3 Country Songs Released This Past Year That Will Go Down in History

While the early music returns of 2026 have been promising, there are still many months to go. The good news is that 2025 proved to be a stellar year for country music that we’ll be able to carry with us for years to come. Many artists released some of their best material to date. Others dipped their toe into country music for the first time ever. Below, find three country songs that will no doubt stick around well beyond the year they were released

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“You Had to Be There” (Megan Moroney and Kenny Chesney

We all love a good collaboration–especially one as tender as Megan Moroney and Kenny Chesney’s “You had to Be There”. The younger country singer gives Chesney his props for helping to build up her career. She reminisces on their joint tour, singing, I see the lights, I hear the band / Feels like the whole world’s in our hands / Soakin’ it up, breathin’ it in / One day we’ll say, “Remember when” / We were so alive. There have been many enviable country friendships over the years, but let us be the first to say that we’re jealous we didn’t get to experience the things written about in this song firsthand.

“The Giver” (Chappell Roan)

Chappell Roan‘s “The Giver” is indicative of pop music’s love affair with country songs. The phenomenon has been building over the last several years, but it fully came to fruition in 2025. Roan, a certified pop princess, borrows instrumentation you’d sooner hear at a honky tonk. So, baby / When you need the job done / You can call me, baby, Roan sings, overtop a countryfied beat. Though country fans will likely turn their nose up at this inclusion, the pop-turned-country shtick will be remembered for years to come. Roan, being one of the early purveyors of this new genre, will go down in history as having had the guts to experiment.

“I’m The Problem” (Morgan Wallen)

Morgan Wallen’s fans devour anything and everything he releases. So, when his latest album was shared, it was only a matter of time before several songs off the tracklist earned hit status. “I’m The Problem” is one such song. It got me thinkin’ / If I’m the problem, well, you might be the reason, Wallen sings in this accusatory ballad. All of Wallen’s top tracks will go down in history, but “I’m The Problem” is his latest claim to fame.

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