Grammys 2025: What is the difference between record of the year and song of the year?

The 2025 Grammy nominations are here, and this year's batch of names is very varied. Several artists earned quite a few nominations: Beyoncé set a new record for nominations for her iconic country project, COWBOY PURSEwhile Academy favorite Billie Eilish can be seen in most of the major categories, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Tour champion Taylor Swift returns to many of her familiar battlegrounds, while 2024 collaborating star Chappell Roan will compete in the four biggest sections for the first time at the 2025 ceremony.

When reviewing the nominations, the quintessential Record of the Year versus Song of the Year question may arise: What exactly is the difference between the two awards?

While the question may remind you of that guy at house parties who insists on talking about his vinyl collection with anyone within earshot, getting the right answer is actually a worthwhile pursuit. There is a layered reasoning for the split categories, offering the Grammys an opportunity to recognize the creative professionals involved in the process of creating the music we love, beyond the artists who perform the songs.

The distinction may be even more confusing considering the fact that the 2025 categories are similar in their musical makeup: Beyoncé, Eilish, Roan, Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter appear in both sections. In Carpenter's case, nominated for Best New Artist (?!), “Why Please Please” was nominated for Song of the Year, while her sparkling hit “Espresso” won Record of the Year. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' dreamy duet “Die with a Smile” and Shaboozey's country crossover hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” round out the Song of the Year nominees; The Beatles (!) and Charli XCX complete the Record of the Year lineup with “Now and Then” and “360,” respectively.

So what qualifies a submission for one category and not the other? What are the criteria? Turns out the clue is in the name. According to the recording academyRecording of the Year goes to the artist, along with the record producers and engineers involved with the recording itself. Meanwhile, Song of the Year is awarded to the songwriter or composers who wrote the track.

Basically, Record of the Year rewards excellence in delivery and production, while Song of the Year focuses more on songwriting. There is skill in both designing something and the act of bringing it to life, and Recording Academy seeks to celebrate both with these separate categories.

Let's look at an example and imagine Chappell Roan winning in both categories. For Song of the Year, the gold gramophone would go to co-writers Roan, Dan Nigro and Justin Tranter. Meanwhile, Record of the Year would go solely to Roan and his sole producer, Nigro.

However, it takes more than just a great song to top these categories, especially when it comes to Record of the Year. To be eligible here, the song must have been officially released as a single, meaning viral B-sides won't qualify, no matter how popular they've become. For example, regardless of how many hundreds of millions of streams can be found in various outages The Department of Tortured Poetsonly “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone and “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” were eligible as official singles from the lengthy LP.

See if you can hear the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year by listening to all the nominated songs via our playlist below exclusively on Amazon Music. New subscribers can get three free months of Amazon Unlimited Music now to access 100 million songs in HD and the largest catalog of ad-free podcasts, all thanks to the platform's Christmas deal.

Nominees for Song of the Year 2025:
Beyoncé – “Texas Hold'Em”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Chappell Roan – “Good luck, darling!”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die with a smile”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please, please, please”
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight”

Nominees for Recording of the Year 2025:
The Beatles – “From time to time”
Beyoncé – “Texas Hold'Em”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Chappell Roan – “Good luck, darling!”
Charli XCX – “360”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not like us”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight”