The 2025 Saving Country Music Song(s) of the Year
To see the list of all the Song of the Year nominees, CLICK HERE.
To see all the winners of Saving Country Music’s end-of-year awards for 2025 and previous years, CLICK HERE
4. Cody Jinks ‘ When You Can’t Remember”
Cody Jinks has won Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year twice (2024’s “What You Love” and 2015’s “David), and he threatened to three-peat this year. And perhaps on a weaker year, his teary-eyed and heartfelt tribute to his father with a full-on exploration of the emotions surrounding late age memory loss would have won. But there’s no shame coming in 4th in this incredibly strong field.
Cody Jinks has been on the top before. And if his track record as a songwriter says anything, he’ll be there again. He remains an apex predator of country music, and of songwriting specifically.
3. Nikki Lane – “Woodruff City Limit”
Nikki Lane entered 2025 with tons of respect as a talented and distinctive performer that was able to weave style from country music antiquity into songs with strong modern appeal. She’s always been a gifted songwriter. But she enters 2026 with us all now knowing that she can compete with the very best writers in the discipline by fearlessly exploring her personal trauma, and telling it in a story that we can all feel personally.
About the passing of her father and the swell of unresolved emotions that stimulated, “Woodruff City Limit” is not just a song you listen it. It’s a song you experience.
2. Tony Logue – “Yellow Rose”
The specificity of the character study and story of “Yellow Rose” is what pulls you in initially. But it’s the way the song speaks in such an unspoken manner about things like loyalty in relationships, the financial struggles so many are going through, and the sacrifices and compromises we all are forced to make for ourselves and for each other in the modern world that make “Yellow Rose” so resonant.
“Tony Logue” is another way of saying “Blue Collar Hero.”
1. Turnpike Troubadours
“On The Red River”
and
“Heaven Passing Through”
Nobody should be shocked that these are the two songs that ended up at the top of the heap. It was very much the strength of “On The Red River” and “Heaven Passing Through” that won the Turnpike Troubadours Album of the Year, as well as Evan Felker with the Turnpike Troubadours Artist of the Year.
It doesn’t feel fair to give this recognition to one song or the other. They’re both life-altering, earth-shattering songs, and neither deserves to be in the other’s shadow.
It does feel a little unfair that one band benefits the most from the end-of-year accolades, especially one that’s already so well-established. But it also feels like these decisions are 100% deserved, while being backed unequivocally by the opinions shared by Saving Country Music readers.
Evan Felker says about “On The Red River” that he co-wrote with Ketch Secor, “Nothing says hot country like a 5 minute waltz about inter generational alcoholism and obscure dog breeds.” I’m not sure that any of us fully know what “Heaven Passing Through” is about except for Felker. But the message is to appreciate beautiful moments when they come, and don’t fritter them away. The Turnpike Troubadours bestwed two such moments in 2025 through these two songs.
The Turnpike Troubadours are the big winners. But just like with all great music, we all get to share in the victory. “On The Red River” and “Heaven Passing Through” are both songs for the ages, but they were released in a moment when we all got to experience them in real time.
Nearly 20 years in to their careers, 2025 was the year of the Turnpike Troubadours.
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January 2, 2026 @ 11:46 am
Yea like I cannot possibly argue or disagree with these songs sharing it or with turnpike sweeping these awards. Anything else would be variety for variety’s sake. This was turnpikes year.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:09 pm
Well, the Turnpike Troubadours are a great band. But I find it a bit strange and unbalanced that they won in almost all categories here. There was too much excellent other music for that.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:38 pm
Though I clearly recognize and acknowledge that one band walks away with most (though not all) of the end-of-year accolades, I also don’t think it would be fair to anyone to lie and not acknowledge what Turnpike’s done this year, and give someone else something just to break the streak. This would only bring controversy and criticism down on whoever was put in front of Turnpike when you have such strong consensus behind these decisions. This is what happened to the Grammy Awards, which works to de-legitimize the whole process.
Also, recognizing all the attention the Turnpike Troubadours were getting, I tried to use these announcements to highlight runner’s up, which I don’t always do. This year, I felt this was especially important with how strong the fields were, and how they were dominated by one big name.
January 2, 2026 @ 4:32 pm
Personally, I like each of the albums nominated for the Grammys more than Heaven Passing Through, and I think each of those albums is stronger than Heaven Passing Through for many reasons (except Willie Nelson’s – but the nomination is probably more kinda hidden honor for lifetime achievement than for a specific album anyway). I think the Grammy jury chose exactly the strongest albums (Zach Top’s album may fall a little short compared to the others).
