Grammys 2012: Taylor Swift can get 'Mean' too

Noted music-industry gadfly Bob Lefsetz is rumored to have been the subject of Taylor Swift’s single “Mean.” But despite an ostensibly Lefsetz-friendly crowd of music biz veterans at Staples for the 2012 Grammy Awards, Swift seemed to make several thousand allies when she took the writer to task in her lyrics.

Swift, looking especially radiant in a gold gown and straightened hair, directed the lyrics of "Mean" to implicitly rebut Lefsetz's charges that “she can’t sing,” calling the tune’s subject “a liar” and “pathetic.”

Plenty of audience members at Staples clutched their proverbial pearls in recognition that one of their own was in the song's cross-hairs.

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But Swift has a way of elevating sly in-song gossip to something like myth, and the massive Grammy platform only made her riposte feel more charged.

"Mean" won two Grammys for country solo performance and country song (a relatively small haul given her dominant 2010 Grammys), and Swift's wink-nudge reference -- OK, more like a cannon-sized warning shot -- got the crowd to its feet.

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 --August Brown

Taylor Swift, center, performs during the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, in Los Angeles. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Grammys 2012: The most bloated Grammy show ever?

A first for the Grammys in 2012 was its album of the year winner apologizing for "snot" on her face, as an overwhelmed Adele did when she accepted her album of the year prize. Another first for the Grammys was its embrace of electronic music.

No doubt this was in part fueled by Skrillex, who's take on dance culture carries a rock 'n' roll energy, and was nominated for best new artist. Unable to ignore the rise of electronic music, Grammy producers attempted to capture the immersive feel of dance music by staging the electronic segment in a tent outside Staples Center.

There were two main things wrong with this: 1) Chris Brown and 2) the Foo Fighters. Was it necessary, with all of the artists nominated in the Grammys' 87 categories, to bring up two artists who had already performed? Are the Grammys unable to flip through the Grammy nomination list to actually pick some other artists? 

FULL COVERAGE: Grammy Awards

As for the segment, Deadmau5 interjecting into the Foo Fighters' "Rope" actually worked to the rock band's advantage, even if leader Dave Grohl had earlier criticized those creating music with a computer. It showed that if the Foo Fighters ever attempted to stretch out, the band could actually be something special. The lights and fast-moving electronic zips and zaps looked like great fun, but it's hard to translate the electronic music feel for television viewers. The segment was introduced with a brief (too brief) mention of "Soul Train's" Don Cornelius, and surely there could have been a deeper exploration of "Soul Train" during this segment.  

While the dance tribute may not have translated to all Grammy viewers, it was still exponentially better than the train wreck that was Nicki Minaj. Lady Gaga was up for album of the year, and this was a take on Gaga-inspired performance art at its most twisted and misguided. It started with a parody of "The Exorcist" and ended with a hip-hop take on "O Come, All Ye Faithful." A little Minaj goes a long way, and she's only ever been interesting in brief guest spots on other people's records.

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In an attempt to correct, apparently, a number of its musical wrongs throughout the night, Grammy producers turned to Paul McCartney to close the show with the grand finale of "Abbey Road" -- "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End," this time joined by the likes of Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen and (SURPRISE!) the Foo Fighters' Grohl.

It was an all-star closing with a trio of songs that are impossible to quibble with, and once again showed that the Grammys are better at showcasing legends than attempting to capture the pop zeitgeist. McCartney uses this trio of songs to close his concerts, and he does so by putting rock 'n' roll energy ahead of finesse, racing from piano to guitar and flailing away at his instrument.

Still, with all the recycled performances -- McCartney among them -- the Grammy show felt more bloated than ever. There's no need, with 87 categories, to give any artist more than one segment, and by going back to the Foo Fighters and Chris Brown, well, Grammy producers only highlighted who wasn't there: Kanye West. The Chicago artist won rap album of the year for his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and it's a shame he didn't get the opportunity to bring the weird look into his egotistical mind to life on the Grammy stage. 

