1. Union veteran returns, marries his fiancée, and names his first son after his buddy who died riding up to bring back extra men: "Billy, Don't Be A Hero"
2. West Texas cowboy decides to go ahead and let a stranger steal his girlfriend; they leave and he stays to hang out at the bar: "El Paso"
3. Three miners die of starvation during a mine cave-in": "Timothy"
4. Alabama native Willie McCoy is killed in a fight at a pool hall: "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"
5. Man meets former fiancée at his mother's funeral; they get married this time and stay together until he dies: "Alone Again (Naturally)"
6. Atlanta detectives exhume two bodies and through DNA testing link the murder of Andy Wolloe to his friend's sister; the friend is pardoned posthumously: "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia"
7. Visually-impaired football fan attends game; his son doesn't play and the team loses: "Last Game Of The Season (A Blind Man In The Bleachers)"
8. Dockworker and waitress get better jobs, earn more money, and buy a mansion on the Jersey shore: "Livin' On A Prayer"
9. Songwriter just goes to sleep when he's tired: "25 or 6 to 4"
10. Young man decides to spend beyond his means on accommodations in his new city and checks in to the Ritz-Carlton: "Y.M.C.A."
11. Native American woman proudly checks "multiracial" on 2010 census: "Half-Breed"
12. Vietnam veteran and his brother return, get good jobs, and have happy lives: "Born In The U.S.A."
13. Ore vessel unloads 26,000 tons in Cleveland, sails back to Lake Superior: "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
14. Priest changes denominations to Episcopalian so he can marry church volunteer; his ministry affects many: "Eleanor Rigby"
15. Missing dog found under tree in backyard: "Shannon"
16. Man drives slowly through intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Whittier Drive and heads off to go surfing: "Dead Man's Curve"
17. Waitress marries sailor: "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)"

Bonus: Man and nephew decide to share gold and go to Mexico together: "Me And My Uncle"