Here is a Spotify playlist featuring every GRAMMY Song of the Year winner, starting from the award’s very first presentation in 1959.
Song of the Year is a special category because it honors the songwriting — the lyricists, the composers, the storytellers who shape the emotional core of a track. By contrast, Record of the Year recognizes the performance and production of a song, celebrating the artist, producer, recording engineer, and mixer.
As of May 2026, the playlist features 69 songs with a total runtime of about 4 hours. The direct link is here and it is also embedded below. For those interested in fascinating details and a complete list of nominees, winners and songwriters, Wikipedia has a dedicated article here.
Below is the track list.
| Award Year | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu | Domenico Modugno |
| 1960 | The Battle Of New Orleans | Johnny Horton |
| 1961 | Theme from Exodus | Ernest Gold |
| 1962 | Moon River | Henry Mancini |
| 1963 | What Kind of Fool Am I | Sammy Davis Jr. |
| 1964 | Days of Wine and Roses | Henry Mancini |
| 1965 | Hello, Dolly! | Louis Armstrong |
| 1966 | The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from "The Sandpiper") | Tony Bennett |
| 1967 | Michelle | The Beatles |
| 1968 | Up, Up and Away | The 5th Dimension |
| 1969 | Little Green Apples | O.C. Smith |
| 1970 | Games People Play | Joe South |
| 1971 | Bridge Over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel |
| 1972 | You've Got a Friend | James Taylor |
| 1973 | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack |
| 1974 | Killing Me Softly With His Song | Roberta Flack |
| 1975 | The Way We Were | Barbra Streisand |
| 1976 | Send in the Clowns | Judy Collins |
| 1977 | I Write the Songs | Barry Manilow |
| 1978 | Evergreen (Love Theme from "A Star Is Born") | Barbra Streisand |
| 1978 | You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone |
| 1979 | Just the Way You Are | Billy Joel |
| 1980 | What a Fool Believes | The Doobie Brothers |
| 1981 | Sailing | Christopher Cross |
| 1982 | Bette Davis Eyes | Kim Carnes |
| 1983 | Always On My Mind | Willie Nelson |
| 1984 | Every Breath You Take | The Police |
| 1985 | What's Love Got to Do with It | Tina Turner |
| 1986 | We Are The World | U.S.A. For Africa |
| 1987 | That's What Friends Are For (with Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder) | Dionne Warwick & Friends |
| 1988 | Somewhere Out There - From "An American Tail" Soundtrack | Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram |
| 1989 | Don't Worry Be Happy | Bobby McFerrin |
| 1990 | Wind Beneath My Wings | Bette Midler |
| 1991 | From a Distance | Bette Midler |
| 1992 | Unforgettable | Natalie Cole (with Nat King Cole) |
| 1993 | Tears in Heaven | Eric Clapton |
| 1994 | A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) | Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle |
| 1995 | Streets of Philadelphia | Bruce Springsteen |
| 1996 | Kiss from a Rose | Seal |
| 1997 | Change the World | Eric Clapton |
| 1998 | Sunny Came Home | Shawn Colvin |
| 1999 | My Heart Will Go On - Love Theme from "Titanic" | Céline Dion |
| 2000 | Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas) | Santana |
| 2001 | Beautiful Day | U2 |
| 2002 | Fallin' | Alicia Keys |
| 2003 | Don't Know Why | Norah Jones |
| 2004 | Dance With My Father | Luther Vandross |
| 2005 | Daughters | John Mayer |
| 2006 | Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own | U2 |
| 2007 | Not Ready to Make Nice | The Chicks |
| 2008 | Rehab | Amy Winehouse |
| 2009 | Viva La Vida | Coldplay |
| 2010 | Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) | Beyoncé |
| 2011 | Need You Now | Lady A |
| 2012 | Rolling in the Deep | Adele |
| 2013 | We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) | fun. |
| 2014 | Royals | Lorde |
| 2015 | Stay With Me - Darkchild Version | Sam Smith |
| 2016 | Thinking out Loud | Ed Sheeran |
| 2017 | Hello | Adele |
| 2018 | That's What I Like | Bruno Mars |
| 2019 | This Is America | Childish Gambino |
| 2020 | Bad Guy | Billie Eilish |
| 2021 | I Can't Breathe | H.E.R. |
| 2022 | Leave The Door Open | Silk Sonic |
| 2023 | Just Like That | Bonnie Raitt |
| 2024 | What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] | Billie Eilish |
| 2025 | Not Like Us | Kendrick Lamar |
| 2026 | WILDFLOWER | Billie Eilish |
