Trisha Yearwood Songs: 25 Tunes That Will Blow You Away

Trisha Yearwood songs have become the soundtrack of our lives for the last 30 years, and the more we get the know her, the more we ask ourselves … what can’t Trisha Yearwood do?

For starters, the country music superstar is an Emmy winner for her Trisha’s Southern Kitchen show on the Food Network and she’s written three bestselling cookbooks. She’s also released her own line of dinnerware for Williams-Sonoma and helped craft some killer cocktail mixes for them, too. Cheers!

MUST-READ: Country Icon Trisha Yearwood Reflects on Grand Ole Opry Induction, Her Newest Culinary Endeavor & More! (EXCLUSIVE)

Then there’s her line of pet food and products and Dottie’s Yard, the nonprofit she launched to support rescue animals. She even found time for her and husband Garth Brooks to co-host the week long Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina, at the start of October. “We’ll never fill their shoes, but we’re doing the best we can,” Yearwood told People about stepping up for the ailing former president and first lady.

(Learn more about Trisha’s love for cooking and her tips to living a joy-filled life in our exclusive Woman’s World interview from 2019).

With a schedule — and resume — as packed as hers, it’s no wonder that Garth Brooks has no qualms about humbly bowing to his wife’s beauty, brains and talent. “When she walks into a room, nobody gives a damn about Garth Brooks,” he told The List Show TV. “It’s all about Trisha. On the farm, my nickname is Mr. Yearwood.”

Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, 2019Roy Rochlin/WireImage/Getty

Still, we can’t forget what makes us Trisha Yearwood fans: Those songs! That voice! At times achingly fragile and emotive, she can also ramp it up and sing so powerfully that you think your furniture is going to be lifted right up and moved clear across the room.

“Cry Myself to Sleep,” her new cover duet with sister-queen Wynonna Judd for the brand-new Tribute to the Judds album, is already an instant classic. And the future might even hold a full duet album with her talented husband, which they teased earlier this year during a segment of Brooks’ Inside Studio G Facebook series.

Trisha Yearwood performs onstage with Wynonna Judd, 2022Jason Kempin/Getty

Until that project develops, dive into our list of 25 Trisha Yearwood songs that showcase her brilliant vocals, range and phrasing. We could list so many more from her rich catalogue but this group, like the singer herself, is sure to impress.

1. “She’s in Love With the Boy” (1991)

The first on our Trisha Yearwood songs list is the artist’s first solo release, written by Jon Ims, is country at its finest. Not surprisingly, she hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts straight out of her career gates. Yearwood’s pitch-perfect delivery clearly conveys all the jumbled emotions of young sweethearts Katie and Tommy — the latter of which does not have the approval of Katie’s dad.

You can hear the sly joy in Yearwood’s voice during the song’s clever “oh snap!” ending when Katie’s mom saves the day. In 2021, it earned the title as the most listened to country song by a female artist in 30-plus years.

2. “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart” (1991)

Co-written by Pat Alger and her then future husband Brooks, this heartbreaking ballad deftly showcases Yearwood’s softer, more vulnerable side. With backing vocals by “Mr. Yearwood” himself, the song, as the lyrics note, is about two lonely and wounded lovers who’ve “both loved and lost before and know the sadness it can bring,” as well as the comfort they hope to find through a night spent together.

3. “That’s What I Like About You” (1991)

The singer turned the sass dial way up on this gender-flipped cover of a previously recorded tune from James House, which was written by Kevin Welch, John Hadley and Wally Wilson. With lyrics like “Don’t want a man like a shadow on the ground, with nothing else to do but follow me around,” Yearwood cheekily laid down the law while channeling some of Loretta Lynn’s spunk on this quick-stepping honky-tonk tune.

(Read here for 10 of Loretta Lynn’s most notable collaborations)

4. “Wrong Side of Memphis” (1992)

This first single off Hearts in Armor, her sophomore album, is a semi-autobiographical tune co-written by the brilliant Matraca Berg. It tracks a young woman living just south of Music City as she decides to make the big move to Nashville and roll the dice on making it big.

“It had everything about how we dream about getting here and doing this for a living, and packing up the car and not knowing a soul…I just related to it,” Yearwood said when she performed the song alongside Berg at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe.

