The Academy Awards are coming up in a few weeks, and while that show has been saddled with the controversial decision to ask Kevin Hart to host and then the thrilling showbiz drama of Hart dropping out and the Academy struggling (and eventually giving up on) finding anyone to replace him, the Grammys have been facing a difficult situation of their own going into tonight’s ceremony. We’re referring, of course, to Ariana Grande’s very public decision to back out of performing at the event over an apparent demand from the producers that she not play the new single from her album Thank U, Next.
Would the ceremony itself be shaken by Grande’s refusal to participate? Would other artists back out in solidarity with Grande? Almost certainly not, because the only thing that matters on Grammy night is handing out some Grammy awards and watching some performances from the artists who did not refuse to participate. Also, Grande won a Grammy (her first), so that’s a nice little cap on the weird semi-controversy.
Grande won her Grammy before the show had even started, which is when the vast majority of the little gramophones are actually handed out—even the ones that seem like they’d be big deals. Quincy Jones’ win for Best Music Film was his 28th Grammy, giving him the record for the most of these awards collected by any living artist. Also, Chris Cornell posthumously won for Best Rock Performance, and while Beck winning the Alternative Rock category was kind of boring, he did beat out some big names. Perhaps this is because the Grammys, unlike most other award shows, really are about the drama. Most of the show itself is performances, and the stories behind these artists and their work really is more interesting than actually seeing them grab trophies and thank their producers and ghostwriters in speeches.
As for the stories that came through during the show itself, Cardi B made Grammy history by becoming the first solo woman ever to win the Best Rap Album award, Lady Gaga took what has been one of a surprisingly small number of awards season wins as an opportunity to make a heartfelt speech about what A Star Is Born has meant to her, and although Donald Glover wasn’t in attendance, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” took home both Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year (which are separate categories for reasons that will never be explained). Speaking of making history, Glover’s Record Of The Year win was the first time a rapper has ever took home that particular award.
In the end, country music made a surprisingly good showing, thanks to Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour winner Album Of The Year. Of course, the best story of the night probably belongs to Alicia Keys, who was clearly having a blast as the host. Is it too late for the Oscars to give her a call?
Most of the nominees and winners are below, with the full list available over at Variety.
Album Of The Year
Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B
By The Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile
Scorpion, Drake
H.E.R., H.E.R.
Beerbongs & Bentleys, Post Malone
Dirty Computer, Janelle Monae
Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
Black Panther: The Album, Kendrick Lamar
Record Of The Year
“I Like It,” Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin
“The Joke,” Brandi Carlile
“This Is America,” Childish Gambino
“God’s Plan,” Drake
“Shallow,” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
“All The Stars,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA
“Rockstar,” Post Malone and 21 Savage
“The Middle,” Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey
Best Rap Album
Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B
Swimming, Mac Miller
Victory Lap, Nipsey Hussle
Daytona, Pusha-T
Astroworld, Travis Scott
Best R&B Album
Sex & Cigarettes, Toni Braxton
Good Thing, Leon Bridges
Honestly, Lalah Hathaway
H.E.R., H.E.R.
