Welcome back to the top, Adele, with ‘Hello’
As is the case in three of four key categories at the 2017 Grammy Awards, record of the year should ultimately come down to Adele or Beyoncé.
Of the two pop powerhouses, Adele seems to have the upper hand with her lovelorn ballad
Hello, off third album 25. The towering comeback single landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last fall, where it reigned for 10 consecutive weeks on its way to selling 4.8 million downloads to date, according to Nielsen Music. Record of the year tends to favor enduring mainstream hits, and the British diva has the bonus of past success in the category.
Beyoncé’s Formation could be a tougher sell. Although it’s arguably the better-produced and -performed song ( both of which are grounds for a record-of-theyear win), the Lemonade single never reached the heights of
Hello. The unofficial Black Lives Matter anthem also stirred controversy this year for its music video and Super Bowl halftime performance. But if voters feel inclined to honor a song with greater social resonance and pop-culture ubiquity, Formation could very well eke out a win. In the unlikely case Hello and
Formation split votes, predicting a winner gets dicier. Lukas Graham’s breakout 7 Years, a rumination on growing up, is more likely to be recognized for its lyrics, making it a stronger song-of-the-year contender (where it’s also nominated). Twenty One Pilots’ Stressed
Out was inescapable on radio for much of the year, although the elusive rap/rock duo may still be too unknown to most voters.
Which leaves us with Rihanna’s Work featuring Drake: one of 2016’s longest-running hits and an infectious return to the Barbadian singer’s island roots. With the on-and-off lovebirds tied for eight nominations, a shared win in one of the Grammys’ top categories would be a fitting cap to the biggest year of their respective careers.