“Music’s biggest night” was last night, so let’s talk through some of the takeaways.
1. Taylor Swift is doing too much.
Taylor Swift has plenty of great qualities, but being “cool” is not one of them. Whether it’s something as small as giving Jack Antonoff a million faux punches and a noogie when his name gets mentioned, or as big as announcing the incredibly cringey title of her upcoming album, she was just doing a lot last night. It didn’t set the table very well for winning Album of the Year for Midnights, which I consider to be one of her weakest albums. Folklore and 1989 deserved it, but Midnights? Here’s hoping that music of The Tortured Poets Department ends up better than its name.
2. Tracy Chapman singing “Fast Car” was awe-inspiring, and not only did Luke Combs avoid ruining it, but he actually did a great job.
I’ve held nothing but contempt for Luke Combs’s cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” but when he performed it as a duet with Chapman early in the broadcast, I was won over. The performance was simply amazing — the best one of the night. It was heartwarming to see the crowd’s enthusiastic love for Chapman, who played her timeless classic as beautifully as ever, 36 years after its release. Against all my expectations, Combs did justice to the song as he performed alongside Chapman, displaying his impressive voice. They both clearly had a lot of respect for each other, which went along way toward melting my previous disdain for Combs’s version.
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3. Trevor Noah is a perfect Grammys host.
Every time Trevor Noah hosts the Grammys, he reminds us that it’s possible to be gracious and positive while also being hilarious. So many award shows hosts think the only way to be funny is to roast its participants, but Noah shows us that’s not true. I burst out laughing when, after shaming TikTok for removing a large swath of music from their app and “ripping off all of these artists,” he followed that with, “How dare you do that! That’s Spotify’s job!”
4. I truly do not get “What Was I Made For?”
I just don’t see the appeal of Billie Eilish’s “Best Song of the Year” winner. I admit that I’ve never really gotten into her music, especially compared to some of her generational peers like Olivia Rodrigo. I did enjoy some of the stuff from her debut album, and I think she’s cool, but the breathy “What Was I Made For?” does absolutely nothing for me. I really try to not be a hater, but it’s so boring, I’m sorry.
5. I also don’t get the immense popularity of Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers.”
As opposed to Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus has made tons of songs that I love. Her catalog is filled with bangers, and she’s an incredibly talented live singer and performer. But “Flowers” is very middling to me. It’s not bad, but it’s not “great” either. It just does its thing for three minutes without leaving any impression. I will say though, her live rendition of “Flowers” during the broadcast was pretty good. I meant it when I said she’s a great performer.
6. The “In Memoriam” section recognizing Tina Turner was well done.
Unsurprisingly, Oprah knocked it out of the park with her tribute, vividly capturing why Tina Turner was so great. Oprah’s delivery, including a loving imitation of her friend’s speaking voice, was part of the magic, but the words themselves were great too:
“Tina Turner was always a towering figure. She is our forever goddess of Rock & Roll, who inspired millions, a moving symbol of grace and grit, soul and power. Our love and respect for Tina grew as we witnessed her bravely reclaim her freedom. From the moment I met Tina, first as a fan, then later blessed to become her friend, she was a special kind of role model… And as those big wheels of time keep on turning, Tina’s voice continues to speak to all of us.”
And Fantasia Barrino did a solid job channeling Turner’s energy with her rendition of “Proud Mary.”
7. The Grammys missed an opportunity by ignoring Rock and Alternative during the telecast.
As some of you know, the live Grammys broadcast doesn’t show the vast majority of the awards they give, with many winners receiving their awards in a pre-show event. For many years, I’ve lamented the complete disregard for the Rock and Alternative categories during the broadcast. Has rock really fallen that far? This year, Paramore won for Best Rock Album, and boygenius won for Best Alternative Album. Not only would I have loved to see them receive their awards, but I have no doubt that live performances from both of them would have brought the house down.
8. Joni Mitchell’s performance was deeply moving.
In her first Grammys performance ever, Joni sounded really great singing “Both Sides Now,” and her co-performers did an amazing job. She somehow wrote that song at age 22, displaying wisdom way beyond her years, but now at age 80, she has a whole life’s worth of experience to give it even more weight. It was a poignant moment.
D-Brad Music 