There is much that remains unknowable about the Grammy Awards process. But this much is obvious: Grammy voters can be clueless.
Through the decades, it hasn't been uncommon for music fans to react with a collective "Whaaaaat???" when the gramophone trophy has been awarded to spectacularly undeserving recipients. If you doubt it, peruse this ridiculous-and ridiculously silly--roster of really idiotic Grammy Awards. Just remember: As hard as it may be to believe, all of the following is 100 percent true!
Smells like Tears in Heaven
In 1991, Nirvana led the grunge-propelled charge that made rock relevant again, thanks to its watershed LP, “Nevermind,” which featured what is arguably the most important track, the ferocious anthem, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But that didn’t keep the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences from deciding the Best Rock Song of the Year was that bone-crushing wall of noise, “Tears in Heaven,” by Eric Clapton.
Jethro Tull wins Best Heavy Metal Performance?
You’ll get no argument here that Jethro Tull has been criminally maligned and ignored (hello, Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame!) by the music biz’s big mahofs throughout its 44-year existence. The British combo’s 1987 effort was a typically eclectic set boasting a potpourri of sonic schemes that tipped its tweed cap to, among other formats, pastoral British folk-rock, jazz and world music. So it stands to reason that, during the 1988 awards presentation, the unit was honored for turning in the year’s Best Heavy Metal Performance.
Cristopher Cross wins Album of The Year in 1981
The 1980s kicked off with a bumper crop of LPs (the CD was still a half-decade away) that included Billy Joel’s smash “Glass Houses,” Pink Floyd’s epic “The Wall” and even Frank Sintra’s unexpectedly progressive, three-disc “concept” album, “Trilogy: Past Present & Future.” But why bother with those lightweights when pop immortal Christopher Cross’ self-titled debut LP is there to be named Album of the Year for 1981?
Elvis Costello only wins Best New Artist in 1978
Is there any artist from the New Wave era of the late 1970s who has had a more varied and influential career than Elvis Costello? His 1977 debut, the epochal “My Aim Is True,” boasted such classics as “Alison,” “(The Angels Want to Wear My) Red Shoes” and, for the U.S. version, “Watching the Detectives.” So it’s no wonder that in their infinite wisdom, Academy voters decided the gaggle of disco divas collectively known as A Taste of Honey — whose 1977 hit, “Boogie Oogie Oogie” today is challenged only by “White Christmas” and “Happy Birthday” in terms of popularity (and whose importance has no peers) -- was the only act worthy of bearing the designation of 1978’s Best New Artist.
Astounding win for "Winchester Cathedral"
Forty-six years later, it’s almost impossible to believe how many iconic and important rock songs were released in 1966. The too-long-to-complete-here list includes such beloved classics as “Cherish” by the Association, “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra’s feminist diatribe “The Boots Were Made for Walking,” the Byrds’ psych-rock blueprint “Eight Miles High,” and virtually all of the Beatles’ venerated “Rubber Soul” album. Which, of course, is why the Grammy for Best Rock Song of the Year went to the New Vaudeville Band’s “Winchester Cathedral,” a novelty number for which lead singer John Carter reportedly sang the simple, stupid lyrics through his hand to approximate the vocals of 1920s pop star Rudy Vallee.
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
