Ask people who the greatest musician/ band of all time is and, in most cases, (unless they have a weird Swiftie tattoo) the answer will be The Beatles. Their music was catchy, groundbreaking, it evolved, and it’s timeless. Everyone has their favorite track (and their favorite Beatle) so picking just one song has always been hard. But it would stand to reason that if the Beatles are the greatest band of all time, then they should have been rewarded with a lot of Grammys. The greatest band should equal lots of music’s highest awards (it’s not straight math but stick with me).
The Grammy Awards were first held on May 4, 1959, when 28 awards were given out and Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for The Music from Peter Gunn. The 67th Grammy Awards were presented on February 2, 2025, and in 67 years of Grammy awards the Beatles have won 8. Yes, The Beatles have only won 8 Grammy awards.
Only 4 of those 8 were given to the group in the 60’s and 70’s. (Paul and John also won “Song of the Year” in 1967 for “Michelle,” and Paul, John and George won “Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special” in 1971 for Let it Be)
Here’s a look at their Grammy awards and the glaring nominations that were overlooked.
1965
I love a good “Girl From Ipanema” as much as the next guy but is it better than “I Want To Hold Your Hand?” It was when it won “Record of the Year” over the Beatles’ first American number-one hit. The Fab Four would win “Best New Artist” that night beating out Petula Clark and they would add “Best Performance by a Vocal Group” for “A Hard Day’s Night” where they bested Peter, Paul, and Mary.
1966
Help! Was nominated for “Album of the Year,” and it would lose to Frank Sinatra’s September of My Years. Fast forward a few years and as of 1997 Help! Has been certified 3x Platinum (meaning 3 million sales) while Frank’s September of My Yearswas only certified Gold (meaning half a million sales) in 1966.
1967
Revolver (yes, the album with “Eleanor Rigby”) was nominated for “Album of the Year” and the boys would lose to Frank Sinatra again, who won with A Man and His Music. Fast forward, and Revolver was certified 5x Platinum in 2000 compared to Frank’s album which was just…Platinum.
1968
Frank was nominated for “Album of the Year” again with Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, but The Beatles would finally prevail and win for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The groundbreaking album which even today seems fresh and inventive would also win “Best Contemporary Album.” It might seem like the Recording Academy was finally waking up to just how revolutionary the Beatles were.
1969
The next year they were not as lucky. Magical Mystery Tour would lose “Album of the Year” to Glen Campbell’s By the Time I Get to Phoenix (Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends would also lose). But the category that stands out the most this year is “Record of the Year.” “Hey Jude” was nominated and would lose to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson.” Both tracks are classics and still played today but while “Mrs. Robinson” might be a timeless song, “Hey Jude” is, well, “Hey Jude.”
1970
The Beatles would keep pushing the envelope and create magic again when they released Abbey Road in 1969, but the album would lose “Album of the Year” to Blood, Sweat & Tears’ self-titled second album. As good as the Blood, Sweat & Tears album is, it doesn’t contain “Here Comes the Sun” or “Something.”
1971
This year would be the Beatles’ last “Record of the Year” nomination until 2025 and it was for “Let It Be,” a song that can easily be considered a masterpiece in both composition and lyrics. The track would lose (again) to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Again, another timeless classic by S&G but “Let it Be” is, well, “Let it Be.” (I think the argument speaks for itself.)
1997
In November 1995 the Beatles released Anthology 1 (followed by 2 and 3 in 1996) containing the first new Beatles track since they broke up, “Free as a Bird.” In 1997 the group would win 3 Grammy awards for “Best Music Video, Long Form,” “Best Music Video, Short Form” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.”
While it was nice of the Recording Academy to honor the Liverpool lads with three awards, it seems that these are also “make-up” awards for having grossly underestimated them and passed them over in the 60’s and 70’s.
2025
In November 2023, the Beatles would release another new track called “Now and Then” using a demo from John Lennon and guitar tracks from George Harrison (that he’d recorded in 1995). In 2025, the song would lose “Record of the Year “to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” but they would win “Best Rock Performance” beating Pearl Jam and Green Day.