The Nominees: Record Of The Year
Can defending champion Billie Eilish win an incredible 3rd consecutive Record of the Year, or will the combined powers of Grammy favorites Anderson.Paak and Bruno Mars help pull off the upset?
We're just two weeks away from the 2022 Grammys, which means it's time to preview another general category at the ceremony. In case you missed it, here is my breakdown of the Best New Artist field, and of the Song of the Year nominees. Next award up in our pre-Grammys bonanza: Record of the Year!
Just a refresher from our last piece: 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 several winners: Adele's "Hello" beat Beyoncé's "Formation" for both awards, despite the latter having unequivocally more impressive production. In 2018, Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" beat out the extremely favored summer smash hit "Despacito." And in 2019, Billie Eilish's "bad guy" became the 6th track in the last decade to win both awards, which provided little clarity. 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.
"I Still Have Faith In You" - ABBA
Odds: 20-1
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Peak Chart Position (Pop/Rock): n/a
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 6/10
It's 2022, and ABBA finally have their first-ever Grammy nomination. Yes, ABBA, the disco-pop group you probably remember your parents playing around the house while you were growing up, was never nominated for these awards despite their multiple global smash successes in the 60s and 70s, but have found one now, in the form of "I Still Have Faith In You," the lead single off of Voyager, the group's first album in 40 years. Even with the name recognition ABBA carry, it's a pretty stunning inclusion, given the fact that we are decades removed from their heyday and this particular track didn't even chart domestically. What's more, the production is fine, but really nothing extraordinary. It sounds like a throwback to basic anthemic pop-rock, which again is fine in its own right, but come on, we're talking about the people who once were able to spin gold like this. So, needless to say, as cool a story as this nomination is, it is the ultimate longshot candidate.
"Freedom" - Jon Batiste
Odds: 20-1
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Peak Chart Position (R&B/Jazz): n/a
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 8/10
While we're on the topic of surprising nominees, raise your hand if you thought the leading nomination-getter for the 2022 Grammys would be Jon Batiste. The niche R&B/Jazz musician (and Late Show bandleader) will head into the night with 14 nods in total, however, including the two biggest prizes of the night, Record and Album of the Year. "Freedom" would be a surprising nominee anyway, given Batiste's general lack of exposure to the mainstream, but it's especially stunning because so far as I can tell, it wasn't even released as a single; it's just a song on his album We Are. Understandably, it would be nothing short of a shock were this to pull out a victory on Grammy night, but that doesn't mean it would be a bad option by any means. The production on this is sweet, with the brass mimicking Batiste's vocals in drawing out "freeeeedom," and a beat that's guaranteed to have you steppin.
"Right On Time" - Brandi Carlile
Odds: 18-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 50th
Peak Chart Position (Rock/Alternative): 44th
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 6/10
Brandi Carlile, folk rock queen, is a double nominee in these Grammys for her track "Right On Time," the lead single off her album In These Silent Days. It's a beautiful song, and given the emphasis its category holds on the 'music and lyrics' of it all, it's a formidable nominee for Song of the Year. Its inclusion in the Record of the Year field is a little more strange, however. Not only did "Right On Time" barely register on the radio, its production, while sleek, is pretty analog. One nice touch that deserves a shoutout, though, is having the piano and all percussion drop out for just a second during the crescendo to let Carlile's beautiful voice have a moment to itself.
"Peaches" - Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Odds: 16-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 10th
Peak Chart Position (R&B): 2nd
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 10/10
Justin Bieber occupies a wildly different space in the musical world than Brandi Carlile does, and clocks in at 12 years younger than her, but the two share something in common: they are double nominees for Song and Record of the Year. Unlike Carlile's track, "Peaches" makes considerably more sense as a Record of the Year contender, in my opinion. It dominated airwaves in the Summer months, which is unsurprising, given its summery, breezy vibe, and it also features masterful production from producers Harv and Shndo. The easygoing, neo-soul mood perfectly complements not only Bieber's vocals, but those of both featured artists.
"Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat featuring SZA
Odds: 14-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Rhythmic): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 10/10
Yet another double nominee! This one also seems to be, at least traditionally, a much stronger contender for Record of the Year than for Song of the Year. Doja Cat and SZA's lyrics are sweet, and musically the melody flows nicely, but the magic in this track-- one of my favorite in the entire year of 2021 --is in the production. The slinky bassline with a soft disco vibe made it the perfect Summer hit, and its replay value is immense. It's no surprise that it topped the charts when it did. It is a surprise that initially would have been left out of the nominee field for this award were it not for the late extension to 10 nominees, but it's such a classic jam that I think it still has an outside shot at victory.