Gumbo Uplugged (Live), PJ Mortion
Best Country Album
Unapologetically, Kelsea Ballerini
Port Saint Joe, Brothers Osborne
Girl Going Nowhere, Ashley McBryde
Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
Volume 2, Chris Stapleton
Song Of The Year
“All The Stars,” Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Spears, Al Shuckburgh, Anthony Tiffith, and Solana Rowe (Kendrick Lamar and SZA)
“Boo’d Up,” Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai, and Dijon McFarlane (Ella Mai)
“God’s Plan,” Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron Latour, Matthew Samuels and Noah Shebib (Drake)
“In My Blood,” Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes and Geoffrey Warburton (Shawn Mendes)
“The Joke,” Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth (Brandi Carlile)
“The Middle,” Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha and Anton Zaslavski (Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey)
“Shallow,” Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
“This Is America,” Donald Glover and Ludwig Göransson (Childish Gambino)
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Fall In Line,” Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” Backstreet Boys
“Shallow,” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
“Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 and Cardi B
“Say Something,” Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton
“The Middle,” Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Love Is Here To Stay, Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
My Way, Willie Nelson
Nat “King” Cole & Me, Gregory Porter
Standards, Seal
The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic!, Barbra Streisand
Best Spoken Word Album
“Accessory to War (Neil Degrasse Tyson & Avis Lang),” Courtney B. Vance
“Calypso,” David Sedaris
“Creative Quest,” Questlove
“Faith – A Journey For All,” Jimmy Carter
“The Last Black Unicorn,” Tiffany Haddish
Best Pop Vocal Album
Camila, Camila Cabello
Meaning Of Life, Kelly Clarkson
Sweetener, Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes
Beautiful Trauma, Pink
Reputation, Taylor Swift
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Colors,” Beck
“Havana (Live),” Camila Cabello
“God Is A Woman,” Ariana Grande
“Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?),” Lady Gaga
“Better Now,” Post Malone
Best Americana Album
By the Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile
Things Have Changed, Bettye LaVette
The Tree of Forgiveness, John Prine
The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone, Lee Ann Womack
One Drop of Truth, The Wood Brothers
Best Music Video
“APES***,” The Carters, Ricky Saiz, video director; Mélodie Buchris, Natan Schottenfels & Erinn Williams, video producers
“This Is America,” Childish Gambino, Hiro Murai, video director; Ibra Ake, Jason Cole & Fam Rothstein, video producers
“I’m Not Racist,” Joyner Lucas & Ben Proulx, video directors; Joyner Lucas, video producer
“Pynk,” Janelle Monáe, Emma Westenberg, video director; Justin Benoliel & Whitney Jackson, video producers
“Mumbo Jumbo,” Tierra Whack Marco Prestini, video director; Sara Nassim, video producer
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
The Emancipation Procrastination, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Steve Gadd Band, Steve Gadd Band
Modern Lore, Julian Lage
Laid Black, Marcus Miller
Protocol 4, Simon Phillips
Best Alternative Music Album
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Arctic Monkeys
Colors, Beck
Utopia, Bjork
American Utopia, David Byrne
Masseduction, St. Vincent
Best Comedy Album
Annihilation, Patton Oswalt
Equanimity & The Bird Revelation, Dave Chappelle
Noble Ape, Jim Gaffigan
Standup For Drummers, Fred Armisen
Tamborine, Chris Rock
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Call Me By Your Name
Deadpool 2
The Greatest Showman
Lady Bird
Stranger Things
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson, composer
Blade Runner 2049, Benjamin Wallfisch & Hans Zimmer, composers
Coco, Michael Giacchino, composer
The Shape Of Water, Alexandre Desplat, composer
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, John Williams, composer
Best Music Film
Life in 12 Bars, Eric Clapton, Lili Fini Zanuck, video director; John Battsek, Scooter Weintraub, Larry Yelen & Lili Fini Zanuck, video producers
Whitney, Kevin Macdonald, video director; Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn & Lisa Erspamer, video producers
Quincy, Quincy Jones, Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones, video directors; Paula DuPré Pesmen, video producer
Itzhak, Itzhak Perlman, Alison Chernick, video director; Alison Chernick, video producer
The King, Eugene Jarecki, video director; Christopher Frierson, Georgina Hill, David Kuhn & Christopher St. John, video producers
Best Song Written For Visual Media
“All The Stars,” Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Alexander William Shuckburgh, Mark Anthony Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
“Mystery Of Love,” Sufjan Stevens, songwriter (Sufjan Stevens)
“Remember Me,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Miguel Featuring Natalia Lafourcade)
“Shallow,” Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
“This Is Me,” Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble)
Best R&B Performance
“Long As I Live,” Toni Braxton
“Summer,” The Carters
“Y O Y,” Lalah Hathaway
“Best Part,” H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar
“First Began,” PJ Morton
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand,” Leon Bridges (Tie)
“Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight” Bettye LaVette
“Honest, MAJOR.
