Saving Country Music’s 2020 Song of the Year Nominees

A Saving Country Music ‘Song of the Year’ nominee is not just your favorite ditty that gets stuck in your head. These are songs that have the power to change hearts and change lives, open you up new ideas or ways of thinking, or unlock memories or emotions you haven’t felt in years. Song of the Year nominees are the reason you’re a music fan. They can change the world, or at least, they can change your world.
In 2020, there were albums that you could pick just about any song from and call it a Song of the Year nominee, including Album of the Year nominees such as Arlo McKinley’s Die Midwestern, Ward Davis’s Black Cats and Crows, Lori McKenna‘s The Balladeer, and Cahalen Morrison’s Wealth of Sorrow. But also in that category are Brent Cobb’s Keep ‘Em On They Toes, both of Zach Bryan‘s 2020 releases Elisabeth and Quiet, Heavy Dreams, as well as Dalton Domino‘s acoustic record Feverdreamer.
READ: Saving Country Music 2020 Album of the Year Nominees
There were songs that beyond any concern for artistic merit, were just bangers in their own right, and perhaps on a lighter year, would have been considered in the nominees proper, songs like “Sister Elizabeth” by The Tender Things, “Dave Dudley” by Rattlesnake Milk, Josh Grider’s “Country’s Comin’ Back” that didn’t seem to get nearly enough attention, “Lac du Flambeau” by the Bloody Jug Band, and perhaps the vocal launching pad in all of roots music in 2020 and arguably one of the best performances all year, Tami Neilson’s “You Were Mine.”
There were other songs that sat right on the bubble of being nominees, like “In Came You” by The Piedmont Boys, “Mattress on the Floor” by Mo Pitney, “Waiting To Be Born” by Jordan Allen and the Bellwethers, “Don’t You Know I’m From Here” by Brennen Leigh, “The Eagle” by The Wilder Blue (formerly Hill Country), and a few songs from Jason Isbell and the 400’s Unit’s new album Reunions, including “St. Peter’s Autograph” and “It Gets Easier.” But 2020 was so stacked, there just wasn’t enough room, even as nominees were extended to an unprecedented 13 entries.
PLEASE NOTE: Just because a song isn’t listed here doesn’t mean it’s being snubbed or forgotten. Picking the best songs of a given year is always more personal than albums. We’re not looking to pit songs and songwriters against each other, we’re looking to combine our collective perspectives and opinions into a pool of musical knowledge for the benefit of all.
If you have a song or list of songs you think are the best of 2020 and want to share, please do in the comments section below. Feedback will factor into the final tabulations for the winner, but this is not an up and down vote. Convince us who you think should win and why.
Without further ado, here are the nominees for Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year.
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A Spotify playlist of all nominees and honorable mentions can be found below, and on Spotify.
Emily Scott Robinson – “The Time For Flowers”
In a year when many artists and songwriters have felt compelled to attempt to encapsulate these moments in some sort of artistic expression that both does justice to the sentiments and emotions we all feel, while also giving glimmers of hope for the future, it’s difficult to almost impossible to not come across as trite, overly-sentimental, or even opportunist. It really takes something special to feel both topical, and timeless.
Leave it to the reigning Saving Country Music Song of the Year winner Emily Scott Robinson to strike that balance, and tell a story that adds the weight of wisdom and the perspective of time to our current worries and troubles in a way that warmifies the soul as opposed to just articulating things we already know. “The Time for Flowers” is perfect for 2020. But like any grand piece of art, it will be relevant at any time, on any year.
Zach Bryan – “November Air”
Never before have we known a songwriter quite like Zach Bryan, who rose out of complete obscurity to capture the imagination of hungry listeners, and now become one of the hottest songwriters in the business. His first album was inspired by the passing of his mother DeAnn, and that life event still remains his greatest muse, and the catalyst to continue to refine and share his creativity despite keeping full time commitments to the Navy.
“November Air” from his EP Quiet, Heavy Dreams finds the Oklahoma native refining his writing like never before, and compared to his other earlier recordings, honing those skills into something more pure, with a string section imbuing this composition with the weight of moments the lyrical mastery deserves.
Zach Bryan isn’t just a songwriter. He’s a phenomenon, and continues to astound.
Juliet McConkey – “Hung The Moon”
The stories of Juliet McConkey’s debut album Disappearing Girl are of souls forged in the furnace of life’s tribulations. “Hung The Moon” is a musical masterpiece, rounding out its story like sketching a perfect circle by hand, while the musical movement is soul stirring on the level of “Pachabel’s Canon.” Tracing a life from a coming of age moment, to matrimony, and eventually to disillusion and moving on, it’s like an epic novel encapsulated in under four minutes.
One of many excellent songs from Juliet McConkey’s album, patient and attentive listeners are handsomely rewarded by the chills this song conveys.
Arlo McKinley – “Bag of Pills”
Arlo McKinley empties the kitchen of every single top shelf heartache and sad story he has in the tank on what is officially his first solo album, Die Midwestern, and turns in a stunner of an effort for John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, if to no other end than to not let the blessing of the great John Prine down. It was the song “Bag of Pills” that impressed Prine so much that he signed the Kentuckian/Ohioan, and even preparing yourself, you still won’t be steeled for the emotional wallop the song delivers. Perhaps no other song encapsulates Midwestern breakdown from a modern perspective better than the passages of “Bag of Pills.”
