The Grammy for Album of the Year, given out annually since 1959, (see list here) is probably the most coveted award in the music industry. However, each year debate is sparked about whether the right album got the final nod. Here the DMDB compares the winner each year to its other nominees. Based on overall DMDB points, this list will show if the highest-ranked nominee each year won or not.
Check out other album of the year awards here.
2020
WON: Taylor Swift Folklore
SHOULD’VE WON: Taylor Swift Folklore
2019
WON: Bilie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
SHOULD’VE WON: Bilie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
2018
WON: Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour
SHOULD’VE WON: Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour
2017
WON: Bruno Mars 24K Magic
SHOULD’VE WON: Kendrick Lamar Damn.
2016
WON: Adele 25
SHOULD’VE WON: Adele 25
2015
WON: Taylor Swift 1989
SHOULD’VE WON: Taylor Swift 1989
2014
WON: Beck Morning Phase
SHOULD’VE WON: BeyoncĂ© BeyoncĂ©
2013
WON: Daft Punk Random Access Memories
SHOULD’VE WON: Kendrick Lamar Good Kid m.A.A.d. City
2012
WON: Mumford & Sons Babel
SHOULD’VE WON: Frank Ocean Channel Orange
2011
WON: Adele 21
SHOULD’VE WON: 21
2010
WON: Arcade Fire The Suburbs
SHOULD’VE WON: Eminem Recovery
2009
WON: Taylor Swift Fearless
SHOULD’VE WON: Taylor Swift Fearless
2008
WON: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand
SHOULD’VE WON: Radiohead In Rainbows
2007
WON: Herbie Hancock River: The Joni Letters
SHOULD’VE WON: Amy Winehouse Back to Black
2006
WON: Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way
SHOULD’VE WON: Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds
2005
WON: U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
SHOULD’VE WON: U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
2004
WON: Ray Charles Genius Loves Company
SHOULD’VE WON: Green Day American Idiot
2003
WON: OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
SHOULD’VE WON: The White Stripes Elephant
2002
WON: Norah Jones Come Away with Me
SHOULD’VE WON: Norah Jones Come Away with Me
2001
WON: O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack
SHOULD’VE WON: O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack
2000
WON: Steely Dan Two Against Nature
SHOULD’VE WON: Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP
1999
WON: Santana Supernatural
SHOULD’VE WON: Supernatural
1998
WON: Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
SHOULD’VE WON: Shania Twain Come on Over
1997
WON: Bob Dylan Time Out of Mind
SHOULD’VE WON: Radiohead OK Computer
1996
WON: Celine Dion Falling into You
SHOULD’VE WON: Beck Odelay
1995
WON: Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill
SHOULD’VE WON: Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill
1994
WON: Tony Bennett MTV Unplugged
SHOULD’VE WON: Eric Clapton From the Cradle
1993
WON: Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack)
SHOULD’VE WON: R.E.M. Automatic for the People
1992
WON: Eric Clapton Unplugged
SHOULD’VE WON: U2 Achtung Baby
1991
WON: Natalie Cole Unforgettable…With Love
SHOULD’VE WON: R.E.M. Out of Time
1990
WON: Quincy Jones Back on the Block
SHOULD’VE WON: M.C. Hammer Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em
1989
WON: Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time
SHOULD’VE WON: Nick of Time
1988
WON: George Michael Faith
SHOULD’VE WON: George Michael Faith
1987
WON: U2 The Joshua Tree
SHOULD’VE WON: U2 The Joshua Tree
1986
WON: Paul Simon Graceland
SHOULD’VE WON: Graceland
1985
WON: Phil Collins Phil Collins No Jacket Required
SHOULD’VE WON: Dire Straits Brothers in Arms
1984
WON: Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down
SHOULD’VE WON: Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack)
1983
WON: Michael Jackson Thriller
SHOULD’VE WON: Michael Jackson Thriller
1982
WON: Toto Toto IV
SHOULD’VE WON: Donald Fagen The Nightfly
1981
WON: John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double Fantasy
SHOULD’VE WON: John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double Fantasy
1980
WON: Christopher Cross Christopher Cross
SHOULD’VE WON: Pink Floyd The Wall
1979
WON: Billy Joel 52nd Street
SHOULD’VE WON: Supertramp Breakfast in America
1978
WON: Various Artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
SHOULD’VE WON: Various Artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
1977
WON: Fleetwood Mac Rumours
SHOULD’VE WON: Fleetwood Mac Rumours
1976
WON: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life
SHOULD’VE WON: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life
1975
WON: Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years
SHOULD’VE WON: Elton John Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
1974
WON: Stevie Wonder Fulfillingness’ First Finale
SHOULD’VE WON: Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run
1973
WON: Stevie Wonder Innervisions
SHOULD’VE WON: Stevie Wonder Innervisions
1972
WON: George Harrison et al The Concert for Bangladesh
SHOULD’VE WON: Don McLean American Pie
1971
WON: Carole King Tapestry
SHOULD’VE WON: Carole King Tapestry
1970
WON: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water
SHOULD’VE WON: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water
1969
WON: Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears
SHOULD’VE WON: The Beatles Abbey Road
1968
WON: Glen Campbell By the Time I Get to Phoenix
SHOULD’VE WON: The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
1967
WON: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
SHOULD’VE WON: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
1966
WON: Frank Sinatra A Man and His Music
SHOULD’VE WON: The Beatles Revolver
1965
WON: Frank Sinatra September of My Years
SHOULD’VE WON: Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) The Sound of Music soundtrack
1964
WON: Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto Getz/Gilberto
SHOULD’VE WON: Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto Getz/Gilberto
1963
WON: Barbra Streisand The Barbra Streisand Album
SHOULD’VE WON: Andy Williams Days of Wine and Roses
1962
WON: Vaughn Meader The First Family
SHOULD’VE WON: Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
1961
WON: Judy Garland Judy at Carnegie Hall (live)
SHOULD’VE WON: Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (composers) West Side Story soundtrack
1960
WON: Bob Newhart The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
SHOULD’VE WON: Bob Newhart The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
1959
WON: Frank Sinatra Come Dance with Me
SHOULD’VE WON: Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (performed by Van Cliburn)
1958
WON: Henry Mancini Henry Mancini The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack)
SHOULD’VE WON: Pyotor Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (performed by Van Cliburn)
So there you have it. Out of 62 years, the Grammys only got it “right” 25 times – a 40% success rate. This doesn’t even take into consideration albums which didn’t get nominated and should have. Some contests admittedly had very worthy candidates pitted against each other, such as OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below vs. the White Stripes Elephant or Eric Clapton’s Unplugged vs. U2’s Achtung Baby. In other cases, such as The Bodyguard soundtrack vs. R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People or Celine Dion’s Falling into You vs. Beck’s Odelay the higher-ranked album would have been a more creative pick, but it is no surprise that the Grammys went with the more middle-of-the-road option.
Still other times it is hard to fathom how a classic such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall can’t boast Grammy-winning status while Christopher Cross can. Vaughn Meader’s comedy album The First Family over Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music? Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters instead of Amy Winehouse Back to Black? It’s also hard to not refer to the awards as the “Grannies” when they opt to honor Steely Dan for Two Against Nature TWO DECADES past their prime compared to Eminem at the height of his powers with The Marshall Mathers LP. Alas. It is what it is.
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