Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
"Not Strong Enough" by boygenius is the most recent recipient
Awarded forHigh-quality rock music songs
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1992
Currently held byboygenius — "Not Strong Enough" (2024)
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

The award, reserved for songwriters, was first presented to English musician Sting in 1992. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award honors new songs (containing both melody and lyrics) or songs "first achieving prominence" during the period of eligibility. Songs containing prominent samples or interpolations are not eligible.[3]

The award goes to the songwriter. If the song contains samples or interpolations of earlier songs, the publisher and the original songwriter(s) can apply for a Winners Certificate.[4]

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear hold the record for the most wins, having won four awards each. Springsteen also holds the record for most nominations with nine. Other winners of multiple awards include the other members of Foo Fighters (Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett) with three wins, and Alanis Morissette and the bands Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2, each with two. Award-winning songs have been performed by American artists more than any other nationality, though they have also been performed by musicians or groups originating from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. There have been four instances in which one artist or group was nominated for two works in the same year: the group Aerosmith was nominated for both "Cryin'" and "Livin' on the Edge" in 1994, Melissa Etheridge received nominations for "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One" in 1995, Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers won for "One Headlight" and was also nominated for "The Difference" in 1998, and U2 was nominated for the songs "Elevation" and "Walk On" in 2002. Chad Smith also received two nominations in 2023, receiving songwriting credits for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ozzy Osbourne songs nominated. Coldplay holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with four.

Recipients

A man in a white shirt standing behind a microphone stand and holding a guitar
Sting became the first award recipient in 1992 for the song "The Soul Cages".
A man on a stage wearing a blue shirt. He is holding a blue guitar behind a microphone.
Eric Clapton, 1993 award recipient for the song "Layla", performing in 2017
Five men on a stage; three in the forefront are holding guitars, while two in the background are behind a drum set and other equipment. Speakers, microphone stands and other equipment are also visible.
Members of the 1994 award-winning band Soul Asylum in 2010
Black and white image of a man holding a guitar, wearing a dark vest and a cross hanging from a necklace
Four-time award winner Bruce Springsteen, performing in 1988
A woman wearing a black leather jacket smiling behind a microphone
Two-time award recipient Alanis Morissette, performing in 2014
A woman with dreadlocks standing behind a microphone stand. She is wearing a leather jacket and playing a guitar.
1997 award recipient Tracy Chapman at the 2009 Cactus Festival in Bruges, Belgium
A man wearing a red and black-striped shirt, a black jacket, dark jeans and a hat; he is standing behind a microphone stand on a stage and playing a guitar
Jakob Dylan, 1998 award winner for the song "One Headlight" and member of The Wallflowers, performing in 2007
On the left, a man in red pants and a black T-shirt with black hair down to his chin holding a red guitar. On the right, a woman wearing a white shirt with black polka dots standing behind a red microphone stand.
Jack White and Meg White of the 2004 award-winning band The White Stripes
Four men on a stage, all wearing black clothing. Two are playing guitars, one is sitting behind a drum set, and one is singing into a microphone stand.
Members of the two-time award-winning band U2, performing on the Joshua Tree Tour 2017. From left to right: Larry Mullen, Jr. (drumming), the Edge, Bono, and Adam Clayton
Three men on a stage, two in the forefront standing behind microphone stands and playing guitars and the third in the background sitting behind a drum set.
From left to right, Matthew, Caleb, and Nathan Followill of the 2010 award-winning band Kings of Leon, performing in 2007
2019 recipient St. Vincent performing at Glastonbury (2022)
2020 recipient Gary Clark Jr. performing in 2013
Year[I] Recipient(s) Work Performing artist(s) Nominees
(Performer(s) in parentheses)[II] 		Ref.
1992 Sting "The Soul Cages" Sting [5]
1993 Eric Clapton
Jim Gordon 		"Layla" (Unplugged version) Eric Clapton [6]
1994 Dave Pirner "Runaway Train" Soul Asylum [7]
1995 Bruce Springsteen "Streets of Philadelphia" Bruce Springsteen
[8]
1996 Alanis Morissette
Glen Ballard 		"You Oughta Know" Alanis Morissette [9]
1997 Tracy Chapman "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman [10]
1998 Jakob Dylan "One Headlight" The Wallflowers
[11]
1999 Alanis Morissette "Uninvited" Alanis Morissette [12]
2000 Flea
John Frusciante
Anthony Kiedis
Chad Smith 		"Scar Tissue" Red Hot Chili Peppers [13]
2001 Scott Stapp
Mark Tremonti 		"With Arms Wide Open" Creed
[14]
2002 Charlie Colin
Rob Hotchkiss
Pat Monahan
Jimmy Stafford
Scott Underwood 		"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" Train [15]
2003 Bruce Springsteen "The Rising" Bruce Springsteen
[16]
2004 Jack White "Seven Nation Army" The White Stripes
[17]
2005 Bono
Adam Clayton
The Edge
Larry Mullen, Jr. 		"Vertigo" U2 [18]
2006 Bono
Adam Clayton
The Edge
Larry Mullen, Jr. 		"City of Blinding Lights" U2 [19]
2007 Flea
John Frusciante
Anthony Kiedis
Chad Smith 		"Dani California" Red Hot Chili Peppers [20]
2008 Bruce Springsteen "Radio Nowhere" Bruce Springsteen [21]
2009 Bruce Springsteen "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" Bruce Springsteen [22]
2010 Caleb Followill
Jared Followill
Matthew Followill
Nathan Followill 		"Use Somebody" Kings of Leon [23]
2011 Neil Young "Angry World" Neil Young [24]
2012 Dave Grohl
Taylor Hawkins
Nate Mendel
Chris Shiflett
Pat Smear 		"Walk" Foo Fighters [25]
2013 Dan Auerbach
Brian Burton
Patrick Carney 		"Lonely Boy" The Black Keys
2014 Dave Grohl
Paul McCartney
Krist Novoselic
Pat Smear 		"Cut Me Some Slack" Paul McCartney and Nirvana [26]
2015 Hayley Williams
Taylor York 		"Ain't It Fun" Paramore
[27]
2016 Zac Cockrell
Heath Fogg
Brittany Howard
Steve Johnson 		"Don't Wanna Fight" Alabama Shakes
[24]
2017 David Bowie "Blackstar" David Bowie [24]
2018 Dave Grohl
Taylor Hawkins
Rami Jaffee
Nate Mendel
Chris Shiflett
Pat Smear 		"Run" Foo Fighters
[28]
2019 Jack Antonoff
Annie Clark 		"Masseduction" St. Vincent
[29]
2020 Gary Clark Jr. "This Land" Gary Clark Jr.
2021 Brittany Howard "Stay High" Brittany Howard
[30]
2022 Dave Grohl
Taylor Hawkins
Rami Jaffee
Nate Mendel
Chris Shiflett
Pat Smear 		"Waiting on a War" Foo Fighters [31]
2023 Brandi Carlile
Phil Hanseroth
Tim Hanseroth 		"Broken Horses" Brandi Carlile
[32]
2024 Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus "Not Strong Enough" Boygenius [33]

