by Tyler Glover & Julian Spivey
“River of Dreams” by Billy Joel (1994)
Don’t ever disrespect a music legend in the presence of Billy Joel. He will embarrass you, and rightfully so. Earlier in the 36th annual Grammy Awards, held on March 1, 1994, music legend Frank Sinatra had been honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, but when his acceptance speech ran too long for producers of the show, they cut him off and went to commercial – have to earn that sponsorship money, right?. Minutes later, Joel took the stage to perform his Record of the Year nominated “The River of Dreams,” and in one of the greatest protests in award show history, stopped the song mid-performance, looked at his watch, and exclaimed: “Valuable advertising time going by, valuable advertising time going by. Dollars, dollars, dollars.” He then finished his song, but his point had been made. JS
“The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel & “London Calling” by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl & Steven Van Zandt (2003)
There are two performances from the 45th annual Grammy Awards, held on February 23, 2003, that I’ll never forget. They happened to be the opening and closing performances of the ceremony. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for the opening, in which they performed their 1966 No. 1 hit “The Sound of Silence.” The duo was honored that evening with a lifetime achievement award. The closing performance was so badass I’ll often pull it up on YouTube to relive it. Joe Strummer, the co-founder, lyricist and lead vocalist of seminal British punk band The Clash, had died of a heart attack at 50 two months before the Grammys. Some of Strummer’s friends, musical cohorts and those he influenced were tasked in a tribute that remains one of the greatest tributes in the show’s history. Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl and Steven Van Zant all thrashed on guitars and took turns with the vocals on The Clash’s 1979 classic “London Calling”, while Pete Thomas (of the Attractions) and Tony Kanal (of No Doubt) held down the beat on drums and bass respectively. JS
“Devils & Dust” by Bruce Springsteen (2006)
My all-time favorite Grammy Awards performance is one of the simplest performances I’ve ever seen on the show and left a lasting impression on me about what performing artists can do with their words in an effort to make a point or attempt to change ways of thinking. Bruce Springsteen’s 2005 song “Devils & Dust,” was about America’s misguided and unpopular war in Iraq. The song was nominated for Song of the Year at the 48th annual Grammy Awards, held on February 8, 2006, and Springsteen performed it just himself with a guitar and harmonica on a pitch-black stage. The words of the song spoke of a troubled American soldier during the war and the struggles and questions going through his mind. It’s one of the most devastatingly beautiful and haunting songs Springsteen has ever penned. Following the song, Springsteen said, “Bring ‘em home.” It was a moment I realized as a young man that songs and the live performances of them could be among the greatest editorials ever given. JS
"Born This Way" by Lady Gaga (2011)
With her first album, The Fame, Lady Gaga catapulted herself into becoming a major pop star. She had made it and she was here. With her second studio album, Born This Way, Lady Gaga showed us that she was not only here but she wasn’t going anywhere. The song, “Born This Way” is a power anthem for everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community to feel good about who they are. It was actually very surprising to me that while the album got nominated for Album of the Year, this single was not nominated for Record and Song of the Year. It blows the mind honestly especially when you see her performance of the song at the Grammys. It’s one of the best performances in Grammy history. At the beginning of the performance, Gaga is in a small spaceship that looks like an escape pod. She is wheeled out by her dancers with the stage dark except for the pod. It gives us the illusion that she is flying in to give us this performance. As she begins singing, the pod opens up and Gaga gets out wearing a beige hat, top and long skirt matched with heels. During this performance, she is surrounded by dancers that are able to synchronize every movement to an almost other-worldly perfection. The choreography is precise, exciting and makes an impact. You watch in disbelief. Toward the end of the performance, Gaga walks upstairs where an elegant piano is illuminated with frozen Gaga heads surrounding it. She gives us powerhouse vocals while playing the piano in like a mad scientist kind of way. You get the feeling the performance is almost over but she comes back down, the music goes back up in pace, and the dancers give us a little more before the song ends with Gaga and her dancers raising a hand to the sky. Gaga knows how to deliver and she did. TG
"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele (2012)
If you were to say that Adele was not very well known before 2012, you would be wrong. She had already won Best New Artist at the Grammys in 2009. Her hit song, “Chasing Pavements” was also nominated for Record and Song of the Year that year. However, she completely exploded in 2011 with her album 21. The biggest hit from that album is definitely Record and Song of the Year winner “Rolling in The Deep.” When Adele was announced among the performers on Grammy night, it became my most anticipated performance. She didn’t disappoint. Adele started singing the last verses of the chorus acapella. It really showcased just how magnificent her vocals are. Then, a blue light came up behind her and all the instruments came in adding to the drama that “Rolling in the Deep” possesses. The lights began to flicker on the steps of the stage to the beat. It was a very cool touch they added to this performance in that as the song gets bigger, the lights do also. Toward the end, the overhead stage lights are flickering also to the beat. Adele looked elegant and stunning in a black dress with smokey eyes. Her shoulder length hair had one big flip inward at the bottom and was simply beautiful. What stands out to me about this performance is how Adele did not have to add much as far as decoration for it to make a huge impact. Years later, it still stands out in my head with just the effective use of the lights and her letting the performance really showcase her powerhouse vocals. After this performance, I don’t think anyone would have felt right about any other song winning Record and Song of the Year. Luckily, it won. TG
"Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift (2016)
At the 2016 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift became the first female solo artist to win Album of the Year twice with her blockbuster album 1989. Since her last Grammy nomination, Swift had transitioned from country to mainstream pop music with critical and commercial success. So, it was a smart move for the Grammys to decide to have Swift open up the show and she didn’t disappoint. She chose to sing her hit single, “Out of the Woods.” She said that she wants her music to match how she is feeling with its sound. “Out of the Woods” was a song where Swift felt she was constantly questioning where the relationship was at – were they OK? Are they still not over this last problem? She never got much clarification from the guy because it was an all-over-the-place kind of relationship. This made an excellent choice for a powerhouse performance. The performance began with Swift wearing a sparkly sequined black body-suit with black heels. Her short bob styled to perfection, her makeup flawless and she was ready to slay. The production value of this performance is high. There is blue fog surrounding her and her band. The backdrop is set in the woods. There are trees everywhere. The blue lights are signaling it is evening. Swift starts by doing what every artist does and sings her song the exact same way that it is played on the radio. What elevates this performance to new heights though is toward the end, she walks through the crowd and gets on a platform surrounded by the audience. Instead of continuing the radio equivalent of the song, Swift sings the lyrics to the bridge with power and shows us all just what her voice can do. For Swift, this was huge. She had performed years earlier with Miley Cyrus and was criticized by critics claiming she didn’t truly know how to sing. This was the ultimate revenge for Swift and she completely nailed it. TG
