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Song Of The Year

1981 • 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Honoring recordings released between Aug 31, 1979 and Aug 30, 1980

1981 Winner is Christopher Cross with "Sailing"

Sailing

Christopher Cross

Nominees 1981

Winners

Year Winner Nomination
2026 Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell WILDFLOWER All Nominees
2025 Kendrick Lamar Not Like Us All Nominees
2024 Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] All Nominees
2023 Bonnie Raitt Just Like That All Nominees
2022 Anderson .Paak, Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II, Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic Leave The Door Open All Nominees
2021 Dernst Emile II, H.E.R., Tiara Thomas I Can't Breathe All Nominees
2020 Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell Bad Guy All Nominees
2019 Childish Gambino, Ludwig Goransson, Jeffery Lamar Williams This Is America All Nominees
2018 Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus, Jonathan Yip That's What I Like All Nominees
2017 Adele, Greg Kurstin Hello All Nominees
2016 Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge Thinking Out Loud All Nominees
2015 James Napier, William Phillips, Sam Smith Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) All Nominees
2014 Joel Little, Lorde Royals All Nominees
2013 Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost, Nate Ruess We Are Young All Nominees
2012 Adele, Paul Epworth Rolling In The Deep All Nominees
2011 Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Lady Antebellum Need You Now All Nominees
2010 Kuk Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius "The Dream" Nash, Chris 'Tricky' Stewart Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) All Nominees
2009 Coldplay, Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin Viva La Vida All Nominees
2008 Amy Winehouse Rehab All Nominees
2006 U2, Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own All Nominees
2005 John Mayer Daughters All Nominees
2004 Richard Marx, Luther Vandross Dance With My Father All Nominees
2003 Jesse Harris Don't Know Why All Nominees
2002 Alicia Keys Fallin' All Nominees
2001 U2, Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. Beautiful Day All Nominees
2000 Itaal Shur, Rob Thomas Smooth All Nominees
1999 James Horner, Will Jennings My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic) All Nominees
1998 Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal Sunny Came Home All Nominees
1997 Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims Change The World All Nominees
1996 Seal Kiss From A Rose All Nominees
1995 Bruce Springsteen Streets Of Philadelphia All Nominees
1994 Alan Menken, Tim Rice A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) All Nominees
1993 Eric Clapton, Will Jennings Tears In Heaven All Nominees
1992 Irving Gordon Unforgettable All Nominees
1991 Julie Gold From A Distance All Nominees
1990 Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar Wind Beneath My Wings All Nominees
1989 Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy All Nominees
1988 James Horner, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil Somewhere Out There All Nominees
1987 Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager That's What Friends Are For All Nominees
1986 Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie We Are The World All Nominees
1985 Terry Britten, Graham Lyle What's Love Got To Do With It All Nominees
1984 Sting Every Breath You Take All Nominees
1983 Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James Always On My Mind All Nominees
1982 Jackie DeShannon, Donna Weiss Bette Davis Eyes All Nominees
1981 Christopher Cross Sailing All Nominees
1980 Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald What A Fool Believes All Nominees
1979 Billy Joel Just The Way You Are All Nominees
1978 Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen) All Nominees
1978 Joe Brooks You Light Up My Life All Nominees
1977 Bruce Johnston I Write The Songs All Nominees
1976 Stephen Sondheim Send In The Clowns All Nominees
1975 Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch The Way We Were All Nominees
1974 Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel Killing Me Softly With His Song All Nominees
1973 Ewan MacColl The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face All Nominees
1972 Carole King You've Got A Friend All Nominees
1971 Paul Simon Bridge Over Troubled Water All Nominees
1970 Joe South Games People Play All Nominees
1969 Bobby Russell Little Green Apples All Nominees
1968 Jimmy L. Webb Up, Up And Away All Nominees
1967 John Lennon, Paul McCartney Michelle All Nominees
1966 Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster The Shadow Of Your Smile (Love Theme From "The Sandpiper") All Nominees
1965 Jerry Herman Hello, Dolly! All Nominees
1964 Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer Days Of Wine And Roses All Nominees
1963 Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley What Kind Of Fool Am I All Nominees
1962 Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer Moon River All Nominees
1961 Ernest Gold Theme From Exodus All Nominees
1960 Jimmy Driftwood The Battle Of New Orleans All Nominees
1959 Domenico Modugno Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) All Nominees

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