Grammy's - The Morning After

I remember being a kid and getting so excited that the Grammy Awards were going to be on that night.  I would make a list of all the categories, write down the nominees and then pick who was going to win.  9 out of 10 times I was right, too! (we have already established my geekhood.  shuttup) That was in the 70s and 80s.  Then the 90s hit and I just couldn't be bothered unless someone I liked was nominated and even then it was a chore to have to watch the show.  I have to admit that in the last few years I have been watching again but never with that same enthusiasm. No more lists, no more rooting for a favorite. It is more like a removed, bemused, curiousity.

Last night's show started out with a bang. Having Lady GaGa and Sir Elton kick things off was a genious moment.  I thought they were great together and one of the few "couplings" that actually worked.  Loved seeing Stevie Nicks singing a Taylor Swift song but man, that kid's voice was all over the place...flat, sharp, sharp, flat.  She must have been really nervous.  Then, later in the show, when Roberta Flack came out?  She sounded incredible but looked like a robot and at one point I really thought Maxwell, (who I really like but sounded like crap) was going to knock her over (by accident of course).  Loved Beyonce and glad she won as much as she did and, now don't get me wrong cause I really like Taylor Swift, but I would have liked to have seen Lady GaGa win that last award.

In honor of last night's show, I went through and randomly pulled songs that have won Grammy's in years gone by, put them in order of their Grammy Win and here they are....Today's 10 Tunes.

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1.  King Of The Road - Roger Miller  (Polygram Records) 1966 Remember that list of 100 Coolest Songs I was fantasizing about the other day?  Well, this would be in the Top 10! Roger Miller's voice is so smooth and just world-weary enough to really make you think that he is riding the rails while singing this! Very nice....he just said, "Chillrun"! Randy Travis did a great remake of this song.  You should check it out!

2.  Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan 3:35 (MAM Records) 1973 One of the greatest sad songs ever! This one hits you in the face with melancholy right off the bat!  "Oh in a little while now/if I'm not feeling any less sour/I promised myself to treat myself/And visit a nearby tower/in climbing to the top/would throw myself off/in an effort to make it clear to who/ever what it's like when you're shattered" But see, here is a guy with a plan.  He figures he'll give it a little time and if he doesn't feel better about things he will fullfill a promise he made to himself AND teach the world a little something at the same time. Seriously, this song is heartbreaking both musically and lyrically.  I love the guitar solo in the break and don't even get me started on the lyrics at the end of the song.  STILL makes me cry! {{{sniffle}}}  Next.....

3.  (I Love You) I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John 3:40 (EMI Records) 1975 Such a gorgeous song with a very simple message....a woman with her own life (married?) telling a man who also has his own life (married but not to her?) that she loves him even though she knows nothing more can come of it.  I love the straight-forward honesty of this song.  "You shouldn't blow the chance when you've got the chance to say I love you!"  Anywho, I remember seeing Olivia perform this on the Mike Douglas Show in 1974 and I was in love!  I have been a fan ever since!

4.  I Write The Songs - Barry Manilow 3:51 (Arista Records) 1977 Here is a song that almost didn't happen!  Clive Davis brought this to Barry and after reading the lyrics Barry said, "I can't sing this. People are going to think that I am saying that I write the songs that make the whole world sing!" (Little did he know then that he would indeed make the whole world sing his songs but that's another story) Clive insisted and Barry thought, "Ok, but I am going to make this song so big no one will like it and I will never have to sing it again!" Again, man was he wrong!  It wasn't until he realized that he is singing about the "spirit" of music that makes the whole world sing that he truly fell in love with the song.  (I am sure having it become such a huge hit didn't hurt either) This song was recorded by others before him and his is the second best I have ever heard.  The first being the Richard-Nixon-inspired parody Steven and I wrote called "I Erase The Tapes".  But this will always be Barry's song! (stupid legal mumbo jumbo. We coulda had a bigger hit with ours.  I am not bitter.  shuttup)

5.  You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone 3:35 (warner Brothers Records) 1978 Ok, pushing all preconceived notions and memories of this song out of my head.  Wait.  Give me a second.  (pushing, pushing) OK!  Hit it!  Ok, it is a beautiful song with a great lyric.  There is something very weird/funky about the way it was recorded though.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but if I could I would have to wash it.  Everything seems to be doubled and slightly delayed.  The timing of the song is just wrong. I apologize to any Debby Boone fans out there, but in this song, she has no soul, nothing interesting about her voice at all. I have heard more recent things she has done and she has a much more interesting voice now.  I guess age and experience helps. 

6.  Guilty - Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb 4:24 (Columbia Records) 1981 Unlike last night's Grammy Awards, some pairing were so meant to be!  Barbra and Barry Gibb was a genious combination! Amazing lyrics, flawless production work and Barbra singing from the gut (not a HUGE fan of the breathy Gibb sound but it really works set against Barbra's voice)!  I love this song and can remember thinking that THIS was the best she has ever sounded.  That was true for the moment.  Barbra has a way of topping herself and surprising the world.  Of her pop singles, this is one of my favorites.

7.  Shadows Of The Night - Pat Benatar 4:20 (Chrysalis Records) 1983 Oh man I love that accapella opening and then the drums crashing in! Pat Benatar has one of THE greatest voices ever! In fact, she sounds better now than she did when she recorded this song. I know I have told you this before, but Shane and I go to see Pat & Neil every summer for the past 23 years and I can not wait to see what they are going to do this year!  They promised us an all new show! But who are we kidding?  I'd go to see her sing phone book!

8.  Beat It - Michael Jackson 4:11 (Epic Records) 1984 I will admit this up front, I am not a huge Michael Jackson fan.  Sorry.  But there are certain songs that were just such a big part of our personal musical history and this is one of them.  I do love this song!  To me, this is when he was fresh and original and not copying himself. Love, love, love that guitar solo and the bouncing left to right "Beat It"s oh and there is that "eeehee" he stoled from Diana Ross!

9.  Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer 3:59 (Island Records) 1987 Drums, drums drums!!  Chair dancing!   Sorry.  I think this is another song I would put in the Top 100 Coolest Songs.  Such a great sound with so many interesting things going on in the background!  And who can get the image of the video out of their head when they hear this song. Gotta hear it again, talk amongst yourselves.

10.  Somewhere Out There - Linda Rondstadt and James Ingram 3:58 (MCA Records) 1988 So much love for this song!  Such a beautiful thought. Two people can be on opposites ends of the earth and still be underneath the same big sky, thinking the same thoughts and loving each other from such a great distance. Apart but always together.  I was crazy about someone that lived across the country and when I first heard this song, I didn't feel so alone.  I love music.  By the way, this is another outstanding pairing of voices.  Take a note Grammy people!!!!

I know I started this post 2 1/2 hours ago but it seems like 20 minutes have gone by.  And, I only smoked 1 cigarette this whole time! (save your strength)  My best bud Scott is trying to quit and we are supposed to get together tomorrow night (yesterday fell through) so, in a show of solidarity, I am going to cut back drastically, which is not easy to do when I am sitting at the computer, with the hopes of quitting too!  I figure, why should he go through that alone and maybe just knowing that someone else is willing to go the distance with you will help both of us!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and will have a great week ahead.  Go give someone a great big hug.....RIGHT NOW!  Don't think about it, just do it!  See you tomorrow!