Ranking the Record of the Year Winners of the Decade

This is usually the time of the year that I spend talking about the best-received Couch pieces of the last year. But COVID-19 has made our 4th blogaversary considerably more muted, for as you might have noticed, there has been a whole lot less to write about with the world under lockdown.

This is also the time of year where I’d start peppering with you some of the best film, music, sports and television of the first half of the year. But with COVID-19 greatly lessening the presence of new sports and music, and essentially halting new movies and television, we have had very little of that to write about. Instead, what I’m hoping to do over the next several weeks is do what many publications and TV channels alike have been doing over the last 5 months: retrospectives!

More specifically, I’m going to be looking back at the last decade in major awards show decisions. The Grammys and the Oscars— but really the Hollywood awards circuit in general —have become annual viewing experiences and emotional investments for me. They’re my favorite thing outside of actual sporting events to get needlessly worked up and competitive about, and it’s over the last decade that those annual loud and unsolicited opinions of mine really began.

Previously, we've talked about:

- The Grammy for Best New Artist

- The Oscar for Best Director

Next up, it's back to the Grammys, for Record of the Year! Note that the years listed in the rankings denote the year of the film that they were nominated for, not the year of the ceremony itself.

The Grammy for Record of the Year is one of the highest, if not the highest, honors an individual track can receive. The Grammys even position it as arguably the biggest award of the night, occasionally making it the last trophy given out of the night, as was the case in the last ceremony when Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas finished their evening of domination at the 2020 Grammys by taking home Record of the Year for “bad guy” (pictured above).

Despite its vaunted status, it often is mistaken (including by yours truly) for its sister award, Song of the Year. One reason for this could be that more often than not, particularly over the last decade, the same track— or at least the same artist —will win both awards. But more than likely, the confusion stems from the fact that it’s not entirely clear what the difference is between the two. Per the Grammy website, however, the Record Of The Year Grammy “goes to the artist(s), producer(s), and engineer(s) involved in crafting the specific recording of a song.” What I think that’s supposed to indicate is that this particular award goes out to the best-produced song, or as I take it to mean, the most radio-ready song.

It may not always be awarded that way, because as you’ll see, there have been some winners that were head-scratchers when compared to other candidates from that year. But for my rankings, I’ll be considering primarily each of the winners’ production, and additional consideration for how much radio presence they had. Without further ado, my rankings of the decade’s winners for Record of the Year:

10. "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum (2010)

"Need You Now" is a fine little song. It's heartfelt, it's catchy, and it did have quite a radio presence. I remember hearing it a significant amount in my high school days, which is saying something, because I hardly ever listened to the radio in my high school days, let alone country music.

But winning Record of the Year, in a year that included such timeless bangers as "Empire State of Mind," "Bad Romance," "Dynamite," and "Telephone"? It doesn't seem worthy of that sort of recognition, particularly because the production is really nothing special. It plays like a standard country song, meaning there are some guitars, some twangy vocals, and...that's about it. Interspersed snippets of phone recordings are not really game-changing enough to warrant a higher ranking on this list, sorry.

9. "Stay With Me," Sam Smith (2014)

2014 definitely was the year of Sam Smith. The British singer had already released several songs, such as "La La La," "Latch," and "Money On My Mind," that had garnered interest, and would see a resurgence in popularity after the release of his album In The Lonely Hour. However, it was "Stay With Me" that launched Smith into phenomenon status Stateside, and indeed, which drove the bulk of his impressive Grammy haul.

It's a good song, one that lends itself well to Smith's emotive, soulful vocal ability. But apart from the addition of a backing gospel choir-- a nice touch, albeit an overused one --production here is a minimal influence. This song's gravity is carried almost entirely by the singer himself, accompanied only by the aforementioned choir and a slow, simple piano/drum combo. A more appropriate winner for this year would have either been Beyoncé's statement-making lead single "Drunk In Love," or the absolutely unstoppable "Happy," by Pharrell.

8. "Hello," Adele (2016)

From one British crooner to another; the Grammys have a type, don't they? The Recording Academy LOVES Adele, and this award is proof: each of the singer's three albums have had its lead single nominated for the Record of the Year, and "Hello" was her second win out of those three. It obviously wasn't exactly a surprise win, then, and neither was it altogether undeserved: "Hello" practically broke the internet in late 2015 with the announcement of Adele's return, and continued to dominate airwaves into 2016.

