Billboard
All the Hits That Won Grammys for Both Record and Song of the Year: Full List
By Paul Grein
Feb 8, 2025
From the lounge staple “Volare” to the hip-hop smash “Not Like Us,” here are all the hits that won both of these top prizes.
“Not Like Us” is the 34th piece of music in the 67 years of the Grammy Awards to win Grammys for both record of the year (which honors a specific recording of a song) and song of the year (which honors the song itself).
Lamar was the sole writer of “Not Like Us,” which is the seventh record of the year winner that was both written and performed by the same individual, with no credited collaborators on either writing or performance. It follows “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare),” which was both written and performed by Domenico Modugno, “Just the Way You Are” (Billy Joel), “Sailing” (Christopher Cross), “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (Bobby McFerrin), “Kiss From a Rose” (Seal) and “Rehab” (Amy Winehouse).
Four artists – Henry Mancini, Roberta Flack, Eric Clapton and Adele – have each released two hits that won both record and song of the year. Mancini co-wrote both of these songs, “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses” with veteran lyricist Johnny Mercer. Adele co-wrote “Rolling in the Deep” with Paul Epworth and “Hello” with Greg Kurstin. Clapton co-wrote one of his double winners, but not the other. Flack wasn’t involved in writing either of her double winners.
Here is a complete list of all 34 pieces of music to win both song and record of the year. The song of the year award has always just gone to the songwriters — but, as you will see, the Recording Academy has gradually increased the scope of who wins record of the year. For the first seven years of the Grammys, it just went to the artist. The Academy added producers as recipients in 1966, engineer/mixers in 1999 and mastering engineers in 2013.
“Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)” (1959)
Songwriter: Domenico Modugno
Artist: Domenico Modugno
Notes: This Italian-language song is the only non-English-language composition to win song of the year, though Lennon-McCartney’s “Michelle,” which won in 1967, is partly in French. The title of Modugno’s smash was spelled out phonetically for the benefit of non-Italian-speaking DJs and fans: (“NELL-BLUE-DEE-PEENTO-DE-BLUE”).
“Moon River” (1962)
Songwriters: Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer
Artist: Henry Mancini
Notes: Mancini and Mercer wrote this gorgeous ballad for the Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The song won an Oscar. Hepburn was nominated for best actress.
“Days of Wine and Roses” (1964)
Songwriters: Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer
Artist: Henry Mancini
Notes: Mancini and Mercer wrote this deeply melancholy ballad for the film Days of Wine and Roses, starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. The song won an Oscar. Lemmon and Remick were both nominated for their lead roles.
“Up—Up and Away” (1968)
Songwriter: Jimmy L. Webb
Artist: 5th Dimension (Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, Ronald Townson)
Producers: Marc Gordon, Johnny Rivers
Notes: The strings and horns on this buoyant hit were arranged by Marty Paich, father of Toto’s David Paich, a future record of the year winner for “Rosanna.” Who could resist McCoo’s warm invitation, “If you hold my hand/We’ll chase your dream across the sky.” Webb, a true prodigy, was just 21 at the time, making him the youngest song of the year winner to that point. That title is now held by Lorde, who was 17 in 2014 when she won for co-writing “Royals.”
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1971)
Songwriter: Paul Simon
Artist: Simon & Garfunkel
Producers: Roy Halee, Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon
Notes: Simon & Garfunkel attended the first live Grammy telecast, but elected not to perform their power ballad for the ages. In their absence, Aretha Franklin performed her soul/gospel-infused cover version, which became a top 10 hit on the Hot 100 in 1971 and won a Grammy the following year for best R&B vocal performance, female.
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1973)
Songwriter: Ewan MacColl
Artist: Roberta Flack
Producer: Joel Dorn
Notes: MacColl wrote this song in 1957. It was first recorded three years later. The song entered the pop mainstream in 1962 when The Kingston Trio included it on their hit album New Frontier. Such other pop/folk groups as Peter, Paul and Mary, the Brothers Four and the Chad Mitchell Trio also covered it, as did Gordon Lightfoot on his 1966 debut album, Lightfoot!. Flack’s immaculate version first appeared on her 1969 debut album, First Take, but only took off after Clint Eastwood featured it in 1971’s Play Misty for Me, his first film as a director.