5. “Walkaway Joe” (1992)

Yearwood duets on this cautionary tune with one of her musical idols, Don Henley of the Eagles. We know things are headed south right off the bat, as a young girl speeds off with the title ne’er-do-well against her mom’s warnings.

As the chorus notes, he was “born to be a leaver” and is “destined to deceive her.” By the time they pull over in Abilene, Texas — where (spoiler alert) things rarely go well in country songs — he robs a gas station and she’s starting to read the writing on the wall. Still, thanks to Yearwood’s talents, the listener feels a gut punch when the girl wakes up in a motel room and reaches for his arm.

“But she’ll just keep on reachin’ on,” Yearwood sings. Henley’s lush harmonies helped steer this classic to No. 2 on the Billboard country charts and—fun fact!—a young Matthew McConaughey stars as the video’s bad boy.

6. “The Song Remembers When” (1993)

This melancholy title track off her third album captures the power that songs have on our memories, “even if the whole world has forgotten,” as the song explains. Hearing just a line of a specific lyric can catapult us back to a specific time and place in time, and this was a very good time for Yearwood: The tune not only hit No. 2 on Billboard’s country chart, but it entered its Hot 100 chart as well. Tony Award winner Kristen Chenoweth later covered it in 2005 for her As I Am CD.

7. “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl)” (1994)

This toe-tapper, another co-written by Matraca Berg, sits in Yearwood’s sweet spot: championing everyday, all-American women, those who used to tie their hair up in ribbons and bows and sign their letters with the titular XXX’s and OOO’s.

“She’s got her God and she’s got good wine, Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline,” Yearwood croons, and when performed live, the line “slow dance, second chance, momma needs romance … and a live-in maid” always gets the crowd hollerin’. It celebrates and validates most listeners’ day-to-day lives, hopes and even gripes (crying babies, TV diets), and that relatability took it to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s country charts.

8. “Thinkin’ About You” (1995)

Just like “She’s in Love With the Boy” and “XXX’s and OOO’s,” this straight-up love song hit big and became Yearwood’s third No. 1 song on Billboard’s country charts. The title track off of her fifth studio album earned comparisons to those of another idol of hers: Linda Ronstadt. She “is my hero. She’s my inspiration. She’s the reason that I wanted to be a singer and why I still want to sing,” Yearwood said after honoring Ronstadt at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, where she sang “You’re No Good” and duetted with Aaron Neville on “Don’t Know Much.”

9. “On a Bus to St. Cloud” (1995)

Written by Gretchen Peters, another favorite songwriter of Yearwood’s, this haunting tune didn’t get the chart success it deserved, but it remains a favorite of true fans. It traces the emotions of a woman who sees the face of a loved one who died of suicide everywhere, which is song element that Peters didn’t even plan.

“When I wrote the line, ‘I wept in the arms of Jesus for the choice you made,’ that’s when I knew what had happened,” Peters told American Songwriter. With lyrics and imagery as gorgeous as they are sad (“I thought I saw you there, with the snow falling down around you, like a silent prayer”), it’s sure to leave any listener misty.

10. “Believe Me Baby (I Lied)” (1996)

Put the Kleenex away: It’s back to some sassy fun! This bouncy release shot to No. 1 and finds a woman assuring her beau that she was just lying when she was telling him that she wanted him “out of sight and out of mind.”

One huge fan of the song? Kelly Clarkson, who, during COVID quarantine, asked Yearwood to virtually duet on the tune in 2020 for her talk show. And. It. Does. Not. Disappoint. “I love you Trisha Yearwood!! You are the greatest singer on this planet. I can’t stand you!” Clarkson gushes at the end, adding, “I’m so blessed to sing with you!”

11. “Everybody Knows” (1996)

With its catchy opening guitar riffs and powerfully belted out lines (“I don’t want a shrink, don’t even want a drink, give me some chocolate and a magazine”), this rocker is a certified winner. It finds Yearwood unable to escape her mom, her co-workers, her preacher and a ton of others offering unwanted help after a breakup. “Everybody knows what to do about my misery, everybody but me,” Yearwood wryly notes in the song, another gem co-written by Matraca Berg.

