Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.—Anais Nin
There’s a difference between being slightly off and missing the whole target completely. This rather hurts.
Okay, I have been putting this off all day, immersing myself in fashion shows and trying to not think of how horribly off I was with my Grammy predictions. The time has come to own up to my errors, though, and take my just beating for not being even remotely in tune with last night’s music awards. I guess I’m more out of touch than I realized. Let’s take a look.
Album of the Year
My prediction: I admitted that Taylor Swift would likely win, but was really hoping for Alabama Shakes.
Who actually won: Taylor Swift, of course.
Song of the Year
My prediction: Ed Sheerhan, Thinking Out Loud
Who actually won: Ed Sheerhan, Thinking Out Loud. Hey, I actually got this one right!!
Record of the Year
My prediction: was split between D’Angelo, Really Love, and Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk
Who actually won: Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk. I’ll take half a credit for this one.
Best New Artist
My prediction: Meghan Trainor
Who actually won: Meghan Trainor. Hey, wait, this isn’t tasting too much like defeat at this point. I have 2.5 out of 4!
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
My prediction: Maroon Five
Who actually won: Mark Ronson. Yeah, I can see why. I just like sharing the love, ya’ know? Okay, so I’m essentially 50/50 at this point.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
My prediction: Tony Bennett, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
Who actually won: Tony Bennett, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern Oooh, I’m 3.5 of 6 now!
Best Pop Vocal Album
My prediction: I admitted that Taylor Swift was a shoe-in for this one, but preferred James Taylor, just because
Who actually won: Taylor Swift. I’ll take a half point for this one because, technically, I was correct, I just didn’t want to be. So, I’m 4/7 now. Not a horrible defeat.
Best Rock Performance
My prediction: How could it not be the Foo Fighters?
Who actually won: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight. Sigh. Yeah, Alabama Shakes rocks, I’ll give you that, but they didn’t have to do it with a broken leg! I’m 4/8 now.
Best Rock Song
My prediction: Florence + The Machine, What Kind of Man
Who actually won: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight. Once the Grammy voters get on a roll, they don’t tend to stray. This one was a matter of taste. I’m not 4/9 and the defeat is starting to hurt.
Best R&B Performance
My prediction: Andra Day, Rise Up.
Who actually won: The Weeknd, Earnd It. I’m actually rather upset about this one. The Weeknd is a great group, but there’s no way I’m taking anything from such a ridiculous movie. 4/10 now.
Best R&B Song
My prediction: D’Angelo and Kendra Foster, Really Love
Who actually won: D’Angelo and Kendra Foster, Really Love. I was so very happy with this one. Congratulations, Kendra! 5/11 isn’t too bad, I suppose.
Best Country Duo/Group
My prediction: Joey + Rory, for sentimental reasons. I mean, are you really going to say no to a dying woman?
Who actually won: Little Big Town, Girl Crush. I call bullshit on this one. Wouldn’t have hurt anyone to be generous with this one Grammy. I’m 5/12
Best Country Song
My prediction: Little Big Town, Girl Crush
Who actually won: Little Big Town, Girl Crush. See, I’m good with Little Big Town taking this one; it’s a cool song. They didn’t need both, though. I’m 6/13.
Best Country Solo Performance
My prediction: Cam, Burning House
Who actually won: Chris Stapleton, Traveller. Sorry, I’m not impressed. That makes me 6/14. Defeat does not taste good.
Best Pop Solo Performance
My prediction: The Weeknd, Can’t Feel My Face
Who actually won: Ed Sheerhan, Thinking Out Loud. Another example of the Grammy voters getting in a rut. This piling on thing is distasteful. So is being 6/15.
Best Gospel Performance/Song
My prediction: Kirk Franklin, Wanna Be Happy
Who actually won: Kirk Franklin, Wanna Be Happy Yes, and this makes me happy. I move up to 7/16.
Best American Roots Performance
My prediction: Mavis Staples, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Who actually won: Mavis Staples, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean Because child, you would be ill to make any other choice. I’ll happily mark that win and go up 8/17.
Best American Roots Song
My prediction: Don Henley, The Cost of Living
Who actually won: Jason Isbell, 24 Frames. Again, the Grammy Voters have no sense of tradition or sentiment here. Damn it.
Those were all the predictions I made, so I finish at eight of eighteen, less than 50% accuracy. Defeat hurts. I’m not happy. But then, typically only the winners are happy. So, we’ll wait until next year and do it all again. My crow is eaten.
One More Song
Aretha Franklin says she’s retiring after one last album
The Short Version
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, says she is retiring from performing after one last album. At age 74, such a move is perfectly understandable, especially given her health problems in recent years. So, she’ll make one last album with Stevie Wonder producing and then call it quits. No more. But Clive Davis doesn’t think she really means it.
Some Background Info
If you are one of those dear, innocent three-month-old children who has never heard of Aretha Franklin, it is time you were educated on the matters of soul. Quite simply, there is no one better. Beyoncè and Rhianna and even Lady Gaga would be nothing without the foundation Aretha laid down before those singers were even born. She won 18 Grammy awards back when those actually meant something. She’s sold over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine has named her THE best singer in the world. Period. Aretha was winning lifetime achievement awards back when your parents, or grandparents, were still in high school.
Ms. Franklin has still been going strong. At a Kennedy Center Honors event in 2015, Aretha sat down at a piano and belted out Carole King’s (You make me feel like a ) Natural Woman which was a hit for Franklin all the way back in 1967. Here, take a moment and watch the video:
https://youtu.be/5RIgeu-6Jcs
If I were to try and list just the songs that have been top ten hits for Ms. Franklin, it would extend longer than you likely have time to scroll. There is no one in the music industry today who can even stand in the shadow of Aretha. She’s that important.
So, She’s Going To Retire?
Ms. Frankling told a Detroit NBC news affiliate that she plans to retire this year. She’s already won every award there is to win, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2oo5). There really isn’t anything left for her to do except, possibly, put her legacy further out of reach from anyone else. So, being 74, one can see where she might find it preferable to sit back and take it easy for a while.
Oh, but she wants to do one more album. Just one, mind you. One last collection of songs with long-time friend Stevie Wonder at the production controls. The album hasn’t even been named yet and is already the most highly anticipated project of the year. When two legends of R&B come together like this at any time, you know the results are going to be phenomenal. As a finalè goodbye album, just go ahead and hand out the tissues. I don’t care if all she does is sit at the piano and hum, I’m sure it would be the most soul-stirring hum you’ve ever heard.
Of course, if there’s an album, there has to be a tour, right? Franklin told the Detroit station she would do “some select things, many one a month, for six months out of the year.” Still, she asserts, this is her last year in concert. She wants to spend more time with her grandchildren.
I’m not the only one who is skeptical. Clive Davis, whose Arista label produced Aretha from 1980 through 2004, doesn’t think she’ll be able to stay away from the music. Davis told the Associated Press:
“I think that what she might have meant was that she doesn’t plan an extensive tour — still not flying and still traveling by bus, it’s just hard to stay on that bus. Aretha is still magical in person and still has the God-given voice that she has. I don’t believe that she’s retiring. I just believe that she’s cutting back, judiciously.”
Clive’s reasoning makes more sense. Aretha is one of those people who just can’t stop singing. Maybe we won’t see her as often, but I’m almost certain we’ll still see her. Somewhere. On a stage. Making everyone else look like an amateur.
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