What’s up with JayZ? Okay, so I maybe not the hippest person (does that already make me not cool...I know, if I have to ask...) but I do know who JayZ is. Beyoncé’s husband. I can thank the show Sixty-Minutes for that nugget. Thanks. I get that she’s a nice lady (28 sheesh) and she doesn’t like to speak about her relationship with her husband. Shhhhhh, it’s JayZ.
Here I sit watching/listening to the Grammy Awards. I remember a few years ago watching them and I didn’t know any of the winning songs, and gasp...none of the artists. I turned the channel in disgust, well I didn’t, my husband was pretty much tone deaf, but he never listened to music so I knew he only watched for me and the scantily clad singing stars.
I think it was in this moment I decided I had become my parents; only interested in the music they grew up with. Major “ick” factor set in. I know I said I would never become my parents, and I meant it, but hey, it kinda sneaks up on you. (And it will I can promise you.)
I searched ...wait, WTF...Beyoncé just came onstage singing, and she grabbed her crotch...on tv.
Beyonçe after the crotch-grab
photo: Kravitz/Film Magic
Why? Am I shocked, no...but what the hell has a woman grabbing your crotch on tv got to do with you singing? (Sorry, but it must be influenced by the men...even though Rosanne Barr first did it. There I go dating myself again.) Anyway, I searched XM-Radio for more than my normal listening pleasure of 60’s and 70’s music until I found the Top Twenty. Thus began my education in preparation for this night.
I began listening to what was popular now. What a concept. I found out about the Kings of Leon, Nickelback, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé (okay I knew her), Pink, Taylor Swift, and so many more I am too lazy to walk over and look at my iPod to see who sang it. So sue me. Anyway, I rock out every day and what I discovered is the more things change, the more they stay the same. You see in my day, I heard the same songs over and over until I could sing those songs...yeah well guess what? Its the same exact thing going on now. Mind you I wasn’t listening to RAP, but the Pop Top 20, of which most of the winners came from last night.
I can sing along with “Halo” by Beyoncé, “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, and “Last Day” by Nickleback....wahoo. I got the jokes John Cobert made, even if some were lost on the intended recipients (JayZ ahem...but you did loosen up a tad on the next one). Good work winning "Best Comedy Album"...I didn't even realize they still did albums...who knew? (Bet you can only get it on CD's though.)
I watched the entire show last night, and though I was not shocked by anything (it was on CBS network standards...ugh) I did hear the annoying dead space where they edited out some words when Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake and Travis Barker (didn’t know those last two though but I will find out) sang er-r-r rapped “Drop the World” and “Forever”. The FCC is uptight about the wrong things. Nobody would have understood those bleeped words, unless they had heard those songs enough to decipher them. Just saying...
Lady Gaga and Elton was an inspired duo, wish I could have said the same about Taylor and Stevie Nicks. Jaime Foxx is getting so weird to me. I heard enough of his song “Blame it on the Alcohol” to last me six lifetimes, so at least he didn’t sing it last night.
Best short video went to the Blackeyed Peas for, "Boom-Boom Pow", which I may just have to appropriate to a cartoon, since it does sound like one already.
Best Soundtrack went to "Slumdog Millionaire'? Gawd, it seems like it is older than would qualify to make it...in fact once you hear all of this music enough to memorize it, kinda makes them passé to me.
That the record of the year was “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon was absolutely no surprise to me, it is one hellava great song...one I have been rocking out to for a year! I just didn’t realize the band were brothers. Duh.
That 3-D performance using Michael Jackson footage from what would have been his London Concert was weird...because I didn’t have the glasses, didn’t know I’d need them and so everything had this fuzzy, rainbow around it. Apparently the audience was too cool to wear them even when prompted...except for Beyoncé and those immediately surrounding her. Yawn.
I swear Nichole Kidman is not looking like herself these days either. It’s weird seeing her there, even if she is married to Keith Urban. It’s just plain weird seeing her period. Congratulations Keith on your win.
Okay, is Prince Jackson the one they call “Blanket”? I think he is the third of Michael’s children, but don’t quote me on it. His daughter Paris is a stunner, but dressing like dad was odd. She didn’t make sense of her sentence or two either, but hey, no complaint here. They are just children.
I guess I’m in for another year of listening and learning the words to even more songs so I may fully participate in the Grammy Awards again next year. I may even include a fashion review. Hah!
May the tunes be as easily adapted by me to become my “G-Old Standards” on my iPod over the next year. I’m just not ready for the “E-Z Listening channels” yet...don’t hate me because I’m hip...or fly...or bad...okay maybe for being bad.
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Comments
Taylor Swift (no relation, btw) writes pretty songs but she sure looked and sounded young and callow next to Stevie Nicks. I don't care if it's en vougue or not, I don't get Lady G or Pink or this whole ' topping the other guy' scene. They've got great voices, lost in the theatrics.
But hey, Leon Russel with that great new group, the Zac Brown Band, so glad they won. The Jackson children 'with their cousins' ... just too creepy.
the only taylor swift vocal i like is the bit she sings on john mayer's latest, battle studies, 'half of my heart.' and then not much. the songs she writes appeal to the very young, so i get why they don't speak to me, but her voice is thin and almost always flat. makes me wonder what they do in the studio to fix it for the recorded stuff.
and i love colbert but he was a terrible choice for this show. really terrible.