“The Joke” by Brandi Carlile (2019)
One of the things I enjoy the most about the Grammy Awards is that, occasionally, it allows a fantastic artist to break into the mainstream by showcasing their nominated work. No one broke out to the masses better than Brandi Carlile when she performed her Record and Song of the Year nominated “The Joke” at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Carlile has powerhouse vocals you must hear live to believe, and she knocked her performance of “The Joke” out of the park. There’s no telling how many viewers of the Grammys that year had never previously heard of her and became instant fans. She’d mesmerize the Grammys again in 2022 with her performance of the Record and Song of the Year nominated “Right on Time” and in 2023 with “Broken Horses,” which won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. JS
Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Haim and Black Pumas (2021)
I understand the opening segment of the 2021 Grammy Awards was technically four separate performances, but they clicked off so quickly one after another that it felt like one big moment. It was a year after the Covid-19 pandemic had begun in the U.S., but things weren’t back to normal; in fact, the 63rd annual Grammys had been postponed a month and a half by Covid spikes in Los Angeles, where the ceremony was held. It was the social distancing awards with the winners being revealed outdoors. Pop sensation Harry Styles started the show with his pop smash “Watermelon Sugar” before Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas performed the night’s Record of the Year winning “Everything I Wanted.” This was followed up by performances of two of my favorite songs of the previous year – Haim’s “The Steps” and Black Pumas’ “Colors,” both of which kicked ass. I think I was just so ready to see live music performances, even if through my television screen, at that point that these performances, all one after another without any breaks, were thrilling to me. JS "cardigan"/"august"/"willow" by Taylor Swift (2021) During the pandemic in 2020, Taylor Swift released two surprise albums: folklore and evermore. These “sister” albums are unique in many ways. They veered away from her country and pop sound to a more indie/folk vibe. She ditched her normal autobiographical storytelling to make up characters and tell stories about other people. Swift has said that the pandemic was a time when we all wanted to escape and for these albums, she escaped into a log cabin in the woods. We had gotten a glimpse into this world in her “cardigan” and “willow” music video, but at the Grammys in 2021, we got to really see the world of folklore and evermore. Swift began her performance laying on the roof of a moss-covered log cabin. She stared at the camera in the moonlight as she began to sing her No. 1 single, “cardigan.” The camera panned back to show us the beautiful forest surrounding her. This cabin became a fixture at her record-breaking Eras Tour concert in 2023-2024 during the folklore and evermore set. As she continued singing, she walked downstairs into the cabin and the lights came up to show us that we could see inside the cabin. We are surprised to see her collaborators, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, on these albums. They join her as she sings “august,” one of her most underrated gems on folklore. The lights in the cabin show us a joyous time that Swift has making music and how that joy fills the whole cabin with light. She ends her performance by stepping out of the cabin to her evermore hit “willow.” After singing the last verse, “That’s my man,” the lights go out to this magical world ending the performance. It is a world I wanted to return to immediately, and I’m glad I got to at the Eras Tour. TG
"What Was I Made For" by Billie Eilish
“What Was I Made For,” written for the blockbuster hit, “Barbie,” won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song and went on this Grammy evening to win Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. The film, “Barbie” made us all think of the many, many difficult positions that society has put on women. You can be too fat but too thin. You can be smart but not considered smart enough. You can be pretty but not what society expects from you. This song, written by Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. When I heard Eilish was performing this song that evening, it became my most anticipated performance. The performance began with Finneas O’Connell seated in a tux playing the piano ith Eilish sitting on a chair beside him. Eilish was stunning with red hair with black tips, an olive and white plaid jacket, an olive skirt and green heels. Her outfit was finished off with sunglasses and her hair covered in a signature Barbie pink wrap. The background mirrored the beautiful pink of the wrap and the red of Eilish’s hair. She is surrounded by violinists who play later on. After the first verse and chorus, Eilish takes her sunglasses off, mirroring how she is letting her guard down with us and being vulnerable. This performance is not full of fire, crazy dance moves, or what you would consider a busy production but it is the simplicity of this performance that resonated with me long after. TG
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Transcript: Julian Spivey: Welcome to The Word on Pop Culture Podcast. I'm Julian Spivey, creator and editor of The Word on Pop Culture. You can find us online at thewordonpopculture.com. And as always, please like, rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to us from. I'm excited today, we have what's gonna be our first Pop Culture draft in about a half a year, since we did the Taylor Swift song draft. And today we're going to do a 2025 Grammy Awards nominee draft. So joining me today are frequent contributors to the podcast and website, Tyler Glover and Aprille Hanson-Spivey. Welcome back, guys. And I am excited to introduce Casey Hubbard in his The Word on Pop Culture podcast debut. So welcome to the show, Casey. Casey Hubbard: Thank you for having me. JS: Now, this is Casey's debut, but his wife, his lovely wife, Donna, was actually on that Taylor Swift draft show. And she's done a couple of shows with us in the last couple of years. So we got the other half of the Hubbards with us today. CH: Glad to be here. JS: So for anybody who has listened to our Pop Culture drafts before, we've got one category we do in each episode. And like I said, it's the 2025 Grammy Award nominees. And there are a set of rules that we have to abide by. So I'm going to read those off for both the people who are participating today, even though they've seen them, and for our listeners. So the first one is each of us are going to select five songs or albums that are nominated for Grammy Awards this year. The second rule is each of us must select the song from the song of the year category, the record of the year category, and an album from the album of the year category. So when you make your selections, please tell me which one you want those to fall under. The other two picks are going to be wild cards, and we may select a song or album from any other Grammy category. Of these selections may be drafted in whatever order we prefer. As always, only one person can take a particular pick. So if something is drafted in a particular category, that is no longer available for anybody else. But different people can take the same song, just