Awards season has arrived, and even with a slate that includes the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and [especially] the Oscars, the Grammys will always remain the most controversial of them all. Along with being such an objective medium becoming more and more difficult to classify into different “genres,” music is a thing in which everyone has vastly different music tastes–there is almost an impossibility for the same two people to like the exact same music–which is why, in comparison to crowning the best of visual forms of entertainment (film and TV), crowning the best of audio forms of entertainment is much tougher to call. Moreover, if you’re deserving but not so popular in the box office, you will most likely be considered for an Academy Award. For the Grammys, it’s harder to predict the formula, but being very good along with having popularity and good sales has been a trend for Grammy nominees, especially in recent years. For more information on the nominating and voting process, check this page out.
Have no fear though–I am hear to analyze and offer my predictions for the Grammys’ Big Three: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year! The Album of the Year award is pretty self-explanatory, but there is a key difference between Record and Song of the Year. According to the Grammys FAQ page:
“The Record Of The Year category recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist. The Song Of The Year category recognizes the songwriter(s).”
Also, please note that the nominees may not be the most deserving music in your opinion, but they’re the what the Grammys thought were the best of the time in which the following music was released.
Without further adieu, here we go:
Nominees for Record of the Year:
“Really Love” by D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
“Cant Feel My Face” by The Weeknd
Sorry “
Really Love,” but you really don’t have a chance here. Not to take away how cool of a song you are–and for someone who loves music as much as I do, it is brilliant–but many of the voters send in their ballots without having heard each song on the ballot, so they tend to go by popularity. Each of the remaining four nominees received significant mainstream attention, but as fresh and defiant as “
Blank Space” is (more on that later) and how
majestic and panti-dropping “Thinking Out Loud” is (more on that later, as well), this award is going to be between T-Swizzle (Swift) and Abel Tesfaye (the Weeknd).
Both “
Uptown Funk” and “
Can’t Feel my Face” topped the Billboard charts and consumed our radios and Spotify playlists, and, regardless of your musical preference, both songs have distinct styles that drew massive audiences. However, there’s something about “Can’t Feel My Face” that tells me that it is The Weeknd’s award to lose. Not only is it catchy, but the
Michael Jackson-esque tone of the lyrics’ delivery along with the dynamic bass line forces the song into our heads and then into our hearts–fans of all types of music will find this record accessible and beloved. The lyrics are not as creative as “Uptown Funk” (did you see that
Super Bowl performance?!), but if we’re talking about a
record, then The Weeknd won’t be able to feel his face when he gets up to accept his Grammy (or because of his love for cocaine, which is actually what the song is about).
Winner–Can’t Feel My Face
Nominees for Song of the Year:
“Alright” by Kendrick Lamar
“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
“Girl Crush” by Little Big Town
“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
I apologize to crush your dreams, but despite how well-written it is, “
Girl Crush” does not stand a chance against the other four nominees. It falls flat in terms of popularity and prestige. The strength of the rest of the field, however, makes this the toughest of the Big Three to call.
First, as poignant and lovely as “
See You Again” is, I don’t think the Grammys will bestow this award upon it. The same goes for “
Thinking Out Loud,” and although the lyrics and melody make this an instant wedding song, it just simply does not compare to “Blank Space” and “
Alright.” This Grammy is a toss-up between Swift’s hit song that speaks about her public image and Lamar’s song that contains a message to those who are fighting for racial equality that they will, to quote the song, “be alright.” I went back and forth on this one–the Grammy voters have a chip on each of their shoulders for
snubbing Kendrick for his epic
good kid, M.A.A.D. City, but Taylor Swift is–well–Taylor Swift. As much as Kendrick probably should get this award, I just cannot bet against the power of Taylor Swift, so I give her the nod. But don’t worry, Kendrick, you’re not leaving the Big Three empty-handed…
Winner–Blank Space
Nominees for Album of the Year:
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes
To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
Traveller by Chris Stapleton
1989 by Taylor Swift
Beauty Behind The Madness by The Weekend
To be blunt, this is the easiest award to predict in the entire Grammys, let alone the Big Three. Beauty Behind The Madness has some strong singles and cemented The Weeknd’s rise to superstardom, but it won’t cut it as a whole. Sound & Color is a superb follow-up to the Alabama Shakes’ first album, but it won’t take home the Grammy. Traveller features a fresh country vibe and unmatched vocal chops, but it won’t win. So, yet again, we have Kendrick Lamar versus Taylor Swift, yet this one isn’t even close…
…Kendrick Lamar released one of the greatest albums of the 21st century with his
To Pimp A Butterfly. The epic piece focuses on the modern fight against racism in America, and every single song has an
unbelievable amount of substance. It is intense, depressing, uplifting, demoralizing, and beautifully done.
1989 might have been Taylor Swift’s breakout pop album, and I respect her
bravery to change her sound in a profound manner so much, but everyone who knows something about music will agree that
To Pimp A Butterfly is one of a kind. Coupled with the aforementioned chips on the Grammy voters’ shoulders, Kendrick Lamar will win his first of what could be many Album of the Year awards. I can almost guarantee it.
Winner–To Pimp A Butterfly
Now tell us what you thought of how the night actually went. Were the predictions right, and were they worthy winners?