12. “How Do I Live” (1997)

This Oscar-nominated song from Con Air, written by songwriting legend Diane Warren, “became bigger than itself,” Yearwood noted in a TV interview. The tune was originally recorded by then up-and-comer LeAnn Rimes, just 14 at the time, and the film’s producers reportedly wanted a more mature, country sound for the soundtrack. This caused some controversy and competition on the radio from the record companies, but no bad blood arose between the two artists.

“I would not have chosen to go up against LeAnn Rimes,” Yearwood told the Chicago Tribune, calling her “one of the most amazing voices who’s selling a billion records a minute.” Still, the song became the first ever to have two versions nominated for a Grammy — and Yearwood’s version prevailed for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She also performed it at the Academy Awards the Country Music Association awards, at which she won Female Vocalist of the Year.

13. “In Another’s Eyes” (1997)

This country classic is charged with scandalous emotions, and it marked the first major duet release from Yearwood and Garth Brooks, who co-wrote it with Bobby Wood and John Peppard. “They don’t realize, and I pray they never do, cause every time I look I’m seeing you, in another’s eyes,” the duo sings, later wailing away on the line, “It’s a blessing and a curse that love is blind.”

Aaawkward! Lots of tongues wagged upon its release, as both singers were married to other people at the time, yet it was almost recorded with another female singer due to scheduling conflicts. Luckily, those were straightened out. “Miss Yearwood put on her cape…came in…and saved the day for me,” Brooks recalled during an episode of his Inside Studio G web series.

14. “There Goes My Baby” (1998)

With a sexier video than usual (Yearwood even noted she was nervous for her dad to see it!), this first release from her seventh album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard country charts. The new Trisha Yearwood songs and album marked the first time the singer co-produced any of her work.

Entertainment Weekly applauded the sweeping tune for being “a cheerful weeper” that boasted a “pre-Beatles classicism.” Yearwood’s powerful delivery in the buildup to the song’s closing “bye, bye baby, goodbye!” will tug at your heart as it blows out your speakers.

15. “Where Your Road Leads”(1998)

Co-written by Victoria Shaw and Desmond Child, this anthemic power ballad is another winning duet songs where Trisha Yearwood features future husband Garth Brooks. The track earned them a shared Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaborations for Vocals, and Brooks has talked about being blown away by Yearwood recording her part and nailing it in one take in the studio. Though released seven years before they wed, the lyrics (“If we can love forever, that won’t be long enough for me”) capture the special bond they’ve shared throughout their nearly 19-year marriage.

(Click through to read all about Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks 40-year love story — one of country music’s greatest romances!)

16. “Perfect Love” (1998)

This third hit off her (Songbook) A Collection of Hits CD is an uptempo charmer full of optimism and joy, and Yearwood’s vocals truly soar in the later choruses. While it giddily celebrates the title’s blissful relationship, the lyrics (penned by Sunny Russ and Stephony Smith) allow Yearwood to stay humble and relatable as she belts out lines like, “We’re not tryn’ to make history, it’s just you and me in a perfect love.” This crowd favorite (not surprisingly) became her fifth No. 1 on the Billboard country charts.

17. “Real Live Woman” (2000)

Yearwood raised some eyebrows with the concept for this video, as it’s set at … a peep show?! Well, yes and no. The song is another that celebrates (as its title notes) real, everyday women. So when the screens go up inside the clip’s neon light adorned establishment, the curious men inside are given glances of a doctor treating her patient, a mom taking care of her sick child, a woman busy working in her office and so on.

“I offer no apologies for the things that I believe and say…and I like it that way,” Yearwood confidently delivers, also touching on body acceptance issues in the song years before “body shaming” became a regular part of our vernacular. “Give yourself a break! Sometimes life just gets in the way and you have to forgive yourself for putting on a few pounds,” as she’s told Parade.

18. “I Would’ve Loved You Anyway” (2001)

This power ballad — one of our favorite Trisha Yearwood songs — finds her promising her ex that, despite the ultimate failure of their relationship, she would’ve done it “all the same. Not a second I would change, not a touch that I would trade, had I known my heart would break,” she belts out in her always stellar vocals. The track, penned by Mary Danna and Troy Verges, peaked at No. 4 and boasted a beautiful, sweeping video that was shot on location in Spain. “It’s such a big song, and it needed a big video,” she told Billboard. “Nobody will think we made this video in Nashville, that’s for sure.”

