History of the Grammys, Part 2: A Decade Study

Welcome back to our Grammys Decade Study! The first ten years of the Grammy Awards were full of worthy contestants and winners, and history shows that the second ten years were no different. We're diving into the '70s now, and if you've been around this blog a while you'll probably recognize a couple of songs from our first decade study when we looked at the #1 songs on the Billboard Year End Hot 100 Chart for each year leading up to 2019. Just like the previous post, I'll only be highlighting the winners of the awards for Record of the Year (which is awarded to the performer and production team of a single song if other than the performer) and Song of the Year (which is awarded to the songwriter or songwriters of a single song). So we know a little about the show now, we know a little bit about the decade, so let's jump in and start listening.

1969

The 11th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 12th, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, and New York City, New York. With no official host, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1968.

Record of the Year - Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel (written by P. Simon)

Still an absolute bop all these years later, the first rock song ever to win a Grammy Award was featured on Simon & Garfunkel's 1968 album Bookends as well as the soundtrack to the iconic 1967 film The Graduate (starring Anne Bancroft & Dustin Hoffman). Mrs. Robinson was the third track pitched to the filmmakers to be the movie's theme song and, luckily for all of us, it's the one that stuck. The song performed super well on the Billboard Chart in the US, where it peaked at #1, as well as charting in the UK, Ireland, Spain, and several other countries, and Simon & Garfunkel also took home the 1969 Grammy for Best Contemporary Pop Performance - Vocal Duo or Group. It's been covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra, The Lemonheads, and Bon Jovi, but none of the covers really hold a candle to the original. Mrs. Robinson is certified Gold by the RIAA and has sold over one million copies in the US alone since its release.

We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files/We’d like to help you learn to help yourself/Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes/Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home/And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson/Jesus loves you more than you will know, whoa, whoa, whoa/God bless you, please, Mrs. Robinson/Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey, hey, hey/Hey, hey, hey

Song of the Year - Little Green Apples by Roger Miller/Patti Page/O.C. Smith (written by B. Russell)

American singer/songwriter Bobby Russell took home 1969's Song of the Year Award for Little Green Apples, which was released as a single by Roger Miller in 1968. I will go ahead and admit that during this week's research, I found myself listening to the O.C. Smith cover that was released a few months later, and I actually like it better than the original. In fact, this song was covered twice in the first year of it's "life," not only by Smith but also by Patti Page. All three versions ended up on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, with Smith's peaking the highest at #2, followed by Miller at #39 and Page at #96. The song has been covered multiple times since its release by the likes of Robbie Williams & Kelly Clarkson, Burl lves, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, The Temptations, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. This is a fun little song that makes you feel good while listening to it, and the listening is definitely easy.

And I wake up in the morning with my hair down in my eyes and she says, "Hi"/And I stumble to the breakfast table while the kids are going off to school, goodbye/And she reaches out and takes my hand and squeezes it and says, "How ya feeling, hon"/And I look across at smiling lips that warm my heart and see my morning sun/And if that’s not loving me, then all I’ve got to say/God didn’t make little green apples and it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime/And there’s no such thing as Doctor Seuss or Disneyland and Mother Goose, no nursery rhyme/God didn’t make little green apples and it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime/And when my self is feeling low, I think about her face aglow and ease my mind

1970

The 12th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 11th, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, New York City, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia. With no official host, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1969.

Record of the Year - Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension (written by J. Rado, G. Ragni, G. MacDermot)

This Grammy winner is actually a medley of two separate songs that were written for the 1967 Broadway musical Hair (originally starring songwriters James Rado and Gerome Ragni). The medley was performed by American R&B group The 5th Dimension, who had helped win six Grammys just two years before with Up, Up and Away, and featured on their 1969 album The Age of Aquarius. Released as a single in March 1969, the song also brought home the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group, peaked at #1 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies in the US. Naturally, the song has been covered a multitude of times, notably by Donna Summer, Diana Ross, and The Osmonds, and it has been sampled for other pop songs throughout the years and featured in multiple movies and television shows. While Hair is not exactly my favorite show, I do have to give respect where it's due, and this song has definitely made its mark in musical history.

When the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars/Then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars/This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius/Age of Aquarius/Aquarius, Aquarius/Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding/No more falsehoods or derisions, golden living dreams of visions/Mystic crystal revelation and the mind’s true liberation/Aquarius, Aquarius

Song of the Year - Games People Play by Joe South (written by J. South)

American singer/songwriter Joe South took home the 1970 Grammy for Song of the Year with this little song Games People Play. Featured on his 1969 album Introspect, South put together a nice little protest song about hatred and hypocrisy and all sorts of other unpleasant things and wrapped it up in the type of package that makes you not realize what you're listening to until it's over - TL;DR, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, brought home a second 1970 Grammy for Best Contemporary Song, and was most notably covered by Inner Circle in 1994.

