January 4, 2002

4:58 PM

Nominations for the Grammy Awardswere announced this morning. A crop of new female artists (India.Arie, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keyes) scored big, and Michael Jackson got yet another nomination. Which was your favorite nomination? Who should have been nominated? Do Grammy voters have a clue?
posted by neuroshred (40 comments total)

This year I think the Grammy voters have more of a clue. Hardly any teenyboppers, Outkast in the best album category, and a slew of new artists in the top categories.

My favorites: multiple nominations for U2, Linkin Park and Nelly Furtado. They Might Be Giants being nominated for the Malcolm In The Middle Theme Song. Coldplay getting nominated in the Performance by a Duo or Group and the Alternative categories.

Go to this page for a pdf of the complete nominees list.
posted by neuroshred at 5:03 PM on January 4, 2002

Garbage, suitable mostly for music critics and snobs. The Billboard charts are the voice of the masses.
posted by owillis at 5:14 PM on January 4, 2002

Bob Dylan!
posted by y2karl at 5:19 PM on January 4, 2002

Well, I’m driving in the flats in a Cadillac car;
The girls all say, “You’re a worn out star!”
My pockets are loaded and I’m spending every dime.
How can you say you love someone else, you know it’s me all the time.

Well, the fog’s so thick you can’t spy the land,
The fog’s so thick that you can’t even spy the land,
What good are you anyway if you can’t stand up to some old businessman?

Need he or I say more?
posted by y2karl at 5:24 PM on January 4, 2002

The Billboard charts aren't necessarily an good guide to acts that are actually important (as in original, will be influential to popular music (even the most popular musicians turn out to be music 'snobs'), lasting appeal, ...). I'm fairly sure the masses would be hooked on The Anniversary if properly exposed. Anyway, this music snob must note that these are hardly music snob picks; these probably do come from Billboard.
posted by skyline at 5:46 PM on January 4, 2002

Wow. A big bag of suck. Who'd-a thunk it?
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:47 PM on January 4, 2002

I ought to box your ears, owillis. Props to TMBG and PJ Harvey.
posted by thebigpoop at 5:56 PM on January 4, 2002

What, Fugazi overlooked again?
posted by bobo123 at 6:05 PM on January 4, 2002

For a number of reasons, I actually like Alicia Keyes, but it saddens me to realize that music has reached a point where simply being attractive and actually singing your own songs makes you queen of the roost. I don't follow pop music too much, but remain stunned that on the strength of her one hit song, Alicia Keyes is a good bet for best new artist.
posted by Sinner at 6:06 PM on January 4, 2002

Glad to see Ryan Adams get a nod, Gold is a great CD and deserving of a nomination. Bob Dylans Love and Theft as well.
posted by faithnomore at 6:12 PM on January 4, 2002

The Grammys is usually about a 50/50 mesh with what I personally listen to. It's a crapshoot. It holds no bearing on my life. People put way too much emphasis on these sorts of award systems. They mean nothing. What annoys me is bands and artists who get too much attention already are noticed by these things, while much more talented and deserving artists are snubbed and dismissed. It's a popularity contest and has nothing to do with what makes good music.
posted by ZachsMind at 6:17 PM on January 4, 2002

The Grammys always suck. Worst awards. They tend to either honor the flavors of the moment or they give a tip of the hat to the dinosaurs still cranking out the junk.

Look, I love U2 as much as the next guy, but...share the wealth. And TMBG should have gotten props long, long ago.
posted by ColdChef at 6:18 PM on January 4, 2002

"Need he or I say more?"

Jethro Tull for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental, 1988.

Need I say more?

The Grammys are irrelevant.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:42 PM on January 4, 2002

or steely dan last year, crash.
posted by pikachulolita at 7:27 PM on January 4, 2002

For both a Burroughs refence and an inside dildo joke, Steely Dan really disappoint me. I think they should sound more like Judas Priest used to.
posted by dong_resin at 7:30 PM on January 4, 2002

What I'd really like is to tie Alicia Keyes' shoelaces together, give her a ten pace head start, then get silly with the lawn darts.

Bet I could get three or four of `em into that football shaped head of hers before any noticeable loss of function showed up.
posted by dong_resin at 7:30 PM on January 4, 2002

Football shaped head? Ha ha!

I really don't like Nelly Furtado. What kind of name is Furtado anyway? Also her alleged music from what I've seen is extremely crackbrained and crazy.
posted by Keen at 7:37 PM on January 4, 2002

There's a positive correlation between number of CD's sold and winning. It's a popularity contest.

Think of the Grammy's like those stupid highschool "best" Yearbook categories. At my school, most athletic was some preppy who stopped playing sports (basketball) after sophomore year. Cutest couple had been together for less than two months. Best eyes was best friends with the Yearbook Editor. Most likely to succeed was the guy who had the resources to throw parties at his house every weekend; he now goes to a JC.

It's self-congratulating tripe. Ignore the Grammy's like you would IQ tests and the like.
posted by Mach3avelli at 7:37 PM on January 4, 2002

I liked Alicia Keys' Fallin' better back when James Brown sang it and it was called "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
posted by anildash at 8:15 PM on January 4, 2002

fallin' fails to capture my interest. the only other song that forces me to change the radio station as fast is that mary j. blige song, family affair:

Don't need no hateration

c'mon, now. that'd have even ignorant people looking at you funny.... i like nelly furtado though. maybe it's just something new to my ears, or it's that "crazy flow" of hers, but she and linkin park were the ones on the list who have entertained my ears the most this year... i can't understand why i like linkin park though. nice to see they might be giants getting a nod. would've liked to see a difranco mention someone in there... but i guess room has to be made for the ja rules and jay-zs (a.k.a. the jigga-man ["i choose you, jiggamon!"].).
posted by lotsofno at 9:29 PM on January 4, 2002

I think Missy Elliot made the biggest pop bang this year.
Name a hip-hop song she wasn't in, produced, sampled for or somehow showed up in.