Multiple wins

Multiple nominations

See also

References

General
  • "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the "Rock" category as the genre under the search feature.
  • "Grammy Awards: Best Rock Song (Songwriter's Award)". Rock on the Net. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
Specific
  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "52nd OEP Category Description Guide" (PDF). National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  4. ^ Grammy Blue Book (edition 2021)
  5. ^ "Nominees announced for Grammy Awards". TimesDaily. Vol. 123. Florence, Alabama. January 8, 1992. p. 10B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  6. ^ "The 35th Grammy Awards Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1993. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  7. ^ "General Categories". Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1994. p. 3. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  8. ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  9. ^ "List of Grammy nominees". CNN. January 4, 1996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "The Complete List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1997. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  11. ^ "List of Grammy award nominations". CNN. January 6, 1998. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  12. ^ "1999 Grammy Nominees". NME. IPC Media. November 27, 1998. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  13. ^ *"42nd Annual Grammy Awards nominations". CNN. January 4, 2000. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  14. ^ Boucher, Geoff (January 4, 2001). "Grammys Cast a Wider Net Than Usual". Los Angeles Times. p. 5. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  15. ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominations". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  16. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (February 23, 2003). "Norah Jones Sweeps Grammys, Boss Wins Three, Avril Shut Out". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  17. ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominations". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. December 5, 2003. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  18. ^ "Grammy Award nominees in top categories". USA Today. Gannett Company. February 7, 2005. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  19. ^ "Complete list of Grammy Award nominations". USA Today. Gannett Company. December 8, 2006. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  20. ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 7, 2006). "Mary J. Blige, Chili Peppers Top Grammy Nominations List". MTV. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  21. ^ "2008 Grammy Award Winners and Nominees". The New York Times. February 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  22. ^ "Complete List of Nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards". E! Online. December 3, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  23. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (December 2, 2009). "Nominees for 2010 Grammy Awards Announced -- Full List". Spinner.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  24. ^ a b c "Nominees And Winners – GRAMMY.com". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  25. ^ Ward, Kate (February 12, 2012). "Grammys 2012: Winners' list". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "56th Annual GRAMMY Awards / 2013 / GRAMMY.com".
  27. ^ "57th Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  28. ^ "60th Grammy Nominees". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Grammy.com, 7 December 2018". Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  30. ^ 2021 Nominations List
  31. ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  32. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMYs. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  33. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-11-12.

External links

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