I can't stand Beyonce and it's stupid but she made some very inappropriate comments about gays and lesbians a few years back and I lost complete respect in her at that point. Being the proud father of a lesbian daughter will do that.
I listen to a lot of new bands but they are mostly Indie bands. They remind me, of course of the sixties and seventies.
Great read
rated
Youy read it here first.
R
Am a Lady Gaga fan, big time! She and Elton were magical!
Not so much for Beonce last night. Way over the top for my liking.
The Michael Jackson tribute had me balling silently into several layers of tissue. I love his new song, the musical arrangment and the words, tugged on my heart in ways I wasn't expecting last night. And wow, the kids, so grown up and his son, no, not blanket who did not appear last night, has his speaking voice so clearly. All the stellar performers who sang "with" him in "What have we done" was about as good as it gets! I could go on but this is your post and I was just thoroughly entertained and touched by this award show.
She grabbed her crotch because she was singing : "If I Were a Boy"---get it? I really like her work. She is a powerhouse performer and a perfectionist---and even though her rehearsal was "closed," I got to see part of it, and then I saw the number as performed....all I can say is that she is a hard-working girl, who aims to please her audience. My respect for her has grown enormously.
I had the 3D glasses, and I disagree with people who said it was a bust. I thought it was better at home than in the theater---and I thought it was quite nice in both places.
The next time someone gets the brilliant idea of setting up a duet for Stevie Nicks, I suggest they call Lindsey Buckingham---or at the very least, refrain from pairing her with a nubile female rock sensation. Remember when the hottest nubile rock sensation was Stevie? Apparently she does.
Kings of Leon rock. And who knew that Pink was a former circus performer?
The song, "If I Were A Boy" has some great lyrics, including the following:
'But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy.'
Stephen Colbert was supposed to be nonplussed and un-groovy. It was the joke.
Lady GaGa (Stefani Germanotta) is classically trained, was accepted at Julliard, but attended a private school instead, and went to Tisch. She's no dummy. She's wanted to be a star since she was a tot, and though I sense manipulation in her act, I also see an awareness of same (monstah!); and I sense a strong civil rights vibe from the girl. Thus, I like her. A Lot.
I'm also very fond of Pink, who is self-revealing to a painful extent in her work. Like Lady Gaga, she started singing in public in her early teens. She trained to be a gymnist, long ago. Also was a pretty good skateboarder.
I Like these self-made women, girls, chicks, whatevuh! as role models for my girls. [yaddayadda, they still like Taylor Swift, but even they can hear that the girl ain't so hot live - "What's wrong with her voice?"] Any of the three above would be a terrific influence.
Live Long! And Prosper!!!
I'm glad you know who Beyoncé is. After all, she is a household name at this point. She's become quite the entertainer and premier female vocalist of the past decade. Her husband hasn't done such a shabby job of keeping up with the Jonses, either. Jay-Z now holds the record for the second most #1 albums (11) by a male solo artist. I know, all of that means nothing if you don't have a thing for the swing. But I'm here to tell you, just because you didn't hear some songs you love, don't give up just yet. The world is filled with new music. Our contemporaries are alive and well and still cranking out some great songs.
Neil Young is as active as ever and just awarded by Music Cares this past Saturday . Barbra Streisand just scored a record #1 album last October, making her the only artist in history to have #1 albums in five consecutive decades. I saw Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel (not together) in concert last spring and they sound better than ever...and could Elton have sounded more youthful than his almost 64 years last evening? I thought he was outstanding.
Anyway, back to the future.
I agree that Taylor Swift was lacking a correct key last night. The country chanteuse is far better in the studio than live. Stevie Nicks knocked "Rhiannon" outta the park and reminded audiences why she's a living legend. Hail to the "Gold Dust Woman."
Say what you will (and people have) about Lady Gaga, but she is insanely talented. Emphasis on "talented." She's a performance artist not to dissimilar to Madonna's first decade and a half. If she couldn't write or sing, she'd be over by next week, but she CAN sing, she CAN write, and man, what a great performance artist. All the craziness that the older crowd doesn't understand, melts away as soon as she opens her mouth to sing. Hey, the girl is 23 and this is her time and she's enjoying it her way. Good for her!
Michael's Jackson's youngest (8 year-old) was not present. He is the boy named Blanket. It was Prince Michael and Paris who took to the stage backed by three first cousins. I thought they honored their father beautifully with their brief and poignant statements.
As for the rest of the show, great performances all around with the exception of the aforementioned Swift and Jamie Foxx. He's lucky Hollywood is still sending him scripts to read. He's a far better actor than he can rap.
I do believe if record stores were still around, you'd enjoy seeing and hearing some of the new music by new artists as well as the new music by older artists.
I'm still trying to get over the shock of your husband not liking music. That's a first for me. Even when I have spoken to many who aren't knowledgeable about music, I've never heard anyone say they don't enjoy it at all.
Hey! I guess there's a first time for everything. Even when you get to be my age.
http://meander61.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-grammy-awards-pink-live.html
Gorgeous and hot.
Taylor Swift can't sing live. Huh. who knew?
;0)
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The performer, I mean...