Joshua Ray Walker – “Voices”
Dallas native Joshua Ray Walker wastes no time going to work on your emotional receptors on his new record Glad You Made It, starting it off with this tale of a man making the choice to roll his truck into the lake instead of struggling to keep on living, polishing off a bottle as he does to “make it look like a mistake.” This is the kind of mercilessness Joshua Ray Walker shows to jerk those tears out like only the finest country music can.
Not just a songwriting tour de force, Joshua Ray Walker’s yodel and high range are another highlight of “Voices,” with the song’s rather impressive and elongated note at the 2/3rds interval drawing out the emotion of the story like only a top notch singer can.
John Prine – “I Remember Everything”
The gaping hole left in our hearts where a living John Prine once dwelled will not heal easily or anytime soon. But one of the saving graces of losing one of your musical heroes is that you will always have their music to remember them fondly by, and console you when the weight becomes too heavy.
The very final song John Prine ever recorded, “I Remember Everything” was written with longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin and produced by Dave Cobb. Whether it was meant to be just an acoustic performance originally or more was to be added later on in the process, the way it turned out works as the perfect epitaph to a historic career.
The delicate sweetness, and poetic weight that accompanied John Prine songs for over 50 years is all evident in “I Remember Everything,” and what a way to punctuate how the most important thing in life is our memories right as Prine’s story was coming to a close. John Prine left us with more wisdom and warm memories than most, and “I Remember Everything” adds to that legacy.
Gabe Lee – “Emmylou”
Women is where Gabe Lee has found his most potent muse in his short but productive career as a superior-level songwriter. “Eveline” from his first record was the song that stood out for most, and found the soft spot in Gabe’s heart, and and the sweet spot in his voice. “Susannah” is one of the more upbeat moments on the new album Honky Tonk Hell, without lacking in the writing department to make sure you don’t just hear, but feel the message.
But it’s on his song “Emmylou” when you once again hear the sound a heart makes when it shatters. It’s difficult to be overly complimentary about Gabe Lee’s manner of singing. It’s not just about some natural gift of tone or control. It’s his instinct to know how to use it. The second time Gabe sings the simple name “Emmylou” on this song, you’d swear it would have the power to make a barren field sprout flowers with the amount of emotion contained in those few fleeting, but eloquently elongated syllables.
Ward Davis – “Threads”
It’s unfortunate that the depths of depression and despair often gives rise to the greatest songwriting moments from our favorite composers. Their pain is our gain, and that certainly goes for the new album from Ward Davis called Black Cats and Crows that some are considering his breakout moment.
Fueled by the painful moments of a divorce, the introspection and desperation found in the song “Threads” is hard to not feel right through to your very bones. Co-written with Pearl Aday, it’s a clinic of why Ward Davis has been considered one of the most gifted under-the-radar songwriters in country, and why he may not remain under-the-radar for much longer.
John Baumann – “The Country Doesn’t Sound The Same”
Country music is a compass to American life. Even if you’re not especially drawn to the music as a fan, it still often resides in your ethos from the strong memories the sounds of it evoke like the smells in your grandmother’s kitchen. Country music’s qualities of nostalgia and timelessness give it that unique power to awaken a warm memory at just the right time, or imbibe you with a sense of place and consistency just when it’s most needed. That is, if it’s still around to be heard.
That’s why so many find a vested interest in attempting to protect and preserve the traditional modes of country music, no different than preserving that historic building in the center of town, that old growth of trees on a hill, that farm at the crossroads, or that sense of community we all feel with each other where differences in opinion are seen as subtle, and a mutual respect for your common man prevails.
These are the themes and feelings interwoven into the quality writing of John Baumann’s “The Country Doesn’t Sound The Same.” Not your standard and cliche-riddled country protest song, this more thoughtful, reflective, and hushed effort bemoans the passing away of important things in life—country music included—to the onslaught of progress and noise, while resisting the new favorite American pastime of finger-pointing and laying blame.
John Anderson – “Years”
The title track from John Anderson’s latest album emerges after an extended period where he was dogged by health problems and was worried he may not make it through, let alone sing again. But even though his plump and cheery face now appears more gaunt like the air was let out of it, the voice that sounds like molasses run through a volume pedal is as pure as it ever was. Taking stock of life amid his recent health woes, Anderson weaves his harrowing experiences and hard-earned wisdom into this song about a deep appreciation for life animated through reflection, helping himself and the audience recalibrate on the most important things at a moment when this exercise couldn’t be more pertinent.
The Panhandlers – “West Texas in My Eye”
The Panhandlers aren’t just bound by their ties to the region. The geography and people of the upper portions of West Texas is what this music is all about. “West Texas in My Eye” was not written by any of the Panhandlers members, but by noted West Texas songwriter Charlie Stout. It sets the table for their debut, self-titled record that runs through the trials and tribulations of the region with such insight and clarity that you taste the grit between your teeth, hear the wind in your ears, and feel the sun on your back until you find yourself alone on the flat plain yourself, beholding the self-reflective mood of the surrounding nothingness.
From falling water tables to failing farms, this is an account of an unforgiving land nobody would ever choose to call home. Yet people still do, and find the beauty in the few places it lingers—the flower on the top of a cactus, a pretty girl in a truck with a good taste in music and a friendly smile. And no matter how unappreciative the rest of the world may regard this seemingly nondescript place, a deep appreciation rests in the heart of its residents, because it’s responsible for who they are.