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” (1974)
Songwriters: Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel
Artist: Roberta Flack
Producer: Joel Dorn
Notes: Fox and Gimbel wrote this song after hearing singer/songwriter Lori Lieberman’s account of seeing a concert by Don McLean. Flack heard Lieberman’s version on an inflight audio program. Her sublime single made her the first artist to win record of the year two years running.
“Just the Way You Are” (1979)
Songwriter: Billy Joel
Artist: Billy Joel
Producer: Phil Ramone
Notes: This classy single is the very definition of soft rock. Joel’s best lyric: “I don’t want clever conversation/I never want to work that hard.”
“What a Fool Believes” (1980)
Songwriters: Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald
Artist: The Doobie Brothers (Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, John Hartman, Keith Knudsen, Michael McDonald, Tiran Porter, Patrick Simmons)
Producer: Ted Templeman
Notes: Loggins released this song on his Nightwatch album five months before the Doobies’ version was released. By most accounts, “What a Fool Believes” represents the pinnacle of what is affectionately (for the most part) called yacht rock.
“Sailing” (1981)
Songwriter: Christopher Cross
Artist: Christopher Cross
Producer: Michael Omartian
Notes: In addition to winning song and record of the year, Cross also won album of the year and best new artist, making him the first artist in Grammy history to sweep the Big Four awards in one night. He performed this hypnotic ballad on the telecast in a segment devoted to the songwriters of the song of the year contenders.
“Bette Davis Eyes” (1982)
Songwriters: Jackie DeShannon, Donna Weiss
Artist: Kim Carnes
Producer: Val Garay
Notes: DeShannon, who had top 10 hits on the Hot 100 in the 1960s with “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” co-wrote this song with Weiss in 1974. DeShannon also recorded it that year on her album New Arrangement. The edgy synth arrangement on Carnes’ version is what put it over the top.
“What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1985)
Songwriters: Terry Britten, Graham Lyle
Artist: Tina Turner
Producer: Terry Britten
“We Are the World” (1986)
Songwriters: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie
Artist: USA for Africa
Producer: Quincy Jones
Notes: Most of the A-list stars of the era assembled for this smash. Prince was invited, but didn’t show. Madonna wasn’t invited. (She got the last laugh: Her “Crazy for You” replaced “We Are the World” at No. 1 on the Hot 100.) The smash also featured some legends (Ray Charles, Bob Dylan) and two stars who had recently hosted the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards – Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd. The recent Netflix documentary The Greatest Night in Pop tells the story.
None of the artists on the record received a Grammy for record of the year (except Jackson and Richie, who won for co-writing the song). The record of the year prize went only to the producer, Quincy Jones.
“Don’t Worry Be Happy” (1989)
Songwriter: Bobby McFerrin
Artist: Bobby McFerrin
Producer: Linda Goldstein
Notes: This feel-good smash, the first a cappella smash to top the Hot 100, was featured in (but not written for) the Tom Cruise film Cocktail. Goldstein was the first woman producer to win for record of the year. Grammy host Billy Crystal joined McFerrin in performing the show on the telecast.
“Wind Beneath My Wings” (1990)
Songwriters: Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar
Artist: Bette Midler
Producer: Arif Mardin
Notes: Henley and Silbar wrote this song in 1982. Sheena Easton included it on a Billboard 200-charting album that same year. Lou Rawls had a Hot 100 hit with it in 1983. Gary Morris took it to No. 4 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1983. The ballad won song of the year at both the ACM Awards and CMA Awards in 1984. Midler’s version made No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1989, but the song was pretty well-known beforehand, and thus probably wouldn’t be eligible today. Here’s the relevant rule from the Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines book: “[Eligible songs] must have been released on a recording for the first time, or achieved prominence for the first time, during the current eligibility year.”
Midler’s version was featured in the movie Beaches, in which she starred alongside Barbara Hershey. There are several film songs on this list, but this is the only one where the singer was also the star of the film. Midler performed this song as the closing song on the 1990 Grammy telecast.
