A ‘Fast Car’ duet, Joni, Jay-Z, and more
Seven Grammy moments to remember
Early in the Grammy Awards tewlecast on Sunday night, the pop star SZA began a mini-medley on a grimy stage set to look like a back alley. (She was one of the night’s leading honorees, winning three times.) Behind her, a Dumpster fire raged.
Like other major awards shows, the Grammys have had years in which the show verged on a hot pile of garbage. Happily, this year’s ceremony mostly transcended such trash talk.
That’s partly because the women were in charge. Tracy Chapman took a victory lap. Miley Cyrus got her flowers. Joni Mitchell held court. And Billie Eilish learned, despite her charming self-deprecation (“Whoops. Yikes. Damn, that’s stupid, guys,” she said after winning song of the year) that she was made for moments like this.
Here are seven takeaways from last night’s show.
FAST FRIENDS: In a brief video montage (one of the night’s nice touches, airing before each showcase performance), Luke Combs explained that Chapman’s “Fast Car” was his “favorite song before I knew what a favorite song was.” Beaming alongside the inspiration for his chart-topping cover version, the burly country star looked like that eagerto-learn little boy.
SENIOR MOMENTS: At 80, nearly a decade into her recovery from a ruptured aneurysm, Mitchell hushed the gabby crowd at LA’s Crypto.com Arena with a magnificent reading of “Both Sides Now.” She had help from the same crew of admirers, led by Brandi Carlile, that surprised the Newport Folk Festival crowd in the summer of 2022. That performance led to the, live album that made Mitchell the night’s best folk album winner. Another senior, Billy Joel, 74, performed the fine ballad “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new pop single in 17 years. (Weirdly, host Trevor Noah kept calling it his first new material in 30 years.) He also closed the show on a high note, with the raucous “You May Be Right.”
JAY-Z CALLS OUT THE GRAMMYS:
Upon receiving the second annual Dr. Dre Global Impact Award (the first was Dr. Dre), Jay-Z chided the Recording Academy for its years-long neglect of hip-hop. With eldest child Blue Ivy by his side, he recalled the rap community’s early boycotts of the awards — “We just want you to get it right” — and tweaked the Academy over the fact that wife Beyoncé has never won album of the year, despite being the Grammys’ most awarded artist of all time. Hip-hop’s Grammy issues continued when it was reported that the Atlanta rapper Killer Mike left the arena in handcuffs after a reported altercation outside the venue earlier in the day. Details have been sketchy, but that’s a tough way to end an otherwise celebratory day: The rapper, one-half of the outspoken duo Run the Jewels, joined the night’s leading honorees with three Grammys (including best rap album) for his solo project “Michael.”
Stevie Wonder opened a lengthy In Memoriam segment with a tribute to his friend Tony Bennett, explaining that he recorded his upbeat version of “For Once in My Life” because he loved Bennett’s. Annie Lennox honored the late Sinead O’Connor with a mascara teardrop and a heartfelt rendition of O’Connor’s biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U” (written by Prince). She ended her performance with the night’s lone political gesture: “Cease-fire! Peace!” Multiple nominee Jon Batiste led a gospel chorus on “Lean on
Me,” celebrating the life of Clarence Avant, the “Black Godfather” of the music business. And Oprah Winfrey introduced onetime “American Idol” highlight Fantasia Barrino before her glitzy tribute to the late Tina Turner, “our forever goddess of rock ‘n’ roll.” In other legacy news, Mission Hill’s Donna Summer won a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
“UTOPIA” DYSTOPIA: There’s always at least one headscratching Grammy moment, and Travis Scott provided it Sunday with his dark, apocalyptic medley from his recent album “Utopia.” He ended it by smashing a pile of folding chairs, whatever that meant.
SWIFT STANDS ALONE: Taylor Swift — you’re familiar? — made a surprise announcement while accepting the first of her two awards. Her next album, to be called “The Tortured Poets Department,” will come out in April. Later, she won album of the year for “Midnights,” making history in the process: It’s the fourth time she’s won that award, besting Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Mr. Wonder. Take that, fellas. “Mind blown,” she said. But given the way she and her Swifties have monopolized pop culture in recent years — and the way that women dominated this year’s Grammys — she was likely not so shocked: “Me and karma vibe like that.”
MILEY BLOSSOMS: After winning her second Grammy of the night (and her career), Miley Cyrus put it all into context. “I hope this doesn’t change anything,” she said. “My life was beautiful yesterday.” Earlier, the rabble-rouser admonished the crowd for its lethargy as she began singing “Flowers,” the song that earned those two awards (including record of the year). “Why’re you acting like you don’t know this song?” she adlibbed with a grin.