The Nominees: Record Of The Year
After her dear friend Lizzo last year became the first Black woman to win this award in 29 years-- yes, really --SZA is a strong contender to take home Record of the Year. Can she ride the omnipresent "Kill Bill" to Grammy glory?
We're just onnnnne week away from the 2024 Grammys! That 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 2022, Silk Sonic's "Leave The Door Open" became the 7th 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.
"On My Mama" - Victoria Monét
Odds: 10-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 35th
Peak Chart Position (Rhythmic): 3rd
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 8/10
Especially since the era of expanded categories began, the Record of the Year field is usually good for a few surprise nominees, and this is certainly one of them. Victoria Monét, nominee for Best New Artist, is far from a household name, and while "On My Mama" is definitely one of the more memorable R&B tracks from last year, it didn't exactly dominate mainstream radio. That said, if it were to pull off a Record of the Year stunner, you can't say it wouldn't be deserved. The song is a bop, and D'Mile's production touches are subtle, but very good: the brrrywap of the guitar in the intro, and the slow introduction and swelling of horns over the course of the song make it a head-nodder. The background Chalie Boy sample “On my mama! On my hood!” that plays on the heels of the chorus also gives it a peak 2000s Hip-Hop/R&B feel.
"Not Strong Enough" - boygenius
Odds: 9-1
Peak Chart Position (General): N/A
Peak Chart Position (Rock/Alternative): 12th
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 6/10
boygenius, the supergroup of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus has had an enormous year, continuing the three individual artists' unlikely rise to the top of the alternative music game. Also nominees (and strong contenders) for Album of the Year, it's not too surprising that lead single "Not Strong Enough" found its way into Grammy contention as well. What is pretty surprising that it's for this award; it made not even a splash in mainstream radio, and the production is hardly the star of this song. The production team (which includes the band itself) did a good job making this sound like a late 90s/early 2000s indie rock jam, and small highlights, like the beeping synth that leads into the climactic bridge, help accentuate the emotion of the song. But, great as this cut is, it's really a lyrics and vocals-driven track, one that might have been more at home in the field for the "songwriters' award."
"Worship" - Jon Batiste
Odds: 9-1
Peak Chart Position (General): N/A
Peak Chart Position (Jazz/Alternative): 82nd
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 7/10
For the second time in three years, Jon Batiste is not only a surprise nominee for Album of the Year, the biggest award of all, but also has one of the songs from said album nominated for Song AND Record of the Year. Indeed, where his piano ballad "Butterfly" earned a nod for the former, "Worship" comes up for the vaunted Record of the Year title. Needless to say, this would also be a shock win on the level of his stunning 2022 Album of the Year victory. It didn't land on any charts, other than near the bottom of the Top 100 for the very niche Jazz/Alternative category. It's a wild song, and a lot of fun, but not one that I would identify as a prime candidate for this award in production. The 1st minute and 3rd minute of the track features a swell that almost feels like The Chainsmokers would employ. It's a pretty tiresome sound, to be honest, but the sharp pivot both times to a more Afrobeats-inspired groove is a welcome change of direction. I think this track, and specifically its production, is a microcosm of Batiste's album at large: a little too chaotic and uneven, but the highs are very high.
"vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
Odds: 17-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Pop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 9/10
"vampire," released early last summer, was Olivia Rodrigo's first single since the massive success of her debut album in 2021, and no surprise given the stature of the young star, was another chart-topper. Nor is it a surprise that it's a double nominee for this award and for Song of the Year. In a field without so many big names, it very well might be a frontrunner for each, that's how strong a track it is top to bottom. As highly I think of it musically and lyrically, the production might honestly be the best part. Daniel Nigro, Olivia's frequent collaborator expertly segues the song from emotional piano ballad to more of an uptempo rock beat, and the differing beat changes (one at superspeed, the next at half-speed) offers a different catharsis at the tail-end of the climactic chorus each time.
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish
Odds: 6-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 14th
Peak Chart Position (Alternative): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 9/10
Billie Eilish and brother/co-producer Finneas return to the Record of the Year field for the 4th time in the last 5 years, and look to earn their 3rd win ("bad guy" in 2020, "everything i wanted" in 2021). The emotional tone and vulnerable lyrics may make this a stronger contender for Song of the Year, it's true, but don't count out "What Was I Made For?" for top record honors either. It was omnipresent amidst and even long after the buzz of Barbie hype, and was widely considered one of the best individual tracks of 2023. What's more, Finneas' production, as is so often the case in collaboration with his sister, is simple but elegant. The vocal stacking works to absolute perfection, as do the strings and Billie's atmospheric harmonies, making it sound especially ethereal.
"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift
Odds: 6-1
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Pop): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 4/10
If you know me, you already know what's coming: Jack Antonoff slander!! Taylor Swift's collaborator of nearly a decade now once again helmed her big return to Pop, and his fingerprints are all over her hit single, for better or for worse. And in my opinion, it's for worse. "Anti-Hero" plays all the hits: a very basic, almost “We Will Rock You”-inspired beat, panning synths, an echo vocal effect on Taylor... none of the touches feel necessary, and all of them make it sound like a cheap copy of an 80s hit. All this being said, Swift's lead single was one of the bigger songs of both 2022 and 2023, and as I remarked in the Song of the Year preview, it's undeniably catchy! I guess there's only so much criticism I can levy when it did what it was supposed to do- worm its way into everyone's brain.
"Kill Bill" - SZA
Odds: 11-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Hip-Hop/R&B): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 7/10
SZA, just like the four artists preceding her in this piece, is a nominee for the Big 3: Album, Song and Record of the Year. Hit single "Kill Bill" is up for both of the individual track records, and it's no surprise; it was easily one of the most viral songs of 2023, and it sounded fundamentally different from most radio hits. Some of that is down to Rob Bisel and Carter Lang's production: the intro features eerie distorted music, sounding almost like something out of an 8-bit video game. It’s an interesting choice, and perhaps fits the mood of the thriller-inspired title, but it doesn’t feel necessary. Other touches, such as the bass and drums coming in with SZA, but the melodic guitar line and harmony vocals only popping in at the chorus, are quite good. But
it definitely feels like SZA did at least 80% of the lifting herself with the melody and her gorgeous vocals.
"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
Odds: 11-2
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Peak Chart Position (Dance/Mix): 1st
Daniel's Production Value Rating: 10/10
She has, of course, been a star for over 15 years now, but for such a big pop star, Miley Cyrus has felt somewhat outside of the mainstream for a while now. That changed entirely with "Flowers," which marked her first #1 single since 2013's "Wrecking Ball." If Miley's frontrunner status in this field is mildly surprising, her lead single's megasmash status is wholly unsurprising; there's no question this song is a banger. And while yes, just like SZA, Miley does plenty of heavy lifting herself with her powerhouse voice, it's the production from Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson that take this track from good to great. All of the disco-inspired touches— heavy bass, intermittent strings, skipping drums, even a woodblock hidden amidst the chorus percussion — elevate "Flowers" to being absolutely irresistible, a fact that is made especially clear if you listen to Cyrus' more stripped-down demo version of this song on her album. If this is in fact to be the song that gets Miley her first major Grammy, what a welcome choice it would be.
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