Grammys' Song of the Year Rule Changes Explained

The Recording Academy has a history of adjusting Grammy rules for the Song of the Year award to maintain a balance. In 1994, Whitney Houston's rendition of "I Will Always Love You" won major awards, but Dolly Parton, the song's writer, was ineligible for Song of the Year because she had previously recorded it in 1974.

This contrasts with the 1992 win for "Unforgettable." The song, a standard since the 1950s, became eligible and won after Natalie Cole's duet with her late father revived its popularity. This decision sparked debate about whether such a well-known song deserved the top songwriting award over contemporary entries.

To address such issues, the Recording Academy tightened eligibility, stating that a song must be released or achieve prominence for the first time during the current eligibility period. Despite this, some past winners, like Jimmy Driftwood's "The Battle of New Orleans," were written much earlier but only became hits later.