The Nominees: Song Of The Year
Next general category up in our pre-Grammys preview: Song of the Year.
Just a refresher from the other day: Song of the Year is one of two awards to serve as a prize for a song in a general capacity, rather than a genre field (like Best Pop Performance, or Best Rap Song, etc.). The other, of course, is Record Of The Year. Annually, the inevitable question from reasonable people-- myself included --is, what is the difference between the two? To be honest, I've never really known a good answer, so, from the horse's mouth: "The Record Of The Year category recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist. The Song Of The Year category recognizes the songwriter(s)." Essentially, I think what this is saying is that Record Of The Year is more a trophy for the general production of a song, while Song Of The Year is more about the bare-bones music and lyrics.
Most years, there are one or two tracks that get the double nom for Song and Record of the Year. This year, that number of nominees you will recognize from the Record of the Year rundown is three. All that being said, here are the nominees for SOTY, in order from least to most likely to win, according to odds from GoldDerby.com.
"Bring My Flowers Now" - Tanya Tucker
Odds: 19-2
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Daniel's Music Ranking: 6/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 7/10
One of those nominees that did not feature in that Record of the Year and, perhaps relatedly, is an extremely surprising nominee, is this offering from Country legend Tanya Tucker. It helps that "Bring My Flowers Now" was penned in part by Tucker's producer Brandi Carlile, who was nominated for 6 Grammys last year. But still, a slow, little-known Country ballad isn't exactly 'Grammy bait,' yet here we are. The song's beauty is in its lyrics; it's not particularly memorable musically, but Tucker's wistful, reflective words are poignant.
"Norman fucking Rockwell" - Lana Del Rey
Odds: 9-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 62nd
Daniel's Music Ranking: 6/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 9/10
I don't know which of the following surprises me most: a. that Lana Del Rey is nominated for some major Grammys in 2020, b. that her nominations are for a song (and album) that include "Fucking" in its title, or c. that the aforementioned nominated song opens with the lyric "Goddamn, manchild/You fucked me so good that I almost said 'I love you.'" Truly remarkable. Del Rey, the deep and rich-voiced crooner, has a large, dedicated alternative following, but also has been divisive pretty much since her rise to fame, both due to her conspicuous financial background and her outspoken reluctance to be any sort of socio-political figure. However, divisiveness and all, expletive-laden tracks and all, she's become too big for the Grammys to ignore, as Norman Fucking Rockwell! was easily one of the most-acclaimed albums of 2019, and its title track finds itself nominated here. Keeping with the theme of the album, "Norman fucking Rockwell" (the song) is much more pared down musically than the dramatic style Del Rey has become known for accompanying, featuring only a piano and soft strings. However, the lyrics, while no doubt starting with a fairly shocking couplet, are some of the singer's best writing to date, speaking of her dedication to a love interest despite his obvious shortcomings, in tones equally funny, cynical and heartfelt.
"Hard Place" - H.E.R.
Odds: 9-1
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Daniel's Music Ranking: 9/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 7/10
The first 'double nominee' of the bunch, H.E.R.'s "Hard Place" is likely just as much a longshot for Song of the Year as it is for Record of the Year, despite being up for both. As mentioned in the previous article, she performed this track live at last year's show, which may have been what put it on the Recording Academy's radar, but against such radio hits as the ones it's going up against, it's unlikely that H.E.R. scores an upset here-- the last Song of the Year winner that wouldn't really be considered a mainstream hit was probably the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice," back in 2007. It's not like this wouldn't be a deserving winner, however; what the lyrics might lack in profundity, they make up for in vulnerability, and musically, "Hard Place" is gorgeous and stirring.
