Self-releasing his first six albums, Cody Johnson built a dedicated fanbase in his home state of Texas. After more than a decade of independence, the former prison guard signed with Warner Nashville and dropped his major label debut, Ain’t Nothin’ to It, in 2019. He has since established himself among the upper echelon of Nashville performers, winning the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year award for Leather in 2024 and ending Chris Stapleton’s eight-year streak as Male Vocalist of the Year in 2025. With a musical catalog spanning nine albums and two No. 1 hits, the four-time CMA Award winner, 38, recently discussed his top five songs on an episode of Bobby Bones’ Bobbycast.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “‘Til You Can’t”, 2021
The lead single from Cody Johnson’s 2021 double album Human, “‘Til You Can’t” is clear in its messaging: If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chance / If you got a dream, chase it, ’cause a dream won’t chase you back. Additionally, it is indisputably one of Johnson’s most successful songs, winning two CMA Awards and the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2023.
However, the father of three loves the contemporary country anthem “not because it’s my highest streaming dollars and all that, but because of the people that have come to me at meet-and-greets and told me their stories about how this song changed their lives in very impactful ways.”
[RELATED: The Important Message in Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t”]
2. “Dear Rodeo”, 2020
Cody Johnson called this 2020 Reba McEntire duet “the most personal thing that I’d ever written.” More than a bittersweet farewell to his previous life on the professional rodeo circuit, “Dear Rodeo” also holds the universal message of triumphing over adversity. It marked the third single off his major label debut, Ain’t Nothin’ to It.
3. “Dirt Cheap”, 2024
The second single off 2023’s Leather, Johnson chose this one “just because of how impressive it is that [songwriter] Josh Phillips wrote that song by himself.”
4. “I’m Gonna Love You”, 2024
Johnson’s reasoning is straightforward on this one. “I always wanted to sing with Carrie Underwood,” the singer said. “I mean, like, who wouldn’t?”
5. “By Your Grace”, 2022
Cody Johnson wrote “By Your Grace”—the follow-up single to “‘Til You Can’t”—entirely on his own. “[As] a song, it’s a reminder that God gives us grace, and how you repay the gift of grace is faith,” the country artist said in 2022. “It’s reminder that by His grace, I have been set free.”
Featured image by Joseph Okpako/WireImage
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