not in the same category. For example, if somebody wants Chappell Roan's Good Luck Babe, which is nominated in both song of the year and record of the year categories, one of us may take it for our record of the year selection, and another may take it as our song of the year selection. And I hope that rule is not too confusing for both all of us and for the listeners. Once you select an album or a song from an artist, you may not take another album or song by that artist in the draft. This is known as to keep Tyler from making all five of his draft picks Taylor Swift. Aprille Hanson-Spivey: Love it. JS: So does everybody participating today understand these rules? CH: I hope. AHS: Yeah, we shall see. The clear is mud, babe. We'll try. JS: All right. So the last thing that we have to do before we get going is to select our draft order. I have a Google number randomizer up and I have selected numbers one through four based on our ages. So I'm the oldest of the four of us. I'll be one. Tyler will be two, April three, and Casey four. Now again, these are just our numbers for the randomizer. That is not the draft order yet. So I've got to click on the button here and... AHS: I feel like we should have music in the background. Do, do, do, do, do, something like that. JS: Well, I hope this is not a bad position to put them in because it's just first draft with us, but Casey has actually come up first for the first pick. AHS: Nice, Casey. JS: The second pick is going to Aprille. The third pick will be going to Tyler, and that means I have the fourth pick. So it's actually in the reverse order of our ages, how it came out. And I want to remind everybody listening that we do a snake draft style, which means that the final pick in round one gets the first pick in round two, so on and so forth. And I don't know if I mentioned this, but you do not have to pick these songs and albums in any particular order. You can do it however you want to do it, as long as you follow the rules. So Casey, you were basically on the clock. How would you like to start us off? CH: OK, I'll go ahead and select. I'll do Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar for record of the year. JS: OK, is that one of your favorites of the year? CH: Yeah, yeah, that was definitely it's probably, yeah, it's probably my favorite of the year, just because of the context of that song with the, you know, beef between Lamar and Drake, Aubrey Graham happened back. I think it was in May when that went down. JS: Yeah, it's been quite a while. CH: Yeah, it feels like yesterday, though. It was a crazy like four or five day like stretch between like, you know, the diss tracks, you know, when Drake would drop one, Kendrick would like seemingly within the hour would drop the next one. And I just remember like, you know, waking up to the Internet, kind of having a meltdown over the Not Like Us song. And I played that like all day. I could not believe the response that it also got from Kendrick fans and Drake fans alike, or hip hop fans everywhere. The kind of like cultural tidal wave it created was pretty awe-inspiring, to say the least. And the DJ Mustard beat is sick. So definitely my record of the year for sure. JS: Awesome. And it's really was the hip hop's first big feud in quite a while. And better to do it in song than do it through violence as they used to do. CH: I agree. I agree. JS: Yeah. CH: Yeah. It was a great one, too. JS: Pretty one-sided, though, wasn't it? CH: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I haven't been a huge fan of Drake for a while. But, you know, just like, I don't know. I don't think anybody, I mean, if they did, you're insane if you thought that Drake could go up against Kendrick's penmanship. The guy has a Nobel Prize in literature. JS: Yeah, it's really, Drake's one of the most successful recording artists of the last two decades. But that that may have done some irreparable harm to his future. CH: Absolutely. Yeah. JS: All right. So Casey Took Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar in the record of the year category. Aprille, you have the second pick. AHS: Oh, goodness. All right. I'm so sorry, Tyler. I'm going to go. And, you know, I'm actually switching a little bit just because I realized I can't, again, re-thinking about the rules, can't pick the same artist twice. So I'm actually going with, oh, gosh. All right. I'm going to go with The Tortured Poets Department for Album of the Year by Taylor Swift. And that's hard for me because I absolutely loved Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé. But I will say just as a, when we think about just the Grammys and a complete compilation, Taylor Swift's album, you know, you're talking the original release on April 19th, 2024, this past year. She released two, The Anthology, a double album, two hours later, which was crazy. And it's just, you know, the whole, when you add the anthology on, it's, you know, two hours and two minutes. And that is, I can't even imagine most songwriters really being able to do that. She, Taylor Swift is a brilliant songwriter. It took me a minute to get into The Tortured Poets Department. And, but honestly, after several listens to it, it's, you know, it's one of the best albums that I've ever heard, especially from a songwriting standpoint. So that that is definitely my pick for Album of the Year. JS: All right, Tyler, you have a pick here. Was that what you were originally going to go with? Tyler Glover: Yes, and that was going to be my first one to go for for Album of the Year 2. But I'm going to go ahead and just keep the Tortured Poets Train going for my pick. And I'm going to go ahead and do one of my wild cards for Pop Vocal Album for the Tortured Poets Department. Like like you said, I remember going to a listening party for this release. And I know the room, we all were kind of like not sure of this album, but it really grew on me. And like it ended up being my, you know, of course, all top five of my songs and my Spotify raps were from this album, led by But Daddy, I Love Him, which it said I listened to 281 times. So if so, I love that one. But yeah, like you said, it took a while to get into, but it's just a fantastic album. And, you know, me and this girl at work, like I think we both kind of had a tough year. And, you know, I would come into work and I'd be like, oh, it's a tortured poet. And she'd be like, it's a torture. Oh, it's a torture poet. So it kind of was like a fun thing at our suffering. So, but yes, since it's taken for album of the year, I want to pin it for Pop Vocal Album because I want Taylor's supposed to be in here somewhere. And Fortnite, to me, is not the strongest song of hers. To me, it's not even in the top 10 of the album, honestly. So it's surprising. AHS: I totally agree. That's why it was hard. Like I, you know, I kept looking and it was so nominated. I'm like, gosh, I really just don't love that song. So it's, you know, maybe I need to listen to it more, but it's just not my favorite. TG: Yeah. Let me tell you, I've listened to it a lot. And I still, it's still not in my top 10. Like I don't understand. I mean, I understand that was her single that she chose. And so that's where, you know, that's where we're at. But I can do it with A Broken Heart is a million times better, in my opinion. So. But yes, my vocal album will be my pick. JS: I just did not see anybody take, using one of their two wild cards in the first round, I kind of thought everybody would save them because there's kind of less competition because you could pick anything over like 80 categories worth. But it makes sense that you want to get the Tortured Poets Department and get Taylor Swift since it had already been taken in the album of the year category. All right. My first pick is up and I'm having a hard time with these categories because the Grammys over the last few years have gone increasingly pop. And that is not one of my main genres to listen to. And pretty much everything this year, with the