“How Deep Is Your Love,” PJ Morton and Yebba (Tie)
“Made For Love,” Charlie Wilson and Lalah Hathaway
Best R&B Song
“Boo’d Up,” Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai, and Dijon McFarlane (Ella Mai)
“Come Through And Chill, Jermaine Cole, Miguel Pimentel, and Salaam Remi (Miguel with J. Cole andSalaam Remi)
“Feels Like Summer,” Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson (Childish Gambino)
“Focus,” Darhyl Camper Jr, H.E.R., and Justin Love (H.E.R.)
“Long As I Live,” Paul Boutin, Toni Braxton, and Antonio Dixon (Toni Braxton)
Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Everything Is Love, The Carters
The Kids Are Alright, Chloe x Halle
Chris Dave And The Drumhedz, Chris Dave And The Drumhedz
War & Leisure, Miguel
Ventriloquism, Meshell Ndegeocello
Best Rap Performance
“Be Careful,” Cardi B
“Nice For What,” Drake
“King’s Dead,” Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake (Tie)
“Bubblin,” Anderson .Paak (Tie)
“Sicko Mode,” Travis Scott, Drake, Big Hawk, and Swae Lee
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Like I Do,” Christina Aguilera and Goldlink
“Pretty Little Fears,” 6LACK and J. Cole
“This Is America,” Childish Gambino
“All The Stars,” Kendrick Lamar andSZA
“Rockstar,” Post Malone and 21 Savage
Best Rock Performance
“Four Out Of Five,” Arctic Monkeys
“When Bad Does Good,” Chris Cornell
“Made An America,” THE FEVER 333
“Highway Tune,” Greta Van Fleet
“Uncomfortable,” Halestorm
Best Rock Song
“Black Smoke Rising,” Greta Van Fleet
“Jumpsuit,” Twenty One Pilots
“MANTRA,” Bring Me The Horizon
“Masseduction,” St. Vincent
“Rats,” Ghost
Best Rock Album
Rainier Fog, Alice In Chains
M A N I A, Fall Out Boy
Prequelle, Ghost
From The Fires, Greta Van Fleet
Pacific Daydream, Weezer
Best Dance Recording
“Northern Soul,” Above & Beyond Featuring Richard Bedford
“Ultimatum,” Disclosure (Featuring Fatoumata Diawara”
“Losing It,” Fisher
“Electricity,” Silk City and Dua Lipa with Diplo andMark Ronson
“Ghost Voices,” Virtual Self
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Singularity, Jon Hopkins
Woman Worldwide, Justice
Treehouse, Sofi Tukker
Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, SOPHIE
Lune Rouge, TOKiMONSTA
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Shoot Me Straight,” Brothers Osborne
“Tequila,” Dan + Shay
“When Someone Stops Loving You,” Little Big Town
“Dear Hate,” Maren Morris featuring Vince Gill
“Meant to Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Best Country Song
“Break Up in the End,” Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill and Jon Nite (Cole Swindell)
“Dear Hate,” Tom Douglas, David Hodges and Maren Morris) Maren Morris and Vince Gill
“I Lived It,” Rhett Akins, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley and Ben Hayslip (Blake Shelton)
“Space Cowboy,” Luke Laird, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves (Kacey Musgraves)
“Tequila,” Nicolle Gaylon, Jordan Reynolds and Dan Smyers (Dan + Shay)
“When Someone Stops Loving You,” Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill and Lori McKenna (Little Big Town)
Best American Roots Performance
“Kick Rocks,” Sean Ardoin
“Saint James Infirmary Blues,” Jon Batiste
“The Joke,” Brandi Carlile
“All on My Mind,” Anderson East
“Last Man Standing,” Willie Nelson
Best Bluegrass Album
Portraits in Fiddles, Mike Barnett
Sister Sadie II, Sister Sadie
Rivers and Roads, Special Consensus
The Travelin’ McCourys, The Travelin’ McCourys
North of Despair, Wood & Wire
Best Country Solo Performance
“Wouldn’t It Be Great,” Loretta Lynn
“Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” Maren Morris
“Butterflies,” Kacey Musgraves
“Millionaire,” Chris Stapleton
“Parallel Line,” Keith Urban
Best Metal Performance
Condemned To The Gallows, Between the Buried and Me