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 -- Todd Martens

Photo: Deadmau5. Credit: Associated Press

Grammys 2012: Bon Iver thanks the 'talent that's not here'

The easygoing folk pop band Bon Iver was named best new artist, and the act's mastermind, Justin Vernon, used his time on the Grammy podium to thank "all the non-nominees who never will be here." While the likes of Kanye West have endorsed Bon Iver, the Midwestern act was competing against bigger names such as rapper Nicki Minaj and electronic sensation Skrillex.

Like Arcade Fire's album of the year win last year, Bon Iver's nomination and win is a victory for the independent community. The act's "Bon Iver" was released on small Bloomington, Ind.-based label Jagjaguwar. The Grammy Awards don't often go for lesser-known acts, at least in the major categories, but the democratization of the music business, largely because of the decline in sales due to Internet file-sharing, has independent artists rubbing shoulders with pop stars on the charts. 

As Vernon noted tonight, it's sometimes placing independent acts on stages they never thought they would be on.

"It's really hard to accept this award," Vernon said. "There's so much talent out there and on this stage. There's so much talent that's not here."

The Grammy Awards, once only the province of major label acts, have largely been ignored or mocked by the independent community. As Vernon said of the award, "It's also hard to accept because when I started making songs I started for the inherent reward of making songs."

Vernon had earlier told Billboard that he declined to perform tonight, not wanting to appear as a sideshow with another artist. Most of the acts given the opportunity to appear on the Grammy stage are the expected names (Rihanna, Katy Perry, etc.).   

Vernon was eventually cued off stage and made way for Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow. He introduced the memorial to fallen pop stars, and made way for Jennifer Hudson, who sang "I Will Always Love You," the Dolly Parton track that became Whitney Houston's signature song. It's not an easy song to sing, and Hudson doesn't deserve to have her performance compared to Houston's. Yet among today's young artists, few would be able to recall Houston without trying to hammer the song's sentiment in the listener's head. Hudson was able to. 

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— Todd Martens

 

 

 

Grammys 2012: Adele's magnificent return to the stage

Soul singer Adele had a triumphant return with her hit "Rolling In the Deep," already this year's song of the year and the favorite for record of the year. She toyed with the crowd at first, starting the song a cappella and taking an extended pause before the song's thumping rhythm and driving acoustic guitars would come in. Yet with the music world spending months debating whether she would return to form after vocal cord surgery, she deserved to have a little fun with the audience. 

It wasn't long before she shut up any doubters. Adele's a stunning singer, largely for how she manages to reach for the rafters and still sound as if she's holding back. She was composed and steady tonight, and if she didn't dig low down for her wise-beyond-her-years rasp, she made it clear that her vocal prowess isn't going anywhere.

Her "21" wasn't my favorite album of 2011, and it's not even my favorite Adele album, but she's the only artist who got up on stage tonight and made and won her case for all the Grammy accolades. As the song builds to its fiery, gospel-inflected ending, and Adele holds a gradually rising note, it's a spine-tingling moment. 

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The Grammy Awards couldn't keep up the momentum, however. As producers did with the Beach Boys, they felt the need to clutter up a performance from a musical legend with a bunch of sub-par (at best) youngsters. This time it was Glen Campbell who deserved more stage time.

The Band Perry aren't going to offend anyone, but the pop group with some slight country accents isn't going to wow anyone, either. Blake Shelton, who performed Campbell's "Southern Nights," is at least a showman.

After the delay, Campbell, who is suffering from Alzheimer's and on the final tour of his career, appeared to sing "Rhinestone Cowboy." It was a magnificent moment, with Campbell leading a crowd sing-along and ad-libbing with those on stage, and like the stronger Grammy performances — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Adele, the Beach Boys — it needed little adornment. 

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— Todd Martens 

Photo: Adele performs "Rolling in the Deep" during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Credit: Robert Gautheir / Los Angeles Times

 

Grammys 2012: Dave Grohl takes a dig at modern technology

Amid all the performers, the Grammys did manage to hand out a couple awards. Song of the year went to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," and the British soul singer looks to be on pace to sweep all of her six nominated fields. She brought her producer Paul Epworth on stage and gave him the credit for the cut. Adele then performed the song after a commercial break.

