The “crème de la crème” of nights to celebrate the music industry, the Grammy Awards, is fast approaching and we couldn’t help but take a minute to reflect on the memorable performances over the last decade. Sure enough, there have been lots of controversial, genre-crossing and boundary pushing displays of unity between acts, however, the ones that stand out firmly deserve a mention… for a multitude of reasons.
3. Eminem feat. Elton John – “Stan” (2001)
In a move that sent a few shockwaves (and mixed signals) across the globe, it was a calculated yet clever message by Eminem that he wasn’t a homophobe, despite the public backlash gained from the lyrical context in the hit song. After the seemingly controversial performance, the two formed a long-term friendship which saw Elton John help Eminem beat his drug addiction and remain in sobriety, mainly due to the veteran singer’s relatable substance-abuse problems in the past.
2. Arcade Fire – “Ready To Start” (2011)
Beating out the likes of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum and firm favourite, Eminem, was indie-alternative group, Arcade Fire, shocking perhaps most of the public with their win. Despite being cast as the underdogs, it was a significant victory for the Canadian rockers and soon after, gave way to online mass hysteria on social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, with many users posting messages of confusion and dismay at not knowing who they were, prompting an Internet meme of “Who Is Arcade Fire?” / “Who Is The Suburbs” being posted on blogging site, Tumblr.
1. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound Of Silence” (2003)
Notorious for breaking up many times over, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reformed after receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, provoking a 10 year reunion from each other and public appearances, much to the delight of the crowd, with possibly one of the longest standing ovations I’ve ever seen. With just their voices and a guitar in tow, they demonstrated that sometimes keeping it simple is more effective.
With news circulating that rapper T-Pain wants to perform with Adele at the upcoming 54th Annual Grammy Awards, it should be interesting to see how things unfold and find out who else may perform together!
