The Grammy Awards have been given annually since 1958. Two of the most prestigious awards are Record of the Year (given to the performers) and Song of the Year (given to the songwriters). Below is a listing of all songs to receive either award. Following that is a ranking by the DMDB of all those songs.
Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.
Spotify Podcast:
Check out the two-part Dave’s Music Database podcast celebrating the Grammy Winners for Record and Song of the Year 1959-1992 (debut: April 5, 2022 at 7pm CST) and 1993-2022 (debut: April 12, 2022 at 7pm CST). which references songs on this list. New episodes based on Dave’s Music Database lists are posted every Tuesday at 7pm CST.
SONG/RECORD WINNERS BY YEAR:
- 2024 SONG: Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For?” (2023)
- 2024 RECORD: Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (2023)
- 2023 SONG: Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That” (2022)
- 2023 RECORD: Lizzo “About Damn Time” (2022)
- 2022 RECORD/SONG: Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak as Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open” (2021)
- 2021 SONG: H.E.R. “I Can’t Breathe” (2020)
- 2021 RECORD: Billie Eilish “Everything I Wanted” (2020)
- 2020 RECORD/SONG: Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (2019)
- 2019 RECORD/SONG: Childish Gambino “This Is America” (2018)
- 2018 SONG: Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” (2016)
- 2018 RECORD: Bruno Mars “24K Magic” (2016)
- 2017 RECORD/SONG: Adele “Hello” (2015)
- 2016 SONG: Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)
- 2016 RECORD: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
- 2015 RECORD/SONG: Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014)
- 2014 SONG: Lorde “Royals” (2013)
- 2014 RECORD: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky” (2013)
- 2013 SONG: Fun with Janelle Monáe “We Are Young” (2012)
- 2013 RECORD: Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
- 2012 RECORD/SONG: Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
- 2011 RECORD/SONG: Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
- 2010 SONG: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
- 2010 RECORD: Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” (2008)
- 2009 SONG: Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008)
- 2009 RECORD: Robert Plant with Alison Krauss “Please Read the Letter” (2007)
- 2008 RECORD/SONG: Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
- 2007 RECORD/SONG: Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” (2006)
- 2006 SONG: U2 “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” (2005)
- 2006 RECORD: Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
- 2005 SONG: John Mayer “Daughters” (2004)
- 2005 RECORD: Ray Charles with Norah Jones “Here We Go Again” (2004)
- 2004 SONG: Luther Vandross “Dance with My Father” (2003)
- 2004 RECORD: Coldplay “Clocks” (2002)
- 2003 RECORD/SONG: Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002)
- 2002 SONG: Alicia Keys “Fallin’” (2001)
- 2002 RECORD: U2 “Walk On” (2001)
- 2001 RECORD/SONG: U2 “Beautiful Day” (2000)
- 2000 RECORD/SONG: Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
- 1999 RECORD/SONG: Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
- 1998 RECORD/SONG: Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home” (1997)
- 1997 RECORD/SONG: Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
- 1996 RECORD/SONG: Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
- 1995 SONG: Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
- 1995 RECORD: Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)
- 1994 SONG: Peabo Bryson with Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992)
- 1994 RECORD: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
- 1993 RECORD/SONG: Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
- 1992 RECORD/SONG: Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)
- 1991 SONG: Bette Midler “From a Distance” (1990)
- 1991 RECORD: Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
- 1990 RECORD/SONG: Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1989)
- 1989 RECORD/SONG: Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (1988)
- 1988 SONG: Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram “Somewhere Out There” (1986)
- 1988 RECORD: Paul Simon “Graceland” (1986)
- 1987 SONG: Dionne Warwick & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
- 1987 RECORD: Steve Winwood “Higher Love” (1986)
- 1986 RECORD/SONG: USA for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
- 1985 RECORD/SONG: Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
- 1984 SONG: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
- 1984 RECORD: Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)
- 1983 SONG: Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
- 1983 RECORD: Toto “Rosanna” (1982)
- 1982 RECORD/SONG: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
- 1981 RECORD/SONG: Christopher Cross “Sailing” (1980)
- 1980 RECORD/SONG: The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (1978)
- 1979 RECORD/SONG: Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
- 1978 SONG (tie): Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)
- 1978 SONG (tie): Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976)
- 1978 RECORD: Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
- 1977 SONG: Barry Manilow “I Write the Songs” (1975)
- 1977 RECORD: George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976)
- 1976 SONG: Judy Collins “Send in the Clowns” (1975)
- 1976 RECORD: Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
- 1975 SONG: Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
- 1975 RECORD: Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
- 1974 RECORD/SONG: Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
- 1973 RECORD/SONG: Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969)
- 1972 SONG: Carole King/James Taylor “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)
- 1972 RECORD: Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
- 1971 RECORD/SONG: Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
- 1970 SONG: Joe South “Games People Play” (1968)
- 1970 RECORD: The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
- 1969 SONG: Roger Miller “Little Green Apples” (1968)
- 1969 RECORD: Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
- 1968 RECORD/SONG: The Fifth Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (1967)
- 1967 SONG: The Beatles “Michelle” (1965)
- 1967 RECORD: Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
- 1966 SONG: Tony Bennett “The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper)” (1965)
- 1966 RECORD: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass “A Taste of Honey” (1965)
- 1965 SONG: Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964)
- 1965 RECORD: Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
- 1964 RECORD/SONG: Henry Mancini “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)
- 1963 SONG: Sammy Davis, Jr. “What Kind of Fool am I?” (1962)
- 1963 RECORD: Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)
- 1962 RECORD/SONG: Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
- 1961 SONG: Ferrante & Teicher “Theme from Exodus” (1960)
- 1961 RECORD: Percy Faith “A Theme from A Summer Place” (1960)
- 1960 SONG: Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)
- 1960 RECORD: Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
- 1959 RECORD/SONG: Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” (1958)
SONG/RECORD WINNERS RANKED:
This is the DMDB’s ranking of all songs which have won Grammys for Song or Record of the Year.