Honeycomb, Deafheavenbest best
Electric Messiah, High On Fire
Betrayer, Trivium
On My Teeth, Underoath
Best New Artist
Chloe X Halle
Luke Combs
Greta Van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Margo Price
Bebe Rexha
Jorja Smith
Best Rap Song
“God’s Plan,” Drake
“King’s Dead,” Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake
“Lucky You,” Eminem
“Sicko Mode,” Travis Scott, Drake, Big Hawk, and Swae Lee
“Win,” Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar
142 Comments
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual MediaBlack Panther, Ludwig Göransson, composerThis was the correct choice.
Although, no video games nominated? Shame.
I would have given it to Giacchino, but it was a strong pool of nominees this year.
I’m yet to listen to Coco (it’s actually next on my playlist), but seeing as no one had combined hip-hop and African elements with a symphony orchestra before quite like Black Panther, I think it’s about as original as blockbuster movie scores get these days.
I don’t get it. Blade Runner 2049 came out 2 years ago. How is it a nominee?
I guess it was near the end of 2017, and so still eligible.
But then so were the soundtracks to Cuphead, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Monster Hunter: World, Octopath Traveler, and I could go on.
Oh, I see the score to Demolition Man was also nominated.
Well it’s set 13 years from now, so it’s a bit premature, but that’s fine
It knows somebody.
I wonder if Lady Gaga is planning to fake cry every time the camera shows her. I’m not hatin… it’s actually pretty impressive at this point.
Monae just completely ripped off Prince, so there’s that…
I just listened to the entire album and could not get into it. I just don’t care for her.
St. Vincent was nominated in the Best Alternative Music Album, but not Best Rock Album, yet won Best Rock Song.Am I the only one who thinks the categories are nonsense?
I could never have imagined a category that could include Alice in Chains, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy at the same time.
Yet, here we are.
The cup runneth over
I just naturally assumed she won the Most Curiously Odd Dressed Babysitter Award, shows what I know.
I’m just glad she won and got to make eyes at Dua Lipa, and got more exposure for just being herself, wherever they try to put her.
That performance was… watchable. So, so, so… watchable.
St. Vincent was nominated in the Best Alternative Music Album, but not Best Rock Album, yet won Best Rock Song. Probably because there is no Best Alternative Song category, and since Alternative is a subgenre of Rock, may as well just slip it in there?I don’t know how the Grammys work, but in the Academy Awards, producers will decide which category to lobby for — which is why Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz got nominated in the Supporting category for The Favourite, even though they film is more about them than Olivia Colman’s character. They decided it would be easier to squeeze those two into Best Supporting than all three into Best Actress. Regardless, as long as St. Vincent won something, I’m happy.
You’re probably right about who decides to vie where, but still.I think there was an entire post on the AV Club or somewhere in the Kinjaverse last year about how the Grammy categories truly made no sense, and this would just confirm it.
It makes sense to me; one song from an album isn’t always representative of the album as whole. So an alternative album can have a rock song on it, and it be worthy of recognition. Same way some Black soul/r&b singers would have a country song on their album, some were nominated for Best Country Song, like Ray Charles.
I’ll have to get back to you. That duet with Dua Lipa melted my television from the inside, so I have to find a way to watch the rest of it.
