meta-scriptThe Week In Music: Where's Lady Gaga's Beef? | GRAMMY.com
The Week In Music: Where's Lady Gaga's Beef?
Lady Gaga

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

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The Week In Music: Where's Lady Gaga's Beef?

The Fame Monster's meat dress marinates at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has added a side of raw Argentinian beef to its menu of exhibits. The infamous meat dress worn by Lady Gaga at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards has been put on display as part of the Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power exhibit. Much care was given to the dress to ensure its arrival in a suitable state — the dress was kept in a meat locker, placed in a vat of chemicals and dried out by taxidermists before being ushered off to the hall. A spokesperson for the hall said the dress looked a bit like "beef jerky," so it was freshened with a coat of paint. "That meat dress represents part of — a very small, small part — of the movement towards equality, and for it to be honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the sh**," said Gaga. The beef, along with the other artifacts on display in the exhibit, will marinate at the hall until February 2012.

Have you ever wondered what it would take to tick off Justin Bieber? One apparent way is to show up late to a recording session. That's what Chris Brown did and it was reportedly enough to make Bieber say, "Man, I'm leaving, bro." According to a report, Brown was to meet with the teen heartthrob to record their duet "Next 2 You," but "stood him up on accident" because he was "all the way on the other side of town handling some business — girl business." While there may have been one less lonely girl on the other side of town and one more lonely Bieber, it seems the boy wonder wasn't too devastated. The Bieb visited the set of "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday to deliver the top 10 list of little-known facts about himself. While taking some good-natured ribbing in stride, Bieber put his stand-up routine on display in sharing secret information about his new women's fragrance, Someday, his affinity for four-slice toasters and siphoning gas, and shocking information about his luscious locks.

Journey's Jonathan Cain has delaCain Vineyards. Whitesnake's David Coverdale has bottled Whitesnake Zinfandel. Tool's Maynard James Keenan co-operates Caduceus Cellars. Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate developed his Insania wine brand in partnership with Three Rivers Winery. Now, alternative rockers Train are joining the brotherhood of vintners by offering their own bottle of fruity goodness. Beginning next week, fans will be able to purchase Drops Of Jupiter, a petite sirah, from the band's official online wine club. "We're not really trying to get into the wine business or anything," said guitarist Jimmy Stafford. "We're trying to create just this little vibe, where people come to our shows, bring a picnic basket and a bottle of wine." Named after the group's GRAMMY-winning Best Rock Song, one-third of the profits will go to San Francisco-based charity Family House, which provides temporary housing to families of sick children. But the band doesn't guarantee that drinking a bottle will help you sail across the sun or make it to the Milky Way.

Forbes published its latest listicle and fortunately, we love lists at TWIM. This time the venerable money magazine looked at the 25 highest-paid musicians in the world. Most of the names are obvious (Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, U2), so we looked for the surprises. Well, there weren't any. Not true surprises anyway, unless you count an Eagles reunion now running into its second decade (No. 8, $60 million in earnings), road warriors Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (No. 16, $38 million), and rock band Muse ($35 million). The list and its dollar figures look pretty glamorous, but what's even less surprising is that Forbes didn't attempt a 25 lowest-paid musicians list, which would likely be a 500,000-way tie with $0 in earnings.

Ever wonder what it was like to be a president before becoming...president? Well, here's your chance to find out. The life of former President Bill Clinton (before he was the leader of the country) has been made into a folk opera. Titled Billy Blythe, the opera centers around a day in the life of Clinton's formative years growing up in Hot Springs, Ark. "Growing up in Arkansas, I heard a lot of stories about Clinton," said the show's co-creator Bonnie Montgomery. "But the real inspiration came when I was reading his autobiography." If you haven't had the chance to read Clinton's My Life, the book is sure to give you an insider's view into the former life of the GRAMMY-winning former president, from Clinton's mother, the late Virginia Clinton Kelley who was known for her love of gambling and makeup, to Clinton's abusive stepfather, Roger Clinton Sr. The opera was premiered last weekend by the Metropolis Opera Project at the Medicine Show Theatre in New York.

Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" remains No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" featuring Christina Aguilera is tops on iTunes singles chart.

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GRAMMY-Winning U.S. Presidents & Politicians: The Obamas, Jimmy Carter & More
(L-R) Alicia Keys and Michelle Obama at the 2019 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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GRAMMY-Winning U.S. Presidents & Politicians: The Obamas, Jimmy Carter & More

In honor of Presidents' Day, salute the former presidents, first ladies and other political figures that have won or been nominated for a golden gramophone including Bernie Sanders and John F. Kennedy.

GRAMMYs/Feb 19, 2024 - 02:03 pm

Presidents and politicians aren't the first people usually associated with GRAMMY season, but surprisingly, several of them — and first ladies, too — have added golden gramophones to their collections of awards.

In fact, at the 2024 GRAMMYs, former First Lady Michelle Obama claimed her second GRAMMY, for her bestselling memoir, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. Four years earlier, her first bestselling book, Becoming, which documented her rise from Chicago's South Side to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, also won a GRAMMY (more on her and husband Barack later).

Obama's latest victory is one of several political GRAMMY wins and nominations that date back to 1965. At the 7th GRAMMY Awards, the late former President John F. Kennedy and former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson — who ran for president twice — each earned nominations for their contributions to The Kennedy Wit, a compilation of Kennedy's most famous and humorous anecdotes. The audio version was nominated for Best Documentary, Spoken Word Or Drama Recording (Other Than Comedy).

And though those nominations didn't turn into wins, there have been a few political figures who have won the coveted trophies. This Presidents' Day, we salute the former presidents, their spouses and even some would-be presidents who sit among the ranks of GRAMMY winners.

Jimmy Carter

Leading the pack is the 39th U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, who has three wins out of nine nominations to his credit, making him the most honored politician in GRAMMY history. All of his wins and nominations are in the Best Spoken Word Album Category.

The prolific Carter won his first GRAMMY at the 48th ceremony in 2006 for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis and his most recent for Faith: A Journey for All at the 61st telecast in 2018. He also won in 2015 for A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety.

Carter earned his first GRAMMY nomination in 1997, 17 years after leaving office, for the audio adaptation of his 13th book, Living Faith. His other nods came in 1998, 2001, 2007, 2009 and 2014.

Bill & Hillary Rodham Clinton

Former president Bill Clinton earned two terms in 1992 and 1996, but Hillary Rodham Clinton, his first lady, beat him to GRAMMYs glory. Not long after he won re-election in 1996, Hillary won her first GRAMMY for It Takes a Village, which won Best Spoken Word Album at the 39th ceremony in 1997. Her album Living History landed a second nomination in the Category in 2004; though she didn't take home the GRAMMY, Bill was a winner that year. He won Best Spoken Word Album For Children for his role in Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks

The following year, at the 47th GRAMMYs, Bill won in the Best Spoken Word Album Category for his memoir, My Life. Additional nominations followed in 2007 for Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, and in 2012 for Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy, both in the same Category.

The Clinton administration also (sort of) had a claim on Best Spoken Word Album at the 51st GRAMMYs in 2009, thanks to Cynthia Nixon's audiobook reading of the bestseller An Inconvenient Truth, written by Al Gore, who served as vice president under Clinton during both terms.

Barack & Michelle Obama

The Obama family may not have penned as many books as Carter (at least not yet), but collectively, former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle outpace him with four GRAMMYs, two apiece. 

Barack's two wins are both in the Best Spoken Word Album Category for audio adaptations of two books published before his presidency: the memoir Dreams from My Father in 2005 and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream in 2007. His third nomination in the Category came at the 64th GRAMMY awards in 2022 for "A Promised Land."

