2. "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
After Bruce Springsteen’s first two albums, both released in 1973, failed to burst through to the mainstream despite critical acclaim, he knew he had to break through in a major way or else that might be the end of his promising career at its beginning. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Springsteen said: “I had these enormous ambitions for it. I wanted to make the greatest rock record that I’d ever heard. I wanted it to sound enormous, to grab you by your throat and insist that you take the ride, insist that you pay attention – not just to the music, but to live, to being alive.” Springsteen succeeded. “Born to Run” may very well be the greatest rock record ever recorded, and it certainly grabbed us, listeners, by the throat and made us pay attention. Having truly become a Springsteen fan around the time I was leaving my hometown for a new world of college and adulthood, I think it was the escapism of his music – trying to break free and find your way in the world – that worked its way into my mind, body and soul and has never left my bloodstream in the nearly two decades since. Born to Run, both the song and album, was my entry into this wondrous world of hope, and I haven’t stopped running since because, as the man says, “Someday, I don’t know when, we’re gonna get to that place where we really wanna go and we’ll walk in the sun.” 

1. "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen
The opening harmonica, played by Bruce Springsteen, on “Thunder Road,” mixed with the beauty of Roy Bittan's piano piece, just sets the stage perfectly for the beginning of both my favorite Springsteen album, Born to Run, and its opening track, my favorite Springsteen song. It sounds so tragic, setting the stage for this young man ready to bust loose from his “town full of losers” with the girl of his dreams, but magic happens about a quarter of the way through the track when the whole E Street Band comes in, and this tragedy turns into a world full of hopefulness. This is their one chance to make it out of this place, and they’re going to take it. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Springsteen was sure the Born to Run album would begin with its title track until he wrote “Thunder Road.” Springsteen said, “’Thunder Road’ was just so obviously an opening, due to its intro. It just set the scene. There is something about the melody of ‘Thunder Road’ that suggests a new day, it suggests morning, it suggests something opening up.” For me, it suggested a new beginning – not only in life but with a brother in music – and like the song’s narrator and Mary, I’ve never turned back to what was left behind. Springsteen may have had two truly good albums under his belt by the time Born to Run came along, but with this opening track and statement, his career truly took off, and he hasn’t looked back in half a century since.