The Panhandlers are William Clark Green, Josh Abbott, Cleto Cordero, John Baumann.
McKay & Leigh (Brennen Leigh) – “Hundred Year Old Farmhouse”
Yes, Brennen Leigh and her long-time collaborator Noel McKay released this composition very late in 2019 on their album McKay & Leigh, but it’s being given special exception to be considered here from the sheer beauty and importance of this song.
With all due respect to Steve Goodman, “Hundred Year Old Farmhouse” challenges for the perfectly-written country & Western song in the way it captures the sentiments of home so resolute and sweetly. Reminiscent of Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin’s “The House That Built Me” that Miranda Lambert made a massive hit, “Hundred Year Old Farm House” is begging to be recorded by a big country star as other worthy Brennen Leigh compositions have been in the past.
S.G. Goodman – “Space and Time”
Finding new ways to present old themes, submitting timeless modes with fresh perspectives, and offering it all up in a way that is compelling, original, and sonorous enough to rise through the grey din of modern music noise and strike a unique chord is what S.G. Goodman labored to put forth and rightly accomplishes with her debut album Old Time Feeling. The record captures blistering honesty, sparse beauty, spirited expressions, and stretches the possibilities of country music while still nestling within its sonic and thematic values.
Immediately upon cuing up this record you’re undivided attention is earned when the bold and confident voice of S.G. Goodman comes bursting out in a watery tone on the opening track “Space And Time,” rendered way too loud in the mix in the best of ways, and reminiscent of classic country female crooners. About the gratefulness for life, “Space and Time” is like a love letter to the world, “even my enemies,” while avoiding the sappiness normally accompanying such an enterprise.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:11 am
The Gabe Lee and John Anderson tracks stand out to me on this list. All these songs are good, but those are two I can relisten to repeatedly. Ward Davis, of course, did fantastic with Threads.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:12 am
Heather Little – Five Deer County
Meredith Crawford – Eleven Years
December 8, 2020 @ 11:16 am
The first time i heard Emmylou i was stunned by how good of a song it was. Gabe gets my vote and always will.
Also, not noted here but the my song of the year is Quartermaster by Taylor Mccall. If you haven’t heard it or him, nothing is stopping you now.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:24 pm
Heard Taylor Mccall on the Meateater podcast and looked him up afterwards. He’s got a great sound. But he could use some work on his intro ditty/jingle
December 10, 2020 @ 10:36 am
I really like Taylor’s Quartermaster too! My pick for SC song of the year is In Came You, The Piedmont Boys finally laid it down and really showcased the beauty of the storyline. They even nailed the video.
December 11, 2020 @ 3:57 pm
Damn! Quartermaster is in my top 3 of 2020. Great song. Thanks for mentioning.
December 15, 2020 @ 5:16 pm
Quartermaster’s great! As are a few more of his. Thanks for the post. I wouldn’t have found it, otherwise.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:17 am
Joshua Ray Walker’s Voices. If that’s not the most ‘country’ country song this year I don’t know what is.
‘Holy name strengthens the beast
Be lucky if you’re in one piece
Holy name strengthens the beast
Oh Lord, please give me peace’
So there’s that, coupled with his angelic, yet forlorn voice.
December 8, 2020 @ 10:57 pm
I will say Dixie Darlin by The Wilder Blue or Hill Country needed to be on this list. My 2020 most played song on Spotify surprisingly was John Baumann singing Caprockin on the Panhandlers album.
But for what what you got up there its November Air and West Texas in My Eye for me
December 8, 2020 @ 11:21 am
Great list! I would say that maybe my top song of the year is “The Dream” by Lori McKenna. But maybe that’s personal… it makes me think of my wife’s dad, who passed away in 2011, and how he would have loved my son who was born in 2018. They would have been kindred spirits for sure.
I will also say that I would have picked Gabe Lee’s title track for my song off his album, or maybe “Imogene” or “Piece of Your Heart.” The latter in particular is lyrically beautiful.
Like you said, this is a really personal category. With albums you have to really consider importance–an album that changes the landscape goes in over something that simply sounds good. With songs, that personal impact is the paramount consideration.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:30 pm
First time I heard “The Dream” I was driving down the road with my wife and my two little kids. We both cried – I was thinking of her little brother, who we named our son after, and she was thinking of my dad. Mrs. McKenna sure has a way with words.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:26 pm
“The Dream” is a good song.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:28 pm
The Dream was a beautifully written song.
There were a few on that album that could easily make the room dusty, and that was certainly one of them.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:23 am
From that list, I’d go with Zach Bryan’s “November Air”. It’s just one of those classic, well written gut punches that you’ve come to expect from him on that particular subject. The fact that the production is still relatively Lo-Fi doesn’t detract from its greatness. It’s just tremendous storytelling you can feel.
Isbell’s “Only Children” is a pretty big omission, IMHO. On the whole, the album was “meh”, but that song was flawless, vintage Isbell.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:03 pm
That depends on what years you consider make up ‘classic Isbell’. I’d argue that River is the only classic Isbell on Reunions.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:09 pm
Classic Isbell to me is the haunting, borderline macabre storytelling found throughout Southeastern. River was one of the better songs on the album, but it didn’t hit nearly as hard.