Earlier, Foo Fighters won the Grammy for rock performance. With Skrillex nominated this year, there's been a lot of talk about the Grammys embracing electronic music. Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, however, seemed to sneer at those who rely on technology. "It's not about what goes on in a computer," Grohl said, discussing how the band recorded its latest album in a garage. Those who caught the Grammys' Web-only pre-show heard the same speech earlier, however.

The country album award went to adult-contemporary act Lady Antebellum for its "Own the Night," and Chris Brown, still in the midst of serving five years probation for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, won for R&B album for his "F.A.M.E." And that's all I've got on those two, so moving onto the performances...

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Katy Perry performed new single "Part of Me," which was all pyrotechnics and running around a stage, and country-pop star Taylor Swift performed her Grammy-winning single "Mean," this time using a banjo as an accessory. She ad-libbed the final verse, referencing that she was singing the song at the Grammys, and took extra time with the lyric, "Drunk and grumblin on about how I can't sing," as if she was making a clear reference to the outcry about her performance a couple years ago with Stevie Nicks. 

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 — Todd Martens

Photo: Dave Grohl accepts the Grammy during coverage of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 12, 2012. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Grammys 2012: More Beach Boys, less Maroon 5, Foster the People

The surviving members of the Beach Boys, who will tour this year in honor of the band's 50th anniversary, gave fans a sneak preview at the 54th Grammy Awards. Though the lead-in with Foster the People and Maroon 5 was puzzling at best and cringe-inducing at worst, the Beach Boys' run-through of "Good Vibrations," while not an exalting return to the stage, was borderline heartwarming. 

It brought Glen Campbell, who once performed with the Beach Boys, to his feet, and seeing Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Al Jardine and David Marks perform together was something of a refreshing relief. The song's sonic explorations are as exciting as ever, and though Wilson isn't all that mobile these days, there's no denying the look of sheer joy on his face every time he gets to perform.

It doesn't say much when "Good Vibrations" was far more experimental and out of this world than the numbers by many of the acts that had already appeared. The Beach Boys, in fact, showed the limitations of the acts they performed with. Maroon 5's take on "Surfer Girl" was far more serious than need be, and the band's slick electro-pop has nothing in common with the Beach Boys' studio-enhanced musical journeys.

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Same for Foster the People. Maroon 5, however, is at least pro. Foster the People looked scared, as mousey vocalist Mark Foster seemed out of his element, not knowing whether to smile, play it serious or just cut loose. It looked as if he couldn't wait to get offstage while performing "Wouldn't It Be Nice." While the song is all about youthful anxiety and romantic ideals, stagefright likely wasn't the emotion Wilson wanted to capture when he wrote it.

So ... Pop & Hiss offers a quick list of artists that would have been a better choice to back the Beach Boys:

* The Fleet Foxes. Nominated for folk album, the Fleet Foxes may not have been the most obvious choice for this role on a major awards show, but no other nominated act puts such a premium on harmonies. Hearing the act giving a stripped down take on a Beach Boys classic, with hypnotic, layered vocals that aim for the cosmos, would not only have filled the need to slap a younger group with the Beach Boys, but also would have presented the West Coast legends with a group that may have even appealed to Beach Boys fans.

* Wilco. The rock album contenders are quite possibly the most versatile act nominated this year. Songs such as "Sunloathe" on new album "The Whole Love" reach for a "Pet Sounds"-like grandeur, creating an orchestra of sounds based around the guitar.

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* The Muppets. If producers are intent on appealing to a younger audience, at the very least they could have snared an act without the self-seriousness of Maroon 5.

* Raphael Saadiq. His latest album, "Stone Rollin'," has a retro-sheen and shows a knack for modernizing vintage sounds. This also would have fulfilled the Grammy tendency to place acts of different genres on the same stage together, and 'Stone Rollin' " comfortably moves between R&B, rock 'n' roll and country.  

Later, Paul McCartney performed his new song "My Valentine," one of the more likable cuts on his "Kisses on the Bottom." It's a low-key, late-night slow-burner. It's delicate, ornate, and the performance tonight, with Diana Krall and Joe Walsh, was fancy and pretty-like, although it would have felt more at home amid the smooth jazz of the Web-only Grammy pre-telecast. 