“Unforgettable” (1992)
Songwriter: Irving Gordon
Artist: Natalie Cole (With Nat King Cole)
Producer: David Foster
Notes: This song was already a standard when it won song of the year. Nat King Cole had a hit recording with it in 1951, as did R&B singer Dinah Washington in 1959. Such a well-known song would not be eligible under current rules. Gordon was 77 at the time, making him the oldest song of the year winner.
Natalie Cole performed this swanky song as the closing song on the 1992 Grammy telecast.
“Tears in Heaven” (1993)
Songwriters: Eric Clapton, Will Jennings
Artist: Eric Clapton
Producer: Russ Titelman
Notes: Clapton and Jennings wrote the song about a tragic accident in which Clapton’s four-year-old son, Conor, fell to his death from the window of a high-rise apartment building. Clapton turned his pain into a deeply poignant ballad. It’s a sad song, but there’s a note of hope at the end: “Beyond the door/There’s peace I’m sure.”
They wrote the song for the 1991 film Rush, which starred Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was nominated for a Grammy for best song written specifically for a motion picture or for television, but it lost to “Beauty and the Beast” from the film of the same name.
Clapton performed the song as the closing song on the 1993 Grammy telecast. (I’m starting to see a pattern here.)
“Kiss From a Rose” (1996)
Songwriter: Seal
Artist: Seal
Producer: Trevor Horn
Notes: “Kiss from a Rose” first appeared on Seal’s second eponymous album in May 1994. It first cracked the Hot 100 in June 1995 after it was featured in the film Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer.
“Change the World” (1997)
Songwriters: Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims
Artist: Eric Clapton
Producer: Babyface
Notes: Wynonna included this song on her third solo album Revelations, which made the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in March 1996. Clapton’s subsequent version, featured in the John Travolta film Phenomenon, was released four months later.
Clapton and Babyface teamed to perform the song on the 1997 Grammy telecast.
“Sunny Came Home” (1998)
Songwriters: Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal
Artist: Shawn Colvin
Producer: John Leventhal
Notes: Colvin performed this song on the 1998 Grammy telecast in a Lilith Fair-saluting segment which also included Paula Cole (“Where Have All the Flowers Gone”) and Sarah McLachlan (“Building a Mystery).”
“My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)” (1999)
Songwriters: James Horner, Will Jennings
Artist: Celine Dion
Producers: Walter Afanasieff, Simon Franglen, James Horner
Engineers/mixers: Simon Franglen, Humberto Gatica, David Gleeson
Notes: This power ballad won an Oscar for best original song, one of 11 Oscars Titanic sailed away with in 1998. That enabled the film to tie Ben-Hur’s record for most Oscar wins by any film. (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has since equaled the feat.)
Dion performed this song on the 1998 Grammy telecast, a year before it was eligible for Grammy consideration, which allowed the Grammys to beat the Oscars in landing this performance.
“Smooth” (2000)
Songwriters: Itaal Shur, Rob Thomas
Artists: Santana featuring Rob Thomas
Producer: Matt Serletic
Engineer/mixer: David Thoener
Notes: Santana’s record of the year win was one of eight the band won that night, which allowed them to tie Michael Jackson’s 1984 record for most Grammys won in one night.
Santana and Thomas teamed to perform this sexy smash as the closing performance on the 2000 Grammy telecast.
“Beautiful Day” (2001)
Songwriters: U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.)
Artist: U2
Producer: Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois
Engineers/mixers: Steve Lillywhite, Richard Rainey
Notes: This exhilarating pop/rock single was the last Grammy winner before 9/11. U2 won record of the year again in 2002 with the more subdued and reflective “Walk On.” U2 was the second act (after Roberta Flack) to win back-to-back awards for record of the year. Billie Eilish has since equaled the feat.
“Don’t Know Why” (2003)
Songwriter: Jesse Harris
Artist: Norah Jones
Producers: Norah Jones, Arif Mardin, Jay Newland, Craig Street
Engineers/mixers: S. Husky Höskulds, Jay Newland
Notes: Jones performed this lovely, understated ballad on the telecast.
