Grammy Award for Song of the Year facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grammy Award for Song of the Year |
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"Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar is the most recent recipient
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| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1959 |
| Currently held by | Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (2025) |
The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is a special honor given out at the Grammy Awards. This awards show started in 1958 to celebrate amazing music. The Song of the Year award has been given to songwriters every year since the first ceremony in 1959.
This award is one of the "Big Four" Grammys, which are the most important prizes of the night. The other three are Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year.
The Song of the Year award is for the songwriters who create a song's lyrics and melody. It celebrates the song itself, not just how it was performed or how many copies it sold.
Contents
What's the Difference Between the Big Awards?
It can be confusing, but Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year are all different. Here's a simple breakdown:
- Song of the Year goes to the songwriters. It's for the person or people who wrote the words and the music. Think of it as an award for the song on paper.
- Record of the Year goes to the performing artist and the production team (like producers and engineers). This award is for a specific recording of a song.
- Album of the Year is for an entire album. The award is given to the artist, songwriters, and the whole production team who worked on the album.
History of the Award
The Song of the Year award has been a part of the Grammys since the very beginning in 1959. It's a huge honor for anyone who writes songs. The award is given to the songwriter for creating a new song with both a melody and lyrics.
Originally, the rules were a bit different. For example, in 1992, Natalie Cole won for her version of "Unforgettable". This song was actually written and made famous by her father, Nat King Cole, many years earlier in the 1950s.
Over the years, the Grammys added more awards for songwriters in specific music styles. These include awards like Best Country Song and Best Rock Song. In 2023, a new award called Songwriter of the Year was created to honor a songwriter's work over the whole year.
The number of songs nominated for this award has changed. In 2019, it went up to eight nominees. In 2022, it was ten. But starting in 2024, it went back to eight nominees.
Amazing Achievements
Many artists who won this award also performed the song they wrote. This includes famous names like John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Adele, Billie Eilish, and Kendrick Lamar.
Record-Breaking Songwriters
- Most Nominations: Taylor Swift holds the record for the most nominations in this category. She has been nominated eight times but has not yet won this award.
- Youngest Winner: Lorde was only 17 years old when she won in 2014 for her song "Royals".
- Oldest Winner: Irving Gordon was 77 when he won in 1992 for the song "Unforgettable".
- Back-to-Back Wins: Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II is the only songwriter to win two years in a row. He won in 2021 for "I Can't Breathe" and in 2022 for "Leave the Door Open".
- First Female Winner: Carole King was the first woman to win, back in 1972 for "You've Got a Friend".
Unique Winners
- The first rap song to be nominated was "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The first rap song to win was "This Is America" by Childish Gambino in 2019.
- Only one song in a foreign language has ever won. "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" is an Italian song that won in 1959.
- In 1978, there was a tie! Both "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand and "You Light Up My Life" by Joe Brooks won the award.
How are the Winners Chosen?
Members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the group that runs the Grammys) vote for the songs. First, they create a long list of possible songs. Then, all the members vote to choose the final eight nominees. Finally, they vote again to pick the winner from the nominees.
List of Winners
Here are some of the songwriters and songs that have won this major award over the years. The performing artist is listed, but they don't receive this specific award unless they were also a writer. An asterisk (*) means the song also won Record of the Year.
2020s
| Year | Songwriter(s) | Work | Performing artist(s) | Ref |
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| 2020 | Billie Eilish O'Connell Finneas O'Connell |
"Bad Guy" * | Billie Eilish | |
| 2021 | Dernst Emile II H.E.R. Tiara Thomas |
"I Can't Breathe" | H.E.R. | |
| 2022 | Brandon Anderson Christopher Brody Brown Dernst Emile II Bruno Mars |
"Leave the Door Open" * | Silk Sonic | |
| 2023 | Bonnie Raitt | "Just Like That" | Bonnie Raitt | |
| 2024 | Billie Eilish O'Connell Finneas O'Connell |
"What Was I Made For?" | Billie Eilish | |
| 2025 | Kendrick Lamar | "Not Like Us" * | Kendrick Lamar |
2010s
| Year | Songwriter(s) | Work | Performing artist(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Thaddis Harrell Beyoncé Knowles Terius Nash Christopher Stewart |
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | Beyoncé | |
| 2011 | Dave Haywood Josh Kear Charles Kelley Hillary Scott |
"Need You Now" * | Lady Antebellum | |
| 2012 | Adele Adkins Paul Epworth |
"Rolling in the Deep" * | Adele | |
| 2013 | Nate Ruess Jack Antonoff Jeff Bhasker Andrew Dost |
"We Are Young" | Fun featuring Janelle Monáe | |
| 2014 | Joel Little Ella Yelich-O'Connor |
"Royals" | Lorde | |
| 2015 | James Napier William Phillips Sam Smith |
"Stay with Me" * | Sam Smith | |
| 2016 | Ed Sheeran Amy Wadge |
"Thinking Out Loud" | Ed Sheeran | |
| 2017 | Adele Adkins Greg Kurstin |
"Hello" * | Adele | |
| 2018 | Christopher Brody Brown James Fauntleroy Philip Lawrence Bruno Mars Ray Charles McCullough II Jeremy Reeves Ray Romulus Jonathan Yip |
"That's What I Like" | Bruno Mars | |
| 2019 | Donald Glover Ludwig Göransson Jeffery Lamar Williams |
"This Is America" * | Childish Gambino |
2000s
| Year | Songwriter(s) | Work | Performing artist(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Itaal Shur Rob Thomas |
"Smooth" * | Santana featuring Rob Thomas | |
| 2001 | Adam Clayton David Evans Larry Mullen Jr. Paul Hewson |
"Beautiful Day" * | U2 | |
| 2002 | Alicia Keys | "Fallin'" | Alicia Keys | |
| 2003 | Jesse Harris | "Don't Know Why" * | Norah Jones | |
| 2004 | Richard Marx Luther Vandross |
"Dance with My Father" | Luther Vandross | |
| 2005 | John Mayer | "Daughters" | John Mayer | |
| 2006 | Adam Clayton David Evans Larry Mullen Jr. Paul Hewson |
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" | U2 | |
| 2007 | Emily Robison Martie Maguire Natalie Maines Dan Wilson |
"Not Ready to Make Nice" * | Dixie Chicks | |
| 2008 | Amy Winehouse | "Rehab" * | Amy Winehouse | |
| 2009 | Guy Berryman Jonny Buckland Will Champion Chris Martin |
"Viva la Vida" | Coldplay |
- Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
- The performing artist is only listed but does not receive the award.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Premio Grammy a la canción del año para niños
- Grammy Award for Record of the Year
- Grammy Award for Best Country Song
- Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
- Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
- Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