I went and saw him in a theater venue right before any Nashville Sound singles came out, and when he did “If We We’re Vampires”, you could have heard a f**king pin drop in the room after the song ended. Only Children hit similarly to me.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:53 pm
We are in agreement then. I saw Isbell at least 6 times between 2012 and 2015, so that “Live from Alabama” type set list, where he brings the horns out on Danko Manuel, is drilled into my head. I’m lucky I saw him with horns three separate times in that stretch.
River gives me some of the same feelings that Live Oak did the first time I heard it. I like to think of songs like that as my favorite ‘obviously not the best songs on the album’ songs.
December 8, 2020 @ 4:25 pm
That’s awesome. Ive always been a fan of big band sets by any artist, so that’s especially cool. Love that he’s never been afraid to dip into his DBT catalog in his live shows, either. Some great songs to pull from!
December 8, 2020 @ 4:29 pm
Tupelo hits that note for me, off TNS.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:27 am
“Easy Goin” by Clay Walker is my favorite new release for the year.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:28 am
Some great songs from this year but for me its gotta be “Bag of Pills” by Arlo McKinley. The lyrics and mood of that song hit you like a baseball bat.
December 10, 2020 @ 10:39 am
There’s for damn sure something hauntingly magical about how it hits home for so many people.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:29 am
Mapache – “Cowboy”
December 8, 2020 @ 11:33 am
Definitely voices for me
December 8, 2020 @ 11:36 am
Yea, this is nice but there’s no “Two Chords and a Lie” so I’m moving on now.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:48 am
My favorites of the year are Damned Angel by Hellbound Glory and the Bridge by Justin Wells.
December 8, 2020 @ 2:32 pm
I have to second the “Damned Angel” mention. I heard an acoustic version of that shortly before the new record dropped, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Don’t get me wrong, I dig the borderline Surf Rock vibe on the record, but hearing that with just Leroy and a guitar? Man, it just hits differently…
December 24, 2020 @ 6:27 am
Damned Angel was probably my most played song released in 2020. Just awesome.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:51 am
That is quite a list. I’d probably go with Gabe Lee.
Joshua Ray Walker should be disqualified because he also released “Boat Show Girl,” which makes me throw up a little bit in the back of my throat every time I think about it (and I consider myself a big fan of his).
December 8, 2020 @ 3:01 pm
Boat Show Girl is awesome.
December 8, 2020 @ 11:53 am
“Tell us what you wanted to, and all we did, we needed you
Your dreams were too small to care
But I’m always reminded, if you look hard you’ll find it
Memory gives warmth to right here
Through November air”
Beautiful, brother. And wise.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:26 pm
This is an easy choice, “I Remember Everything” is the clear winner.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:28 pm
As Trig said – song of the year is very subjective..
My vote: Panhandlers – West Texas
December 9, 2020 @ 8:15 am
Lonesome Heart was far and away my most played song this year followed by Panhandle Slim. Just something about that whole album does it for me.
December 9, 2020 @ 7:02 pm
It’s WC Green I bet he does it for me as well
December 8, 2020 @ 12:28 pm
My earworm song is “It’s A Shame” from 49 Winchester. Not a super deep song but a really fun song. Warning if you have not listened to it yet, I guarantee you will be singing it to yourself for days. I think the availability of so many great songs is as good as it has ever been. I’m 58 years old, if you think the radio controls what is heard in country music you should have been around 50 years ago. Your only choices were radio and popular albums if you could scrounge up some money to buy them. I can find music I would never have been able to hear in my youth and the ability to control what you listen to through digital is unlimited. Great time to be a fan of all music.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:44 pm
I concur
My guess Trig hasn’t gotten around to listening to 49 W just yet. 111 is definitely in my top 3 albums for 2020.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:23 pm
I have listened plenty to 49 Winchester. I may feature them before the years out.
December 8, 2020 @ 2:04 pm
Weird to see this, because I just discovered these guys a couple months ago, and I feel the same way about Why Else Would I Call You? It is just infectiously catchy, in my opinion.
Just goes to show how awesome this album is!
I cant stop listening to it.
December 8, 2020 @ 4:52 pm
Just picking with ya. I know you have a lot cover, but I found them this year and can’t get enough. Good stuff
December 10, 2020 @ 10:42 am
49 is on my Top 3 Bands To Watch for 2021 for damn sure!! It’s a Shame was what got me first, but I love the boogie of Long Hard Life!!
December 8, 2020 @ 12:29 pm
Many great songs but for me the John Anderson song Years stands out. Superb.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:46 pm
I’m still working on my favorite albums and songs of the year, but I just wanted to mention that one of my favorite songs of the year is an ode to the tv show Yellowstone. This song “Hey Beth, This is Rip” by Clete Bradley and the mood is top notch if you’re a fan of the show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK68qWIi0ls
December 8, 2020 @ 12:47 pm
Arlo “bag of pills”- never. gets. old. Music’s future is bright with Arlo in it.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:50 pm
Emily once again says simple words that work. A little cliche’ but it works.
Also, its the kind of song that should become a standard, it would work well at campsites, acoustic sessions, folk festivals, rodeos and everywhere between.
I still think Travelling Mercies should be included in any sentence that mentions southeastern and traveller.
However, Hung the Moon is a delicious song. Amazingly well performed as well as lyrically gently turning everything upsidedown multiple times.
And Bag of Pills. So raw but realistic.
December 8, 2020 @ 12:55 pm
No inclusion of Isbell’s “Dreamsicle” or “Only Children”?
Heresy.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:25 pm
As I said in the introduction, there are numerous songs on Isbell’s “Reunions” that I wouldn’t argue with anyone saying they’re the best of the year on an otherwise somewhat inconsistent record.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:01 pm
Oh hell, Waylon Payne’s “Shiver” should be at the top of this list.
Chills, man.
Chills.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:36 pm
I love “Born To Lose” from that album.
December 8, 2020 @ 1:26 pm
I’d have to go with Gabe Lee – Emmylou off this list. He’s fast becoming one of my favorite artists
December 8, 2020 @ 1:40 pm
ESR’s song is one of the best and I agree with Blackh4t, above, that it could become a classic.
I also loved these (among many others) this year:
Kathryn Legendre, “Long Slow Sad Song.”
Waylon Payne, “Born To Lose.”
David Quinn, “Maybe I’ll Move Out to California.”
December 8, 2020 @ 2:07 pm
Chris Stapleton-Watch You Burn
December 8, 2020 @ 2:35 pm
From the list, “Bag of Pills” though my favorite from Die Midwestern is “She’s Always Around”
My favorite song of the year, “Renowhere” by Hellbound Glory. Perfect tribute to the biggest little city that I’m afraid may be gentrified into non-existence soon enough. No better way to memorialize it’s scummy glory than in this song.
Honorable mention for me is Kyle Nix’s “Manifesto.” I suspect it’d hit men of a certain age and background with some gravity. Did for me anyhow.
December 8, 2020 @ 2:49 pm
1. “I Remember Everything” – John Prine
One of those songs that sounds like you’ve known it your whole life.
2. “Space and Time” – SG Goodman
The song that caused me to tell people “Hey, listen to this…”
3.”Neon Cross” – Jamie Wyatt
Caused me to sing along at absurdly loud volume “So sad, goddamn!”
December 8, 2020 @ 3:16 pm
Good luck with this one, Trig!
December 8, 2020 @ 3:29 pm
Mawkish ballads are my least favourite style of music so I normally skip song of the year articles entirely as I just don’t enjoy the songs. 90’s country was 90% torture for me.
Out of this list, Joshua Ray Walker for mine. That voice is great.
December 8, 2020 @ 3:38 pm
Any song off Die Midwestern is a contender for SOTY., amazing record. Interesting fact., Pearl Aday, who co wrote Threads with Ward Davis, is the daughter of Meatloaf and married to Scott Ian of Anthrax.,. ‘killer out
December 8, 2020 @ 3:39 pm
Huh. Good bit of info.
December 8, 2020 @ 3:53 pm
Great, great nominees. I’d add “Rocky Mountain Rangers” by Colter Wall, which I understand to be an original by him (if it’s not, ignore me; but I have never seen it attributed elsewhere). It’s the best, jauntiest, punchiest song he’s written. It’s fun, it’s catchy, it tells a story; it may not be the same gut-level ache-inducing song as ‘Voices’ or ‘November Air’ but it’s exemplary pure country joy.
December 8, 2020 @ 3:54 pm
Western Centuries – “Long Dreadful Journey”, “No Cure”, “Heartbroke Syndrome”, “Barcelona Lighthouse”, pretty much the whole Call the Captain record is golden.
Kristina Murray – “The Great Unknown”, fantastic song
December 8, 2020 @ 4:19 pm
Song of the year? I heard 2 I’ll add to my repertoire- Threads, and I Remember Everything-
December 8, 2020 @ 4:23 pm
I know you’re consciously apolitical to the point where it becomes political…but Katie Pruitt’s Look the Other Way is my favorite song of the year by a long shot and I’m an unabashed Zach Bryan super fan.
“I get pissed when people tell me that’s the way it is/As if that’s all that they know how to say.”
And the hook…genuinely the best combination of pop songwriting and lyrical I’ve heard since 7&7.
(I’d also throw Six Years Come September up here – absolute body blows from BJ)
December 8, 2020 @ 4:23 pm
“Voices” has always been one of the best from this year for me. I’ve been in love with that song ever since the album came out.
December 8, 2020 @ 4:34 pm
(Also, Codeine Pills has been, by far, my most played track of the year, although I understand opting for a Zach Bryan song with showier lyricism)
December 8, 2020 @ 4:28 pm
With a song title called “Voices”. you darn sure better have the voice to sing it. Joshua Ray Walker, mission accomplished.
December 8, 2020 @ 4:33 pm
If you are going to sing “Years”, you darn sure better be a legend. John Anderson, mission accomplished.
December 8, 2020 @ 4:47 pm
“Shut up and Sing” and “Sometimes I’m a Clown” by Brent Cobb or “Quiet Heavy Dreams” by Zach Bryan. I liked that song better than “November Air” personally.
December 8, 2020 @ 5:10 pm
Joshua Rays “Voices” gets my vote.
Dark horse selection is RT n the 44s “Imaginary Lines”. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ydFdT6afaZw
December 8, 2020 @ 5:28 pm
Off this list, id have to go with John Baumann’s The Country Doesn’t Sound the Same. This type of song has been done again and again but he made it so personal. He makes you feel the same way by the end whether you do or not, just a wonderful song. Kinda new to the texas/red dirt scene but this one really got me. Another favorite of mine from this year was Parker McCollums Like A Cowboy, penned by Stapleton of course!
