# GrammY: Difference between Album of the Year and Record of the Year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440 "2005-02-10T18:35:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/1 "2005-02-10T18:35:07Z")
They seem to be the same thing. I would have thought record of the year was one song, but they also have SONG of the YEAR. What gives? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/2 "2005-02-10T21:37:29Z")
If I understand right, song of the year goes to the songwriter (composer, lyricist) - even something sung by William Hung could be song of the year, so long as it’s a well crafted song. Record of the year goes to the singers and producers of the recording. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/3 "2005-02-10T21:44:47Z")
But what is the difference between RECORD and ALBUM? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/4 "2005-02-10T21:45:36Z")
Album of the Year is for full-length albums, and go to the artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s)/mixer(s), and mastering engineer(s) in question. Record of the Year is for single tracks, and is issued to the people mentioned above, except for mastering engineer(s). Song of the Year goes to composers. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/5 "2005-02-10T21:55:55Z")
Cool. SONG and RECORD are both for singles, but one is more for stylistic writing and the other more for performance and overall enjoyment? I am looking at the nominees for each category and there is NO overlap. Is that normal? It seems that a well-written song would have a decent chance of being an enjoyable song. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/6 "2005-02-10T22:11:32Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I am looking at the nominees for each category and there is NO overlap. > > Is that normal? . I don’t have a list of prior nominees on me, but I do have a list of prior winners. Exactly half (23 of 46) Record of the Year winners also won Song of the Year. In short, it’s probably against the grain for there to be no overlap. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/7 "2005-02-10T22:16:34Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/8 "2005-02-10T22:24:13Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Cool. SONG and RECORD are both for singles, but one is more for stylistic writing and the other more for performance and overall enjoyment? Song of the Year is _entirely_ for writing. The award goes to the songwriter. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/9 "2005-02-10T22:34:03Z")
Yes. I just meant that the standards are solely the words and not the overall enjoyment of those words when performed. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/10 "2005-02-10T22:47:02Z")
The Best Song award is for the words _and_ music, not just the words. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/11 "2005-02-10T23:44:07Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Cool. SONG and RECORD are both for singles, but one is more for stylistic writing and the other more for performance and overall enjoyment? One is for the composition itself (words and music). The other is for the _production_ (the overall sound , the arrangement, the artistry of the performance, and how it’s mixed etc.). Like compare the original American Pie song to Madonna’s verison of the same song. Same _composition_, completley different production. Different record. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/12 "2005-02-11T00:24:04Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Like compare the original American Pie song to Madonna’s verison of the same song. Same composition, completely different production. Different record. A further distinction, for Grammy purposes, is that a song can only be eligible for Best Song only once–the year the song’s first released. For example, the original version of the previously mentioned “American Pie” by Don McLean came out in 1971 and could’ve been awarded the Grammy for Best Song _only for that particular year_. However, different versions of one song can be eligible numerous times for the Best Record Grammy. Thus, the version of “American Pie” by Don McLean was eligible for Best Record of 1971 and the version of “American Pie” by Madonna was eligible for Best Record of 2000. If, in the future, someone else records another version of “American Pie,” that recording will be eligible for the Best Record Grammy of that year. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/13 "2005-02-13T00:10:12Z")
Not necessarily so. ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole and her daughter Natalie won for Record and Song of the year–40 years after Nat recorded his version. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/14 "2005-02-13T01:08:47Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > But what is the difference between RECORD and ALBUM? A RECORD is one of those little things with a big hole in the middle that plays at 45 rpm. An ALBUM is one of those big things with a little hole in the middle that plays at 33 1/3 rpm. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammy-difference-between-album-of-the-year-and-record-of-the-year/289440/15 "2005-02-13T05:22:03Z")
> [@capacitor](#): > > ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole and her daughter Natalie won for Record and Song of the year — 40 years after Nat recorded his version. Just wanted to give credit to songwriter Irving Gordon, who wrote _Unforgettable_, and won the Grammy for Song of the Year.