Kinja Deals often offers new TVs at incredible prices 🙂
Well, the categories are nonsense.However, you could have songs from different genres on the same album. There’s no reason a song can’t be nominated in a different category from the album it’s on.I just don’t understand how “alternative” is considered a musical genre.
Americana is the same way, it is really alt country (with occasional roots blues and R&B thrown in for good measure). However, I tend to like a great deal of people that are regularly in this category, so I’m allowing it.
Yeah, I would be totally cool with a category called “Music for Alurins”
I had decided to wisely step away from that can 🙂
Starting to think its all a bunch of shit someone made up to trick people into buying more
Not only are they nonsense, but the Grammys shine a light on just how fast the music industry (and consumers) move on from things. I saw Beck won for Best Alternative Album and could’ve sworn Colors came out 3 years ago.
I’m just depressed by the utter geezerhood of all the Alternative Music nominees but her. Seriously, there’s a lot of music out there, can we not do better?
I don’t really care about who wins this, but I do like to see what people wear. I’ve gotta say I’m meh on her music and stuff, but since The Grammys are all about people dressing ridiculous Cardio B did pretty great and made the kinda naked dress thing actually interesting and fun. (Or whomever picked and styled it)
Must be a pain to sit in.
I do always question that. Also with very fitted halter body suits that look partially glued on. I guess no one’s peeing.
They smell terrible. Its a not so secret… shitret.
Well, here’s some dumb ones.
To add: Apparently it’s vintage Mugler from 95′. Original runway pic.
“Why don’t you watch the Grammys?”Cause their are too many fucking categories.
Well, then you are not going to particularly like The Category Awards, which will be airing live on the FOX network, next Sunday.
I honestly would rather watch the BAFTAS. Though in reality I watched Velvet Chainsaw on Netflix cause it is 2019.
I know I’m old, I don’t know most of these artists.I won’t be surprised if a winner’s name and the song is “Baby, Baby, Baby, Let’s Have a Baby’s Baby (Remix)by Rufus Dicsnot and Candy Vulva featuring Cardi B, Future, Jay-Z and Ariana Grande: Special guests Travis Scott and 2Rap@4Skillz
OTOH, I’m looking at “Best Pop Duo/Group performance” and I think Lady Gaga is below the median age?
And who’s this newfangled Willie Nelson character? I mean, what’s he all about, huh?
the youngster has a bright future in this business. I mean, he’s gonna go far!
Brought to you by Clairol.
Jay-Z is 49 years old. How possibly old are you that you use him as a hip, young reference to show how old and out-of-touch (aka “so above it all”) you are? Grand pa-pa, is that you? Isn’t it time for you to die yet?
Had no idea Rufus Dicsnot was back making music again. I guess that religious cult thing didn’t work out
I do kind of marvel at the seemingly never-ending appetite for (IMO) mediocre auto-tuned downbeat hip-hop. But then, I don’t have to get it.
It’s always been this way.
It does amuse me how so many tracks seem to have three or more contributors, as if they don’t have enough talent to make decent record on their own.
Stick around and read some more avclub articles, though. You’re going to absolutely shit blood through your nose when you hear Vinnie Testaduccio’s retort to Annie Lumpenscratch’s tweet about the Shit Mountain Boys’ new diss track.
Childish Gambino winning song of the year is most impressive considering it took only two people to write it. Apparently you need at least four or five people to write a pop song these days.
Might explain why the songs not good.
Fuck yeah, right on Donald Glover!
How the hell “Feels Like Summer” lost to “Boo’d Up” is beyond me.
