Culture can too often drive us apart. At the Grammys on Sunday, two artists delivered something different.
When a beloved artist who has not performed live in some time returns to the stage, we often expect them to appear fragile, unsteady, ill at ease. But during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, when the camera first pulled back from a tight shot of a woman’s fingers picking a familiar riff on an acoustic guitar and revealed the face of the great, elusive folk singer Tracy Chapman, what you noticed was the joy radiating from her face. Her contented smile. The unwavering tone and rich steadiness of her voice.
It was a genuine moment of warmth and unity, the sort seldom offered these days by televised award shows — or televised anything, really. Singing her rousing 1988 hit “Fast Car” live for the first time in years, duetting with the country star Luke Combs — whose faithful cover of the song was one of last year’s defining hits — and taking in the rapturous applause of her musical peers, Chapman gave off the feeling, in the words of her timeless song, that she belonged.
Thirty-five years ago, at the 1989 Grammy Awards, Chapman stood alone onstage and performed a wrenching rendition of “Fast Car” accompanied by only her own acoustic guitar.
What made Sunday night’s performance feel different wasn’t just the time that had passed, or the gray hair that now elegantly frames Chapman’s face. It was the presence of Combs, born a year after that Grammy performance, regarding Chapman with an awe-struck reverence. He seemed to be a stand-in for the many, many people over the years — of all races, genders and generations — who have heard their deepest desires reflected in this song and wished to pay Chapman their gratitude.
They traded a few lines and harmonized beautifully on the chorus — her tone opalescent, his bringing some grit — but Combs never overshadowed Chapman. He knew that in that moment, no one could. Something about the way he looked at her said it all: His eyes shone with irrepressible respect. Here was a grown man, an assured performer who sells out stadiums, visibly trembling before the sight and the sound of the folk singer Tracy Chapman.
He was hardly alone in that: The few crowd shots during the performance revealed some of music’s major stars, including Brandi Carlile, on their feet, thrilled, before a standing ovation.
Can you please explain how voting for the Grammys works?
The Grammys are voted on by more than 11,000 music professionals — performers, songwriters, producers and others with credits on recordings — who are members of the Recording Academy. The process involves members first scanning through huge lists of submissions to vote for nominees, then, after the final ballot is set, for the winners. In the past, anonymous committees had the power to overrule members’ selections of nominees; after some controversy those were largely disbanded, though the academy still has the power to reassign submissions if necessary.
What is the difference between record, song and album of the year?
The top three Grammy prizes can be a bit confusing. Album of the year is for a complete body of work (a full LP of music); song of the year is a songwriter’s prize, awarded to the person (or people) who wrote the music and lyrics to a single song; record of the year is for the performance and recording of a song, and goes to the artist and producers who made it.
Why did some winners bring their handbags onstage to accept their Grammys?
Given the lack of pockets in Grammy outfits, it may be that a bag is the best place to secrete an acceptance speech, and since there isn’t a lot of time between when a winner’s name is called and when the music plays them off, perhaps — at least in the case of Miley Cyrus — it was simply a question of efficiency. A handbag is also often part of a total look, and since some of the artists are being dressed by brands, perhaps it is part of the deal.
The academy aired the best rap album award during the daytime ceremony. Isn’t this weird considering the commercial prominence of rap?
The Grammys have a complicated relationship with rap. Several nominees boycotted the first Grammy ceremony with a rap category in 1989 because the award wasn’t televised. Typically, the show gives out all but around nine of its 90-something trophies at a preshow. Last year, the show presented an extravaganza to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The lack of rap onstage this year was certainly noticed: Drake, who has stepped away from the Awards, posted a pointed Instagram story, and Jay-Z took the Grammys to task when he accepted a global impact award.
Did the Grammys get a new producer/director? I can’t remember them ever hosting it in a stadium — it feels like a real concert!
Crypto.com Arena opened in 1999 as the Staples Center, and it was designed with award shows, among other things, very much in mind. Since 2000, nearly all the Grammy ceremonies have taken place there. Hamish Hamilton, who directed this year, has worked on previous Grammys as well as other award shows and Super Bowl halftime shows. There was a major change in 2017, when the longtime Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich was replaced by Ben Winston, who is now one of the executive producers.
What did Joni Mitchell get a Grammy for?
Joni Mitchell won her 10th Grammy on Sunday: best folk album for “Joni Mitchell at Newport,” a live album recorded in 2022. Mitchell’s Grammy history goes back to 1970, when she won best folk performance for “Clouds.” She also made her first-ever Grammy performance this year, singing her classic “Both Sides Now.” It was an especially emotional moment because nine years ago Mitchell had an aneurysm that initially left her unable to speak; she has gradually recovered and returned to performing.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Source: Music - nytimes.com
