A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Right about now, music critics are sharing their favorite albums of the year or favorite songs, but we are going even more granular. What were the most memorable lyrics of 2025? Well, we asked a few experts here at NPR Music.
TOM HUIZENGA, BYLINE: Tom Huizenga here, and the words that kept ringing in my ear this year come from Joan Shelley. She's the Kentucky singer-songwriter with a really velvety voice. And the words that stick with me are...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHO DO YOU WANT CHECKING IN ON YOU")
JOAN SHELLEY: (Singing) Who do you want checking in on you?
HUIZENGA: Who do you want checking in on you?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHO DO YOU WANT CHECKING IN ON YOU")
SHELLEY: (Singing) Who do you want seeing your decline? Is it my prying eyes or a stranger's...
HUIZENGA: Who do you want seeing your decline? Is it my prying eyes or a stranger's? And I have to say those words are really hitting home these days for me as my dear mom, who is about to turn 94, is successfully recovering from a fall. She still lives alone, and my brother and I have been, quote, "checking in" on her a lot. But we've also had to have, like, health care folks there, like, strangers, right? And Joan Shelley's song, at least for me, is just a clear-eyed reminder that, you know, in the end, we all want someone to be checking in on us when the end of this road is in view.
(SOUNDBITE OF BROGEAL SONG, "SCARLET RED")
ANN POWERS, BYLINE: I'm Ann Powers. I'm a huge fan of love songs. I love them when they're really flowery, really inspiring, but best of all when they're just innocent. I discovered one this year by the Scottish band Brogeal. It's called "Scarlet Red," and I really think it brings something new to the love song tradition.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SCARLET RED")
BROGEAL: (Singing) Go to sleep in a little while. When you're tired, it makes me smile.
POWERS: Brogeal is one of those - I guess you'd call them a folk punk band. They're incorporating traditional Scottish music with really raucous rock 'n' roll. But this song is a little different. It's an ode to his partner, and it's so sweet. And the lyrics that jumped out to me come kind of in the middle of the song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SCARLET RED")
BROGEAL: (Singing) I'd let you pick out all my clothes forever. I'd even let you blow my nose and never let you down or turn the other cheek.
POWERS: I just - (laughter) I love this couplet. First of all, it is young love in a nutshell, right? I'd let you pick out all my clothes forever. I'd even let you blow my nose. He's so besotted by this person that he is not only willing to let them shape his image, but even reach out and wipe away (laughter) whatever's coming out of his nose. That's so intimate. Such a beautiful detail. He's playing with the conventions of a love song in such a sweet, simple way. I just love it.
MARTÍNEZ: From the NPR Music team, that's Ann Powers with the Brogeal song "Scarlet Red." Before that, Tom Huizenga with Joan Shelley's "Who Do You Want Checking In On You." We'll have more of the best lyrics of 2025 as we get closer to the new year.
(SOUNDBITE OF BROGEAL SONG, "SCARLET RED") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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