According to the Recording Academy, the Grammy Awards are held annually “to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry.” The Recording Academy’s mission is to preserve music as a vital and enduring element of our culture.
“Since the Grammy award is the only peer-voted award in music, this means artists are recognized, awarded, and celebrated by those in their fields and industries, ultimately making the value of a Grammy truly priceless and immeasurable,” the Grammys website states.
On Friday, Nov. 8, the full list of nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards was announced along with the awards ceremony date on Feb. 4, 2025. For the upcoming ceremony, there are 94 categories, but for this piece, two will be considered and analyzed: Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Certain thoughts may be flooding through your mind like, “‘What’s the difference?’ ‘Doesn’t that mean the same thing?’ ‘What song should win each category?’”
According to the Grammys website, the award for Song of the Year is judged according to “the composition of a song and recognizes the songwriters who wrote the song,” while the award for Record of the Year is judged according to “the specific recording of a song and recognizes the artists, producers, and engineers who contribute to that recording.”
Simply put, Song of the Year is an award for the integrity of the song itself, and Record of the Year is an award for the integrity of the production and creation of the recording.
For example, at the 66th annual Grammy Awards last year, Miley Cyrus’ song “Flowers” won the Record of the Year award. The people who received the Grammy on behalf of that song include Miley Cyrus herself, producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, engineers/mixers Michael Pollack, Brian Rajaratnam, Mark “Spike” Stent and the mastering engineer Joe LaPorta.
For Song of the Year, the award went to “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, and the people who received the Grammy on behalf of that song include the songwriters, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell.
However, these categories do have lots of overlap and on occasion, overlapping winners. This year, five songs were nominated for both Record and Song of the Year, with only eight nominations in each category.
The nominations for Song of the Year are as follows:
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey
- “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish
- “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
- “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone
- “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
- “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
- “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter
- “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce
This category focuses on the songwriting and composition of a song, so I judged these songs based on the lyricism, intended theme and sense of voice that the songwriters displayed.
In my opinion, the song that most deserves this award is “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. This song has a driving drum beat and catchy tune, but neither deters the listener from Roan’s cutting lyrics and crystal-clear voice. According to CapitalFM, she sings about a past closeted relationship where the other person was in denial about her sexuality. Roan’s casual sarcasm, even in the title, shows that she believes the other person will never truly embrace their sexuality and this fact will always haunt them.
On the other hand, Kendrick Lamar’s fourth diss track out of four aimed at rapper Drake, “Not Like Us”, shows his lyrical prowess in an upbeat, catchy, and even humorous way. According to Billboard’s website, the song aims to distance himself from Drake as much as possible, explicitly stating that Lamar does not condone any of Drake’s sexually promiscuous behavior, especially including sexual misconduct with minors that Drake has been repeatedly accused of. Will this song realistically win Song of the Year? No! Nevertheless, it is a strong contender, and a much stronger contender than about half of the other nominated songs.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is nothing more than a standard upbeat pop-country ballad singing about Nashville and what Nashville does best: drink. Even the so-called “deeper meaning” of the song simply reflects shallow escapism and normalized alcoholism. This song should not win this award, and I would be extremely shocked if it managed to do so.
“Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish is an upbeat track for her, more lighthearted than a lot of her work. The song revolves around Eilish’s enduring and consistent love for someone, with the “til death do us part” mentality. This is a cute, bouncy song, but does not compare in lyricism or meaning to her song that won the category the previous year, “What Was I Made For?”
Taylor Swift is once again nominated for a wide array of Grammy nominations, including “Fortnight” that she and Post Malone received nominations for both Record and Song of the Year. Swift is one of the most decorated female artists in Grammy history, so I use that as a level of discretion. She is undeniably an extremely talented songwriter, which this category is looking to recognize, but I don’t think this song stands out in Swift’s discography enough to have the award bestowed.
The nominations for Record of the Year are as follows:
- “Now and Then” by The Beatles
- “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce
- “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter
- “360” by Charli XCX
- “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish
- “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
- “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
- “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone
This category focuses on the production, mixing and overall auditory contributions to a recording, so I judged these songs based on production quality and level of instrumentality, among other things.
It might be hard to avoid my bias in this category because, in this instance, the song I would like to win the award and the song I think will win the award is different.
As an avid Beatles fan, I was ecstatic at the release of their new single “Now and Then” last November using artificial intelligence to isolate and incorporate old John Lennon vocals. The song also used guitar tracks from the late George Harrison to incorporate all members of the Beatles in their final release as a band. In terms of the importance and significance of this single to the Beatles, music technology, and the music industry itself, I would love to see this song win a Grammy, which would be the band’s first Grammy in this millennium. However, the song did not have as much commercial success as I would have hoped. I doubt this song will win this category, which is stacked with an impressive list of nominations from an impressive list of artists.
However, the song that I think will win isn’t a song that I am against winning in the slightest. In fact, I hope this album wins more Grammys than hopefully this one. I think “360” by Charli XCX will win Record of the Year. As the opening track for Charli’s BRAT album, the song’s quick percussion and quotable, witty one-liners set up the rest of the album as the masterpiece it is. Along that path, the “brat summer” movement was huge, and I hope the Recording Academy can recognize that. Charli XCX’s branding for this album was impeccable, including the trademarked brat green, remix albums, features and TikTok trends.
As much as I would like to see Sabrina Carpenter win a Grammy in one of these categories, I don’t think it’s in the cards this time around. Carpenter focuses much more on her vocal performance, witty lyrics and dancing beat than a strong or intricate production level, so these categories are not the most suited for her strengths. It will be interesting to see who walks away with the Grammy for Best New Artist, considering the category includes Carpenter, Roan, Benson Boone and Shaboozey.
All in all, the 67th annual Grammy Awards are poised to be interesting with huge names, huge singles, and dedicated fanbases. In no way am I claiming to be a qualified music critic. My tastes and opinions shine through this piece, which I am not claiming to be fact. If you disagree, great! If you agree, great!