Maybe because the former sounded like someone told Donald Glover “you have 10 minutes in the studio to make a summer hit … Go!” and the latter felt like an organic feel-good 90s throwback that everybody (and their toddler) loved
I don’t know, Donald Glover with 10 minutes of studio time may be better than a song that sounds like I need to Boot Up my computer. Hey-oh, dad joke there for you.But seriously, I enjoy Boo’d Up and I enjoyed the first few times I heard it, but I didn’t feel like it was R&B song of the year.ETA: I messed up… I was thinking “Summertime Magic” instead of “Feels Like Summer” in my original comment. This proves once again, when it comes to music I just need to stay quiet with the rest of the olds.
Feels Like Summer still plays in my head on a daily basis. So damn good.
yeah… that’s one in the win column for plagiarists!
Weird Al got another one.Hooray!
They are the cutest of the Entertainment awards. Would look cool to have them on your record shelf as bookends.
lol at the fact they gave “i’m not racist” a fucking grammy
Coco/Michael Giacchino got snubbed.
Jethro Tull was totally robbed in the Metal Performance category, AGAIN!
The flute is a heavy, metal instrument.
I saw that Chris Cornell just won a Grammy despite dying almost 2 years ago. That required some Googling on my part.
You murdered him using Google?
Oh, I gotta figure out how to do THAT!
Personally think Into the Spiderverse had a better soundtrack than BP but it doesn’t look like it was even nominated.
Was it open early enough for eligibility? I think the Grammy’s cut off before the end of the year, unlike the Oscars.Edit: Looks like I was right, Recordings are eligible if they are released prior to September 30 of the prior year. Anything October or after, like into the SpiderVerse, will be eligible next year. https://www.cbs.com/shows/grammys/about/
Ah ok, I was definitely assuming they were like the Oscars as far as cut off date.
Every year I’m reminded that the farts behind the Grammys need to listen to more music.
Wow thanks. I hate all these award things but anyone else that summarizes them beats around the bush. This is great.
The real winners are those who didn’t watch.
Your mom likes to watch.
Your mom goes to college.
Only because she thinks your tiny penis is so funny.
Why are you watching me with your mom?
Gretta Van Fleet won rock album of the year? What?
Yes! Wakanda got one 😀 😀 😀 😀
Ryan Coogler deserves credit for that one, he believed in Ludwig and I’m sure there were others that were being mentioned to him to reflect the tone of production for the film.
Kacey Musgraves…the entire room fell asleep during her performance…I just kind of am not picking up what she’s putting down.
That she’s talented and had the best album last year?
I really dislike country but found her album so damn soothing compared to everything else. The fact she writes and composes most of her own songs is also a breath of fresh air. Didn’t expect to like her music but i’m glad I gave it a try.
I think it was refreshing to hear a country album coming from a real, and at times somewhat surreal, perspective instead of the numbing cookie-cutter pop-country anthem or ‘Murca-truck-fightin’ and drinkin’-farm livin’-support-the troops dreck that largely makes up contemporary country these days. It was a unique, unexpected, kinda weird, great album, and—for once—the right choice.
cookie-cutter pop-country anthem or ‘Murca-truck-fightin’ and drinkin’-farm livin’-support-the troops dreck that largely makes up contemporary country these days. I love country music but that ^ isn’t what I consider country. Most people do, understandably, as that’s almost all that ends up on country stations. (The week Waylon Jennings died, the local FM country station where I was living noted that he wasn’t on their playlist, and they didn’t have anything by him at the station.)Bo Burnham has a hilarious song on one of his shows called “Pandering” and it’s kinda wonderful.
I’m a huge Kacey Musgraves fan, and she does not come across well on TV at all. She always looks stiff and uncomfortable. And singing a slow anthem was a bad choice. I’ll also say that although I like her album a lot, the more I hear it the more it sounds like “Soft Hits of the Seventies”.
it’s hard not to look at each year’s crop of nominees and ask which white straight starbucks music is going to beat the dynamic musician of color or sexual orientation with a much better albumI mean, Beck must have fallen asleep to Morning Phase every time he worked on it, it’s no “Sea Change,” I wouldn’t even say it’s as good as Colors…in fact I’ve deleted it off my phone because it’s meh.Ms. Musgraves is like musical Xanax
What did she sing? I’ve been listening to her for years and really enjoy her music but almost anytime I’ve seen her perform on tv it looks awful and doesn’t sound great…especially High Horse.