Yet, just like our last winner, I’m left confused over what about the production is award-winning, exactly? This song almost entirely comes down to Adele’s powerhouse vocals, and a simple piano, with only the slight addition of a backing choir which honestly feels unnecessary. If you’re looking for a lasting ‘hit,’ “Hello” is a fine choice. But (again like in the case of our last winner) I’m left feeling like an obvious snub was Beyoncé, whose “Formation” was at least an equally impactful lead single, and whose production and mixing was nothing short of marvelous.

7. "24K Magic," Bruno Mars (2017)

“24K Magic,” like most everything Bruno Mars has done over the last decade, had instant hit potential. It’s far from my favorites of his radio singles, mostly because it makes very little use of his terrific singing voice, but there’s no questioning how catchy and energetic this track was, and, unsurprisingly, how popular it was. The production here was impressive, too; so impressive that a sample of it makes an appearance in Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna’s collaboration “LOYALTY.”

Honestly the biggest reason “24K Magic” is on the lower half of this ranking is because of the nominees it won over. If we’re drawing a parallel with the Best New Artist winners of the decade, this was the Macklemore of the bunch. It’s not that’s it’s a bad song, it’s just that it’s a joke that it beat out the records it beat out. No rap song had won Record of the Year, but in “HUMBLE.” and “The Story Of O.J.,” you had opportunities to recognize two of the best rappers in today’s landscape, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, respectively. “HUMBLE.” wasn’t just a smash success, it was Lamar’s first #1 single in his already-impressive career. And while “Story of O.J.” was far from Jay-Z’s biggest song, it’s among his best, a treatise on the stereotypes of African-Americans. Or, you wanted an R&B smash hit to win? Fine, take Childish Gambino's masterful "Redbone," whose breakthrough came in part because of its presence in Get Out, the year's zeitgeist of a film. Or, you want something a little less niche and more energetic? Fine, how about the record-breaking, cultural-barrier-smashing "Despacito"? There were four terrific options that year, and none of them were "24K Magic.'

6. "Rolling In The Deep," Adele (2011)

As was the case with "Hello," (and truthfully, most of Adele's singles) I feel like the production on this track is fine, but most of the legwork is done by the singer herself. That said, between the crescendoing guitar strum and bass drum, there was a little more going on in this hit than there was in "Chasing Pavements" and "Hello," the artist's other two nominees for Record of the Year.

Beyond that, this was also one of the most obvious winners of the bunch. "Rolling In The Deep" was easily the biggest song of 2011, and a much better record than fellow nominees and radio hits "Grenade" and "Firework." And while it's always cool to see indie-folk artists score nominations, neither Mumford and Sons' "The Cave" nor Bon Iver's "Holocene" really deserved a win in this category specifically. That Adele's first victory isn't higher in my list is less about this track and more about the stellar winners this decade.

5. "Get Lucky," Daft Punk feat. Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams (2013)

2013 was a good year for "songs of the summer." Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," both nominated for this award, were everywhere during those months, as were Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors," Macklemore's "Can't Hold Us," and P!nk's "Just Give Me A Reason." But drowning out all of them in the competition was this delightful hit from an unexpected source: techno-pop pioneers Daft Punk teamed up with the funky guitar of Nile Rodgers and pleasant croon of Pharrell to create a quintessential summer track, catchy, carefree, and addictive.

It's rare that a 'song of the summer,' no matter how big, goes the distance and takes home the Record of the Year Grammy (see "Despacito" in 2017, or "Old Town Road" last year). But "Get Lucky" pulled off that feat and did so by beating a category full of nominees with some serious radio clout; in addition to the aforementioned summer hits, Lorde's "Royals" and Bruno Mars' "Locked Out Of Heaven" solidified five nominees for the award that all finished as Top 15 songs on the year. It won't go down as the most brilliant song to win accolades, but in terms of a hit record, "Get Lucky" is a deserving winner in just about any year.