“Not Ready to Make Nice” (2007)
Songwriters: The Chicks (Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison) Dan Wilson
Artist: The Chicks
Producer: Rick Rubin
Engineers/mixers: Richard Dodd, Jim Scott, Chris Testa
Notes: Notes: Voters rallied around the trio after they suffered a backlash to Natalie Maines’ critical comments about President George W. Bush during wartime. They express hurt and anger in “Not Ready to Make Nice.” Best line: “They say time heals everything/but I’m still waiting.”
The Chicks were known as Dixie Chicks at the time, but changed their name amid the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“Rehab” (2008)
Songwriter: Amy Winehouse
Artist: Amy Winehouse
Producer: Mark Ronson
Engineers/mixers: Tom Elmhirst, Samuel “Vaughan” Merrick, Dom Morley, Mark Ronson, Gabriel Roth
Notes: Winehouse’s song includes nice nods to R&B legends Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. Winehouse performed the song (and “You Know I’m No Good”) by satellite from a London studio on the Grammy telecast when her visa didn’t arrive in time to make the trip to L.A.
“Need You Now” (2011)
Songwriters: Lady A (Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott), Josh Kear
Artist: Lady A
Producer: Lady A (Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott), Paul N. Worley
Engineer/mixer: L Clarke Schleicher
Notes: Lady A performed this song and another of their hits, “American Honey,” as well as the Gamble & Huff soul classic “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” on the Grammy telecast. Lady A was known as Lady Antebellum at the time, but changed their name amid the racial reckoning of 2020.
“Rolling in the Deep” (2012)
Songwriters: Adele, Paul Epworth
Artist: Adele
Producer: Paul Epworth
Engineers/mixers: Tom Elmhirst, Mark Rankin
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” (2015)
Songwriters: James Napier, William Phillips, Sam Smith
Artist: Sam Smith
Producers: Steve Fitzmaurice, Rodney Jerkins & Jimmy Napes
Engineers/mixers: Matthew Champlin, Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes & Steve Price
Mastering engineer: Tom Coyne
Notes: Mary J. Blige joined Smith to perform this song on the Grammy telecast.
“Hello” (2017)
Songwriters: Adele Adkins, Greg Kurstin
Artist: Adele
Producer: Greg Kurstin
Engineers/mixers: Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst, Emile Haynie, Greg Kurstin, Liam Nolan, Alex Pasco, Joe Visciano
Mastering engineers: Tom Coyne, Randy Merrill
Notes: Appropriately, Adele opened the 2017 telecast with this song.
“This Is America” (2019)
Songwriters: Childish Gambino (Donald Glover), Ludwig Göransson, Jeffery Lamar Williams
Artist: Childish Gambino
Producers: (Childish Gambino) Donald Glover & Ludwig Göransson
Engineers/mixers: Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, Dru Castro, Kesha Lee, Riley Mackin, Shaan Singh, Alex Tumay
Mastering engineer: Mike Bozzi
“Bad Guy” (2020)
Songwriters: Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas O’Connell
Artist: Billie Eilish
Producer: Finneas O’Connell
Engineers/mixers: Rob Kinelski, Finneas O’Connell
Mastering engineer: John Greenham
Notes: In addition to song and record of the year, Eilish also won album of the year and best new artist, making her only the second artist in Grammy history to sweep the Big Four awards in one night. She was just 18 at the time, 11 years younger than Christopher Cross was when he achieved the feat. And she was, and remains, the youngest winner ever in two of those four categories – album and record of the year.
“Leave the Door Open” (2022)
Songwriters: Silk Sonic (Brandon Anderson a.k.a. Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars), Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II
Artist: Silk Sonic
Producers: Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Bruno Mars
Engineers/mixers: Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Charles Moniz
Mastering engineer: Randy Merrill
Notes: Silk Sonic performed this impossibly pretty song on the 2021 Grammy telecast, a year before it was Grammy-eligible. When this pop-soul smash won record of the year, Mars became just the second artist (following Paul Simon) to win record of the year three times. And co-writer D’Mile (Dernst Emile II) became the first songwriter to win song of the year two years running. He had won the previous year for co-writing H.E.R.’s hit “I Can’t Breathe.”
“Not Like Us” (2025)
Songwriter: Kendrick Lamar
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Producers: Mustard, Sean Momberger, Sounwave
Engineers/mixers: Ray Charles Brown Jr., Johnathan Turner
Mastering engineer: Nicolas de Porcel