December 8, 2020 @ 5:52 pm
“Voices” by Joshua Ray Walker is the standout for me. And for the record I think that “Boat Show Girl” is a great song.
December 8, 2020 @ 6:00 pm
Man that’s a tough list to pick from. I think Prine gets my default pick but damn it if Arlo doesn’t hit you like a ton of bricks and Anderson is just as smooth as butter. Then there’s that damn Ward Davis that’s been stringing us along for years it feels like waiting on that killer new album and if he keeps it up Cody will be opening for him. Tough call, lots of deserving people on that list. Good luck.
December 8, 2020 @ 6:19 pm
Oh man, what a great list! You can’t go wrong with any. I’d go with “Years,” but might change my mind tomorrow. Good luck with that!
A couple not from the list:
“You Can’t Win Em All” – Town Mountain
“Don’t Let the Old Man In” – Willie Nelson – I believe you nominated Toby Keith’s version a few years back, but damn if Willie didn’t give this song a new life.
Also, “Young Man’s Blue” – Parker McCollum – I’ve changed my mind about your pretty boyfriend.
Any
December 8, 2020 @ 6:33 pm
Thanks to the commenters who mentioned 49 Winchester…glad to have found that.
Lots of great songs here, if my favorite doesn’t win, I won’t be crying, it’l be West Texas in my eye.
December 8, 2020 @ 6:43 pm
“Sometimes I’m a Clown” from Brent Cobb feels like it’s missing, for me. It’s not necessarily a gut-puncher that smacks you over the head with despair and depression, rather, it evokes a lot of strong, deeply connectable emotions for the everyman through its story – and isn’t that, ultimately, the point of country music?
December 8, 2020 @ 7:25 pm
“The Dream” by Lori McKenna not being here hurts. I would guess it’s because of the strange section between the second chorus and final lines, but I have to admit that part is growing on me.
“The Dream” is an infinitely better song than, say, “Threads.” I love the Ward Davis album, too, but that ain’t the best song on it.
December 8, 2020 @ 8:45 pm
I included more nominees than ever this year, and even though I was the one that made this list, I agree “The Dream” got screwed. It is on the Spotify playlist, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone who considers it their Song of the Year.
December 8, 2020 @ 8:26 pm
Trigger, you missed the best covid related song of the year: Asleep At The Wheel’s “ I Love you Don’t Touch Me”!
“Janie Lynn” by Hill Country was that song stuck in my head ever since I first heard it!
December 8, 2020 @ 9:37 pm
A great list Trig and thanks for all the great music you have turned me onto the last few years. From your list The Panhandlers West Texas In My Eye is my favorite, coming from a farm and living on the plains up here in South Dakota it is a song I can certainly relate to.
Some of my personal favorites, first I realize this song came off a 2019 album but Billy Strings Enough To Leave turned up on my youtube video feed back in February, mercy indeed!
Next was Flatland Cavalry War With My Mind off The Next Waltz. With all the social distancing and isolation this past year that song spoke to me. It has been fun watching Cleto Cordero grow and develop as a song writer, btw the song was written by Cleto and Kaitlin Butts. Thanks to Bruce Robison for his Next Waltz project, a ton of good music has come from that project.
And last my song of the year is I Don’t Mind from Sturgill Simpson’s Cuttin’ Grass album. I know it is not a new song but since I’m new to the scene, and haven’t gone that far back into Sturgill’s catalogue, its new to me, wow what a powerful song.
December 8, 2020 @ 10:18 pm
Just for honorary consideration:
The Texicana Mamas (to wit, veteran Texas songstresses Stephanie Urbina Jones, Patricia Vonne, and Tish Hinojosa, all Mexican-American) and their recording of “Lo Siento Mi Vida”, co-written and recorded by fellow Mexican-American (and Arizona native) Linda Ronstadt for her 1976 album HASTEN DOWN THE WIND.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP5Xa0ukoOg
December 8, 2020 @ 10:56 pm
Long Haul by American Aquarium. Won’t win any awards, but my song of the year.
December 9, 2020 @ 12:20 am
For me, it has to be “West Texas in My Eye”. The lyrical specificity and lush instrumentation play so well together to tell the story here. I’ve heard plenty of soliloquies from country artists before about some poor narrator wishing he could move on to a new phase of life, held back by liquor or some toxic romance. However, there is a sort of bittersweetness about “West Texas in My Eye”, in which the narrator finds solace and comfort in the very place he wishes he could leave behind. Songs with such perspective and individuality don’t come along often. But more than a conflicted introspective, the song serves as a gorgeous tribute to west Texas (as most of the Panhandlers’ record does), beautifully marrying such a broad range of imagery with the overall narrative.
Beyond “West Texas In my Eye’s” obvious quality, its place as this prolific assembly of Texan talent’s hallmark song is definitely worth consideration. It really does serve as their opus, exemplifying the group’s earnest storytelling, classic Flatlanders-esk instrumentation, and constant focus on that one particular part of the world. As a group, the Panhandlers have garnered plenty of attention this past year from the likes of Rolling Stone and CMT and have served to shine a spotlight on Texas country as it fights to pierce the larger consciousness of main-stream country music. Even more than that, the group gave member John Baumann quite a boon as a solo artist leading up to his album “Country Shade’s” release. A look at the raw streaming numbers on YouTube and Spotify makes it pretty clear “West Texas In My Eye” is the most widely resonate song in the group’s catalog. It might even be fair to say that without it, their impact as Texas country bannermen might have been significantly lessened.
