Uptown Funk Is Best Song of the Year
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards were held Monday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles hosted by LL Cool J. Record of the Year went to Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, Meghan Trainor won new Artist of the Year and Album of the Year went to Taylor Swift for 1989.
“Thank you to the Grammys. I love you so much,” said a teary-eyed Trainor, who also thanked her parents and Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid.
Kendrick Lamar took home five Grammys including one for Best Rap Album of the Year for To Pimp a Butterfly.
Ed Sheeran walked away with his first-ever Grammy, winning song of the year for Thinking Out Loud. “We wrote it on a couch in my house,” he said of the song, which also won him best pop solo performance. The night also marked first wins for Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Chris Stapleton, Pitbull and Alabama Shakes.
Swift opened the show by performing Out of the Woods in a sequined jumpsuit, a departure from her red carpet attire, which had featured a tiny coral orange top. By the time she took the stage, she had already won two Grammys during the show’s pre-telecast.
The show featured tributes to three music legends who passed away earlier this year. Lady Gaga performed in David Bowie-inspired makeup and gear as she ran through 10 of the icon’s hits, including Space Oddity, Changes, Fame, Let’s Dance and Heroes. Stevie Wonder joined with Grammy-winning a capella group Pentatonix to perform That’s the Way of the World in honor of Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, while members of the Eagles and Jackson Browne sang Take It Easy for Glenn Frey.
Rihanna was a no show. “After Grammy rehearsal today, Rihanna’s doctor put her on vocal rest for 48 hours because she was at risk of hemorrhaging her vocal chords,” a representative said. “The antibiotics she has been on for three days did not kill the infection adequately therefore she cannot perform safely.”
Below is a list of some of the big winners:
Record of the Year
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Album of the Year
1989 by Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran; Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge, songwriters
Best New Artist
Meghan Trainor
Best Pop Solo Performance
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern by Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap
Best Pop Vocal Album
1989 by Taylor Swift
Best Dance Recording
Where Are Ű Now? by Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ű by Skrillex and Diplo
Best Rock Performance
Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes
Best Metal Performance
Cirice by Ghost
Best Rock Song
Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes; Alabama Shakes, songwriters
Best Rock Album
Drones by Muse
Best Alternative Music Album
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes
Best R&B Performance
Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey by The Weeknd
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd
Best R&B Album
Black Messiah by D’Angelo and The Vangard
Best Rap Performance
Alright by Kendrck Lamar
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
These Walls by Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat
Best Rap Song
Alright by Kendrick Lamar; Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears and Pharrell Williams, songwriters
Best Rap Album
To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
Best Country Solo Performance
Traveler by Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Girl Crush by Little Big Town
Best Country Song
Girl Crush by Little Big Town; Hillary Lindey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, songwriters
Best Country Album
Traveler by Chris Stapleton
Best Music Video
Bad Blood by Talyor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
Best Latin Pop Album
A Quien Quiera Escuchar by Ricky Martin
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album (tie)
Hast La Rais by Natalia Lafourcade and
Dale by Pitbull
Best Broken Word Album
A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter
Best Comedy Album
Live at Madison Square Garden by Louis C.K.
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Birdman; Antonial Sanches, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
Glory by Common and John Legend; Lonnie Lynne, Che Smith and John Stephens, songwriters
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Pentatonix; Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kristin Maldonado and Kevin Olusola, producers
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes; Shawn Everett, engineer; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars; Dave Aude, remixer
Best Music Film
Amy (Amy Winehouse); Asif Kapadia, video director; James Gay-Rees, video producer
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.