January 2, 2026 @ 7:39 pm
Well obviously everyone has different tastes and preferences and no slight to any of the other great songs and artists but I’ve not seen anyone credible that disputes TT is in the conversation and when the overwhelming consensus puts them in the top 10 it pretty well lays forth the preponderance of evidence.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:32 pm
To me, “On the Red River” was a clear cut above “Heaven Passing Though”. It told a complete story rather than small blips, and I like the sound of it better (HPT sounded a little more poppy to me).
But I know many others prefer “Heaven Passing Through”. There’s moments in that song that are very relatable for folks.
Very worth selections. Happy New Years Trig.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:35 pm
I was hoping you’d take this approach instead of choosing one song over the other. They are equally outstanding. Count me among the SCM followers who are just fine with TT sweeping this year’s awards. Where else are they going to get the recognition they deserve? Certainly not the Grammys.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:37 pm
Save for the glaring omission of mama, trains, and prison, OTRR is the perfect country & western song.
Good choice.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:37 pm
I think we all knew this was where we were heading, but that’s not a bad thing nor a disappointment in any way. Those two TT songs are simply master classes and for that they should be honored with co-SOTY accolades. It’s been so interesting to talk to other folks about those two songs in that everyone, myself included, seems to be firmly in the Red River camp or firmly on team Heaven. I fall into the latter as I was personally more affected by it. Yet many in the comments sections and half the people I’ve talked with have a deeper connection with Red River. It also seems that for just about everyone I know the connection to either song happened upon the very first listen and never waivered. Pretty cool to see 3 of my personal SOTY’s up there – Jinks, Tony, and Heaven. Had The Castellows “Broke” been up there too, I’d be heading to the nearest gas station to get me a Powerball ticket.
January 2, 2026 @ 12:59 pm
My top 5 songs of the year in no particular order:
Taxes and Time- Grayson Jenkins
Heaven Passing Through- Turnpike
Walter- Levi Foster
When Time Didn’t Fly- Jinks
Summer’s Love (Winters Pain)- The Pink Stones
January 2, 2026 @ 1:41 pm
Walter is so good, and so sad at the same time.
January 2, 2026 @ 3:08 pm
I’ve cried twice this year over a couple songs… On the Red River and just now Walter.
January 2, 2026 @ 1:33 pm
Love the guitar intro on “Heaven Passing Through”
January 2, 2026 @ 1:41 pm
This was a great way to lay this out and I think it’s a nearly impossible choice in this situation to pick either On The Red River or Heaven Passing Through. As others have pointed out it seems there is a clear favorite by most and for me it is On The Red River. I don’t have kids so the Heaven Passing Thorough is slightly less relatable while On The Red River hits like a ton of bricks as someone who is very close with their father. Turnpike Troubadours album overall was just on another level this year compared to everything else so it only seems appropriate that they dominated the SCM awards this year.
I also wanted to give Nikki Lane her “flowers” as the kids say. Woodruff City Limits is so well written and the studio recording is fantastic. Just enough punch in the production to make the song hit hard when necessary but not over the top. I hope this song signals a new album coming from her.
January 2, 2026 @ 2:27 pm
I want to say I’m in total agreement but nothing about the entire Price of Admission album grabs me. I think it’s in the ways that it’s different from its early predecessors. Early Turnpike had hooks galore and these past two records just don’t. The songs still stand up if you stop, listen, and read along, but they’re not going to get you tapping your foot and singing lines randomly throughout the day. Maybe my tastes have simplified with age, but if we’re talking song of the year material, it needs to be an earworm, in my opinion. I return to those early records when I want to love the hook and be pleasantly surprised at the depth.
January 2, 2026 @ 3:04 pm
Personally I find “Heaven Passing Through” and “Be Here” as fun sing along songs similar to “A Tornado Warning” or “7&7”, but to each their own!
January 2, 2026 @ 8:10 pm
Heaven Passing Through is pretty catchy to me compared to the typical song of the year contenders. Be Here is fun, and Ruby Ann was my most played song this year.
Of course none of them quite hold up to songs like Every Girl or 7&7, but that’s an insanely high bar
January 2, 2026 @ 2:47 pm
TT has the ability to excel in song lyrics plus the melodies and instrumentation. To be grade A in both categories is a rare feat. Well deserved.
