The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer (not the performer) of the song in question. It is almost always the case that one or more recordings are nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and one recording may be awarded both awards. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. Unlike Record of the Year, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year goes to the composer(s) of the song. | Year | Winner | Nominations | | 2009 | Coldplay for "Viva la Vida" performed by Coldplay | | | 2008 | Amy Winehouse for "Rehab"* performed by Amy Winehouse | | | 2007 | Dixie Chicks & Dan Wilson for "Not Ready to Make Nice"* performed by Dixie Chicks | | | 2006 | U2 for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" performed by U2 | - Johntá Austin, Babyface, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Jr., Darnell Bristol, Sid Johnson, Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully & Bobby Womack for "We Belong Together" performed by Mariah Carey
- Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna & Marcus Hummon for "Bless the Broken Road" performed by Rascal Flatts
- Bruce Springsteen for "Devils & Dust" performed by Bruce Springsteen
- John Legend & will.i.am for "Ordinary People" performed by John Legend
| | 2005 | John Mayer for "Daughters" performed by John Mayer | | | 2004 | Richard Marx & Luther Vandross for "Dance with My Father" performed by Luther Vandross | | | 2003 | Jesse Harris for "Don't Know Why"* performed by Norah Jones | | | 2002 | Alicia Keys for "Fallin'" performed by Alicia Keys | | | 2001 | U2 for "Beautiful Day"* performed by U2 | | | 2000 | Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas for "Smooth"* performed by Santana featuring Rob Thomas | | *indicates this recording also won Record of the Year. [edit] Confusion Every year produces much confusion between the Grammy categories, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. Record of the Year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. This award goes to the performing artist and the producer, recording engineer, and/or mixer for that song. Song of the Year is also awarded for a single or individual track, but the recipient of this award is the songwriter who actually created the song in the first place. Album of the Year is awarded for a whole album, and the award is presented to the artist, producer, and recording engineer for that album. |