exception of Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us, is pop and song and record and album of the year. I haven't listened to one of these albums start to finish at all. I probably could have done it for research for this purpose, but I didn't really get into too many of them. So I guess the one that I've heard the most of, thanks to people who are close to me, and the one that I like a few songs off of the most is Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess. And I didn't know if I wanted to take Good Luck Babe for a song or a record, because that is my favorite song. I guess it's not even off that album. I guess it's actually a single that was after the album. So I guess I'm going to miss out on those, because I'm going to take The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess with my first pick. AHS: It's a good album. You know, it's been a little bit, I kind of feel like I was the last person to listen to Chappell Roan, which is, I feel like everybody else kind of got on that train. And I'm just kind of starting to discover her. And I mean, there's some great ones between Good Luck Babe, Pink Pony Club, Red Wine Supernova. It's just fun. She's a great pop artist. JS: Yeah. A lot of good sounds on that album. Some good dance numbers. Just if you are going to listen to pop music, it's more serious and interesting to listen to than a lot of pop music is. So after the first round, Casey has taken Kendrick Lamar. Aprille and Tyler have both knocked Taylor Swift off their boards, and I have taken Chappell Roan. Since I have the final pick in round one, that means I get the first pick in round two. And I'm going to go with... AHS: Not the ugh. JS: Yeah. The Grammys just are not doing it for us people who like songs that are written by one person. I'm going to go with a bar song, Tipsy by Shaboozey for Song of the Year as my second pick. That song was written by Sean Cook, Gerald Jones, Joe Kent and Shaboozey Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry and Mark Williams. I don't understand why it takes that many people to write that song, but of the nominees in Song of the Year category, it's probably the most fun. So I'm going to take that as my second pick. AHS: Well, that's a bummer. JS: Yeah. Sorry, Aprille. AHS: That's all right. It's a great song. JS: These drafts would not be fun if there weren't possibilities of people stealing from each other. AHS: I know. And I love that song so much. But I was kind of like, again, I was late to that one too. I don't know. I think I was just listening to Beyonce and Taylor Swift for so long. JS: You listened to Beyonce pretty much nonstop for the first quarter of last year, at least. AHS: Yeah, it was a strange thing. That's why I almost went with her for album of the year. But yeah. JS: All right, Tyler, you have your second pick now. TG: Okay. Well, so for my next pick, I'm going to do Song of the Year. I'm going to go with my favorite song of 2024, which was Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan. And it was written by Chappell Roan, Justin Tranter, and Dan Nigro. And this song, I've said it before, that line just sticks with me. The line that sticks with me the most is, you have to stop the world to stop the feeling. So I've heard that thought process my entire life about how, oh, your feelings are deceiving though. Your feelings are deceiving. And it's like, okay, well, that's great, but how do you stop them? Because you're going to have to stop the world to stop these feelings. And like, it's just, you know, that line was just perfect for me, for all the people that have told me that my entire life. And so that made me love this song like even more. And this is just my favorite song of the year. It's my favorite Chappell Roan song. So definitely wanted it to be my song of the year pick. JS: All right, all right, Aprille. So what is your second pick going to be now that A Bar Song, and I also know you liked Good Luck Babe quite a bit. So now that those are off, where are you going? And again, it doesn't have to be in the song of the year category. You can go anywhere except for album, which you've already done. AHS: Yeah, so, you know, a lot of that, it does kind of, it changes a little bit what I was going to do. I think I am going to go with, gosh, I'm going to stick with song of the year as well. Didn't think I was going to do that, but I'm going to do that. So I'm going to go with my most played song on Spotify last year. And that was Texas Hold'em and written by Brian Bates, Atiya Boggs, so sorry if I'm butchering all these names. Beyonce, of course, Elizabeth Lowe-Bowland, Megan Below, Nate Ferraro, and Raphael Saadiq. It was one of those songs, like I saw so many people that for whatever reason was like, oh, Beyonce shouldn't do country. And Texas Hold'em sounded more country than a lot of what's on country radio. I thought it was well-written. I thought just musically, it's a fun song. My only complaint about Texas Hold'em is the very last lyrics of the song. They're just a little cringy, which is why I wasn't necessarily going to put it in Song of the Year, but I really want to pick something for Song of the Year. So one of the best country songs I think of the year, I think it'll be one of my favorite country songs of all time, quite honestly. JS: It's a pop song, but yeah. AHS: It's more, if you look at her album in general though, if you got to look at country right now, the landscape of country music, I would say that it fits right in with country. It is pop-ish. JS: You're exactly right. It fits in with the mainstream country. AHS: It's pop country. JS: The song begins with banjo. It is more country than a lot of stuff you will hear on country radio. But the Grammys have always, and again, this is the song of your category, so I'm mostly talking about why I'm kind of upset overall with the Grammys, is they're including Beyoncé and Post Malone in the country-specific categories, which I think kicks out actual good country music. AHS: Well, I will say the gem of this song, though, truly, besides, and you had brought up the banjo, and that's played by the absolutely masterful Rhiannon Giddens, and sorry if I pronounced her name wrong, but she plays a banjo and viola on that song. And for those who don't know her, look her up. She is an amazing folk musician. So I just, I love that Beyoncé included artists like her on her album. It's kind of, you know, I don't know, I just love it. And I love that song, very catchy. JS: Yeah, and Rhiannon Giddens is nominated in her own right in the Best American Roots Performance category for her performance of The Ballad of Sally Anne, which is an awesome song. All right, Casey, you have your second pick coming up. Where would you like to go? CH: Yeah, in best metal performance, Knocked Loose. The song is Suffocate with Poppy. JS: You want to tell us a little bit about that one? I know. I don't think you're talking to a huge metal crowd here. AHS: Well, maybe there's some listeners that are. They'll appreciate this. JS: I mean, that's for sure. But but us us in particular, I like it. I'd be surprised if no one for sure. Right. Yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, I actually I have heard. Sorry, I have heard this song because this is the one that drove Karens of America crazy when they performed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live. And I had to see what the hubbub was about. And I actually looked up the video and I thought, are we seriously going to be doing this in 2024? Because I mean, yeah, it's a metal song. But people were acting like it was something that was going to like make heads explode. CH: Yeah. Well, yeah. And they acted that way, you know, at the Paris Olympics as well when I believe it was at Ramstein that came out. JS: It was actually it was actually Gojira who is nominated. Yeah, they performed the song that they performed at the Olympics. Mea Culpa is actually nominated in the very same category that this song