19. “Inside Out” (2001)

Yearwood partners again with Don Henley on this playful title love song off her ninth studio album. Written by rocker Bryan Adams, this fresh-sounding, R&B-influenced, stand-out in Trisha Yearwood songs, brought the artist a lot of joy in the studio.

“I laughed a lot making this album and I felt I wanted it to come through in the music,” Yearwood told Cox News Service. “When I heard ‘Inside Out,’ I thought of [Henley even though] I try not to call my celebrity friends too often,” she added of re-teaming with the Eagles’ drummer. The duo received a 2002 Grammy nod for Country Collaboration With Vocals for their efforts.

20. “I Don’t Paint Myself Into Corners” (2002)

Tinged with steel guitar and fiddle flourishes, this Inside Out track was praised for being “stone cold country” by Billboard. The lyrics tell of a woman starting all over after a painful split, realizing she’d “locked myself behind shades of mystery.”

This is another one of those Trisha Yearwood songs where she truly lets her vocals fly as the song reaches its climax and the narrator embraces her identity again and sets herself free from the past.. This stunner, which is sure to give listeners some goosebumps, was co-written by Trey Bruce and Rebecca Lynn Howard, with Howard having previously released it herself. This stands as another track of Yearwood’s that never got the credit it truly deserved.

21. “Georgia Rain” (2005)

Trisha Yearwood goes back to her Peach State roots in this first release off her Jasper County album, with songs that were released eight months before she and Brooks officially tied the knot. Her “something borrowed” (lucky for us) is his background vocals on this sentimental track about a woman taking a walk down memory lane and remembering her first love under the titular precipitation. The track, written by Ed Hill and Karyn Rochelle, is purely fictional and not about any particular ex of hers, though. “There may be one or two who think it’s about them, but it’s not,” she joked in an interview at the time.

(Read on for our roundup of the 20 greatest Garth Brooks songs of all time.)

22. “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love” (2007)

The roof-raising title track off the first album she recorded after marrying Brooks finds Yearwood barreling through a rowdy romp that speaks to the three elements in its title. The video finds her fanning herself in a Southern church as she preaches about the power of love to some enthusiastic congregants who reward her with a chorus of hallelujahs at the clip’s end. That same energy is alive throughout the track, with Slant Magazine noting that “Yearwood doesn’t ‘sing’ so much as deliver a pew-jumping sermon,” adding that she “can belt and growl better than just about anyone.” To that, we’ll add our own “Preach!” and “Hallelujah!”

23. “Prizefighter” (2004)

It’s a battle of two powerhouse vocalists when Kelly Clarkson steps into the ring of this title track off Yearwood’s PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit collection. Lines like “When you’re sweating from the fear, you look it in the eye, turn the sound of defeat into your battle cry,” make it a knockout motivational tune that actually brings up bittersweet emotions for Yearwood, who noted that it not only reminds her of her late mother’s cancer battle, but so much more. “I think about the soldiers I visited at Walter Reed [National Military Medical Center]. I think about little kids going to school and getting bullied,” she told Billboard.

24. “Every Girl in This Town” (2019)

We weren’t kidding when we said that this is Yearwood’s sweet spot: championing the real, live women (to borrow from another song title) all across the country. This is another one of those songs where Trisha Yearwood is inspiring and raising listeners up with lyrics from Erik Dylan, Connie Harringon and Caitlyn Smith, telling them that “if they try to hold you down under that water, just come up baptized baby, let it make you stronger.”

The celebratory video captures a diverse group of girls of all ages singing and dancing along to the incredibly uplifting anthem, which “kind of emerged as this kind of girl power song, without being preachy,” Yearwood said on PEOPLE Now. And when Yearwood sings, “Dust yourself off, put your lipstick on, you’ve got this baby,” who are we to argue?

25. “Shallow” (2020)

Yearwood raises the roof belting out Lady Gaga’s part from the pop diva’s duet with Bradley Cooper from their 2008 A Star Is Born remake. Cooper’s part is sung by Garth Brooks (obviously!), and the country couple’s cover gained traction and popularity after they performed it online upon a fan’s request. So, did they got any feedback from Gaga and Cooper? “As long as we don’t, we figure they love it,” Yearwood quipped to guest host tWitch on The Ellen Show in 2021. Fans definitely loved it, and it reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, becoming yet another smash collaboration for the power couple.

Now, about that duets album….