Odds and Picks to Win Song of the Year at 63rd Grammy Awards
- The 63rd annual Grammy Awards will be handed out this Sunday, March 14, 2021
- This year, “Music’s Biggest Night” is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and hosted by comedian Trevor Noah
- Eight tracks are competing for the coveted prize of Best Song. See below for odds and which tunes are worth betting on
This Sunday, the recording industry’s elite will come together (with proper social distancing and advanced technology, of course) for the 63rd Grammy Awards. “Music’s Biggest Night” may have been postponed a month and a half due to a COVID-19 spike in Los Angeles, but the show will now go on at last. Taylor Swift’s “cardigan” and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” are favored in the Grammy Awards odds for Song of the Year.
Despite impacts in entertainment and a lack of live shows–both due to the pandemic, the world is now finally starting to return to the way it was not too long ago. After a whole year without concerts, it will surely be extra exhilarating this year to see music’s top stars performing and snatching trophies.
In terms of the actual award races, the category of Song of the Year–one of the Grammys’ big four categories– is particularly fun this year. In the mix, we have long-time industry stars like Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé mixed in with new favorites such as Roddy Ricch and H.E.R.
Odds for Song of the Year at 63rd Grammy Awards
| Song | Odds |
|---|---|
| “cardigan” – Taylor Swift | -160 |
| “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa | +325 |
| “Black Parade” – Beyoncé | +500 |
| “Everything I Wanted” – Billie Eilish | +900 |
| “Circles” – Post Malone | +1800 |
| “I Can’t Breathe” – H.E.R. | +2000 |
| “The Box” – Roddy Ricch | +2000 |
| “If The World Was Ending” – JP Saxe (feat. Julia Michaels) | +2200 |
Odds as of March 11th
The Song of the Year category awards the songwriters. While the Record of the Year category goes to whoever recorded the track, this award is more about the composition.
Our 63rd Grammy Odds show the race as it unfolds, but in Song of the Year, there hasn’t been much movement since the opening 63rd Grammy odds. Of course, only one artist can take home the hardware. So who will take home Song of the Year?
It’s Dua Lipa’s World
It’s impossible to deny the impact Dua Lipa had on the pop culture landscape over the past year. Her disco-tinged sophomore album Future Nostalgia spawned multiple hits and lived up to its title in terms of turning a corner on pop music’s current sound.
Her single “Don’t Start Now” was a perfect meme fodder thanks to its catchiness, becoming a TikTok challenge in its own right as well. Dua promoted the hell out of this thing, making the rounds on talk shows and helping her continually show up on Spotify’s top artists list.
“Don’t Start Now” is not only worthy of a Grammy, it could actually even win. While it switches up the pop sonic status quo enough, it’s also a safe enough choice.
The Grammys tend to reward stuff that’s quirky or edgy without being total outsider art. Past wins by the likes of Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Childish Gambino show the Academy is loosening up a little bit while still picking the more popular artists. Dua fits the bill.
The Song Of The Year category has remained one of the highest honor achievable for #songwriters for over six decades.
See who is up for the award at the #GRAMMYs this year. 🎶 https://t.co/AwTyTSrZNq
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) November 26, 2020
Switching It Up
If this were any other year, the conversation would be exclusively around Grammy golden child Taylor Swift. Swift’s Grammy history shows ten wins out of 41 nominations (including six noms this year).
And while Swift’s folklore excited quarantined listeners who had nothing better to do at home, her two releases were sleepy and benign. As a single “cardigan” is cute, enough to make you warm up with a cup of hot cocoa beside your fireplace. But it doesn’t deserve a Grammy.
It also won’t win. While the odds on “Cardigan” are great at -160, it’s easily the most forgettable one of the bunch. And in the year where Black Lives Matter has finally gained traction, other award shows (Cough, Golden Globes) have gotten flack for not being diverse. Sorry, Tay, this year just ain’t gonna be yours.
Remember Who the Voters Are
While it would be a lot more interesting to see Post Malone or Roddy Ricch win, unfortunately, that isn’t poised to happen. The Grammys are notoriously out of touch. Outside of obvious A-listers, many artists are shocked to even get nominated, but winning is even slimmer.
Last year, Roddy Ricch spent an impressive 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. His genre-hopping hit “The Box” defied odds and shattered records.
Post Malone’s “Circles” is a banger. At +1800 to win Song of the Year in the Grammy Awards odds aren’t great, but if you’re looking for a long-shot bet, he’s the one to watch. That said, Grammy voters aren’t exactly edgy or avant-garde enough to consider these two talents enough to let them walk home with the prize.
Dua’s “Don’t Start Now” is worth a bet. While its odds are second to Swift’s “cardigan”, Dua has a little more street cred and panache to her name at this point. To Grammy voters, they’ll think they’re awarding the edgiest artist of all time. And for now, maybe that’s good enough.
Pick: “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa (+325)
Other Grammy Awards Articles
As an active entertainment aficionado, the former Editor-in-Chief for the Capilano Courier, JJ also co-founded Lords of Dogwood, a Vancouver-based entertainment site in 2013. His writing has been found in ION Magazine, the North Shore News, and The Strand.
