From tear-jerkers to mic-drops, NPR's music critics share the 2025 lyrics that made them laugh, cry and hit replay.

Just because a song is a novelty song doesn't mean it's easier to write, as Whisperin' Bill Anderson can attest.

Forty-seven years ago today, a singing cowgirl who toured with a Wild West act and made country music history died.

“The rhythm was a John Lee Hooker riff that we sort of straightened out. It wasn’t copied, it was inspired. You only get in ...