In 2004, who won the Song of the Year Grammy for "Dance With My Father"?

Luther Vandross won the 2004 Song of the Year Grammy for “Dance with My Father.” He shared the songwriting credit with Richard Marx, who co-wrote the song and accepted the award on Vandross’s behalf.

The song was the title track and lead single from Vandross’s 2003 studio album, his fourteenth and final album. Its lyrics grew from Vandross’s memories of his father, Luther Vandross Sr., who died from complications related to diabetes when Vandross was eight. The song imagines returning to those childhood moments and dancing with his father again.

“Dance with My Father” was released while Vandross was recovering from a stroke and unable to promote it normally. Its emotional subject and restrained R&B arrangement helped it become one of his most celebrated recordings. At the February 2004 Grammy Awards, it won both Song of the Year and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

The award category is sometimes confused with Record of the Year. Song of the Year honors songwriting, while Record of the Year recognizes the recorded performance and production. Vandross’s win was therefore shared with Marx as a songwriter.