"Who is Esperanza Spalding?" and "Did Arcade Fire really just win Album of the Year?" weren't the only questions that had Grammy viewers scratching their heads last night. The 53rd Annual Grammy ceremony was packed with many moments of "Huh?" While you recover from the epic news about Radiohead's new album, let us answer all those burning Grammy questions:
What was that necklace Eminem was wearing when he accepted the Grammy for Best Rap Album?
That item of jewelry wasn't the typical bling you'd expect to find on a rapper -- it was Eminem's Alcoholics Anonymous pendant. Eminem was accepting the award for "Recovery," an album that viscerally details his past drug and alcohol problems, so it was nice to see him bring a piece of his own personal road to recovery to the Grammy spotlight.
Why did Train thank Howard Stern after winning Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Hey, Soul Sister"?
As singer Pat Monahan alluded to during the band's acceptance speech, it'd been a rough couple of years commercially for Train since their hit "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" won a pair of Grammys in 2002. But one person who never gave up on the group was the King of All Media, Howard Stern. Before "Hey, Soul Sister" became the most unavoidable song on the planet, Stern invited Train to perform the track on his Sirius XM show, introducing it to a rabid audience of millions. The rest is Grammy history.
How did "Need You Now," a song you've been hearing for over a year and a half, get nominated and win so many awards? Isn't there a statute of limitations?
Yeah, this one confused us too. This year's Grammys were supposed to honor those songs and albums released between September 1st, 2009 and September 30th, 2010. The "Need You Now" single was released one week before the Grammy cut-off, August 24th, 2009. Obviously, its impact wasn't felt by Grammy voters in time for last year's ceremony, so we guess they made an exception by nominating it for this year's Grammys, since it was the biggest country song of 2010. Those Grammy deadlines don't seem to matter much to voters, as "Hey, Soul Sister" was released two weeks before "Need You Now," and Paul McCartney's live rendition of "Helter Skelter," which somehow won Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance, was first released on the Beatles' "White Album" over four decades ago.
Why did Lady Gaga lovingly embrace Donnie Wahlberg with a massive bear hug after the New Kid presented her with the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy for "The Fame Monster"?
Not many people know this, but before Lady Gaga was Lady Gaga, she was an up-and-coming songwriter who gave tracks to other artists to perform. Britney Spears was one such benefactor of a pre-Gaga Stefani Germanotta (the "Circus" bonus track "Quicksand") and so were the New Kids on the Block. Gaga and Wahlberg co-wrote the song "Full Service" on NKOTB's 2008 comeback album "The Block," and Gaga also made a guest appearance on New Kids' "Big Girl Now."
Who was that other female singer who appeared with Rihanna, Eminem, and Dr. Dre?
That woman who never really received the close-up she deserved was Skylar Grey, the co-writer of Em and RiRi's "Love the Way You Lie" and a guest vocalist on Dr. Dre's newest single "I Need a Doctor." The Amp has written about Grey in the past, so we were quite familiar with her, but the rest of America got to meet her last night at the Grammys.
How many awards did the Grammys actually give out during the ceremony?
As you probably figured out by watching the pre-show, a great majority of the Grammy Awards were handed out prior to the ceremony, robbing us of the opportunity of seeing Neil Young win for Best Rock Song or the Black Keys accepting Best Alternative Album for "Brothers." In all, the Grammy telecast showcased only 10 awards out of its total 98 categories.
by: Daniel Kreps
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