These are the top songs from each category in the 2005 competition. Vocal ability and production quality was not taken into consideration. The Folk and Country winners placed with simple acoustic and vocal recordings. The Instrumental winner won with just a piano piece. The Christian/Gospel winner placed with a live performance. The judges consider only the songwriting aspects of the songs. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners are listed below. The other songs are listed in no particular order. 

*You may need Windows Media Player to listen to the audio files.

Lyrics Only

Song: Inside By: George D. Williams From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada About the Songwriter: George is a Canadian lyricist who believes that words come from poetry within the heart. He started writing lyrics when he was 12 years of age and has continued to pursue his passion in adulthood.  He started taking guitar lessons when he was in high school but could not make the notes flow as natural as the words that came to him. Therefore, he decided to continue pursuing his lyric skills since it was "his obvious strength". George believes that the best lyrics and poems come to him when he is not looking for them. "I have woke up many nights with a great play on words and I know I have to write it down immediately. It seems that when my mind is not searching for ideas, that is when they come flooding in." George is currently working with a guitarist and pianist while trying to get his lyrics and poems into musical compositions.

Pop

Song: Nobody Knows By:  Keaton Simons From: Encino, California, USA About the Songwriter: Keaton' songwriting is commercially viable while making itself accessible to Rock, Pop, and Adult Contemporary formats. He creates a diversity within different genres while keeping  true to his own unique style. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his songwriting is the fanciful way he brings the listener to the chorus with lyrics anyone can relate to. Keaton's training ranges from 20th century classical composition to Indonseian gamelan music as well as jazz.

Country

Song: Wish I Was Kissin' My High School Boyfriend            By:  Debbie Pascarella & John Wesley Coutts From: Middletown, New Jersey, USA About the Songwriters: Debbie Pascarella of Middletown, New Jersey, is a Song of the Year veteran, having been a Finalist in October 2004 and Honorable Mention in September and October of 2005. She has earned several recognitions from various industry publications in recent years. Her works span all genres of music. John Wesley Coutts, a native of Scotland, cut is musical teeth on classic Country, then graduated to performing Pop music in the early 70s. Disillusioned with the late 70s music scene, John turned his efforts toward songwriting for established acts, a move that carried him on through the late 90s. Debbie and John met while being paired up during a "Blind Date Challenge" collaboration workshop through SongU.com . The end result has been 7 song collaborations, including "Wish I Was Kissin' My High School Boyfriend."

Folk

Song: That's Gonna Be Me By:  Mitch Townley & Donna Galbraith From: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA About the Songwriter: Mitch Townley is a children's pastor in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has been writing Country and Contemporary Christian lyrics for some time now and has several accolades to his name. Mitch is a returning veteran of the 2004 competition, where he placed as an April Finalist in the Christian/Gospel category. Donna Galbraith is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Longmont, Colorado. She has an accomplished list of award-winning songs and  has an indie label album to her credit. A friend and co-writer of Mitch's, Donna lent her composing talents in writing the music and providing the vocals for "That's Gonna Be Me."

Christian/Gospel

Song: So In Need  (Only a sample of the song has been provided online per the songwriter's request) By:  Sherilyn Carr From: Buford, Georgia, USA About the Songwriter: Singing at the top of her lungs and making up songs since she was old enough to sing, Sheri (Keller) Carr has been leading worship in Vineyard churches for over 10 years. After spending the past six years serving on staff at a new church in Mount Vernon, Washington, she and her husband Joshua recently relocated to Georgia to join staff as Worship Director for the Atlanta Vineyard. Sheri continues to write and record her songs and loves having the opportunity to sing and share her story across the world.

Instrumental/Jazz/World

Song: Treasures By:  Rita Struik From: Albany, Ontario, Canada About the Songwriter: Rita Struik, a Cleveland native, is a true student of the craft, having trained in piano, music theory, and composition at the Cleveland Music Settlement. She later earned her BSc in Nursing at Kent State with a minor in music. Post-graduation led her to Ontario with her new husband, a Canadian forester. The surroundings of the Canadian North Woods and the French River proved inspiring in her musical endeavors. Rita's  involvement with the Song of the Year Competition began last year, as she began work on her third CD. Her early intentions were merely to use the critique services. However, the critiques of many of her songs were more like rave reviews, not to mention the unexpected wins. Rita states, "As all my CD's have been just myself on my dime, I was encouraged by the response of the judging panel of Song of the Year to just keep trusting my own musical instincts as I proceeded with the third CD project."

Adult Contemporary

Song: Long Time By:  Adam Marcus From: Bountiful, Utah, USA About the Songwriter: Reaching the highest levels of success is what Adam Marcus is focused on. Honing his talents and motivating listeners with catchy melodies, creative lyrics, and energetic productions are his strategies for the future. Adam is a true believer in the power of believing. Beating the odds and staying his course is what has made Adam who he is. Adam declares that he is constantly striving for that one last stretch to become better, while maintaining his focus and determination on his dreams. Adam sums it up best when declaring his ambitions, "I want to be known for something great. Greatness can be achieved and legacies are reborn."

Rock

Song: Without   By:  Chris Sernel From: Park Ridge, Illinois, USA About the Songwriter: Chris Sernal's songs have placed both in the 2004 monthly competition and the 2005 yearly competition. His style of rock is edgy while maintaining great melodies and nice hooks.  His band has received airplay on stations such as WKQX and WZZN in Chicago along with other spins in Alabama and Wisconsin. Chris states "It's been amazing looking out each night seeing people sing along to the words of our songs." Chris also notes that people have have recognized his material from the Song of the Year competition.

Hip-Hop/R&B

Song: Games By:  Danielle Swaby From: Lawrence, Georgia, USA About the Songwriter: Danielle Swaby, a native of Brooklyn, New York, has been writing songs since age 12. With parents hailing from Trinidad and Granada, Danielle inherited a Caribbean influence in her style, evidenced by the sultry steel drums and 'bangin' bass lines found in her music.  Danielle's song "Games" is a track from her debut album "Different Flavas." Whenever Danielle is asked why she wrote the song "Games" she answers ""I wrote Games to help express feelings that I'm sure many women around the world can relate to. One of my biggest hopes is that I can accurately capture the feelings of others through song".

Electronic/Dance

Song: Waking Up By:  My Studio From: Paris, France About the Songwriters: "My Studio" stands for Miguel & Yani, who are musical partners. They are a songwriting and producing duo with their own pre-production studio. They like to write songs and make them sound as best as they can. Miguel notes "Obviously, the purpose is to bring this project to the next level and in that sense, Song of the Year can definitely help us go in the right direction." Lyrics were written in collaboration with singer/songwriter Milow who joined them on "Waking Up".