Poll: What will win the Grammy for best record of the year?
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Right after Grammy nominations came out, 28% of Awards Tracker readers polled said Jay-Z’s and Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind’ would win best record of the year, followed by 26% for Eminem’s and Rihanna’s ‘Love the Way You Lie,’ 23% for Cee Lo Green‘s ‘… You,’ 18% for Lady Antebellum’s ‘Need You Now’ and 3% for B.o.B.’s and Bruno Mars’ ‘Nothing on You.’
Let’s take a new poll now that we’re closer to the night that awards will be bestowed: Feb. 13. Pipe in with your opinion below.
Personally, I say ‘Love the Way You Lie’ will win because I believe that voters choose winners based primarily on the artists rather than the art. Eminem and Rihanna have such compelling back stories now -– Eminem’s rally from substance abuse and Rihanna’s escape from physical abuse. All that makes their song all the more jarring as art when you pay attention carefully to the lyrics.
But The Envelope’s two forum moderators -– Darrin ‘DoubleD’ Dortch and David ‘Guru’ Schnelwar -– disagree and both pick Lady Antebellum’s ‘Need You Now.’ Below, their reasons why, in their own words.
DAVID ‘GURU’ SCHNELWAR’S PREDICTION: ‘… You,’ ‘Empire State of Mind,’ ‘Nothin’ On You’ and ‘Love the Way You Lie’ are all on urban radio and will likely split the vote. ‘Need You Now’ is the type of song that the Grammys award record of the year to in years past. The Eagles (in the ‘70s), Lionel Richie (in the ‘80s) and Celine Dion (in the ‘90s) could have won record of the year for ‘Need You Now.’ I predict Lady Antebellum’s ‘Need You Now’ to win. WHO WILL WIN: ‘Need You Now,’ Lady Antebellum WHO SHOULD WIN: ‘Empire State of Mind,’ Jay-Z & Alicia Keys SPOILER: ‘Love the Way You Lie,’ Eminem & Rihanna DARRIN ‘DOUBLED’ DORTCH’S PREDICTION: In 2003, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself,’ the Black Eyed Peas’ and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Where Is the Love,’ Beyonce’s and Jay-Z’s ‘Crazy In Love and Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’ were nominated in this category against Coldplay’s ‘Clocks.’ Sure enough, the conservative record won. This year, we have the same scenario. Three rap/sung collaboration nominees are in this category along with a song that contains an abundance of profanity. A song nominated in the R&B field has yet to win this category, so I fully expect Lady Antebellum to win here. Conservative records with live instruments always win here. WHO WILL WIN: Lady Antebellum WHO SHOULD WIN: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys SPOILER: Cee Lo Green
-- Tom O’Neil
Top photo: Rihanna and Eminem. Credit: Aftermath Records