4. "Somebody That I Used To Know," Gotye feat. Kimbra (2012)

The record from which "Get Lucky" took the crown could not have been more different in style, but was also a terrific winner. "Somebody That I Used To Know" was a sulking cry of anguish from Australian-Belgian indie-pop artist Gotye, featuring fellow experimental-pop artist Kimbra, of New Zealand. Two relative unknowns in America making a slower, introspective song might not sound like a recipe for the #1 song of the year and a Grammy for Record of the Year, but that speaks to just how well-produced it is. Kimbra's memorable voice is employed perfectly as a response from the character that Gotye's verses address. Late in the song, their harmonies blend together masterfully over an instrumental backing of guitar, hi-hat, xylophone, and other percussive electronics.

Personal bias would have rendered me more excited to see Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You" or The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" win this award, but I can't complain about a record of this production quality getting an award.

3. "bad guy," Billie Eilish (2019)

When Billie Eilish swept all 4 major general awards at this year's Grammys, becoming the first artist to so since 2003 (and the youngest ever to do so), it was a terrific achievement, but the only win of hers that could probably be seen as an 'upset' was this one, for Record of the Year. It had seemed like that title was Li'l Nas X's to lose, for his record-setting and genre-defying "Old Town Road," which ruled charts for what seemed like the entirety of 2019.

Yet, if it wasn't going to be "Old Town Road," the next logical assumption probably should have been "bad guy." After all, it was the track that finally ended the former's stay at #1 atop the charts. Besides, last year was Billie's year through-and-through, and "bad guy" her breakout, and by far her biggest, hit. Furthermore, let's be honest here: the production is fantastic. My personal feelings aside (those feelings being...it's not a very good song), the aspect that made it such a persistent earworm was the magnificent production by she and her brother Finneas. The heavy bass-fueled and finger-snapping beat draws you in from the first second, and the otherworldly electropop bridge makes you crave for more. And if that's not enough to win you over, the breakdown centers around a beat provided by an Australian crosswalk. Marvelous.

2. "Uptown Funk," Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (2015)

This win might have been the biggest no-brainer of any Record of the Year in the past decade. "Uptown Funk" joined "Rolling In The Deep" and "Somebody That I Used To Know" as Grammy winners that were also #1 songs of the year, but this one's cultural omnipresence blew even those out of the water. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' collaboration was released shortly before Thanksgiving 2014, and thought I don't know if this was the case, it sure felt like it stayed the most-played song in the country all the way up to the 2016 Super Bowl, where it was performed live at the halftime show. If I had to objectively pick a "song of the 2010s," this one would probably top my list.

There's more than just a commercial argument to be made for "Uptown Funk"s triumph, though. The reason it was so massive was because it was a really terrific record. Ronson, who was Calvin Harris before Calvin Harris was Calvin Harris, found the perfect beat and guitar riff to provide a vintage funk sound, and Bruno Mars and his backup squad front a song-and-brass number that could make a Southern Baptist get up and dance. I'm almost more relieved than happy this won; the thought that fellow nominees "Blank Space," "Can't Feel My Face," or "Thinking Out Loud" could have come close to matching its production value or cultural relevance is, frankly, laughable.

1. "This Is America," Childish Gambino (2018)

There are a multitude of reasons why "This Is America" was one of the most surprising winners this decade, not least of which is the fact that a Rap song had never won the award. And this was not just a Rap song, it was one that was explicitly socio-political, taking aim at America's ruthless history of silencing its black citizens and their contributions to culture and society. For an awards show as notoriously scared of making any strong statements as the Grammys are, this was noteworthy. There's also the fact that this wasn't actually all that big of a record; it wasn't even in the year-end Top 50, and nearly all its fellow nominees ("God's Plan," "I Like It," "The Middle," "Rockstar," "Shallow") were in the Top 10.

But none of that matters in my eyes; this was the only time all decade that I was truly delighted by a Record of the Year winner. It's such a profoundly better song than all other winners of this award, but beyond that, it was such a deserving champion. To package an overt political message, a hard rap-gospel choir musical blend, samples from over 10 different rappers, and a lack of any real chorus into a song that still, objectively, "slaps"? That is a monstrous feat by Childish Gambino and producer Ludwig Göransson, and it is the reason why it was the Record of the Year...of the Decade.