It’s a tie for Song of the Year at the 20th annual Grammy Awards
Music fans might expect that the songs up for Best Song consideration at the 1977 Grammy Awards included songs that have stood the test of time like Stevie Wonders I Wish Elvis Costellos Allison Tom Pettys American Girl or Bob Marleys Jammin.In actuality the Academy of 1978 considered a slate of songs from 1977 that included only one timeless classic (Hotel California).And in the end Grammy voters that year made history by failing even to settle on a winner.
On February 23 1978 both Barbra Streisands Love Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen) and Debby Boones You Light Up My Life were awarded the Best Song Grammythe first and only tie in that category in Grammy history.The award for You Light Up My Life was not actually an award for Debby Boone.The Best Song category is an award for songwriters and though You Light Up My Life propelled Boone to the Best New Artist award that year she did not write the song herself.A songwriter named Joe Brooks picked up his Best Song Grammy for a song originally recorded by an obscure session singer for use in the soundtrack of a movie he also directed also called You Light Up My Life.
Debby Boones record label found the song and had her record it after the movie had already been made.It went on to spend an astonishing 10 weeks at the top of the pop charts in the autumn of 1977.You Light Up My Life was Debby Boones only pop hit and led to her only Grammy nominationLove Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen) was co-written by Streisand and Paul Williams both multiple Grammy winnersStreisand has won 13 Grammys while Paul Williams has won two.
Like You Light Up My Life Evergreen was also from a movie that failed to have anywhere near the impact its theme song did.For Barbra Streisand the tie that night made her the answer to an excellent trivia question Who is the only person to tie for both a Grammy Award and an Oscar In 1968 she was the co-winner in the Best Actress category for her performance in Funny Girl.(Katherine Hepburn was the co-winner for her role in The Lion in Winter.)