Oh, the games people play now/Every night and every day now/Never meaning what they say now/Never saying what they mean/And they wile away the hours/In their ivory towers/’Til they’re covered up with flowers/In the back of a black limousine/La da da da da da da da/La da da da da da de/Talking ‘bout you and me/And the games people play

1971

The 13th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 16th, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1970.

Record & Song of the Year - Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (written by P. Simon)

Two years after winning with Mrs. Robinson, ya bois Simon & Garfunkel were back and winning even bigger with what may be one of the greatest songs of all time and what was definitely the #1 Song of 1970. Featured on their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water, this song became THE quintessential Simon & Garfunkel song. Not only did the RIAA certify the single Gold, the song has sold over six million copies worldwide since its release in January 1970. Simon & Garfunkel got to help take home FIVE Grammys for this one song, the other three being Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Song, and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). It's become one of the most covered songs of the 20th century with over 50 different musicians having performed it, including the likes of Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, Roberta Flack, Bonnie Tyler, and Willie Nelson. As I said in my 1970s post last year, I adore this song and really can't get enough of it - it makes me emotional in all of the right ways, just the like the best songs should.

When you’re down and out, when you’re on the street/When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you/I’ll take your part, oh, when darkness comes/And pain is all around/Like a bridge over troubled water/I will lay me down/Like a bridge over troubled water/I will lay me down

1972

The 14th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 14th, 1972 in New York City, New York. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1971.

Record of the Year - It's Too Late by Carole King (written by C. King, T. Stern)

The #1 Song of 1971 ended up being a Grammy winner as well, just like Bridge Over Troubled Water the year before. Featured on songwriting extraordinaire Carole King's 1971 album Tapestry, the song was released as a single in April 1971. While this was the song's only Grammy (even though King won Album of the Year in 1972 for Tapestry as well), it has been certified Gold by the RIAA, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, has been listed by Rolling Stone as their 469th out of 500 Songs of All Time, and named by the RIAA as 213th out of their 365 Songs of the Century. The song has been covered multiple times, most notably by Gloria Estefan but also by The Isley Brothers, Amy Grant, and Darren Criss & Chris Colfer on Glee.

It used to be so easy, living here with you/You were light and breezy, and I knew just what to do/Now you look so unhappy, and I feel like a fool/And it’s too late baby, now it’s too late/Though we really did try to make it/Something inside has died, and I can’t hide/And I just can’t fake it, oh, no, no

Song of the Year - You've Got a Friend by Carole King (written by C. King)

King had a GREAT year at the 1972 Grammys, taking home Record, Album, and Song of the Year. Also featured on 1971's Tapestry, You've Got a Friend was written and recorded first by King and also later that year by James Taylor, who ended up taking home the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his version. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, just not for as long as It's Too Late did, and apart from the Taylor cover the song has been performed multiple times by many other artists, including Brand New Heaves, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson. This is a sweet song and I really like the message, although I groove a little bit more with It's Too Late, but 1971/72 really showed what a powerhouse King is in the music industry.

When you’re down and troubled and you need some love and care/And nothing, nothing is going right/Close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there/To brighten up even your darkest night/You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am/I’ll come running to see you again/Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call/And I’ll be there, you’ve got a friend

1973

The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 3rd, 1973 in Nashville, Tennessee. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1972.

Record & Song of the Year - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack (written by E. MacColl)

The #1 song of 1972 and IMHO one of the most romantic songs of all time won big at the Grammys in 1973, with Roberta Flack, producer Joel Dorn, and songwriter Ewan MacColl taking home Record & Song of the Year. MacColl originally wrote the song for his then mistress/later wife Peggy Seeger back in 1957. Flack recorded the song for her 1969 album First Take and it was released as a single in March 1972, where it became her breakout hit. I fell in love with this song when Amber Riley, Lea Michele, Naya Rivera, and Jenna Ushkowitz covered it on Glee, and I've always loved the emotion that Flack pours into the song. Imagine my surprise when I found out during this post's research that she was emotional while recording this song, but not over a lover - she'd found out a few days before recording that her pet cat had been run over by a car and was still grieving over that. Not as many people have covered this song as some of the other Grammy winners, but it has been used in multiple movies and television shows as well as being the wakeup track for the astronauts on Apollo 17 on their final day in space.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth/I felt the earth move in my hand/Like the trembling heart of a captive bird/That was there at my command, my love/And the first time ever I lay with you/I felt your heart so close to mine/And I knew our joy would fill the earth/And last ’til the end of time, my love

1974

The 16th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2nd, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1973.