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 -- Todd Martens

Photo: Mike Love of the Beach Boys and Adam Levine, right, of Maroon 5, speak onstage after performing. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Grammys 2012: Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' wins song of the year

 
Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” won the trophy for song of the year at the 54th Grammy Awards on Sunday night. It’s another boost in what is widely considered to be a cleanup year for her at the Grammys after she garnered six total nominations, including the top categories of record of the year and album of the year.

The last few months have been a nonstop roller coaster for the 23-year-old British songstress, who returned to the Grammy stage to perform after being sidelined since early October with vocal cord trauma that required surgery. But despite her health problems, Adele’s overwhelming nominations are well-earned.

Her sophomore effort “21” was the top-selling album of 2011, moving a total of 5.82 million copies during the year, with “Rolling in the Deep” becoming the album’s bestselling single with 5.81 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan’s year-end data.

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Looking at overwhelming similarities in the nominees for song of the year and record of the year (the one variable being Katy Perry’s “Firework”), it seemed as if the Recording Academy put all its adoration into only six songs that dominated radio in 2011.

Recording Academy voters have had a history of appreciation for big commercial pop hits (e.g. Beyoncé’s win for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” in 2010). Last year offered a bit of a shake-up when Nashville darlings Lady Antebellum walked away with the Grammy for “Need You Now,” besting last year’s perceived shoo-in, Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie.”   

The Grammys are determined by about 13,000 voting members. The eligibility period for nominated recordings was Oct. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2011.

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The 2011 awards are being held at the Staples Center and telecast on CBS. They are broadcast live except for viewers on the West Coast. The latest headlines and any breaking news will be posted here on Pop & Hiss.  

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— Nate Jackson

Photo: Singer Adele speaks after receiving her Grammy award at the Staples Center during the 54th Grammy Awards. Credit: Robyn Beck / Getty Images

Grammys 2012: Foo Fighters, Coldplay keep things predictable

Jack Black introduced Foo Fighters, talking up the band's cred, but apparently Black was in comedian mode tonight, as the CBS show "The Mentalist" could devote an entire season to looking for Foo Fighters' street cred and never find it. The band performed its hearty rocker "Walk" on an outdoor stage, just in case you forgot what every other song the band has ever written sounds like. For those who are curious, they sound exactly like this one. 

This, however, was what Grammy voters awarded the rock song trophy. As leader Dave Grohl shouted that he never wants to die and he's dancing on his grave, his backing band gave a completely capable, completely forgettable arena rock effort. It's simple, straightforward, moderately catchy and not really about anything.

Next up was the award for ... never mind, the Grammy Awards telecast isn't really about awards, as 68 of them were given out in the pre-show broadcast. Instead, Rihanna performed her tepid raver "We Found Love," an uneven mix of her heartache-y vocals and glittery-swift techno-pop. No wonder Coldplay covered it, as it's more hammy than it is dancey. 

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Coldplay, the band that sounds great when heard in the background of your local grocery store but somewhat boring at every other instance in life, then performed its Rihanna collaboration "Princess of China." Martin was all puppy-dog yearning when he was solo, and his band mates, adept at rocking sympathetically, then joined him for "Paradise." That being said, Coldplay's universe, what with its neon-lit graffiti, seems like a lovely place to take a nap.

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— Todd Martens

Photo: Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters on stage at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 12, 2012. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Grammys 2012: Kanye's MIA and Chris Brown is a turn for the worse

If the first 25 minutes of the 54th Grammy Awards were relatively restrained, that all went by the wayside when Chris Brown performed two songs. Brown has had success in the last year, but he's still in the midst of serving five years probation for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Considering the incident happened hours before the Grammy Awards three years ago, this all seemed too much too soon.  

Additionally, in light of what happened yesterday, it felt frivolous — nay, offensive — to keep Brown on the bill for a nearly four-minute segment. Sure, he's s fine dancer, but "Turn Up the Music" and "Beautiful People" were feather-light compared to Bruce Springsteen's "We Take Care of Our Own" and the Alicia Keys/Bonnie Raitt duet, "A Sunday Kind of Love."

