Grammy Award for Song of the Year Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Grammy Award for Song of the Year
"Wildflower" by Billie Eilish is the most recent recipient
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Country	United States
First awarded	1959
Currently held by	Billie Eilish – "Wildflower" (2026)

The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is a very special prize given out at the Grammy Awards. These awards started in 1958 and were first called the Gramophone Awards. The Song of the Year award is one of the top four honors at the Grammys. It has been given out every year since the very first Grammy Awards in 1959. This award celebrates amazing artistic work and skill in music. It focuses on the quality of the song itself, not just how many copies it sold.

It's important to know that "Song of the Year" is different from "Record of the Year" or "Album of the Year." Here's how:

Song of the Year is for the people who wrote the song. This means the person or team who created the lyrics and the music. It's about the song as a piece of writing, not a specific recording of it.
Record of the Year is for a specific recorded version of a song. This award goes to the artist who performed it, the producer, and the engineers who made the recording sound great.
Album of the Year is for a whole collection of songs, like a full CD or digital album. This award goes to everyone involved in making the album, including the artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers.

What is the Song of the Year Award?
- Amazing Achievements in Songwriting
How Winners Are Chosen
See also

What is the Song of the Year Award?

This important Grammy Award has been given out since 1959. It is one of the top four awards at the Grammys. While the "Record of the Year" award celebrates the performers and production team, "Song of the Year" honors the people who wrote the song. This means the composers who created the melodies and lyrics. A song usually needs to be new or become popular during the year it's considered for the award.

Over the years, the rules for this award have changed a bit. For example, in 1992, a cover song called "Unforgettable" won. This song was first famous in the 1950s, but the new recording was eligible.

The Grammys also have other awards just for songwriters in different music styles. These include awards for Country Song, R&B Song, Rock Song, and Rap Song. There are even awards for songs written for movies or TV shows!

The number of songs nominated for Song of the Year has changed too. In 2019, they started nominating eight songs, and in 2022, it went up to ten. However, for the 2024 ceremony, the number of nominees went back to eight. In 2023, a new award called "Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical" was created to celebrate songwriters even more.

Amazing Achievements in Songwriting

Many talented songwriters have won the Song of the Year award. Sometimes, the person who wrote the song is also the one who performs it!

Top Winners and Record Breakers

The siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell hold the record for the most wins in this category. They each won three times for "Bad Guy" (2020), "What Was I Made For?" (2024), and "Wildflower" (2026).
Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II is the only songwriter to win the award two years in a row. He won in 2021 and 2022.
Other songwriters who have won twice include Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, James Horner, Will Jennings, U2, Adele, Christopher Brody Brown, and Bruno Mars.

Most Nominations

Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff have received the most nominations for Song of the Year, with eight nominations each. Jack Antonoff won in 2013, but Taylor Swift has not yet won this specific award.
Bruno Mars has seven nominations, and Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, Billie Eilish, and Finneas O'Connell each have six nominations.

Firsts and Youngest/Oldest Winners

The first woman to win this award was Carole King in 1972 for her song "You've Got a Friend".
Adele was the first female songwriter to win the award twice.
Lorde became the youngest songwriter to win at just 17 years old in 2014 for "Royals".
The oldest winner was Irving Gordon, who won in 1992 at age 77 for "Unforgettable".
Christopher Cross and Billie Eilish are the only artists to win all four major Grammy awards (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist) in the same year.
The song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" from 1959, sung in Italian, is the only non-English song to win this award.
"Theme of Exodus" (1961) is the only instrumental song to win.
"This is America" by Childish Gambino and "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar are the only rap songs to win.
In 1978, there was a tie! Two songs, "Evergreen" and "You Light Up My Life", both won the award.
The song "That's What I Like" (2018) holds the record for the most writers on a winning song, with eight people.

Other Interesting Facts

Many winning songs have also won the "Record of the Year" award.
A good number of winning songs were written by just one songwriter.
Some songs that won Song of the Year also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for movies!

How Winners Are Chosen

The process for choosing the Song of the Year has changed over time. For many years, members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences would nominate their favorite songs. Then, a special group of anonymous members would pick the top five songs for the final nominations. After that, all members would vote for the winner from those five.

In 2018, the number of nominated songs increased to eight. In 2021, the special review committees were removed. Now, the final nominees for Song of the Year are decided directly by votes from all members. In 2022, the number of nominees temporarily increased to ten, but for the 2024 ceremony, it went back to eight.