"Always Remember Us This Way" - Lady Gaga
Odds: 8-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 41st
Daniel's Music Ranking: 7/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 5/10
Though the film A Star Is Born was released in 2018, "Always Remember Us This Way" was not released as a single until after the cutoff for Grammy eligibility for the 2019 ceremony had passed. It never reached the attention that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's smashing collaboration "Shallow," which was nominated for two Grammys last year, did, and thus it is a somewhat unexpected nominee in 2020. Where "Shallow," winner of the Academy Award for Best Song, was widely popular and the heart and soul behind the film, "Always Remember Us This Way" is a less memorable, simple ballad. Lady Gaga's emotion and powerful vocals are still on full display here, and it's a solid song, but if the ubiquitous "Shallow" couldn't snag Song of the Year, I'm skeptical that this will, either.
"Someone You Loved" - Lewis Capaldi
Odds: 15-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Ranking: 4/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 6/10
British singer-songwriter found success both at home and across the pond in 2019 with his breakout hit "Someone You Loved." It's not a surprising nominee in this instance; it reached #1 in the charts, and the Grammys are often fond of the ballads, as evidenced by the nominees this year. That said, it's a fairly uninspired candidate for the top award. It's pretty simplistic lyrically, leaning fairly heavily on the "day bleeds into nightfall" refrain; that said, it'd be inconsistent to compliment H.E.R. on her emotional vulnerability and not do the same for Capaldi, who clearly created this out of place of heartbreak and introspection. Yet, while the singer's voice is stronger and less insipid than the Ed Sheerans and James Blunts of the world, haven't we sort of done the whole "sad British man with a piano/guitar" thing too much?
"Lover" - Taylor Swift
Odds: 6-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 10th
Daniel's Music Ranking: 7/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 9/10
It wasn't all that long ago that Taylor Swift, one of the biggest names in music, was a virtual shoo-in for most major Grammys upon any release of hers. Yet shockingly, after her 2019 album Lover, she is facing the 2nd consecutive Grammys in which she was largely shut out of contending for the major awards. However, unlike last year's Reputation, which was completely left out of the General award categories, she at least has a nominee for Song of the Year this time around, and it comes in the form of her album's title track. It's a terrific choice from her camp; Swift is often recognized for her songwriting, and this is some of her finest work, with a song equal parts sweet, heartfelt, and funny. Musically, "Lover" is nothing groundbreaking but certainly matches the lighthearted, engaging tone of its words.
"Truth Hurts" - Lizzo
Odds: 11-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Ranking: 7/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 8/10
We discussed this in the Record of the Year article, but how crazy is it that a song released in 2017 became the hottest hit of 2019? The re-release of "Truth Hurts" proved to be an ingenious move, as it finds itself nominated for both Record and Song of the Year. You may be tired of hearing it on the radio by now, but there's no denying how catchy and accessible, albeit repetitive, this tune is. And now that we know Lizzo, we know that being equally vulnerable and hilarious in her lyrics is the norm for the artist, but the line "Why men great 'til they gotta be great?" is simply terrific: uncomplicated, but honest and cutting.
"bad guy" - Billie Eilish
Odds: 4-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Ranking: 7/10
Daniel's Lyrics Ranking: 5/10
Another double nominee, whether "bad guy" wins at least one of Record or Song of the Year or not, its most impressive accomplishment might be being the song to finally end "Old Town Road"'s record-setting run at #1 in the charts. That Billie Eilish and her hit single were the one to supplant it speaks to the power of the youth demographic in determining chart success. Eilish's fanbase undoubtedly skews young, but her musical ingenuity and uniqueness has won her acclaim from all ages. "bad guy" is considered the frontrunner for Song of the Year, which is likely still drawing on its commercial success. Musically, it's undeniably catchy, largely on the back of its production, but I actually don't love all the vocal effects at play; Eilish's voice is both good and emotive enough that the distortion feels unnecessary. Lyrically, it's certainly funny and I can appreciate its tongue-in-cheek nature. However, it's not as mature or raw as much of her other work, and given her young age, some of the more suggestive lyrics render me a little uncomfortable, even if they are intended to be ironic. All of this said, given the overall quality of her album, I won't complain with any awards she wins on the night.