is. CH: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we will never escape the satanic panic of metal music for probably as long as we live. But the I don't know, not to lose like personally away from like Grammy nominations, their album they released in 2024, You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To is my second favorite album of the year, fighting with Tyler, the creator for that first spot. But the performance they did with Poppy on Jimmy Kimmel, I've been a fan of Poppy as well for a while. And I think they just worked so well together on the actual recording. And when they perform it live, I mean, it's just like one of the hardest, hardest hitting, you know, songs I've heard in a long time. The whole album, the whole album that way as well. Yeah, Suffocate, just a great song, great themes in the album, you know, having to do with religion and spirituality and the lines between and stuff. So yeah, I just really love that song and really love their performance. They're a great, great group. JS: Awesome, and because you had the final pick of round two, you will have the first of round three. So back to back picks for you, Casey. CH: Okay, cool. Let's see, I did record of the year, and I'll go ahead and do album of the year. And I'm going to go with Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish. JS: Yeah. What is it about that album that really speaks to you? CH: I've been following Billie's career for a while, ever since right before she dropped her debut album. Well, I mean, I call it her, it's technically her studio debut album is Where Do We All Go, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, or something like that. JS: Yeah, something like that. Yeah. CH: Well, I really loved that album, and I kept following her pretty closely. And then, you know, this album definitely made it into my top five favorites of the year for sure. I think, you know, ten tracks, people were kind of losing their mind over that. And I'm like, you guys don't understand. That's like normal. That used to be the absolute norm, is a tight ten-track album. You know, it's got like a really cool theme. I loved pretty much all the songs on there. There's like one song that gets on my nerves. But as a whole, I think her vocal range, her brother's production, and her songwriting have excelled way beyond what she's been doing. And I think it culminated really nicely in this third album. It's kind of like endlessly replayable as well. I find myself going back to it quite often. And, you know, the ten tracks really helps it, you know, come in at the lower runtime. So, yeah. Yeah, I just thought it was a really well crafted, tight produced album. JS: Of all of the artists that were nominated for album of the year this year, Billie Eilish is my favorite. And I know I've mentioned, I'm not a big pop fan, but she is the kind of pop music that I do like to listen to. And I just haven't really gotten around to listening to Hit Me Hard and Soft. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's that even though it was nominated for both song and record of the year, Birds of a Feather, which was the lead single, didn't really do much for me. But I need to get to that album because I'm sure there would be stuff on it that I would appreciate and enjoy. CH: Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, definitely give it a spin. JS: All right, Aprille, it's your selection for round three. AHS: All right, so I'm going to take out the record of the year. And I'm going to go, I'm going to get on the Chappell Roan train and choose Good Luck Babe for record of the year. Pretty sure we have not picked that yet for that. JS: Not for record of the year, not for record of the year. So yes, you can have it for records. AHS: Perfect. Phenomenal. And basically for the same reasons that Tyler had mentioned, you know, I was actually going to, I had considered picking that for the songwriting one just because it is very strong. But as Chappell Roan had told Rolling Stone, it's a song about wishing good luck to someone who is denying fate. It's about two women in a relationship and one that really doesn't want to accept those feelings. So I just think that she does a really good job talking about LGBTQ topics and just kind of bringing that mainstream a little bit too, with songs like this. So it's super catchy. I love that everyone seems to love this song. If you haven't seen, I believe it was Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert kind of just spontaneously singing this song. That's a great version too. JS: Yeah, we're only two and a half rounds in. So halfway through this podcast draft, and we have already taken all three of Chappell Roan's big category picks, album, song, record. But honestly, I kind of thought good luck, babe, record and song. I thought we'd all draft that in the first round. I'm surprised that it waited for Tyler to take it and start on the year in the second round. And it fell to you for record of the year in the third round. TG: It was definitely the song of 2024. JS: Yep, absolutely. All right, Tyler, your round three pick is up. TG: Okay, so I'm going to go with album of the year. Since Torture Poets is not available in album of the year. AHS: I'm so sorry, Tyler, it was a game-some decision. JS: You're the last person to pick an album of the year, so it only leaves you with three of the eight that have already been chosen, so it only leaves you with five more. And I'm guessing you're not going to go with Andre 3000's flute album, New Blue Sun. TG: Oh, you almost had it. No, I'm going to go with Sabrina Carpenter for album of the year for Short and Sweet. She was actually somebody that I had never listened to at all. I did not become aware of her at all until she started opening for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour. But when this album came out, I was like, wow, this is just, it really is a great album. Like, you know, aside from like the, you know, hits that she's had, like Taste and Please Please Please and Espresso, there's also some really, really great songs on here. My three favorite are Slim Pickens, Juno and the very spicy Bed Kim. Oh my gosh, it's fantastic. And she even has some like, you know, people that got upset at her shows because of how racy that part was. Not racy to me at all, but you know, people thought it was racy. JS: People need to leave Sabrina Carpenter alone with that. And stop taking your kids to shows if you don't know what the show's gonna be. CH: Yeah, for sure. TG: If you're listening to this album at all and listening to the lyrics, you would know as a parent that you don't need to be taking your kids to a Sabrina Carpenter show. If you're listening to these lyrics at all. JS: I know she was on a Disney show, but Sabrina Carpenter is almost a 26-year-old woman. AHS: Kind of the same deal with Miley Cyrus, though. People got all of their arms when she was kind of breaking out and doing her own thing, too, and kind of distancing herself from that Disney era of hers. So yeah, it's just unfortunately that Disney gives them a platform, but then they have to kind of break out of that a bit. JS: Yeah. Anyway, Tyler, go ahead. TG: Oh yeah, but yeah, I just, I love this album. Like I said, she was on my Spotify Raps, my first listen to album. First most listen to artist was Taylor Swift, then Post Malone, then Sabrina Carpenter. So she was definitely, and it was mainly because of this album, because I didn't really go and listen to her. I haven't, I still haven't even went back to her other stuff at all. I love it so much. And it's a very fast listen for people that haven't given it a listen. Like, it's like, it's not very long at all. And it's fantastic. JS: Okay, so my pick for round three, I haven't done Record of the Year yet. There is a, one of my all time favorite bands was nominated for Record of the Year this year. And that is The Beatles. And I find it incredibly asinine, stupid, ridiculous, bullshit that the Beatles are nominated