FULL COVERAGE: Grammy Awards

Running around the stage, one outfitted with light-boxes, Brown and his dancers seemed ridiculous in their high turtlenecks that look like gas masks. For anyone who thought this would be a more elegant Grammys, Brown made it clear they won't be. Worse, he'll be back later in the show, but who wouldn't have rather have heard an extended tribute to Whitney Houston, or even Amy Winehouse, rather than this?

Far more fascinating, however, was the fact that Kanye West was not in the building. His co-winner Jay-Z is a new father and has a more than valid excuse to stay home, but West has made it clear that the Grammys are a big deal to him. He had the most nominations this year, with seven, although his nods were all confined to the rap categories. The gripping drama of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" deservedly won for rap album, but it should have been nominated for album of the year. 

Grammys 2012: Red carpet photos

Yet West was nowhere to be found when he won for rap performance for "Otis" with Jay-Z. A shame, as even when West is talking rather than performing, he's an artist you can't take your eyes off of. Of course, with his album shunned out of the top categories, and without West giving a performance, who can blame the guy for staying home? 

Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson then performed their borderline rock ballad "Don't You Wanna Stay." Singing in front of a stage outfitted with giant clock innards, the duo looked like they were on the set of "Hugo." It was tempting to watch the background to see if it gave any clue as to how long this melodramatic rocker would go on for. 

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 — Todd Martens

Photo: Singer Chris Brown performs onstage at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Grammys 2012: Show starts with Bruce Springsteen and a prayer

This post has been corrected. See note at the bottom for details.

The 54th Grammy Awards began in a relatively no-frills manner, this time courtesy of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, who performed Springsteen's newest single, "We Take Care of Our Own." With soul traditionalist Adele already on pace for a big night and a tribute to Whitney Houston on the horizon, the straight-ahead approach put an emphasis on music over artifice. Considering Grammy host LL Cool J would soon walk on stage and lead the Staples Center audience in a prayer for Houston, an understandable but odd sight, it signaled that this may be the most heartfelt Grammys in recent memory. 

"As always, Bruce Springsteen is speaking to our times," LL Cool J said after Springsteen & the E Street Band finished the song. Perhaps, as it's easy to mistake the standing-on-the-drum-set guitar strikes and hair-raising keyboards for something far more anthemic than the message in Springsteen's lyrics. "The cavalry stayed home," Springsteen sung of these recessionary times through gritted teeth, yet "We Take Care of Our Own" is built more for hands-in-the-air singalongs than it is reflection.   

It wasn't long before LL Cool J made reference to the unexpected passing of Houston on Saturday. "There is no way around this," he said. "We've had a death in our family. So at least for me, for me, the only that feels right is to begin with a prayer." 

Grammys 2012: Whitney Houston reaction quotes

Cameras scanned the crowd as the music industry, one with a reputation for progressive values and outrageous outfits, lowered their heads in prayer. It may not have been the rousing opener Grammy producers may have initially hoped for, yet nicely illustrated that these pat-on-the-back love fests are far from the most important things happening today. 

LL Cool J then teased the performances for the night, focusing on Adele and her return to the stage. If the soul star wasn't feeling the pressure before, she likely was after LL Cool J noted how happy the world was to hear her voice again. There were no jokes or roasting of his peers, but LL Cool J did refer to Paul McCartney as "my homey." 

Bruno Mars then closed the opening segment of the Grammy Awards with his vintage rocker "Runaway Baby." If it wasn't exactly a James Brown-like scorcher, Mars is adept at lightly touching on various styles and not embarrassing himself at any of them. 

Grammys 2012: Red Carpet photos

Far more inspired, however, was the pared-down take on "A Sunday Kind of Love," a standard made famous by Etta James, between Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt. Keys is a knock-out vocalist when not attempting to match the production flourishes on her albums, and Raitt tapped into a bluesy solemness.

As for the first award of the night, get used to this. The trophy for best pop solo performance went to Adele's "Someone Like You." At the podium, Adele said, "I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back." She'll sing later tonight.  

[For the Record, 8:25 a.m.: An earlier version of this post identified Steven Van Zandt as Stevie Ray Vaughn in the photo caption below. This post has been updated to reflect the change.]

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 Photo: Bruce Springsteen, left, Max Weinberg and Steven Van Zandt perform during coverage of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times