Record & Song of the Year - Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack (written by N. Gimbel, C. Fox)

Flack ended up having two big years in a row at the Grammys, with she, producer Joel Dorn, and songwriters Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox taking home Record and Song of the Year in 1974, as well as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. KMSWHS was originally written for and recorded by singer/songwriter Lori Liebermann in 1971, who was inspired to collaborate with Gimbel and Fox on the lyrics after seeing Don McLean perform live. Flack recorded the song for her 1973 album Killing Me Softly after she heard the Liebermann version on an airplane, and the song was released as a single in January of that year. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and ended up being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame twenty-five years later in 1999. This is another Flack song I fell in love with by hearing a cover first, this time when Kimberly Caldwell was competing on Season 2 of American Idol. Caldwell put her own kind of rock spin on the song, but nothing can hold a candle to Flack's original.

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style/And so I came to see him, to listen for a while/And there he was, this young boy, a stranger to my eyes/Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words/Killing me softly with his song/Killing me softly with his song, telling my whole life with his words/Killing me softly with his song

1975

The 17th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 1st, 1975 in New York City, New York. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1974.

Record of the Year - I Honestly Love You by Olivia Newton-John (written by P. Allen, J. Barry)

Sandy Olson herself and producer John Farrar took home 1975's Record of the Year for Newton-John's first American chart-topper and original signature song (until Physical came around, of course). Featured on Newton-John's 1974 album If You Love Me, Let Me Know, this song was released as a single in August 1974 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. She actually ended up rerecording this song twenty-four years later and featured Babyface on background vocals, but I Honestly Love You '98 didn't do as well on the charts as the original did. I know I'm not alone in love Newton-John's voice - she's got such a beautiful tone and her love songs just hit different than they would if they were sung by anyone else. Of course, this song has been covered by others, but the original is clearly best in this case.

Maybe I hang around here a little more than I should/We both know I got somewhere else to go/But I got something to tell you that I never thought I would/But I believe you really ought to know/I love you/I honestly love you

Song of the Year - The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand (written by A. Bergman, M. Bergman, M. Hamlisch)

1974's #1 Single of the Year saw a big Song of the Year win at the Grammys for songwriters Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, & Marvin Hamlisch. Featured on Streisand's 1974 album The Way We Were as well as the soundtrack for the 1973 film The Way We Were (starring Streisand and Robert Redford), the song was released as a single in September 1973 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies in the US alone. This win at the Grammys, along with the two Oscars it picked up, helped give a little life back into Streisand's career at the time in the opinion of more than a few music critics. The song has been covered multiple times over the years by the likes of Andy Williams, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bing Crosby, and Il Divo, who translated the song into Italian in 2018. The Way We Were is one of my mom's favorite movies, and its theme song is a really beautiful piece of music.

Memories may be beautiful and yet/What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget/So it’s the laughter we will remember/Whenever we remember the way we were/The way we were

1976

The 18th Annual Grammy Awards were held February 28th, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1975.

Record of the Year - Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tennille (written by N. Sedaka, H. Greenfield)

The #1 song of 1975 saw a Grammy win for Captain & Tennille. Featured on C&T's 1975 album Love Will Keep Us Together, this was the duo's very first single and was released in April 1975. Originally written for and recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1973, Captain & Tennille's version is the one that peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and has now been certified Gold by the RIAA. This song has a classic '70's funky pop feel to it, and it's so much fun to listen to. In addition to this award winning cover, the song has been covered multiple times by the likes of Andy Williams and Nickelback as well as many others.

You, you belong to me now/Ain’t gonna set you free now/When those girls start hanging around, talking me down/Hear with your heart and you won’t hear a sound, just stop/‘Cause I really love you, stop/I’ll be thinking of you/Look in my heart and let love keep us together

Song of the Year - Send In the Clowns by Judy Collins (written by S. Sondheim)

The man/myth/legend Stephen Sondheim took home 1976's Song of the Year with this number from his 1973 Broadway musical A Little Night Music. Originally performed on stage by Glynis Johns, it was American singer/songwriter Judy Collins' cover (which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart) that helped earn Sondheim his Grammy. This song is really beautiful and really sad - Collins' version is haunting in the best way. Apart from Collins, other notable covers of this jazz standard include Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Bing Crosby, and Kenny Rogers.

Isn’t it rich, are we a pair/Me here at last on the grand, you in midair/Send in the clowns/Isn’t it bliss, don’t you approve/One who keeps tearing around, one who can’t move/Where are the clowns/Send in the clowns/Just when I’d stopped opening doors/Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours/Making my entrance again with my usual flair/Sure of my lines, no one is there/Don’t you love farce, my fault, I fear/I thought that you’d want what I want, sorry, my dear/But where are the clowns/There ought to be clowns/Quick, send in the clowns

1977

The 19th Annual Grammy Awards were held February 19th, 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by singer Andy Williams, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1976.

