So here we are at Day 6 of my Grammy Chase and there are so many things already stirring as a result of my bold and brave conquest or of my utter foolishness, either way there is no turning back as the boat has left the port and the landing gear on the plane has now been stowed.
So, while I’m digging and researching everything I can find about the Grammy’s and connecting dots, I figured I’d go back to the start of the Recording Academy, in May of 1957, officially established in 1958, a committee consisting of Recording Artists, Writers, Producers, Engineers, etc. electing their peers for awards in musical achievement. The same year, a song was released called Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) translated to (Blue painted in the blue – Flying) by artist Domenico Mondugno. I’ve always heard this song interpreted, interpolated and covered by other artists, but never knew of its true significance and staying power. The song Volare in 58′ won 2 awards of what was then only 28 categories for the inaugural Grammy Awards. Volare won both Song and Record of the Year, beating out Frank Sinatra. I’m now in love with this song!!
Extra info: Volare is the only song by an Italian artist to ever place #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, as well as the only completely foreign language song (Italian) to do so in the US.
The difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year, which can be confusing, at least for me it was.
DEFINITION or CRITERIA:
Song of the year is a songwriter’s award and needs to be judged based on melody, lyrics and writing aptitude.
Record of the year is an artist’s award and can be judged more on performance and delivery.
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