Song of the Day 2/10: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”

With the Grammy Awards on TV tonight, here’s a song nominated for song of the year, record of the year and best music video, and it deserves to win all three. The video been viewed 482 million times on YouTube since its release last May, when it set off weeks of criticism, interpretation and arguments about the its dense symbolism, what Donald Glover intended it to mean and whether he was right to do it and/or did it right. How is a song and video that manages all that not song of the year? It’s also the scariest music video I’ve ever watched, and takes on yet another layer of meaning in the wake of the Virginia (and beyond) blackface scandal.