Record of the Year - This Masquerade by George Benson (written by L. Russell)

R&B/jazz musician George Benson and producer Tommy LiPuma got the honor of winning Record of the Year in 1977. Originally written for and recorded by songwriter Leon Russell in 1972, Benson's version was included on his 1976 album Breezin' and was released as a single in April of that year. Being Benson's very first released single, the song did pretty we'll for itself. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for three Grammys, winning Record of the Year. This song was longer than I expected it to be at over seven minutes, but it was a really smooth, easy listen the entire way through and I really enjoyed it.

Are we really happy here/With this lonely game we play/Looking for words to say/Searching but not finding understanding anywhere/We’re lost in a masquerade/Both afraid to say we’re just too far away/From being close together from the start/We tried to talk it over, but the words got in the way/We’re lost inside this lonely game we play

Song of the Year - I Write the Songs by Barry Manilow (written by B. Johnston)

Is the irony lost on anyone that Barry Manilow did not, in fact, write I Write the Songs? Or are my mom and I the only people who think that's funny? Whatever, it's fine, because Bruce Johnston wrote a great song and deserved the award he got for it. The original version of I Write the Songs was actually recorded by Captain & Tennille in 1975, but Manilow's award winning version was featured on his 1975 album Tryin' to Get the Feeling and was released as a single in November 1975. Manilow almost passed on recording, bringing up something I thought myself about how if you don't pay close attention to the lyrics it sounds like the singer is singing his own praises instead of having Music itself be the narrator, but thank goodness he did because this song is a jam. Manilow's cover peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for two Grammys in 1976, winning Song of the Year. While Manilow's version in and of itself is a cover, the other most notable cover of this song goes to David Cassidy (RIP).

I’ve been alive forever/And I wrote the very first song/I put the words and the melodies together/I am music, and I write the songs/I write the songs that make the whole world sing/I write the songs of love and special things/I write the songs that make the young girls cry/I write the songs, I write the songs

1978

The 20th Annual Grammy Awards were held February 23rd, 1978 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by singer John Denver, the televised awards honored musical achievements from the year 1977.

Record of the Year - Hotel California by The Eagles (written by G. Frey, D. Felder, D. Henley)

Full disclosure: I come from a long, long line of Eagles fans. My grandfather and both of my parents are pretty much super fans, so I've grown up on their music and am pretty partial to their entire repertoire. That being said, I don't know anyone who's heard the undisputed masterpiece that is Hotel California that doesn't agree that it's one of the greatest songs ever. The Eagles and their producer Bill Szymczyk brought home Record of the Year for this musical gem that was featured on their 1976 album Hotel California and released as a single in February 1977. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over three million copies in the US. I could actually talk about this song all day, from the crazy intense lyrics to The Eagles always perfect vocal harmonies to what may be the best guitar solo of all time. Being an actual international treasure like it is, it has been covered a multitude of times by artists from all over the world (one of my favorites being Rascal Flatts during an Eagles tribute performance), but nothing can or will ever top the original.

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair/Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air/Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light/My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night/There she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bell/And I was thinking too myself this could be heaven or this could be hell/Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way/There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say/Welcome to the Hotel California/Such a lovely place, such a lovely face/Plenty of room at the Hotel California/Any time of year, you can find it here

Song of the Year - Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) by Barbra Streisand (written by B. Streisand, P. Williams)

Babs is back two years after The Way We Were, this time winning herself the Grammy for Song of the Year alongside Paul Williams. Featured on the soundtrack to the 1976 (and best honestly, sorry Gaga) A Star Is Born (starring Streisand and Kris Kristofferson), the song was released as a single in December 1976. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and won Streisand & Williams two Grammys (this one and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female), an Oscar, and two Golden Globes. Like The Way We Were, this song is simply beautiful, and again sorry to Gaga because I really do love her, but Evergreen is a far superior song to Shallow. The most notable cover versions of Evergreen include those by Frank Sinatra and Luther Vandross among others.

Love soft as an easy chair/Love fresh as the morning air/One love that is shared by two/I have found with you/Like a rose under the April snow/I was always certain love would grow/Love ageless and evergreen/Seldom seen by two/You and I will make each night the first/Every day a beginning, sprits rise and their dance is unrehearsed/They warm and excite us/‘Cause we have the brightest love

I truly hope that this was another fun stroll down memory lane for some and a dive into "new to you" music for others. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!