for Record of the Year in the year 2025. Seeing as how one of their members has been dead for 45 years. And I don't like what Now and Then by the Beatles says about the music industry. I don't like what it says about the Grammy Awards and the use of artificial intelligence to kind of put this song together is not something I want to go with. So even though it would be nice to say, hey, I picked the Beatles. They're one of my all time favorite bands. I don't really like what Paul McCartney and Giles Martin have done here. So let's go with, yeah. Let's go with Birds of a Feather, Billie Eilish. Now I know just minutes ago I said, it didn't really speak to me that much, but it's, I have to take something from this category. I refuse to take that Beatle song. I can't take a Chappell Roan song. And so it basically comes down to Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish or Texas Hold'em by Beyoncé. And I think Birds of a Feather is more my speed. So that's going to be my pick for record of the year. And since I had the last pick for round three, that means I have the first pick for round four. And I haven't picked a wild card yet. I wanted to get the ones that only had eight nominees in the categories out of the way first. So what I'm going to take for my first wild card is the album $10 Cowboy by Charley Crockett, which is nominated for Best Americana Album. And this is also kind of why, it was one of my favorite albums of 2024. And this is kind of what I was talking about earlier with Beyoncé and Post Malone and pop stars kind of infiltrating the country categories at the Grammys, which the Grammys honestly used to do a really good job of picking country categories, unlike mainstream country music only awards like CMAs and ACMs. But now they have gotten, I guess, stars in their eyes over the big pop stars in the category. So it kind of forces an artist like Charley Crockett, who is undoubtedly country music, into the Americana category. And that just hurts a little bit as a fan of country music. But I'm going to take Charley Crockett's $10 Cowboy as my first wild card. Tyler, what do you have to? TG: I'm going to go ahead and do my record of the year, because there's only one left that I am eligible to pick that I like in the category. So I'm going to go with record of the year for Texas Hold'em. I was trying to make sure it was still eligible. Aprille took it in song, didn't she? JS: Correct. AHS: I did, yep. TG: Okay, cool. I was making sure. Okay. But yeah, I'll take it in record of the year. Honestly, that's just the last one in the category that I like. But I do like it a lot. I love the cowboy. I loved her Cowboy Carter album. And Texas Hold'em was one of my favorite songs from the album. So I definitely wanted to, out of everything left, I want to make sure I have Beyonce. And my biggest thing for this draft too, was that I wanted to have all the divas on my list at the end. I didn't even really care what category. I just wanted all my divas. AHS: Love it. JS: You got Taylor, you got Chappell, you got Beyonce, you got Sabrina. Yep. TG: And all is right in the world. JS: I noticed that you don't consider Charlie XCX in that. No, I'm just to stir the pot here a bit. TG: Well, it was a brat summer and maybe I'm a brat because I did not get into that summer. Let me tell you, I've tried to listen to that album. And I'm three six, the three six, so we're 360. I don't know which one is called. Like I love that song, but I find it very difficult to get into any of the other songs on that album. JS: Yeah, I saw her perform 360 on Charlie. Sorry, I saw Charlie XCX perform 360 on Saturday Night Live. It wasn't bad. I had never listened to her. I had never heard her speak. And she actually was the host of that episode as well. I found Charlie XCX to be extremely charming, but I'm not really into dance pop, so it wasn't really too much my thing, but it was not bad. TG: Yeah, I mean, I would walk a runway to 360, but after that, I'd be done with it. CH: I agree. It's like really, it's a really like ADHD album, and you have to be in a certain mood to like get on its wavelength. It's entirely like insanity through the whole thing. JS: Yeah, it's a club album. It's something that if you really want to go out, party and dance, it's something you're going to want to listen to. Otherwise, I can see why you probably wouldn't want to throw it on. Aprille, what's your round four pick going to be? I think you're down to your two wild cards. AHS: I am, I am down to my two wild cards. So I am very excited to do Best Country Song, and I am going to pick The Architect by Kasey Musgraves. It was written by Kasey. It was written by Shane McNally and Josh Osborne. It is from her album Deeper Well, which was released on March 15th. Last year, it's her sixth studio album. It's kind of just this, I, it took me a little while to sit down and actually listen to her album. It's, she's kind of gravitating. Kasey Musgraves is such a wonderful singer, and she's played around with her style a lot over the years. I mean, she started out country, she kind of went more pop, and then she's kind of drifting back more country now, which I really appreciate. But The Architect is such a beautiful little song. It's about kind of questioning life and just questioning, you know, creation and everything, and not in a aggressive way, I guess I would say. It's just kind of the questions that we all sort of struggle with, I think, in life at different points. So she had talked about, you know, she doesn't really understand, are there blueprints? Blueprints or plans? Can I speak to The Architect? And she kind of follows that throughout the song, which I love. It is just a beautiful little song. And the Grammys have been pretty good with recognizing her. She won Album of the Year for her 2018 album, Golden Hour, on the 2019 Grammy Awards, which was such a cool thing. So I love Kasey. I love this album. I really love that song. JS: I think it's the best song in the country song category this year, which is kind of a disappointment, because it wouldn't be the kind of song that I would pick to win that category. But its competition is Post Malone, Morgan Wallen. AHS: Was Chris Stapleton nominated in that, though? JS: No, he was nominated for performance in the album. Interesting. And some other pop-oriented country singer. So yeah, she's probably the countriest. And honestly, that album to me is more of a traditional pop. Not like the kind of pop music that would top Billboard. Kind of like if Frank Sinatra was still around. AHS: I mean, I guess. I don't know. I kind of view it more, maybe not totally traditional country. I think it's just so weird now because country has just gotten so pop. And so when you hear anything that's just a little bit different, I think a lot of times people will think Americana. I think you think of country a lot more in Americana world. So I don't know. I think it's a great album and great song. I think it's definitely a country song. JS: Knowing how much the Grammys have championed Kasey Musgrave in the past, I'm a little bit surprised that it only received nominations in the country categories. I thought that it might get in the general field. I thought it might be something we talk about for album of the year, song and record of the year. AHS: For sure. JS: All right. So Casey's round four pick is up, and he still needs a song of the year pick and a second wild card. CH: I'm going to go ahead and use my second wild card. JS: You have the next two picks. It really doesn't matter which order you do them in. CH: Okay, cool, cool, cool. We'll do my wild card for best new artist, and I'm going to select Doechi. JS: Okay. Now I saw her album a lot on Best Albums of 2024 list. It was very high on a lot of them. So tell us about that album and her that you like. CH: Yeah, so I found out about her through Tyler the Creator's new album Chromakopia. She was featured on the song Balloon, and I was really taken aback by her performance on