DMDB Top 1%:
1. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
2. Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (1992)
3. Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)
4. Eagles “Hotel California” (1977)
5. Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” (1959)
6. Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014)
7. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997)
8. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
9. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011)
10. Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008)
11. Michael Jackson “Beat It” (1983)
12. USA for Africa “We Are the World” (1985)
13. Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (2008)
14. Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
15. Adele “Hello” (2015)
16. Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud” (2014)
17. Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)
18. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
19. Lorde “Royals” (2013)
20. Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)
21. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (1984)
22. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
23. Simon & Garfunkel “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)
24. Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1969)
25. Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky” (2013)
26. U2 “Beautiful Day” (2000)
27. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
28. Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
29. Barbra Streisand “The Way We Were” (1973)
30. Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)
31. Alicia Keys “Fallin’” (2001)
32. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)
33. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961)
34. The Fifth Dimension “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)
35. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
36. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
37. Fun with Janelle Monáe “We Are Young” (2012)
38. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
39. Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (2019)
40. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
41. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
42. Dionne & Friends “That's What Friends Are For” (1985)
43. Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
44. Domenico Modugno “Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue)” (1958)
45. Coldplay “Clocks” (2002)
46. Sam Smith “Stay with Me” (2014)
47. Percy Faith “A Theme from A Summer Place” (1960)
48. Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are” (1977)
49. Sheryl Crow “All I Wanna Do” (1994)
50. Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991)
51. Tony Bennett “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962)
52. Frank Sinatra “Strangers in the Night” (1966)
53. Louis Armstrong “Hello, Dolly!” (1964)
54. Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” (2008)
55. Bruce Springsteen “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
56. Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964)
57. Miley Cyrus “Flowers”
58. The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (1978)
59. Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” (2016)
60. Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1989)
61. Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak as Silk Sonic “Leave the Door Open” (2021)
62. Peabo Bryson with Regina Belle “A Whole New World” (1992)
63. Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (1988)
64. James Taylor “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)
DMDB Top 2%:
65. Christopher Cross “Sailing” (1980)
66. Toto “Rosanna” (1982)
67. Lizzo “About Damn Time” (2022)
68. The Beatles “Michelle” (1965)
69. Steve Winwood “Higher Love” (1986)
70. Childish Gambino “This Is America” (2018)
71. Eric Clapton “Change the World” (1996)
72. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002)
73. Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976)
74. Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home” (1997)
75. Barry Manilow “I Write the Songs” (1975)
76. Bruno Mars “24K Magic” (2016)
DMDB Top 5%:
77. The Fifth Dimension “Up, Up and Away” (1967)
78. Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice” (2006)
79. Billie Eilish “What Was I Made For?” (2023)
80. Judy Collins “Send in the Clowns” (1975)
81. Billie Eilish “Everything I Wanted” (2020)
82. Paul Simon “Graceland” (1986)
83. U2 “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” (2005)
84. Henry Mancini “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)
85. U2 “Walk On” (2001)
86. Bette Midler “From a Distance” (1990)
87. George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976)
88. Sammy Davis, Jr. “What Kind of Fool am I?” (1962)
DMDB Top 10%:
89. Linda Ronstadt with James Ingram “Somewhere Out There” (1986)
90. Tony Bennett “The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper)” (1965)
91. Robert Plant with Alison Krauss “Please Read the Letter” (2007)
92. Ferrante & Teicher “Theme from Exodus” (1960)
93. John Mayer “Daughters” (2004)
94. Carole King “You’ve Got a Friend” (1971)
95. Roger Miller “Little Green Apples” (1968)
96. Joe South “Games People Play” (1968)
97. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass “A Taste of Honey” (1965)
98. Luther Vandross “Dance with My Father” (2003)
DMDB Top 20%:
99. Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That” (2022)
Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:
100. H.E.R. “I Can’t Breathe” (2020)
101. Ray Charles with Norah Jones “Here We Go Again” (2004)
Resources/Related Links:
First posted 1/19/2012; last updated 2/4/2024. | 
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