“Rainbow”
Ooh yeah I can definitely see that not coming across well. I liked Slow Burn when I saw her perform that on tv, but otherwise I feel like a lot of her performances don’t translate well.
She’s fucking great, and great in concert, as well. I couldn’t give a frog’s fat ass what she sounds like on TV, a medium which decided that allowing Jennifer “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” Lopez to sing a Motown “tribute” last night was a good idea. Holy hell.
Yeah, I’m basically on her side. So ease off on the caffeine.
For all the praise she gets, I’ve still yet to find anyone that listens to her.
Where does one actually watch a music video these days?
YouTube?
Then why wasn’t “Man Lights Penis On Fire” up for any awards?
Who won best song for a barbershop quartet?
Metallica for “One.”
J-Lo.
Admittedly, I don’t know how voting works for the Grammys, but I feel like Kacey Musgraves won Album of the Year because the vote was split so much between the other artists.
Here’s a real indication that you are getting old. It happens when you realize you don’t care about and don’t know any of the musicians that are at the Grammys, but you are interested in who is getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
RaRHoF annoys me a little as you can do the usual bitching about it being an arbitrary circlejerk, and how 20 year old band Y was inducted while 30 year old band X still hasn’t, and whatever else, but I think we can all generally agree that it’s not really a competition and the artists who do make it in do generally deserve it on account of their merit and influence – even if some other high-profile bands are notably being snubbed or have been snubbed in the past.
Grammys will never fail not to annoy the everloving fuck out of me, as year after year it’s always the exact people you expect to win and never the ones you want to or who have actually made the best music that year.
YES, Genesis, and Rush are in the HOF. My favorite band YES is in, but I’m not going to be completely happy till ELP gets in.
I wouldn’t say “getting old” so much as “only care about one narrow genre of music.” If you follow hip-hop and R&B at all, you’ve at least heard of all the artists in the corresponding categories.
What’s the difference between “Record of the Year” and “Album of the Year”?
Record refers to a single. Throwback to the says when 45s were purchased more frequently than LPs.
Thanks for the info!
FUCK Kacey Musgraves and album of the year. And FUCK the Grammys. That Grammy belonged to Janelle Monae. What the fucking fuck. Everyone else in that category had already been honored (and it was fine, whatever). That was her goddamned category. (Post Malone, who gives a shit. Sorry, not sorry. I’m sure white boy will get infinite more chances.) I don’t disagree with Donald Glover getting all the love. But just . . . shit. Wtf.
(Yes, I care too much about this. I care too much about everything. Yes, my life is exhausting.) (And I’m not saying I’m necessarily surprised . . . well OK, I am. They were so close to not fucking it up!!!)
How many fucking people does it take to write a song?
Good to see Jimmy Carter, the humble peanut farmer, reach the pinnacle of his career.
*whisper whisper*He was President?! of the US?!
*whisper whisper*AND a Nobel Peace Prize?!
Happy for Dua Lipa, she seems really genuine.
Any one else feel like it’s a bit messed up that the Jazz category has morphed into “Contemporary Instrumental Album”? And I guess they just scuttled the Latin music category. Also, what’s the difference between Americana and American roots? For that matter, R & B and Urban Contemporary? And have they finally decided to put the World music category to rest?
Record of the year is for the recording and performance of the song.Song of the year is for the writing of the song.This is not complicated.
So, that Motown tribute. Nobody could have picked up the phone and called Martha Reeves?
Or just someone with a real voice?