December 9, 2020 @ 1:53 am
Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen ‘Hold My Beer, Vol.2
My top pick no doubt ‘Ode to Ben Dorcy (Lovey’s Song)’ hearing Waylon made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.
December 10, 2020 @ 3:52 pm
You and me both! Definitely my top song as well.
Otherwise West Texas in My Eye from this list.
December 9, 2020 @ 6:22 am
Wow this year really blends together I forgot some of these songs were from this year. What a great year but my favorites were
The Panhandlers – West Texas In My Eye
McKay & Leigh (Brennen Leigh) – “Hundred Year Old Farmhouse”
John Anderson – Years
All of these songs just bring out so much emotion and are on another level
Thanks again for bringing so much great music to my attention
December 9, 2020 @ 7:38 am
Totally agree with McKay and Leigh and John Anderson Years. McKay and Leigh’s Farmhouse song brings me back to the day my grandpa took me to see the old family farm. The house was falling apart, the windows smashed out, front door half open and inside was slowly being overtaken by nature. Yet he shared memories with me that day of growing up in this house. Powerful memory, and this song perfectly captures it for me. Its also one of the country sounding songs on your list, can’t say the same for all of them.
John Andersons Years may be his last hurrah, musically speaking. Its a perfect song to celebrate his life and career. And that alone makes it worth listening to. And its a GREAT song.
December 9, 2020 @ 6:42 am
Vote for November Air here
December 9, 2020 @ 7:00 am
From the list
The Panhandlers – West Texas In My Eye …. Great song from a great album.
I Remember Everything” – John Prine …….still gives me goosebumps.
My personal favorites
Tyller Gummersall – Working Man …..The emotion he sings it with is gut wrenching.
Randy and Wade – Rodeo Clown ….. Just makes me smile & laugh.
December 9, 2020 @ 7:12 am
Rodeo Clown is a great song and a funny twist on a sad breakup.
It is probably just me but I have a way easier time identifying my album/records of the year than single songs. Only a handful of individual songs tend to stick in my mind each December but I can usually quite easily come up with 10 albums I love…which are filled with great songs…which I tend not to think of. Weird, I know.
December 9, 2020 @ 7:30 am
“Shut Up, Sheila” by Ashley McBryde
December 9, 2020 @ 7:31 am
“Roger Miller Time” by Western Terrestrials
December 9, 2020 @ 7:59 am
Tyler Childers – Long Violent History
It embodies this statement:
“A Saving Country Music ‘Song of the Year’ nominee is not just your favorite ditty that gets stuck in your head. These are songs that have the power to change hearts and change lives, open you up new ideas or ways of thinking, or unlock memories or emotions you haven’t felt in years. Song of the Year nominees are the reason you’re a music fan. They can change the world, or at least, they can change your world.”
December 9, 2020 @ 10:49 am
Yeah, you’re listening to Long Violent History this year. Will you be listening to it next year? 5 years from now? 10 years from now? It obviously tackles subject matter of 2020 along with a million other songs, but is it objectively great?
December 9, 2020 @ 3:00 pm
What? Racism, racial profiling, and white privilege is going away? It hasn’t in 244 years. Did you see the response to this song? Long Violent HISTORY will still be relevant in 244 years. It’s in our DNA.
December 9, 2020 @ 4:56 pm
I’m talking about this song as SOTY material, not the social issues attached. Fast forward a couple years, this will be a curiousity buried in Tyler’s catalog.
December 9, 2020 @ 8:08 am
All worthy of being the song of the year. However in the year of 2020 when we have lost so many legendary singer/songwriters I have to say Years by John Anderson should win it especially given his own health issues.
December 9, 2020 @ 8:22 am
2020 has been a crappy year. However, lots of great music!
Song of the year:
1. Bag of pills, (great writing and very original). I could put at least two more on here from that album.
2. Threads/ Good to say goodbye/ nobody/ good and drunk (I know it was reared in 2018)/ the whole album is pretty fine. Even the Alabama cover was very good.
December 9, 2020 @ 8:25 am
Years, was a great song too.
Zach Bryan’s Elizabeth album was excellent songwriting.
“From a lover point of view”
The Wayde Battle album was gut wrenching songwriting!
December 9, 2020 @ 8:27 am
Great Big River from Gabe Lee probably my SOTY. That or Fire from Waxahatchee.
December 9, 2020 @ 4:54 pm
That Waxahatchee album is awesome.
December 9, 2020 @ 10:25 pm
Wow thanks for that ????is killer!
December 9, 2020 @ 9:09 am
Some outstanding songs on this list by very surprised that Lord Open Road by Otis Gibbs isn’t mentioned. I don’t think there has been such a distinctive song in MANY a year…
December 9, 2020 @ 9:10 am
Hundred year old farm house
December 9, 2020 @ 4:24 pm
From Trig’s list I’d go with Juliet McConkey. That young lady is just enriched plutonium grade talent. Real glad Joshua Ray Walker made the list too.