January 2, 2026 @ 3:12 pm
As someone with a baby and an aging dad I’m close with, OTTR and HPT leave me emotional in pretty opposite ways, more so than any songs in years.
We’ll deserved and great writeup as always.
January 2, 2026 @ 3:16 pm
I was wondering if you would relegate them to a runner up position for song of the year, considering they have already won Album of the year and Artist of the year for 2025. But they deserve to also have the honor of song of the year! There were a lot of great songs released this year, but none better than the songs on The Price Of Admission!
For those that have not listened to it, I encourage you to give it another chance! Usually the great songs take a while to absorb. Give the album a few more spins and you might realize how amazing it is! I am doing the same with some of the suggestions from others about albums they really liked from 2025!
January 2, 2026 @ 3:22 pm
I was impressed with the Jinks song and it is one of my favourites. I think Tony Logue’s beat it and would have won for me but. Then I heard the TT album. The TTsongs are way ahead of everything this year. 2 great songs from an incredible album. By far the best this year. Great choice.
January 2, 2026 @ 3:46 pm
There was no other choice for Song(s) of the Year, honestly.
Discussion around HPT is pretty interesting too.
Kids/Romantic Interest frame the timeline and plot of the song, but I’ve always interpreted it as being a very reflective account of finding perspective after weathering substance abuse and depression – mostly through family.
Straight from the horse’s mouth.
That’s why it’s so powerful.
January 2, 2026 @ 5:38 pm
“Woodruff City Limit is a gut punch every time I hear it. Incredible song. I’m happy it made #3 of the top songs.
January 2, 2026 @ 5:48 pm
I was slow to get on the TT bandwagon.. so I feel a little late to the party. But the back log of songs that I get to go through now is changing my whole life for the better. Man.. the Felker dude can really turn a phrase. Reading up on the band and the man’s back story gives some context and an added layer of meaning. The songs stand by themselves though. The “price of admission” line was a great choice for the album title. Top notch.
January 2, 2026 @ 5:49 pm
I don’t understand the appeal for either of the Turnpike songs. Listened a dozen times now and both seem average lyrically and melodically.
January 2, 2026 @ 7:28 pm
And by golly is it their worst record with the least amount of good songs. This isn’t a bad song it’s barely memorable above the other unmemorable mid tempo tunes on this elevator music album.
January 3, 2026 @ 10:49 pm
All good songs but I do believe Zach Top should have been on this list. He is one of the few to bring country music back and just about any of his songs would fit. Beer for breakfast, aint in it for my health, South of Sanity, Guitar (that he played on the CMA award show)
January 5, 2026 @ 9:29 am
“I’m not sure that any of us fully know what “Heaven Passing Through” is about except for Felker.”
Huh? The first verse is about his mother, the second is about a young love, and the third is about his child, and the chorus is about cherishing each moment of time. This is obvious?
He dedicated the song to his mother.
January 5, 2026 @ 9:38 am
I feel confident standing behind that quote. What I said in my original review for the album was,
” might just be a song about gratefulness and the beauty of moments that employs a multi-generational perspective to its timeline.”
What I’m getting at is the song doesn’t tell a cohesive story that is easy to follow. It’s like three separates vignettes as opposed to three scenes from a narrative story arc.
January 5, 2026 @ 1:02 pm
Genuinely interested… dude sat down to write with Ketch Secor and works “old crow medicine show” into the lyrics of an ode to dad whose monumental genetic contribution was the alcoholism that layed the son bare in front of the world – but yet still gonna pull a muscle reaching for the pedestal to place him on, I’ll tell you about this fall…
Seriously man, whatcha listening to that’s lyrically above that “average”?
January 5, 2026 @ 1:18 pm
Should’ve been a reply to DB
This place has gone to hell since Trig sold it to whataburger corporate 😔
January 10, 2026 @ 7:56 am
After listening to Tony Logue’s Yellow Rose, listen to Greg Cockerill’s “Bad Night For Rock N Roll” from 2008:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZUalBsc8SM
January 24, 2026 @ 7:21 am
Sounds just about right to me, honoring the two best new songs on sober Evan’s first record.
Both songs are lovingly crafted and heart-breakingly beautiful.
As a student of song-writing for decades, Evan is the real deal, a once-in-a-generation talent, and when he writes a good one, no one alive holds a candle to him.
Thanks to Trigger for being here for us TT fans, keeping the flame all these years.