Appropriately referred to as Music’s biggest night, the Grammys are considerably the endgame for all musicians. Much like the Academy Awards, they represent the highest accolade an artist can receive, and fans tend to use them as a reference when trying to prove that their favorite artist is better than any other one.
This year, the Recording Academy upped the stakes by expanding their four major categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) from five nominees to eight nominees, adding to the already tight competition that audiences are familiar with.
In this article, I will be looking at the eight nominees in the Song of the Year category. 2018 was certainly a year for viral hits and songs from blockbuster movies crossing into the mainstream, but where do their possibilities fall in terms of taking home the Grammy? I will be basing our predictions on personal opinions, the song’s impact and relevance in pop culture, the lyricism and production, and its commercial performance.
8. The Middle by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey
To put it lightly, I genuinely wonder how this song was even considered to be nominated, let alone actually be nominated. The typical Zedd song, the same thing we have been hearing over and over again post-2014, The Middle boasts mediocre lyrics and a vocal performance by Maren Morris that is grating, to say the least. I can’t deny that the song was a commercial success, but the cons extremely outweigh the pros here.
Serving as the debut song for English singer Ella Mai, Boo’d Up was a surprising hit. A sleek but unassuming R&B song, I constantly heard it on the radio but discarded it as one of the random songs Puerto Rico’s Hot 102 station plays, so I was shocked to see it nominated for not one, but two Grammy awards.
The obligatory country-leaning song, Brandi Carlile’s The Joke is a song for those who feel like they got the short end of society’s bargain. With its Americana vibe and Carlile’s raspy vocal performance, I can see why this song is a contender but one that is ultimately overshadowed by its more successful peers.
5. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes has been enamoring the public with his boy-next-door allure since he broke into the mainstream in 2013. In My Blood, from his self-titled third album, sees the “Stitches” singer finding motivation to break through the hardships he has faced in the limelight. This year, Mendes scored his first two Grammy nominations, so we can only sit and wait to see if he goes home with the coveted golden record player.
Drake, for better or for worse, is the epitome of success in the era of streaming and viral sensations. Even I have to admit that I wasn’t completely uninterested when I played this song in order to write this article. God’s Plan instantly scored the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 list when it was released in January of 2018 and was the most played song in both Apple Music and Spotify for 2018. A case where uniqueness takes a backseat for success, the song is literally the Song of the Year.
3. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
Marvel’s Black Panther was one of the hottest movies of 2018, so it’s no surprise that its promotional song made the nominee list. Kendrick Lamar and SZA provide a contemporary rap-pop track that alternates between Lamar’s almost-spoken rapping and SZA’s emblematic voice. While it seems separate from its movie, the song could be considered a strong contender due to its mass appeal and admittedly good quality.
2. Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
If you haven’t heard this song by now, you’ve been living under not just one, but two rocks. From the 2018 version of A Star Is Born, Shallow is a powerful ballad between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga that proves that a theme song can surpass its original platform without losing its connection to it. After earning all of the awards it has been nominated for, it comes as no surprise that Shallow is one of the biggest contenders in this race.
1. This Is America by Childish Gambino
It seems that every year a song that addresses one of the many issues society faces is released and starts a conversation that remains way passed the song’s initial peak. And in 2018, Childish Gambino’s This Is America was that song. Mixing classic African beats with modern trap music, Childish Gambino addresses the perils of being black in the United States while pinpointing the disproportionate violence black people face from police officers. One-of-its-kind, This Is America checks all of the criteria a song should have in order to be deserving of being awarded as Song of the Year.