If you have watched the entire Grammy Awards ceremony, you might be wondering why there were two different awards for the same songs, the Song of the Year and the Record of the Year.
In recent years, the majority of nominations have not been limited to a single genre, as the General Fields of the show awards are not constricted. Adele was the first woman artist to achieve the feat, winning all four General Field awards in the same year: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Christopher Cross and Billie Eilish are two artists who have also achieved this Four Big feat. Otherwise known as the Big Four, they are considered the most prestigious awards in the music business and are always presented near the end of the ceremony. The Grammys have been giving awards in these distinct categories since the first-ever Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959.
So what exactly is the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year? Read more below to find out.

The accolade was bestowed upon the artist, producer, recording technician, and sound technician thereafter. From 1966 to 1988, the prize was given to the artist and the producer(s) of the track. In the initial years, only the artist of the track received the honor. However, this was not always the scenario. The focus of the award is entirely distinct from the songwriting and recognition of those accountable for the mixing, production, and engineering of the track, not its composition or an album of tracks. The name originates from the “recording” of a track. The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented to the producers, technicians, and performers of a nominated track.
Tom Coyne, who is the individual with the highest number of victories in the category, attained the award successively from 2015 to 2018 as a mastering engineer. Paul Simon and Bruno Mars, as artists, have each won the award on three occasions, while Beyoncé holds the record for the most nominations for Record of the Year. Presently, the category nominates ten songs every year, following the inclusion of mastering engineers as recipients by the Recording Academy in 2013 during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Track of the Year

For a song to be eligible for nomination, it must have been released on a recording or gained prominence for the first time during the nomination process. The award is given based on the actual composition of the song, including its lyrics and melodies, rather than the recording itself. The songwriter responsible for composing the song receives the Song of the Year Grammy Award.
The nominations for Mars Bruno and Mancini Henry tied for the most wins. The Edge, Bono, Adele, and several other musicians have nominations for the Song of the Year. Taylor Swift and Lionel Richie have the most nominations for the Non-Classical Songwriter of the Year award. The Recording Academy made another inaugural award for the Academy’s Songwriter of the Year. Currently, the Grammy Awards nominates ten songs in each category every year. The songs that include an interpolation sample are not eligible to be nominated according to the rules of the award.
Songs that were awarded Record of the Year and Song of the Year

Songs from the list won Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It’s not uncommon for a hit song to win both Song of the Year and Record of the Year in the same year.