“Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you won me four Grammys,” he noted. “Glory” from “Selma” was performed by Common and John Legend and with that performance it ended a Grammy Awards that were very heavy on duets and performances. It was a bit odd to have the last award and have the show ending more than a half hour later. As the credits rolled, Smith and Mary J. Blige were on stage singing “Stay With Me.”
Beyonce also sang “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” near the end and helped capped a night that was full of inspiration, emotion and was unusually spiritual.
When Beck won for Album of the Year, Kanye West attempted to pull another Taylor Swift moment. It seems even the musicians know how to ignore him now. What he did backstage on E! was the headliner item, but still, Kayne is not taken as seriously as he once was, perhaps. Plus, the item where he made the team at E! take off those microphone monikers was more disturbing.
EARLIER: Sam Smith and his writers have won Song of the Year for “Stay With Me” as the Grammy Awards are being handed out in Los Angeles tonight.
EARLIER: The Grammy Awards are finally getting to some top awards but after witnessing some of the performances tonight, the wait was worth it. Beck just won top album for “Morning Base” and he has taken the steam out of some of the perceived favorites.
EARLIER: Performances are taking over the Grammy Awards and ELO rocked the house and brought the Staples Center to its feet tonight in Los Angeles.
Ed Sheeran joined Jeff Lynne’s ELO during “Mr. Blue Sky” and brought a blast from the past to the stage. That was after a stunning version of “Evil Woman.” Even Annie Lennox made waves and blew the crowd away.
In an abrupt break to back to live Grammy action, President Barack Obama read a PSA about domestic violence and then Katy Perry sang.
Again, live performances are taking over and they are connecting, which does not always happen on the Grammy stage.
UPDATE: AC/DC rocked the Staples Center in Los Angeles as the Grammy Awards are off and running. LL Cool J stepped right into the night and introduced Taylor Swift for the first award of the night.
She awarded Best New Artist to Sam Smith. He also won for Best Vocal Pop Album. In early winners, Roseanne Cash has three awards.
EARLIER: The Grammy Awards, which air live on CBS tonight (Feb. 8), always are packed with performances. They pair up many artists and others come back from oblivion and hit the stage as well.
Sometimes, there are way too many and the stage seems cluttered. But, it is the Grammy Awards, where the music world gathers and bestows its industries highest honor among its peers.
LL Cool J will host. Sam Smith and Beyonce lead the way with six nominations each. It takes place in downtown Los Angeles.
Here is a list of performers tonight.
AC/DC
Beck and Chris Martin
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Beyoncé
Eric Church
Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam
Common and John Legend
Ariana Grande
Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Questlove with Ed Sheeran
Hozier and Annie Lennox
Jessie J and Tom Jones
Juanes
Miranda Lambert
Lang Lang
Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani
Jeff Lynne’s ELO
Madonna
Katy Perry
Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West
Sia
Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige
Usher
Pharrell Williams
Check back here for a live update of winners (put in bold).
Record of the Year
“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
“Chandelier,” Sia
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith
“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
“All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor
BEST NEW ARTIST
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith
Song of the Year (given to writer(s))
“All About That Bass,” Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
“Chandelier,” Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
“Shake It Off,” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Stay With Me” (Darkchild Version), James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
“Take Me To Church,” Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
“Drunk In Love,” Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z
“New Flame,” Chris Brown Featuring Usher & Rick Ross
“It’s Your World,” Jennifer Hudson Featuring R. Kelly
“Like This,” Ledisi
“Good Kisser,” Usher
Best Rap Album
“The New Classic,” Iggy Azalea
“Because The Internet,” Childish Gambino
“Nobody’s Smiling,” Common
“The Marshall Mathers LP2,” Eminem
“Oxymoron,” Schoolboy Q
“Blacc Hollywood,” Wiz Khalifa
Pop Vocal Album
“Ghost Stories,” Coldplay
“Bangerz,” Miley Cyrus
“My Everything,” Ariana Grande
“Prism,” Katy Perry
“X,” Ed Sheeran
“In the Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith
Urban Contemporary Album
“Sail Out,” Jhene Aiko
“Beyonce,” Beyonce
“X,” Chris Brown
“Mali Is …,” Mali Music
“Girl,” Pharrell Williams
Country Album
“Riser,” Dierks Bentley
“The Outsiders,” Eric Church
“12 Stories,” Brandy Clark
“Platinum,” Miranda Lambert
“The Way I’m Livin’,” Lee Ann Womack
Country Song
“American Kids,” Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird and Shane McAnally (performed by Kenny Chesney)
“Automatic,” Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert (Miranda Lambert)
“Give Me Back My Hometown,” Eric Church and Luke Laird (Eric Church)
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell)
“Meanwhile Back at Mama’s,” Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston and Jeffrey Steele (Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill)
Pop Solo Performance
“All of Me,” John Legend
“Chandelier,” Sia
“Stay With Me,” Sam Smith
“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
“Happy,” Pharrell Williams
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Morning Phase,” Beck
“Beyoncé,” Beyoncé
“X,” Ed Sheeran
“In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith
“Girl,” Pharrell Williams
Rock Album
“Ryan Adams,” Ryan Adams
“Morning Phase,” Beck
“Turn Blue,” The Black Keys
“Magnetic Eye,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
“Songs of Innocence,” U2
Rock Song
“Ain’t It Fun,” Hayley Williams & Taylor York (performed by Paramore)
“Blue Moon,” Beck Hansen (Beck)
“Fever,” Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton & Patrick Carney (The Black Keys)
“Gimme Something Good,” Ryan Adams (Ryan Adams)
“Lazaretto,” Jack White III (Jack White)
Traditional Pop Vocal Album
“Cheek to Cheek,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
“Nostalgia,” Annie Lennox
“Night Songs,” Barry Manilow
“Sending You a Little Christmas,” Johnny Mathis
“Partners,” Barbra Streisand with various artists
Rap Performance
“3005,” Childish Gambino
“0 to 100/The Catch Up,” Drake
“Rap God,” Eminem
“I,” Kendrick Lamar
“All I Need Is You,” Lacrae
Others (early winners)
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
“A Feather’s Not A Bird,” Rosanne Cash
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
“A Feather’s Not A Bird,” Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
“The River & The Thread,” Rosanne Cash
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
“Jesus Children,” Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner
BEST R&B SONG
“Drunk In Love,” Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters (Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z)
BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
“Girl,” Pharrell Williams
BEST R&B ALBUM
“Love, Marriage & Divorce,” Toni Braxton & Babyface
BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
“Diary Of A Mad Diva,” Joan Rivers
BEST COMEDY ALBUM
“Mandatory Fun,” “Weird Al” Yankov
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Gentle On My Mind,” The Band Perry
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
“Something In The Water,” Carrie Underwood
BEST COUNTRY SONG
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“Let It Go,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel)
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“Frozen,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom MacDougall & Chris Montan, compilation producers
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell & Billy Jay Stein, producers (Carole King, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Say Something,” A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
“Lazaretto,” Jack White
BEST ROCK SONG
“Ain’t It Fun,” Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters (Paramore)
The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to George Harrison, Bee Gees and Buddy Guy, among others. To filter through all the winners, head here.