The 87th Annual Grammy Awards aired Sunday night, with its normal mix of performances, both excellent and disappointing, with awkward interactions between presenters and somewhat heartfelt remarks from the winners. The buzz surrounding the Grammy’s started almost immediately after the nominees were announced, as Iggy Azalea’s nomination for Best Rap Album triggered flashbacks of Macklemore’s upset in the same category last year.
Despite this, the award show was free from dramatic upsets—not counting “Album of the Year.” Before the show, St. Vincent took home Best Alternative Music Album for her self-titled fourth album, and Jack White grabbed Best Rock Performance for “Lazaretto.” Sam Smith won throughout the telecast, taking home Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Beck surprised many on Twitter when he won Album of the Year, as well as Best Rock Album. Kendrick Lamar, nominated last year for good kid m.A.A.d. city, took home two trophies for his single, “i,” and Eminem nabbed Best Rap Album, for The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
While the awards are an integral part of the evening, the event seemed more focused on showcasing the artist’s performances than the awards themselves. While there were several throughout the show, here are some of the best:
Hozier’s excellent vocals mashed well with his classic rock backing band, but Annie Lennox, who’s a legend in her own right, doesn’t seem like the best candidate to cover “I Put A Spell On You,” even with Hozier’s guitar accompaniment.
Pharrell Williams, decked out in a Wes Anderson inspired outfit, combined the forces of Hans Zimmer and Chinese pianist Lang Lang to craft a spellbinding performance, which included the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture.
Addressing domestic violence, President Barack Obama discussed the It’s On Us campaign, which segued first into Brook Axtell’s moving speech about life after an abusive relationship and ended in a Katy Perry’s minimalist performance of “By the Grace of God.”
Several country acts, including Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, demonstrated the genre’s best talents, but the Dwight Yoakam and Brandy Clark duet masterfully blended a legend with a new star to showcase the breadth of the genre.
Performing “FourFiveSeconds” live for the first time, Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West got the crowd on their feet, with Rihanna’s soulful vocals highlighting one of the best performances of the night.
Sia continued her streak of masking herself while performing, using Kristen Wiig and Maddie Ziegler to act out a sad-clown version of “Chandelier.”
Not every performance was thrilling. Beck and Chris Martin’s subdued duet didn’t excite the crowd as other collaborations did throughout the night. Usher’s tribute to Stevie Wonder was completely overshadowed when Wonder walked on the stage. But, thankfully, those were rare instances in an otherwise electrifying night.
While she didn’t take home Album of the Year, Beyoncé’s performance was an ethereal vision in white, with a flawless rendition of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” After finishing, Beyoncé introduced an inspiring duet from Common and John Legend’s Academy Award-nominated “Glory.” Both performances featured “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” which brought the famous gesture back to a national audience.
All in all, the Grammy’s shifted the focus to music, instead of the artists, and felt like the show may finally be heading in a new direction by putting the artist’s talent over pomp.
Selected List of Winners
Album of the Year
Morning Phase—Beck
Record of the Year
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”—Sam Smith
Song of the Year
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”—Sam Smith
Best New Artist
Sam Smith
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Happy (Live)”—Pharrell Williams
Best Pop Vocal Album
In The Lonely Hour—Sam Smith
Best Rock Performance
“Lazaretto”—Jack White
Best Rock Song
“Ain’t It Fun”—Paramore
Best Rock Album
Morning Phase—Beck
Best Alternative Music Album
St. Vincent—St. Vincent
Best R&B Performance
“Drunk In Love”—Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
Best R&B Song
“Drunk In Love”—Beyoncé featuring Jay Z
Best Rap Performance
“i”—Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“The Monster”—Eminem Featuring Rihanna
Best Rap Song
“i”—Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Album
The Marshall Mathers LP 2—Eminem
Best Country Album
Platinum—Miranda Lambert