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" - Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
Odds: 14-1
Peak Chart Position (General): n/a
Peak Chart Position (Rock): n/a
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 5/10
If Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga were an unexpected duo the first time they got together, for 2014’s Cheek To Cheek, their most recent collaboration was even more unlikely, given Bennett’s failing health in the last year. Their album Love For Sale was quite warmly received, and landed them not only a surprise nomination for Album of the Year, but also for Record of the Year for this lead single, “I Get A Kick Out Of You.” The surprise nominee is likely fueled by not much more than nostalgia and general respect for the co-collaborators, because this Cole Porter cover didn’t reach mainstream radio airwaves. And its place in the Record of the Year field is likely indicative of an attempt to shoehorn in an award for them two vs. Porter, the deceased songwriter who would have been awarded Song of the Year, because there really is nothing particularly noteworthy about the production on this track; the two vocalists do the vast majority of the heavy lifting.
"MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" - Li'l Nas X
Odds: 13-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Rhythmic): 2nd
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 9/10
While Li’l Nas X’s nomination for Song of the Year was mildly surprising, his nod for Record of the Year was a slam dunk. “Call Me By Your Name”’s production is, along with its music video, what made this single such a smash hit for Nas, more so than the lyrics. The effortless transition from the slow Spanish guitar to an almost Flamenco beat, while eventually combining more of a traditional hip-hop baseline, is outstanding. It faces stiff competition in this category, but “Call Me By Your Name” would be a deserving winner, perhaps even more so because the artist was arguably robbed of this award in 2020 when the record-setting “Old Town Road” lost out to “bad guy.”
"Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic
Odds: 12-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (R&B): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 8/10
Silk Sonic, the tandem of Anderson.Paak and Bruno Mars, are also double nominees with the lead single off their eponymous debut album, “Leave The Door Open.” Mars is no stranger to this category, having been nominated 5 times before, and winning on the last couple occasions, for “24K Magic” and “Uptown Funk.” This is Paak’s first foray into a major awards field (other than his 2017 nomination for Best New Artist), but having won 4 Grammys and earned 15 nominations before this year, he also is clearly well-respected by the Academy. Given their combined star power, and the silky smooth (if not necessarily groundbreaking) production of their hit track, this is a very strong candidate indeed to take home Record of the Year.
"Happier Than Ever" - Billie Eilish
Odds: 12-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 11th
Peak Chart Position (Rock/Alternative): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 9/10
It’s pretty crazy to think about, but this time 3 years ago, Billie Eilish was a relative unknown on the music scene, outside of a devoted fanbase that followed her from her SoundCloud days. In late March 2019, however, her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? dropped, and she has proceeded to become one of the World’s biggest Pop stars as well as a veritable Grammy queen in that time. She has notched a total of 7 Grammy wins out of 10 nominations, including Record of the Year in 2020 and 2021. Yes, she is the two-time reigning champion, and with “Happier Than Ever,” Billie has a real chance to make it three wins in a row. Her first winner, “bad guy,” was a bit divisive among music critics, but won off the back off extremely inventive production and massive chart success. Last year’s winner “everything i wanted” was far less played on the radio and featured a more analog production, but the gentle song was universally beloved by musicheads and fans alike. “Happier Than Ever” splits the difference; not the radio smash that “bad guy” was, it did find more success than “everything i wanted,” and with a track that flows effortlessly from slow heartache to rock n’ roll rage, it was more celebrated as a mature track than “bad guy” was.
"drivers license" - Olivia Rodrigo
Odds: 12-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Pop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Ranking: 4/10
If Record of the Year really did just boil down to “what was the biggest hit of the the last year?”, “drivers license” would likely be the shoo-in winner. As it is, the debut single from breakout sensation Olivia Rodrigo is the favorite to take home the award, even if the selection process isn’t *quite* that straightforward. It positively dominated airwaves in the first half of 2021, and though Rodrigo would follow with other hit singles, “drivers license” set the tone for 'the year of Olivia.' I will say-- potential hot take alert! --if Olivia proves to fall short of sweeping the General awards, a feat done only twice this century (Norah Jones in 2003, Billie Eilish in 2020), this is her most likely loss. My reasoning is simple: the least impressive aspect of this song is its production. Much of the track is a simple piano ballad without much doctoring needed, and the hard shift to the melodramatic bridge is particularly formulaic. "drivers license" is an entirely music-and-lyrics driven song, which is why I would be surprised if it doesn't earn Song of the Year, but if the Academy does look for any achievement beyond number of streams, its frontrunner status may be more shaky in this category.
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