The Grammys annually honors some of the best songs and music videos of the past year, chosen by members of The Recording Academy.
As stated on the Grammys official site, “It is truly a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions.”
Among all the awards given out during the show, categories like record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year often generate buzz. The difference between record of the year and song of the year is that the former refers to “the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist” and the latter “recognizes the songwriter(s).”
Keep reading this list to see which track received a Grammy for record of the year on the year that you were born.
1975: "I Honestly Love You" — Olivia Newton-John
At the 17th Grammys, Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" received awards for record of the year and and best female pop vocal performance. Listen to the track here.
1976: "Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & Tennille
"Love Will Keep Us Together" was released by American duo Captain & Tennille in 1975. The song won a Grammy for record of the year in 1976 and also received a nomination for best pop vocal performance by a duo, group, or chorus. Listen to the song here.
1977: "This Masquerade" — George Benson
George Benson won his first Grammy awards in 1977 for record of the year, best pop instrumental performance, and best R&B instrumental performance. Listen to "This Masquerade" here.
1978: "Hotel California" — Eagles
In a book written by Marc Eliot, the band discussed the inspiration behind the Grammy award-winning track.
"The concept had to do with taking a look at all the band had gone through, personally and professionally, while it was still happening to them," Don Henley said to Eliot.
Listen to "Hotel California" here.
1979: "Just the Way You Are" — Billy Joel
"Just the Way You Are" earned Billy Joel two Grammys in 1979 - one for record of the year and one for song of the year. He has five Grammy wins, three hall of fame awards, and received the Grammy legend award in 1991. Listen to the track here.
1980: "What A Fool Believes" — The Doobie Brothers
At the 22nd Grammys, The Doobie Brothers won awards for record of the year and best pop vocal performance by a duo, group, or chorus. Listen to "What A Fool Believes" here.
1981: "Sailing" — Christopher Cross
In 1981, Christopher Cross received Grammy awards for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best new artist, and best arrangement accompanying vocalist(s). Cross was also the first artist in Grammys history to win all four general categories in the same night. Listen to "Sailing" here.
1982: "Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes won a Grammy for record of the year in 1982 with her popular track "Bette Davis Eyes." In 1981, "Bette Davis Eyes " also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Listen to the track here.
1983: "Rosanna"— Toto
Toto's "Rosanna" won the Grammy award for record of the year in 1983. The song also won Grammys for best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocals and best vocal arrangement for two or more voices. Watch the official music video for "Rosanna" here.
1984: "Beat It" — Michael Jackson
At the 26th Grammys, Michael Jackson received awards for record of the year, album of the year, best male pop vocal performance, best male rock vocal performance, best male R&B vocal performance, and best rhythm and blues song. Watch the official video for "Beat It" here.
1985: "What's Love Got to Do With It" — Tina Turner
In 1985, Tina Turner received Grammy awards for record of the year, best female pop vocal performance, and best female rock vocal performance. Watch the music video for "What's Love Got to Do With It" here.
1986: "We Are the World" — USA For Africa (Various Artists)
"We Are the World" was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones. A new version of the song was also recorded in 2010 to benefit relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti. Listen to the original, Grammy award-winning song here.
1987: "Higher Love" — Steve Winwood
At the 29th Grammys, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" received awards for record of the year and best male pop vocal performance. Listen to the winning track here.
1988: "Graceland" — Paul Simon
Paul Simon received his first Grammy wins in 1969 at the 29th Grammys. He also won the award for record of the year. Listen to "Graceland" here.
1989: "Don't Worry Be Happy" — Bobby McFerrin
In 1989, Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy" won Grammys for record of the year, song of the year, and best male pop vocal performance. Watch the official music video here.
1990: "Wind Beneath My Wings" — Bette Midler
Bette Midler won her first Grammy in 1974 for best new artist. In 1990, "Wind Beneath My Wings won the award for record of the year and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Listen to the song here.
1991: "Another Day in Paradise" — Phil Collins
Phil Collins received his first award at the 27th Grammys, and has scored a total of eight awards over the years. Watch the official music video for "Another Day in Paradise" here.
1992: "Unforgettable" — Natalie Cole (With Nat "King" Cole)
In addition to winning record of the year, Natalie Cole won Grammys for album of the year and best traditional pop performance. Listen to "Unforgettable" here.
1993: "Tears in Heaven" — Eric Clapton
At the 35th Grammys, Eric Clapton received awards for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best male pop vocal performance, best male rock vocal performance, and best rock song. Listen to "Tears in Heaven" here.
1994: "I Will Always Love You" — Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" received two Grammys in 1994 - one for record of the year and another for best female pop vocal performance. In 2012, there was an hour-long Grammy special that aired on CBS in honor of Houston. Listen to "I Will Always Love You" here.
1995: "All I Wanna Do" — Sheryl Crow
At the 37th Grammys, Sheryl Crow won her first awards for record of the year, best new artist, and best female pop vocal performance. Listen to "All I Wanna Do" here.