As previously mentioned, Michelle Obama is two for two with her GRAMMY nominations. She first won for her 2018 memoir, Becoming, which took home Best Spoken Word Album at the 62nd GRAMMYs in 2020, and four years later, she won Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording for The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. (And before any of her nominations, in 2019, Michelle was part of a girl-powered surprise intro segment alongside Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith and then-host Alicia Keys.)

Notable Nominations

Thirteen years after John F. Kennedy earned the first presidential GRAMMY nomination, former President Harry S. Truman was nominated for "The Truman Tapes," in the Best Spoken Word Recording Category (which is the same as Kennedy's Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (Other Than Comedy) Category, and is now known as the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording as of press time) in 1978.

Former President Richard Nixon earned a nomination in the same Category the next year, for his televised interviews with journalist David Frost, packaged as The Nixon Interviews With David Frost.

In 2015 — five years before her 2020 presidential run — Sen. Elizabeth Warren earned her first GRAMMY nomination for the adaptation of her bestselling book, A Fighting Chance, in the Best Spoken Word Album Category at the 57th GRAMMYs.

U.S. Senator and two-time presidential candidate Bernie Sanders earned a nomination in the same Category in 2017, for the reading of Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In. Like Michelle Obama, he earned his second GRAMMY nomination at the 2024 GRAMMYs, in the same category as the victorious former first lady (Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording) for his book It's Ok To Be Angry About Capitalism

With two GRAMMY nominations (and one win) in 2024, it's clear that, even nearly 60 years on, political figures will continue to be prominent in the GRAMMY sphere. 

10 Must-See Moments From The 2024 GRAMMYs: Taylor Swift Makes History, Billy Joel & Tracy Chapman Return, Boygenius Manifest Childhood Dreams

17 Love Songs That Have Won GRAMMYs: "I Will Always Love You," "Drunk In Love" & More
(L-R) Usher and Alicia Keys during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.

Photo: L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

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17 Love Songs That Have Won GRAMMYs: "I Will Always Love You," "Drunk In Love" & More

Over the GRAMMYs' 66-year history, artists from Frank Sinatra to Ed Sheeran have taken home golden gramophones for their heartfelt tunes. Take a look at some of the love songs that have won GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Feb 14, 2024 - 09:42 pm

Editor's Note: This is an update to a story from 2017.

Without heart-bursting, world-shifting love songs, music wouldn't be the same. There are countless classic and chart-topping hits dedicated to love, and several of them have won GRAMMYs.

We're not looking at tunes that merely deal with shades of love or dwell in heartbreak. We're talking out-and-out, no-holds-barred musical expressions of affection — the kind of love that leaves you wobbly at the knees.

No matter how you're celebrating Valentine's Day (or not), take a look at 18 odes to that feel-good, mushy-gushy love that have taken home golden gramophones over the years.

Frank Sinatra, "Strangers In The Night"

Record Of The Year / Best Vocal Performance, Male, 1967

Ol' Blue Eyes offers but a glimmer of hope for the single crowd on Valentine's Day, gently ruminating about exchanging glances with a stranger and sharing love before the night is through.

Willie Nelson, "Always On My Mind"

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, 1983

In this cover, Nelson sings to the woman in his life, lamenting over those small things he should have said and done, but never took the time. Don't find yourself in the same position this Valentine's Day.

Lionel Richie, "Truly"

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1983

"Truly" embodies true dedication to a loved one, and it's delivered with sincerity from the king of '80s romantic pop — who gave life to the timeless love-song classics "Endless Love," "Still" and "Three Times A Lady."

Roy Orbison, "Oh, Pretty Woman"

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1991

Orbison captures the essence of encountering a lovely woman for the first time, and offers helpful one-liners such as "No one could look as good as you" and "I couldn't help but see … you look as lovely as can be." Single men, take notes.

Whitney Houston, "I Will Always Love You"

Record Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, 1994

Houston passionately delivers a message of love, remembrance and forgiveness on her version of this song, which was written by country sweetheart Dolly Parton and first nominated for a GRAMMY in 1982.

Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)"  

Record Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, 1999

This omnipresent theme song from the 1997 film Titanic was propelled to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 as the story of Jack and Rose (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and GRAMMY winner Kate Winslet) swept the country.

Shania Twain, "You're Still The One"

Best Female Country Vocal Performance, Best Country Song, 1999

Co-written with producer and then-husband Mutt Lange, Twain speaks of beating the odds with love and perseverance in lyrics such as, "I'm so glad we made it/Look how far we've come my baby," offering a fresh coat of optimism for couples of all ages.

Usher & Alicia Keys, "My Boo"

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, 2005

"There's always that one person that will always have your heart," sings Usher in this duet with Keys, taking the listener back to that special first love. The chemistry between the longtime friends makes this ode to “My Boo” even more heartfelt, and the love was still palpable even 20 years later when they performed it on the Super Bowl halftime show stage.

Bruno Mars, "Just The Way You Are"

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, 2011

Dating advice from Bruno Mars: If you think someone is beautiful, you should tell them every day. Whether or not it got Mars a date for Valentine's Day, it did get him a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona, "Fool For You" 

Best Traditional R&B Performance, 2012

It's a far cry from his previous GRAMMY-winning song, "F*** You," but "Fool For You" had us yearning for "that deep, that burning/ That amazing unconditional, inseparable love."

Justin Timberlake, "Pusher Love Girl" 

Best R&B Song, 2014

Timberlake is so high on the love drug he's "on the ceiling, baby." Timberlake co-wrote the track with James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon and Timbaland, and it's featured on his 2013 album The 20/20 Experience, which flew high to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z, "Drunk In Love"

Best R&B Performance / Best R&B Song, 2015

While "Drunk In Love" wasn't the first love song that won Beyoncé and Jay-Z a GRAMMY — they won two GRAMMYs for "Crazy In Love" in 2004 — it is certainly the sexiest. This quintessential 2010s bop from one of music's most formidable couples captures why their alliance set the world's hearts aflame (and so did their steamy GRAMMYs performance of it).

Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"

Song Of The Year / Best Pop Solo Performance, 2016

Along with his abundant talent, Sheeran's boy-next-door charm is what rocketed him to the top of the pop ranks. And with swooning lyrics and a waltzing melody, "Thinking Out Loud" is proof that he's a modern-day monarch of the love song.

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, "Shallow"

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance / Best Song Written For Visual Media, 2019

A Star is Born's cachet has gone up and down with its various remakes, but the 2018 iteration was a smash hit. Not only is that thanks to moving performances from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but particularly thanks to their impassioned, belt-along duet "Shallow."

H.E.R. & Daniel Caesar, "Best Part"

Best R&B Performance, 2019

"If life is a movie/ Know you're the best part." Who among us besotted hasn't felt their emotions so widescreen, so thunderous? Clearly, H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar have — and they poured that feeling into the GRAMMY-winning ballad "Best Part."

Kacey Musgraves, "Butterflies"

Best Country Solo Performance, 2019

As Musgraves' Album Of The Year-winning LP Golden Hour shows, the country-pop star can zoom in or out at will, capturing numberless truths about the human experience. With its starry-eyed lyrics and swirling production, "Butterflies" perfectly encapsulates the flutter in your stomach that love can often spark.

Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, "10,000 Hours"

Best Country Duo/Group Performance, 2021

When country hook-meisters Dan + Shay teamed up with pop phenom Justin Bieber, their love song powers were unstoppable. With more than 1 billion Spotify streams alone, "10,000 Hours" has become far more than an ode to just their respective wives; it's an anthem for any lover.

Lovesick Or Sick Of Love: Listen To GRAMMY.com's Valentine's Day Playlist Featuring Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Playboi Carti, Olivia Rodrigo, FKA Twigs & More

U2 Performs "Atomic City" & Transports The 2024 GRAMMYs To Las Vegas
The Sphere in Las Vegas

Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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U2 Performs "Atomic City" & Transports The 2024 GRAMMYs To Las Vegas

Bono and co.’s long-distance return to the 2024 GRAMMYs marks the Sphere, a state-of-the-art Sin City structure. The 22-time GRAMMY winners performed a jaunty take on "Atomic City" among incredible visuals.

GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 02:51 am

U2 transported Music's Biggest Night from the Crytpo.com Arena in Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Sunday night, performing their song "Atomic City" live from the Sphere. 

"Guitar, she pulls the strings et cetera/ Sinatra swings, a choir sings/ Love is God and God is love/ And if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough," Bono wailed as the cameras took in the majesty and awe of the futuristic venue just off the Vegas Strip.

Following the performance, the live segment also featured a special presentation of Best Pop Vocal Album Award to Taylor Swift for 2022’s Midnights — with the superstar using her acceptance speech to announce the April 19 release date for her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Bono and co.’s long-distance return to the GRAMMYs (where they last performed at the 2018 GRAMMYs) marks the first live broadcast from the state-of-the-art Sin City structure, which the 22-time GRAMMY winners are currently breaking in as a performance venue with their residency U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.

Launched in September, U2’s inaugural run of 40 shows at the Sphere will wrap on March 2. After the Dublin rockers’ final concert highlighting their 1991 GRAMMY-winning album Achtung Baby, Dead & Company will take over the venue for their own residency with an assist from John Mayer.

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominees And Winners List

2024 GRAMMYs Presenters Announced: Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Kacey Musgraves, Maluma, Taylor Tomlinson & More
(Clockwise, L-R) Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, Maluma, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Tomlinson, Samara Joy, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep

Photos courtesy of the artists

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2024 GRAMMYs Presenters Announced: Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Kacey Musgraves, Maluma, Taylor Tomlinson & More

Additional presenters for the 2024 GRAMMYs include Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, and Samara Joy. The 2024 GRAMMYs will broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4.

GRAMMYs/Jan 31, 2024 - 03:00 pm

Updated Friday, Feb. 2, to add Kacey Musgraves as a presenter.

Presenters for the 2024 GRAMMYs have been announced: Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Mark Ronson, Maluma, Kacey Musgraves, Meryl Streep, Samara Joy, Taylor Tomlinson, and Oprah Winfrey are all confirmed to take the GRAMMY stage on Music's Biggest Night this weekend, Sunday, Feb. 4. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper GRAMMY night without a few surprise guests, so make sure to tune in to find out who you'll see on GRAMMY Sunday.

In addition to the star-studded presenter lineup, the 2024 GRAMMYs will feature breathtaking performances from the leading artists in music today. Performers at the 2024 GRAMMYs include Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Dua Lipa, Joni Mitchell, Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Travis Scott, and U2. Several confirmed GRAMMY performers will make GRAMMY history at the 2024 GRAMMYs this weekend: Mitchell will make her GRAMMY performance debut, while U2 will deliver the first-ever broadcast performance from Sphere in Las Vegas. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days. See the full list of performers, presenters and host at the 2024 GRAMMYs to date.

Learn More: 2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

2024 GRAMMYs: Explore More & Meet The Nominees

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, will broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.^ Prior to the Telecast, the 2024 GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony will broadcast live from the Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com. On GRAMMY Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes GRAMMY Awards content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the GRAMMY Live red-carpet special, and more via the Recording Academy's digital experience on live.GRAMMY.com.

Trevor Noah, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated comedian, actor, author, podcast host, and former "The Daily Show" host, returns to host the 2024 GRAMMYs for the fourth consecutive year; he is currently nominated at the 2024 GRAMMYs in the Best Comedy Album Category for his 2022 Netflix comedy special, I Wish You Would.

The 66th GRAMMY Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.

^Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand in the United States. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs in the U.S. only.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach Music's Biggest Night!

How To Watch The 2024 GRAMMYs Live: GRAMMY Nominations Announcement, Air Date, Red Carpet, Streaming Channel & More