The Nominees: Record Of The Year
It may be easy to forget, on this Super Bowl Sunday, and in the midst of Oscar season madness, but the 61st Grammys are one week away! In anticipation of what has the potential to be a night full of surprises, we will take this week to do overview of the biggest awards of the night, culminating in a general predictions piece on the day of. A reminder, first of all, that each of the General Awards have seen their field expanded from 5 nominees to 8 this year. First one up: Record of the Year.
Record 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 Song 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. That hasn't necessarily held up when considering the last few winners: Adele's "Hello" beat Beyoncé's "Formation" for both awards, despite the latter having unequivocally better production. Last year, Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" beat out the extremely favored summer smash "Despacito." So, despite what the award's stated intentions are, voting might simply come down to which one of the big radio hits the voters liked the most. All that being said, here are the nominees, in order from least to most likely to win, according to odds from GoldDerby.com.
"Rockstar" - Post Malone feat. 21 Savage
Odds: 19-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 6/10
Post Malone had a huge year in 2018, with hit after hit from his Grammy-nominated Beerbongs And Bentleys. Perhaps none got as much radio play as this nominated track, featuring his tour co-star 21 Savage. Lyrically, it's a pretty dumb song, to be frank, and that might explain its relatively lower odds. But, its lyrics are surely not why it's nominated. True to form for Posty, the production isn't anything groundbreaking, but you can see why it's a radio smash. It's a fairly simple trap beat partnered with a very catchy melody and repeated refrain.
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile
Odds: 19-2
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Peak Chart Position (Alternative): 4th
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 8/10
It's somewhat shocking this song grabbed a nomination. Not, of course, because it's not a good song, because it is. But rather, it's a fairly simple song, by an artist who is hardly ever played on mainstream radio. Record of the Year is typically a field reserved for flashy chart toppers. As you can see above, though it reached the Top 5 on Alternative stations, it barely even crack the Top 100 charts in 2018. This likely explains the higher odds, even though the artist is known in critical circles as one of the best musicians out there. Again, "The Joke"'s production isn't extensive, but that doesn't render it any less perfect than its peers. The crescendo of the strings mirror that of Carlile's emotional high, and create a very powerful conclusion to a poignant song.
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey
Odds: 9-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 5th
Peak Chart Position (Dance/Electronic): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 5/10
This song's nomination is full circle- the track, as well as its accompanying music video were released during last year's Grammy ceremony, as part of a promotion for Target. I was kind of surprised to see it become the radio mainstay it did. I'm a big Maren Morris fan, but her voice just doesn't seem suited for tracks like this, and the production from Zedd, largely, is a little too busy and nothing groundbreaking. Certainly not one of the more original tracks of the year, but given how much we heard it on the radio last summer, it's not surprising at all to see it nominated, nor to see it be a contender to win.
"God's Plan" - Drake
Odds: 15-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 8/10
Drake had himself quite a year last year as well, with successive chart-toppers from Grammy-nominated Scorpion. Of the different hit singles that could have contended for this award, "God's Plan," the earliest of the bunch, is the one that scored the nomination. It's not surprising that it might be the one that Grammy voters find most palatable: similar to "Rockstar," it's a pretty recognizable hip-hop beat and a repetitive refrain, but this one is paired perfectly with a bouncy drum kick that enhances the subdued but upbeat tone of the song.
"I Like It" - Cardi B feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin
Odds: 15-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 10/10
Yet another #Summer2k18 anthem, it's no surprise to see Cardi's biggest track of the year nominated here. It's also secret that I'm a fan of this song. Sampling Pete Rodriguez' famous 60s hit "I Like It Like That," Cardi and co. effortlessly add Latin trap to the boogaloo style. Who knew those genres would blend so perfectly? And more importantly, how cool is it to have Spanish-language songs dominate the Summer airwaves for two straight years?
"All The Stars" - Kendrick Lamar and SZA
Odds: 13-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 7th
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 5th
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 10/10
On January 4th of last year, it was announced that rap label TDE and their star artist, Kendrick Lamar, would be producing the soundtrack to Marvel's Black Panther. Later that same day, "All The Stars" was released. Being a January release, and certainly not even close to the biggest Rap or R&B track of the year, I was pleasantly surprised to see it included in the field by Grammy voters. There's no denying the production's quality on this one; it set the bar high for the rest of the Black Panther tracklist, with Lamar and SZA combining their lyrical prowess and gorgeous vocals, respectively, with a traditional film score crescendo. Even the song's sole negative critic, Pitchfork, shouted out its "slick production."
"Shallow" - Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
Odds: 5-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 5th
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 10th
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 8/10
Among things I did not expect to see in 2019: Bradley Cooper, Grammy nominee. However, those with foresight better than mine could have seen this coming, in the wake of the critical acclaim for musical film, A Star Is Born. (Yes, make that back-to-back nominees from film scores.) Even if, like me, you have yet to see this in theatres, you've probably heard it on the radio in the last couple months; the song is picking up a ton of steam right in time for both Grammy and Oscar season, making it a frontrunner in both ceremonies. A la Brandi Carlile's entry, there doesn't appear to be much mixing and mastering necessary here: just good ol' fashioned acoustic rock. Gaga's and Cooper's voices complement each other surprisingly well, and when the former begins to belt it out, the backing music isn't afraid to keep up with her.
"This Is America" - Childish Gambino
Odds: 5-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 10/10
Contrary to some of its peers, "This Is America" isn't as much an unlikely Grammys nominee as it is a surprise radio success in the first place. Who knew a frenetic, unnerving rap that doubled as a political anthem in 2018 would reach the top of the mainstream charts? Even if its stay at #1 was relatively short-lived, it was every bit deserving. Of course, so much of what needs to be dissected in this track pertains to the music and lyrics. Fortunately, Childish Gambino scored a Song of the Year nomination as well, so I can discuss that in the next piece. For now, I'll speak strictly of the production. Put simply: it's remarkable. Gambino and oft-collaborator Ludwig Göransson splice gospel choir vocals between refrains of trap cadences, and amidst Gambino's riotous verses, interject samples and ad-libs from Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi, and 21 Savage, among many others.