Guesses were all up in the air as to who was going to win the biggest awards of the night: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. In the beginning there were no favorites, but as the show progressed, it became apparent who the winners would be.
U2, which was up for five Grammy’s, went home with all of them, including two of the three most impressive awards of the night, Song of the Year for “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” and Album of the Year for “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”.
Kanye West, Mariah Carey and John Legend, nominated for eight Grammy’s each, did not have the same luck as U2. Kanye West went home with three, including Rap Solo Performance, Rap Song, and Rap Album, Late Registration. Mariah Carey walked away with R&B Vocal Performance and R&B Song, both for “We Belong Together.” She also won Contemporary R&B Album, The Emancipation of Mimi.
On top of his awards for R&B Album, R&B Male Vocal Performance and Best New Artist, John Legend’s performance of his nominated song, “Ordinary People” received a standing ovation.
The most surprising award of the night was Song of the Year, which went to Green Day for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Also up for the award were, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, and Gorillaz. Considering, two of the aforementioned had already won awards for the night; it was believed that the trend would have continued with Song of the Year going to either Mariah or Kanye.
The live music at this years Grammy’s was amazing. The unforgettable performances included Bruce Springsteen singing his nominated song “Devils and Dust,” as well as Jamie Foxx and Kanye West singing their hit song “Gold Digger” while wearing marching band uniforms of the opposing teams (announced as) KW vs. J. F-U. Paul McCartney, who took advantage of his first time playing the Grammy’s by, as he stated, “rocking out a bit” and playing the classic song “Helter Skelter.”
Various artists including Joss Stone, Fantasia, and John Legend made a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. The act was brought to a close by the band’s front man himself, Sly Stone, sporting a blonde Mohawk and jamming on the keyboard. Another musical tribute went to the city of New Orleans for the fight to keep the music of the city alive after Hurricane Katrina and an impromptu tribute went to Coretta Scott King from Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder.
All in all it was another night to be remembered for the music industry. Another year, another Grammy’s that definitely went off with a “bang.” It just goes to show that a little fashion, some charisma and a lot of rocking can go a long, long way.