My personal winners are two:
Cahalen Morrison – “Wealth of Sorrow”
A laundry list of reasons:
* incredible profundity and poetry of the lyrics
* simple beauty of the melody
* serene yet passionate delivery
* the fire singing/crackling backup
* a song you can equally enjoy when you’re happy and when you’re sad
* makes all that empty cosmic space feel as warm as the inside of someone’s heart.
Lori McKenna – “Good Fight”
Another masterclass from the master of bringing together micro and macro perspective in the space of a few verses, in this case by capturing, down to tiny details, the dynamics of a single moment in which the whole arc of a relationship is reflected, and a defiantly hopeful look towards the future is cast. Plus it’s a great tune, kinda country power pop.
December 9, 2020 @ 4:56 pm
Not on the list, but I would say that “I am a Coward” by Adam Lee is an excellent song released this year that meets the criteria of life changing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlD3_2OG_lo
December 9, 2020 @ 6:38 pm
Voices is my jam of the year what a song! Runner up November Air. Love Arlo M./Die Midwestern too. Jason Isbell & the 400 Dreamsicle blew me away recently. And of course Stapleton/Starting Over has been my go too this year as well. This thread always kicks ass love the comments for new songs I haven’t heard.
December 9, 2020 @ 7:30 pm
Forgot a side vote for John Anderson Years. No mistaking that voice nobody sings like that!
December 9, 2020 @ 7:01 pm
My vote is “The Time For Flowers”. It is not just the year but my entire life is in that songs in so many ways. BUt damn it this is one of the best song of the years lists ever.
December 9, 2020 @ 7:03 pm
Also I really like When Life Gets Good Again by Dolly Parton. I think it’s more because it’s the moment that is will have staying power.
December 9, 2020 @ 10:00 pm
For me I think it is Morgan Wade’s “Through Your Eyes”: The song I assume is about her child (or a child) telling her that want to be like her, which she says scares her. She ponders if she should change the songs she sings. The song goes back and forth from protecting the child’s innocence to her desiring to become more child like herself.
Some other songs I liked:
Parker McCollum “Young Man’s Blues”
Katie Pruitt’s “Grace has a Gun”
Sarah Jaroz “Hometown”
American Aquarium “Seven Years Come September”
Ruston Kelly “Brave”
Reckless Kelly “Put on a Brave Face Mary”
December 10, 2020 @ 10:46 am
It’s written through the eyes of her little sister who said she wanted to be like her when she grew up. Big responsibility- MW is a sound for sore ears IMHO – every song gets me
December 10, 2020 @ 11:44 am
Thanks, I had no idea that was who she was talking about.
December 9, 2020 @ 10:34 pm
Maybe it’s my deep history of depression talking, but I’m a sucker for songs that grab you by the throat, push you up against the wall, and punch you in the gut again and again and again until you fall into the fetal position. I guess you could say I live out BJ Barham’s adage that “Sad songs, they make me happy.” I came here to nominate “Six Years Come September” by American Aquarium. I’ve listened to that song nearly 100 times this year, and even though I know the twist is coming toward the end of the song that will deliver that final gut punch, and brace myself for it, it hurts just as bad as the first time I heard him play it live.
But listening to the Spotify playlist Trig put together (because I don’t always do the best job of utilizing this site to find new music), d***, “Bag of Pills” not only delivers those gut punches again and again, but Arlo McKinley throws them with brass knuckles, so of course I have to put it on repeat…
December 9, 2020 @ 11:43 pm
I’ve been working my way through the list, haven’t found anything I don’t like. I keep being drawn back to Ward Davis, not just threads, but, the whole album is awesome!!
December 10, 2020 @ 6:55 am
To be honest, these are all really good aongs, but none of them really grips me and doesn´t let me go. If I had a say, however, I would vote for Joshua Ray Walker and “Voices”. As was said above, it is the most country Country Song on the list. And John Prine, because of who we was.
My personal favorite of the year is “Anyplace That´s Wild” from Reckless Kelly`s “American Girls” album, the song they did with Suzy Bogguss.
December 10, 2020 @ 8:46 am
How come Colter Wall isn’t even mentioned by anyone??!! Y’all trippin’!
December 10, 2020 @ 11:11 am
Bag of Pills no doubt. What a tune. Arlo is the best of the the long haired beard crowd since Jamey Johnson . That song and whole album are just incredible. Nothing really comes close
December 10, 2020 @ 4:45 pm
For my money Jesse Daniel – Old at Heart would be my pick
December 10, 2020 @ 5:52 pm
Another one worthy of consideration–“Rattlesnake Girl” by Jaime Wyatt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-HpuiA5mk
December 11, 2020 @ 6:27 am
Good list, but not an up tempo track in sight. Really??
I’d throw Black & Blue by Zephaniah Ohora in there, plus Don’t Cry by Charley Crockett.
Happy Christmas y’all.
December 11, 2020 @ 9:04 am
Great list! Obviously subjective as hell but I would go with “Voices” followed by “Bag of Pills” and ” November Air”. Off the list, I like “Only Children” and “I Don’t Mind”. I know he isn’t liked on here so maybe its my guilty pleasure but I like Koe Wetzel singing “Outcast” which is a WC Green song.
December 13, 2020 @ 6:37 am
That Juliet McConkey song gave me goosebumps. Amazing.
December 14, 2020 @ 6:10 am
Zach Bryan is kinda head and shoulders above the rest. He could win best album, best song with over a dozen different entries. Just my two cents