1996: "Kiss From a Rose" — Seal
At the 38th Grammys, Seal scored awards for record of the year, song of the year, and best male pop vocal performance. "Kiss From A Rose" also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. Listen to the song here.
1997: "Change the World" — Eric Clapton
Clapton added to his Grammy wins in 1997 when he received awards for record of the year, best male pop vocal performance, and best rock instrumental performance. Listen to "Change the World" here.
1998: "Sunny Came Home" — Shawn Colvin
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Colvin explained that the Grammy award-winning track was inspired by the cover art for her 1996 album, "A Few Small Repairs." Listen to "Sunny Came Home" here.
1999: "My Heart Will Go On" (Love Theme From "Titanic") — Celine Dion
Dion's iconic track from "Titanic" earned her two Grammys in 1999 - one for record of the year and another for best female pop vocal performance. Listen to the award-winning song here.
2000: "Smooth" — Santana featuring Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas co-wrote "Smooth" after finishing a tour with Matchbox Twenty, and he initially wanted George Michael to sing it. "Smooth" won awards for record of the year, best pop collaboration with vocals, and song of the year in 2000. Watch the music video for "Smooth" here.
2001: "Beautiful Day" — U2
U2 has accumulated more than 20 Grammys and made their first appearance at the 30th Grammy Awards. In 2001, they won three Grammys for record of the year, song of the year, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal. Listen to "Beautiful Day" here.
2002: "Walk On" — U2
In addition to winning record of the year in 2002, they also won best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal, best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal, and best rock album. Listen to the track here.
2003: "Don't Know Why" — Norah Jones
Norah Jones attended her first Grammy Awards show in 2003. That year, Jones won her first five Grammys for record of the year, best pop vocal album of the year, best female pop vocal performance, and album of the year. Watch the music video for "Don't Know Why" here.
2004: "Clocks" — Coldplay
Coldplay won an award for record of the year at the 46th annual Grammys in February 2004. Listen to the Grammy-winning record here.
2005: "Here We Go Again" — Ray Charles and Norah Jones
After winning five Grammys in 2003, Norah Jones returned to the stage in 2005 to receive three more awards. She won awards for record of the year, best female pop vocal performance, and best pop collaboration with vocals. Listen to the duet here.
2006: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" — Green Day
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is from Green Day's "American Idiot" album, which won the award for best rock album at the 47th Grammys. Listen to the song here.
2007: "Not Ready to Make Nice" — Dixie Chicks
At the 49th Grammys, the Dixie Chicks won awards for record of the year, album of the year, bet country performance by a duo or group with vocal, and best country album. Listen to "Not Ready to Make Nice" here.
2008: "Rehab" — Amy Winehouse
"Rehab" is from Amy Winehouse's sophomore album, "Back to Black." In addition to record of the year, the track also won the award for song of the year. Watch the official music video here.
2009: "Please Read the Letter" — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the recipients of a combined five awards at the 51st Grammys - record of the year, album of the year, best country collaboration with vocals, best pop collaboration with vocals, and best contemporary folk/americana album. Listen to "Please Read the Letter" here.
2010: "Use Somebody" — Kings Of Leon
"Use Somebody" won awards for record of the year and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Watch the official music video for the winning track here.
2011: "Need You Now" — Lady Antebellum
In addition to winning record of the year, Lady Antebellum also won Grammys for best country performance by a duo or group with vocals, best country album, song of the year, and best country song. Listen to "Need You Now" here.
2012: "Rolling in the Deep" — Adele
"Rolling in the Deep" is one of the most-recognized songs from Adele's sophomore album, "21," and also won the award for song of the year at the 54th Grammy Awards. Listen to the track here.
2013: "Somebody That I Used to Know" — Gotye featuring Kimbra
Gotye and Kimbra's "Somebody That I Used to Know" earned them Grammys for record of the year and best pop duo/group performance in 2013. Listen to the song here.
2014: "Get Lucky" — Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
Daft Punk received the award for record of the year in 2014. "Get Lucky" also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013. Listen to the song here.
2015: "Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) — Sam Smith
"Stay With Me" is from Sam Smith's debut album, 'The Lonely Hour." At the 57th Grammys, Smith won awards for record of the year, song of the year, and best pop vocal album. Watch the music video for the winning track here.
2016: "Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
"Uptown Funk" was released as a single in November 2014, topped music charts for weeks, and reached diamond status. The hit was also performed at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show. Listen to the Grammy award-winning song here.
2017: "Hello" — Adele
"Hello" was the first track Adele released from her most recent album, "25," and it smashed plenty of records. The music video also became one of the most-watched on YouTube, with over two billion views. Watch the video here.
2018: "24K Magic" — Bruno Mars
At the 60th Grammys, Mars received awards for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best R&B performance, and best R&B album.
He also took the stage to perform "Finesse" with Cardi B.
2019: "This Is America" — Childish Gambino
At the 2019 Grammys, Childish Gambino's "This Is America" made history after winning song of the year and record of the year. The wins were also notable because it marked the first time that a hip-hop song beat the competition in those major categories.
Watch the music video for "This Is America" here.