2024 Grammy Awards: Preview and predictions for the Rock and Alternative awards
By Jonathan Eig
BEST ROCK SONG
WHO WILL WIN
This is boygenius again. The Foo Fighters’ “Rescued” is the only other track that stands a chance. (It’s the only other track that got a Rock Performance nom.)
WHO SHOULD WIN
My two favorite nominees in this category are Olivia Rodrigo’s “ballad of a homeschooled girl” and Queens of the Stone Age’s “Emotion Sickness.” Rodrigo’s album is roughly divided between modern rock songs and piano-driven ballads, and I think every rock song is outstanding. I’d vote for her, though there is a slight caveat.
WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED
If Harliss Sweetwater’s single “Won’t Be Satisfied” were nominated, I would vote for it. It is a virtually perfect blues rock song. It features Joe Doe on bass and David Hidalgo on guitar, and Sweetwater sings the heel out of it. This is an era in which the definition of a rock song has been diluted to such a degree that virtually anything can qualify. You don’t need to make a case for “Won’t Be Satisfied.” It’s a rock song down to its very DNA.