On a night that was heavy on star power, with appearances from Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, and Lady Gaga, last night’s Grammy Awards belonged to two vastly different bands: country chart toppers Lady Antebellum, and Canadian indie rockers turned rock royalty, Arcade Fire.
Lady Antebellum picked up five major awards, including Song and Country Performance of the Year. By the time they went up onstage to accept the award for Album of the Year, they looked stunned and perhaps a little guilty. Expect sales of their album Need You Now to soar in the coming weeks.
Arcade Fire beat out Eminem’s Recovery , the predicted favorite, in the Record of the Year category, for their sprawling concept record, The Suburbs. After performing “Month Of May” and learning of their victory, they seemingly hijacked the stage to play a second number, “Ready To Start.” Streisand and co-presenter Kris Kristofferson did not look ready for that one.
It was a night of outlandish performances; Cee-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow’s psychedelic Muppet Show rendition of “Forget You,” Lady Gaga’s Ziggy Stardust-esque “Born This Way” and Bob Dylan’s epically ragged “Maggie’s Farm” with the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons comes to mind. What were your Grammy highlights and lowlights? Let us know in the comments.
Winners in selected major categories at Sunday’s 53rd Annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year: “The Suburbs,” Arcade Fire
Album of the Year: “Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
Song of the Year: “Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Pop Vocal Album: “The Fame Monster,” Lady Gaga
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: “Hey Soul Sister,” Train
Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Bad Romance,” Lady Gaga
Male Pop Vocal Performance: “Just The Way You Are,” Bruno Mars
Rock Song: “Angry World,” Neil Young
Rock Album: “The Resistance,” Muse
R&B Song: “Shine,” John Legend & The Roots
R&B Album: “Wake up!” John Legend & The Roots
Rap Solo Performance: “Not Afraid,” Eminem
Rap Song: “Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Rap Album: “Recovery,” Eminem
Female Country Vocal Performance: “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
Male Country Vocal Performance: “‘Til Summer Comes Around,” Keith Urban
Country Performance by a Duo or Group: “Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
Country Album: “Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
Latin Pop Album: “Paraiso Express,” Alejandro Sanz
Contemporary Jazz Album: “The Stanley Clarke Band,” The Stanley Clarke Band
Classical Album: “Verdi: Requiem,” Riccardo Muti, conductor
Traditional Gospel Album: “Downtown Church,” Patty Griffin
Dance Recording: “Only Girl (In The World),” Rihanna
Electronic Dance Album: “La Roux,” La Roux
Alternative Music Album: “Brothers,” The Black Keys
Spoken Word Album: “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook),” Jon Stewart