that song. And I was like, who in the world is this? So I looked her up and it wasn't long after she had dropped that album, Alligator Bites Never Heal. And I was like, we want to give it a listen. And I just really ended up loving it. It ended up in my top 10 of the year as well. She is just really... We're living in a sea of women rappers that to me are indistinguishable. They're all just the same, for me at least. I listen to a lot of rap and stuff. And she is just so refreshing in the way that she presents herself and her personality, her lyrics, the production on this album on Alligator Bites is just so different from everything I've ever heard. And she's got this sort of grunge in her... Maybe that's not the word. I don't know. She uses like a... I don't know. Yeah, I would say it's a grunge in her voice that she will use. And she's not shy to use different voices, to try interesting concepts with some songs. And I've just really grown to like her a lot over these past few months. And she's one that I'm going to be following for a while. So I definitely think she deserves the Best New Artist. I mean, it'll go to Chappell Roan, you know, inevitably, but I really think it should be her. JS: It wouldn't surprise me if it went to Sabrina Carpenter either, though. But the thing Doechi may actually have a better shot at winning is her album, Alligator Bites Never Heal, is nominated for Best Rap Album. It's probably not the favorite to win that category, but she stands a better chance at winning that category than Best New Artist. CH: Yeah, for sure. JS: And I wanted to mention, because I had to look this up, because you mentioned earlier, and you just brought him up again, Tyler, the creator, his 8th studio album Chromakopia was not nominated, so I had to look it up. It was released in late October, so it'll be eligible for the 2026 Grammy Awards. I know that seems like an eternity from now, but that's why I haven't seen his name this year, because he's somebody who usually gets nominated, at least in the Best Rap Album category. CH: Oh, yeah, absolutely. And he absolutely deserves it too. JS: Yeah. All right. Well, so the last pick for you in this draft is gonna be your Song of the Year choice. So of what's remaining, what would you like? CH: Yeah, so Song of the Year, is, I guess, well, I can't pick the same artist. I don't really know. Can I select Birds of a Feather? Is that? JS: No, because you already took Billie Eilish for an album. CH: That's what I thought. AHS: Oh, no. You could make your wife proud. I don't know if she likes Fortnite. But that one is available. CH: I'm in the same... JS: I was just gonna say, you can't take Kendrick Lamar or Billie Eilish. And we've also already selected Shabuzy, Chappell Rhone, and Beyoncé. So that just leaves you with Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter, Fortnite by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, and Die with a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Those are your only three options. CH: Okay. So I haven't heard Die with a Smile. So I guess I'm gonna have to go with Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter. I liked Sabrina Carpenter's Short ‘N Sweet. I actually listened to it way more than I ever thought I would. I was kind of obsessed with it for like a month. So yeah, Please, Please, Please is a great song. There's no shame. I guess there's no shame in me picking that. It's just definitely not my first choice, but it is a great song and it was a pretty great album. JS: And she wrote that one with Jack Antonoff and Amy Allen. CH: Yeah. JS: You haven't heard Die with a Smile. It's a pretty good song, but kind of more boring than you would expect from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. It's really slow, which it's slow in a nice crooner way, but you would expect that those two artists would bring on something more energetic. CH: Yeah. AHS: I thought that was going to be a song that I was going to listen to the heck out of, and I really haven't, which is kind of sad. CH: Yeah. Bruno Mars is normally a home run for me, at least. I love and Lady Gaga. I love both of them. But honestly, I didn't even know the song came out. JS: The weird thing is that recently hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it still kind of feels like it flew under the radar. And for Lady Gaga, ours is kind of weird. CH: It is. Yeah. I don't know how that happened, but I'll have to listen to it to see what I think. JS: All right, Aprille, we're ready for your final pick, which will be your second wild card. AHS: Yeah. I had jotted down a few just in case somebody had picked just out of the blue one of my wild cards, but I think I'm going to actually go, I'm going to switch gears. I almost was going to go with Best Country Duo, Group Performance with Cowboys Cry 2 by Kelsey Ballerini with Noah Kahan, just because I love Noah Kahan. But I will say, because I was not able to pick Shaboozey, I am going to go with A Bar Song, Tipsy for Best Country Solo Performance. And again, I know not exactly country, but you know what, I love that song. I have just, I have listened to the heck out of it. And apparently everybody else, because it was spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, which is the most for a song by a solo artist. It had actually, it was the longest running number one song of all time. It had initially, well, it actually had tied with Old Town Road, which I did love that from years ago as well. But I just really like, I really want to listen to Shaboozey’s album. I really like his song Good News. And I hope, I really hope that he's not like a one hit wonder kind of situation, because he really is talented. I'm hoping that it takes off. JS: I don't know where Good News is on the chart, but I've seen him perform it on Saturday Night Live and on one of the New Year's specials a couple weeks ago. And it seems like a song that should do pretty well for him. So I bet he'll have more than just the one hit. AHS: Yeah, I'm hoping. It's actually, I mean, it's more of a, you know, like a tipsy, a bar song is more just fun. Good News is just a little bit more introspective. And I just, I don't know, I just love that. Yeah. JS: All right, Tyler, that brings us to your final pick. TG: All right. Well, so my one next wild card pick is going to be hilarious because you were just talking about it. So my next wild card pick is going to be the last pick is going to be for Pop Duo Group Performance for Die with a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Love it. I was cracking up the whole time. JS: And like I said, it is a good song, but it's just not what I would expect. But go ahead and defend it. TG: Yeah. So I just love the lyrics, the lyrics especially for it. I just think it's so romantic. I think one of the most romantic things that anybody could ever say to me is that if their world was ending, they would want to be next to me. Like I think that's probably the most romantic thing. You could probably tell somebody. And I just love that. And they just get so soulful. It kind of reminded me when I first heard it of Leave the Door Open, just a little bit. Kind of in that vibe. It's a new color. And I loved Leave the Door Open. I remember being so excited that it won record in Song of the Year. The year it did. It was like, I think, the third pick to win based on a lot of predicting websites. And it won those two. So I think that that's why I loved it so much. It was because it reminded me of that. Plus with the power of Lady Gaga. And of course, I had to get my last Diva in there. So, yeah, love it. JS: All right. Well, my final pick and the last pick of this draft is going to be for Best Americana Performance. It is a song called Runaway Train by Sarah Jarosz. And it's a song that sounds like it came from a different era. And yet, also from from 2024, it's the kind of song that should have been played on like current like alt rock stations, I think, even though it but also could have