49th Grammys Wrap-Up, Part 1

The big story from this year's Grammys is the historic and stunning sweep by the Dixie Chicks.

The Chicks were 5-time nominees for Sunday's festivities. Due to the rumors [still-unconfirmed, of course] that they were likely to split up after the Grammys, [precipitated apparently by the professional hell they went through after Natalie Maines's comments in London in 2003], and their distinguished body of excellent art, many Grammy observers predicted they would win at least a few awards on Sunday night. I predicted they would win 3 awards: Best Country Album [Taking The Long Way], Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal ["Not Ready To Make Nice"], and -- one of the "Big Three", or "Big Four" for "new artists" -- Song Of The Year ["Not Ready To Make Nice"], for which I considered them a lock. Alas, I didn't give the Chicks much of a chance to win in the other two "Big Three" categories -- Record Of The Year [for which I considered Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to be the lock] and Album Of The Year -- in which they were also nominated.

Going in to Sunday's awards, the smart money was on Mary J. Blige, the Red Hot Chili Peppers [Grammy favorites both] and Gnarls Barkley topping the Monday morning headlines. Perhaps if the academy wanted to show "hip-itutde", they might throw a big Grammy at Justin Timberlake.

But no one predicted what would happen on Sunday night.

The Chicks swept all five categories in which they were nominated. I had suggested that a vote for the Chicks would be an easy way for the academy members to honor the Chicks, make a statement about free speech, and make a political anti-war statement all at the same time, but I totally underestimated the vigor with which the academy members would agree with me. The New York Times tracked down a whole bunch of music industry insiders and confirmed it: the academy was expressing its anger at country music's blackballing of the Chicks after the 2003 kerfluffle.

[Start here if you need a refresher on what this is all about.]



[In 2005, the American Society of Magazine Editors named this 2 May 2003 cover of Entertainment Weekly one of the "40 greatest magazine covers of the last 40 years". The cover depicts the Chicks defiantly -- and nudely and, alas, quite photoshopped-ly -- standing up for their right to freely express their opinions.]

I have stated previously that "Not Ready To Make Nice" is an excellent song and was very deserving of the SOTY award -- I choke up a little every time I hear these lines:

I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
with no regrets and I don't mind saying,
it's a sad, sad story
that a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
and how in the world
can the words that I said
send somebody so over the edge
that they'd write me a letter
saying that I better
shut up and sing
or my life will be over



But it was not the Record Of The Year. "Crazy" was the Record Of The Year. Also, while I agree that Taking The Long Way is the Chicks' best album to date, it was not better than "FutureSex / Lovesounds".

Nevertheless, the academy wanted to make a statement, and they made it very loud and clear.

There have been worse upsets in Grammy history, of course. And I heartily congratulate the Chicks on their well-deserved honors on this historic nite.

Wait, what was that about "history"?

Lost in the well-deserved praise the Chicks have received -- and the stories about whether country radio is ready to take them back -- is the historic feat the Chicks achieved on Sunday nite.

1) In the previous 48 Grammy ceremonies, a "female artist" had won 5 Grammys on the same nite only 4 times. These artists are: Lauryn Hill, 1998; Alicia Keys, 2002; Norah Jones, 2003; and Beyonce, 2004. No "all-female group" had ever won 5 Grammys on the same nite. Until Sunday. [N.B.: "Country / Bluegrass" artist Alison Krauss is the all-time Grammy "winningest" female artist, with 20 lifetime Grammys. She has never won more than 3 on the same nite.]

2) The Chicks swept the "Big Three" awards -- Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. This has not happened since 1993, when Eric Clapton took these awards for Unplugged and "Tears In Heaven". [N.B.: Among Norah Jones's 5 Grammys in 2003 were three "Big" ones -- Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Best New Artist.]

I hope the rumors about the Chicks planning on splitting up turn out to be untrue, or if they were true, that the Chicks will reconsider in light of their triumph on Sunday. They don't need country radio. As Martie noted on Sunday nite, they have become genre-less. Rick Rubin, whose excellent production on Taking The Long Way and "Ready To Make Nice" earned him two Grammys [as Producer on the Album Of The Year and the Record Of The Year] and played a part in winning another as well [as Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical], has helped the Chicks complete their transition out of "country" music the same way he helped Johnny Cash do the same thing a few years earlier. The Chicks can sell millions of CDs in Starbucks / digital downloads / [maybe even] ringtones without the help of the country radio programmers who dropped them 4 years ago.



Emily, Martie & Natalie -- are you ready to take the long way???

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice [mp3, via YSI]
Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice [mp3, via zShare]

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way [mp3, via YSI]
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way [mp3, via zShare]