She's a lot like David Bowie, except in the ways where she's like Oprah.
posted by dong_resin at 9:51 PM on January 4, 2002

Mainstream music, MTV, the Grammys and Billboard is garbage is general. The only purpose behind every single one of these artists is to make money. When the only reason why you make music is to make money, your music will suck.
posted by lostbyanecho at 9:53 PM on January 4, 2002

The only purpose behind every single one of these artists is to make money.

And yet, here's Rage Against the Machine, nominated for a Grammy (for best hard rock performance, along with the "Smooth Criminal" remake, a track I find hilarious for some reason). The band is probably turning over in its collective grave. This seems like the sort of thing they'd hate.

In general, I agree with lostbyanecho. The Grammys are a joke, although there are fewer songs/groups nominated this year that make me want to puke.
posted by diddlegnome at 10:06 PM on January 4, 2002

Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams ... some good representation this year ... not to mention Adams, Cash, Lovett and Nelson dueling for the Grammy
posted by deviant at 11:01 PM on January 4, 2002

What kind of name is Furtado anyway?

That would be Portuguese. I wasn't aware that the flavour of one's name had some bearing on their relative talent.

That said, it could've been much, much worse. N'Sync (as much as I get down to their silly, silly grooves) Destiny's Child and Britney Spears all put out multi-million selling discs in the eligibility period. Oh wait, Destiny's Child is nominated. There goes my "Grammys have grown up" theory. Kill me now.
posted by Dreama at 11:07 PM on January 4, 2002

What kind of name is Furtado anyway?

I always think Fritata and imagine a large dish of baked eggs singing just for me. Try it, it works.
posted by donovan at 11:25 PM on January 4, 2002

Dreama, *NSync is on the list, you know. Same category as the Backstreet Boys (can't remember which one, maybe Best Wussy-Boy Harmonies). It's the clash of the Titans!
posted by diddlegnome at 11:51 PM on January 4, 2002

Unless they get regular airplay on Rio Grande, I don't care how many awards they're up for.
posted by ZachsMind at 12:00 AM on January 5, 2002

Dave Matthews Band is nominated for an award for "The Space Between". Even though the Everyday album was pop crap and TSB is a mediocre song, it's nice to see a real, quality band in the nominations.
posted by tomorama at 12:29 AM on January 5, 2002

I am personally offended by any comparisons between David Bowie and Missy "Missdameaner" Elliot. Everyone else should be too.
Back to the Grammy's though, I'm pretty sure they have nothing to do with music critics or snobs. Unless they are bad music critics or ignorant snobs. Outkast does deserve some credit, but the rest pretty much sucks. That's coming from a music critic and snob.
posted by mikeyb at 1:34 AM on January 5, 2002

Hee... I figured you for a music critic the moment you managed to take offense. There's no need to identify yourself.

Missy and Bowie share the ability to smoothly incorporate new influences into their rather mainstream sound, is all.
By way of example, I hadn't heard tablas in pop music since Talvin Singh, and then, there they were in "Get UR Freak On." I thought that was cool.
posted by dong_resin at 1:47 AM on January 5, 2002

Dreama, *NSync is on the list, you know.

Yes, but Pop isn't up for album of the year or anything like that. That would've been horrific beyond compare.

Outkast does deserve some credit, but the rest pretty much sucks.

Yeah, you know, Dylan and India Arie and Lucinda Williams can't hold a candle to Stankonia. I'm sorry Miss Jackson, that can't be for real.

By way of example, I hadn't heard tablas in pop music since Talvin Singh, and then, there they were in "Get UR Freak On." I thought that was cool.

A group which shall remain nameless featured tablas on two or three of the songs on their 1997 release, Medazzaland. Tablas ain't all that new and exciting.
posted by Dreama at 5:09 AM on January 5, 2002

A crop of new female artists (India.Arie, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keyes) scored big

Are we to assume, then, that this will be The Year Of The Woman at the Grammys for, what, the tenth year running?

posted by aaronetc at 6:28 AM on January 5, 2002

Medazzaland sucked, but I found it to be a good soundtrack to the book Dead Girls by Richard Calder, which is great.

Electric Barbarella, and all that.
posted by dong_resin at 6:36 AM on January 5, 2002

dong_resin, I'ma gonna ferget that you said that.
posted by Dreama at 9:24 AM on January 5, 2002

If "Drops of Jupiter" wins Record of the Year or Song of the Year, I will give up the 2% of hope I've harbored for the Grammies. It's the epitome of pop music today: contrived, heartstring-tugging pap created by people who will be a trivia question in 10 years.
posted by hijinx at 9:51 AM on January 5, 2002

hijinx, are you saying that "Drops of Jupiter" doesn't compare to "the best soy latte that you've ever had?"
posted by dayvin at 10:20 AM on January 5, 2002

What kind of name is Furtado anyway?

Thanks, Dreama. Name fascism is wrong. Specially as it makes one appear to defend her awful whining. Anyway, it's the Nelly that's wrong. So there!

Come to think of it, what kind of a name is Bono?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:23 AM on January 5, 2002

Fuckin' Missy Elliot is just one big Duran Duran ripoff.
posted by anildash at 3:32 PM on January 5, 2002

I hate Drops of Jupiter. And watching the record company spew up advertisements that went like, "...once in a while, a song comes along that is so special, so wonderful, that it just grabs you. Train's Drops of Jupiter is it.... Buy now!".
posted by aki at 10:08 PM on January 6, 2002