been like a 90s country hit. I don't know. It's Sheryl Crowe is what it kind of reminds me of. And I just thought Runaway Train by Sarah Jarosz was one of the best songs of last year. And I'm happy that it was nominated for Best Americana Performance. So let's do a little recapping. We'll start with Casey's first. He took as his record of the year, Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar. His song of the year choice was Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter. And his album of the year choice was Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish. His wild cards are Suffocate by Knocked Loose featuring Poppy, which is nominated for Best Metal Performance. And a Best New Artist for Doechi. And my picks were Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess for album of the year by Chappell Roan. A Bar Song Tipsy by Shaboozey for song of the year. Birds of a Feather for record of the year by Billie Eilish and my wild cards are $10 Cowboy for Best Americana Album by Charley Crockett and Sarah Jarosz’s Runaway Train for Best Americana Performance. Tyler's picks were for album of the year, Short ‘N Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter. His song of the year was Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan. And his record of the year was Texas Hold'em by Beyonce. And his two wild cards were- AHS: I see Billie Eilish do a cover of that. Sorry. JS: I think she could do a good job. AHS: I do. I do. JS: Wild cards were Die with a Smile, something, whatever that song's called, by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars for Best Pop Duo Performance. And The Tortured Poets Department, of course, by Taylor Swift for Best Pop Vocal Album. And that leaves us with April's. Her album of the year was The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift. Her song of the year was Chappell Roan's Good Luck- Sorry, her record of the year was Chappell Roan's. This is what happens when people get nominated in multiple categories. Song of the Year, Chappell Roan's Good Luck, Babe. And her record of the year was, it was Texas Hold'em, right? AHS: Well, record of the year was Good Luck, Babe. And then song of the year was Texas Hold'em. JS: Got them backwards. And then her wild cards were The Architect by Kasey Musgraves for Best Country Song and A Bar Song Tipsy by Shaboozey for Best Country Solo Performance. The Grammy Awards are slated for Sunday, February 2nd, which will be broadcast on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus. But I will let the listeners know, and they may already know before I publish this, there is probably a higher than 50% chance that the Grammy Awards will be postponed this year due to the fires in Los Angeles where the awards are set to be held. So who knows when they will actually be held, but we're hoping for February 2nd. It'll be fun. The point of these drafts is kind of just to have fun, but also be nice if we could pick a winner. Really, in this situation, there's a chance that we might actually have one, and it would be whoever drafted the most winners. So that'll be interesting to see. Come back in a month's time or so and see who ended up drafting the most songs and albums that would go on to win. But I want to thank Aprille, Tyler, and Casey for joining us today for this Grammy Award draft. Thank you, guys. CH: Thanks for having me. AHS: Absolutely. Thank you. Super fun. TG: Love it. by Julian Spivey Carrie Underwood, an award-winning country music singer, announced on Monday, Jan. 13, that she would perform the patriotic anthem “America The Beautiful” at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next week. I’m disappointed in her. I’ve never been a fan of much of her music, but I thought she was better than this. And let’s get something straight before we get too far into this … Underwood has every right to choose to perform at the inauguration. I would’ve thought this had the inauguration been for Kamala Harris, so I must believe it now. But I’m still disappointed. This country has never had a President who brings as much vitriol to the position of President of the United States and does so much to sow discord and division among the citizens of this country. And, while Underwood may view performing at the inauguration as nothing more than a patriotic honor, it is in the minds of many, including me, an endorsement of President-elect Trump. It shows that Underwood doesn’t care about the immigrants he demeans. It shows she doesn’t care about mocking people with disabilities. It shows she doesn’t care about a woman’s right to choose. It shows she doesn’t care that President Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting a woman. It shows she doesn’t care that he incited a riot that attempted to overthrow the government and led to deaths and injuries. It shows she doesn’t care that he’s a felon. This list could go on and on. I thought Underwood was more intelligent than this. But maybe there’s something strategically clever behind her choice? Perhaps she’s being a shrewd businesswoman? If that’s the case, it makes it all the more disgusting, but it could revitalize her career. You may be asking yourself, does Underwood’s career need revitalizing? For a decade, Underwood was arguably the biggest star in country music. From 2005 to 2016, she registered 17 No. 1 hits on either the Billboard US Country or Billboard Country Airplay charts. She also won eight Grammy Awards, 16 Academy of Country Music Awards, and nine Country Music Association Awards. She was both an American Idol and America’s Sweetheart. And then it all went away. She hasn’t had a solo No. 1 country hit in nearly a decade (since 2016’s “Church Bells”). This is the same artist whose every single song released between her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, and 2016 (25 singles) was either a No. 1 or a No. 2 hit. Her most recent album, Denim & Rhinestones, released in 2022, failed to top the Country Albums Chart—the only one of her career not to. The three singles all failed to crack the top 5, and the last two failed to crack the top 10. It seemed mainstream country music had passed Underwood by. But you know, a trend I’ve noticed in country music over the last few years is that if you get yourself “canceled,” you will have an uptick in sales and interest from the mainstream country music crowd, of which the majority come from red states/voters. We saw this when Morgan Wallen was “canceled” for saying the “N-word.” His album sales went through the roof. They still are. We saw this when Jason Aldean released the controversial “Try That in a Small Town,” which immediately became his first cross-over hit and went to No. 1 on the overall Billboard Hot 100. You just wait and see. Over the next couple of weeks, Underwood’s sales of past albums and singles will increase. People will buy her records simply because of her decision to perform at Trump’s inauguration and because they will assume she’s being “canceled” and “bullied by the left.” There’s no real thing as “cancel culture,” especially when it comes to country music. Your sales and overall numbers go through the roof when you’re perceived as being “canceled” in country music. It might literally pay for Underwood to perform at Trump’s inauguration. It’s just a shame she doesn’t have a new album or single ready to drop — though many suspect she will at some point this year. The most obnoxious part of Underwood’s decision is a line in her statement explaining why she decided to perform at the inauguration. She said: “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.” Unity?!? There hasn’t been a less unifying President in modern U.S. history than Donald Trump. Whenever he opens his mouth, the chances of unity are pushed further out to sea. There is no unification when it comes to bigotry, which plays a significant role in his Presidential goals and decisions. Sorry to burst your pipe dream, Carrie. |
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