Record of the Year is for the performer and the recording. Song of the Year is for the songwriter. It made more sense back when most artists didn’t write their own songs and several popular songs a year might be recorded by several artists. That said, it’s not that hard to understand now.
back when most artists didn’t write their own songs Writing your own songs has gone out of style again. If you look at the category this year, many of the recording artists get a songwriting credit, but how much they actually contributed, as opposed to the half-dozen other writers, is unknown. It’s not like the 70s and 80s, when artists were supposed to write their own songs. I remember when Simple Minds were embarrassed because their first hit was a song they didn’t write.
Well, that’s why the ‘and’ was in that sentence, because while it’s true that lot’s of pop artists have gone back to using other people’s songs, there are rarely, if ever, competing versions of the same song coming out and charting in the same year, as there used to be.
Perhaps they should call it “Performer of the Year” then. “Record” and “Song” are generally indistinguishable.The Grammy’s have always sucked.
Mac Miller deserved the win dammit
Yes! Came here just to find someone in agreement on that.
Well maybe next year. After all Chris Cornell was nominated.
And now I feel like an alien, a stranger in a strange land for I know next to nothing about most of these winners.
The only category where I’d heard more than one of the entries was “alternative music”, whatever that means.
Janelle Monae was robbed, but maybe because Dirty Computer spans at least three genres, it confused whoever votes on these things.
She was also robbed because it’s probable the second best album of the year, after Masseduction.
The winners are anyone who stopped paying attention this “awards” show years ago.
it’s easy to snark but the “Best Song Written For Visual Media” category is actually very impressive, and the right song won. Hurrah, Grammys!
lol at Drake not getting nominated for best rap album yet somehow getting nominated for best album
Ariana Grande is just as difficult as her name portrays her to be.
As a huge rock music fan I really want to like Greta Van Fleet. I have found I can’t though. They really just feel like they are trying to hard to be a mix of 1970’s rock bands and fall short. Their appearance doesn’t help, I always feel like they are wearing costumes, they look so contrived. They are still super young, hopefully their music matures and they find their own sound.
They really just feel like they are trying to hard to be a mix of 1970’s rock bands and fall short. GVF’s is a 1970’s rock pastiche band — zero mojo, no raw sex appeal. Josh Kiszka is trying really hard to be Robert Plant, but he’s just another Justin Hawkins.
also just noting how poorly Gaga’s stale rock star talent-show act went with that song…there’s likely to be increasing tension between her increasingly hacky reliance on old tropes and the sincere person she played in the movie…which hurt the movie itself when she immediately went to singing garbage after resisting for one single scene…I mean the sneer and coke face during “keeping it so hardcore” was cringey, that line is hard enough to pull off anyway
Meanwhile the Grammy Award should go to mine, for her marble cake recipe. Ah well, maybe next year, gram.
The losers being anyone associated with Motown. Someone explain to me why that untalented hack J-Lo was picked to do a Motown retrospective?
After scanning the full list, I feel it is my duty to point out that the Sting/Shaggy album that I forgot existed/figured was a fever dream won for “Best Reggae Album”.
They left Pete Shelley out of the In Memoriam. Fuck the Grammys.
I’m assuming that Tool will win every category in next year’s Grammys
The one and only winner from last night was this guy –
In an act of afternoon procrastination, decided to look up the albums that have won both the Album of the Year Grammy (so, basically, the industry choice) and the Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll (probably the closest thing to a critical consensus). They are:Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life; Michael Jackson, Thriller; Paul Simon, Graceland; Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind; Outkast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below; Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour.Obviously Musgraves jumps out as the first woman to pull it off, and also the first country artist. But damn, that’s some pretty incredible company she’s keeping—the previous five are all absolutely iconic figures, and for all of them except Dylan it’s probably their most culturally significant album. Hell, Time Out of Mind is probably the worst album on that list, and Time Out of Mind is really fucking good.
Crap. I just realized I’m old. I don’t recognize a single artist on that list except Childish Gambino.
Pardon me whilst I dust off my rocker and start yelling at the kids on my lawn.