“Song of the Summer” is not an official Grammy category, of course, but the soundtrack to America’s collective life during those halcyon warm-weather months is definitely a harbinger. And although that distinction has never previously gone to a country song, most independent observers agreed that 2023’s title belonged to Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night.” After becoming the first country song by a solo male to top the Hot 100 in 42 years, it became the second longest-running single of any genre to top that Billboard chart, with an astonishing 16 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1.
Wallen’s fantastic 2023 did not end there, of course, as his 36-song collection “One Thing at a Time” is indisputably the year’s biggest album to date, with 16 weeks atop the Billboard 200 — the most for any release this decade.
With a blockbuster single and album on a scale not seen in years, and a whopping 53 gold and platinum singles and albums racked up since he released his first single in 2016, surely Wallen seems due for Grammy recognition. But to date, he has never even been nominated.
One might first assume that the Recording Academy still has not forgiven him for his headline-making racial slur and flagrant flaunting of COVID protocol (both captured on video) a couple of years ago. But that’s the wrong question, according to multiple Grammy voters and insiders, who say that Wallen is a long shot for Grammy nominations — especially in the country field — more because his brand of hyper-commercial country traditionally is just not the Academy’s cup of tea.
While not addressing Wallen’s prospects specifically, Tracy Gershon, a trustee of the Recording Academy’s Nashville chapter, cautions against ever assuming blockbuster status will translate to nominations, let alone wins. “I would say, unlike other awards, the Grammy voters don’t necessarily vote on commercial popularity,” she says. “In fact, they tend to vote on artistic merit.”
And if “Last Night” isn’t nominated, there are two even more glaring non-country shutouts in recent memory: the Weeknd and Ed Sheeran during the years of “Blinding Lights” and “The Shape of You,” respectively.
It’s hard to imagine that Wallen’s past transgressions play no role in the Grammy decision-makers’ opinions of him, but one prominent West Coast Recording Academy member insists it’s definitely not front of mind. “I’m not sure people are still holding that against him so much as people on the coasts, including our membership, just not really resonating with the record as much as middle America did,” the member says. “It’s a big crossover hit looking at numbers, but it’s not like it was a ‘9 to 5’ [by Dolly Parton] — more like a ‘Cruise’ [Florida Georgia Line’s 2012 smash with Nelly].”
Looking at recent Grammy country nominations and awards, it’s notable that Willie Nelson won in both the 2023 country album and solo performance categories with “A Beautiful Time,” a project that had minimal commercial impact. Meanwhile, a superstar as big as Luke Bryan has never landed a nomination.
Eligible for the 2024 awards is a long list of traditional Grammy favorites, including Chris Stapleton, Tanya Tucker, Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Sturgill Simpson, Brothers Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini and, naturally, Nelson, to name 10 highly favored artists competing for five slots per category — along with beloved newcomers Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll.
“Artistic merit” is a very vague term, and judging by Academy history and past standards, it’s maybe not such a surprise that Wallen is poised to be the monster success of the year and a Grammy also-ran at the same time.
