What Was The Biggest Grammy Snub?
The media made a lot of Justin Bieber’s shut-out in the Grammy nominations, but iHeart radio listeners think Coldplay’s failure to land an Album of the Year nomination was the year’s biggest Grammy snub. Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto is nominated for Best Rock Album, but that’s a bit of a consolation prize for acts that are hoping for a nom in the higher-profile Album of the Year category. (The band’s previous album, 2008’s Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, was nominated for the top prize.)
Here’s how iHeart radio listeners responded to the question, “Who's the biggest Grammy snub this year?”
1. Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto not being nominated for Album of the Year, 21.9%
2. Carly Rae Jepsen not being nominated for Best New Artist, 16.5%
3. One Direction not being nominated for Best New Artist, 14.3%
4. Justin Bieber’s Believe not being nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, 12.8%
5. Rihanna’s Talk That Talk not being nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, 10.6%
6. PSY’s “Gangnam Style” not being nominated for Record of the Year, 10.1%
7. Drake’s Take Care not being nominated for Album of the Year, 8.0%
8. Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded not being nominated for Best Rap Album, 5.8%
My comments: Jepsen’s failure to receive a Best New Artist nomination was odd. “Call Me Maybe” (which Jepsen co-wrote) is up in two highly competitive categories: Song of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance. The failure of the Bieber and Rihanna albums to receive nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album was noteworthy. Both artists were nominated in that category with their previous studio albums. (Rihanna’s previous album, Loud, was even up for Album of the Year.) One correction: Minaj’s album was vying for a nomination as Best Pop Vocal Album. Her previous album, Pink Friday, was nominated for Best Rap Album, but this year she was judged to have gone pop.
Question 2: “These artists received a whopping six Grammy nominations each. Who do you think deserves to win most?”
1. Mumford & Sons, 25.9%
2. fun., 22.1%
3. Jay-Z, 17.2%
4. Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys), 14.6%
5. Kanye West, 10.9%
6. Frank Ocean, 9.3%
My comments: I’m surprised that Jay-Z is ahead of his Watch The Throne collaborator, West. And I’m surprised that Ocean is so low.
Question 3: “If you were a part of the Academy, who would you choose as the Grammy winners for the following categories?”
Best New Artist
1. fun., 35.2%
2. Hunter Hayes, 20.5%
3. The Lumineers, 19.7%
4. Frank Ocean, 18.3%
5. Alabama Shakes, 6.4%
My comments: fun. and Ocean are competing for both Album and Record of the Year. Given that, it’s surprising that Ocean is behind Hayes and The Lumineers. This suggests that Grammy voters and industry insiders are more aware of him than rank-and-file music fans are at this point.
Best Rap Album
1. Drake’s Take Care, 47.1%
2. Nas’ Life Is Good, 15.5%
3. The Roots’ Undun, 12.2%
4. Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1, 9.5%
5. 2 Chainz’s Based On A T.R.U. Story, 8.5%
6. Rick Ross’ God Forgives, I Don’t, 7.2%
My Comments: Whoever wins will be winning in the category for the first time. The biggest past winners have been Eminem (five wins in the category) and Kanye West (four).
Best Country Solo Performance
1. Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away,” 41.0%
2. Blake Shelton’s “Over,” 20.4%
3. Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted,” 12.4%
4. Eric Church’s “Springsteen,” 11.8%
5. Dierks Bentley’s “Home,” 11.2%
6. Ronnie Dunn’s “Cost Of Livin,’” 3.2%
My Comments: iHeart’s listeners suggest that Underwood, the only female artist in this combined male/female category, should walk off with the prize. Underwood took Best Female Country Vocal Performance three years in a row with “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” “Before He Cheats” and “Last Name.”
Here’s a question that wasn’t specifically about the Grammys: “What was the catchiest song of 2012?”
1. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” 22.7%
2. Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera’s “Moves Like Jagger,” 19.6%
3. PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” 19.0%
4. Gotye featuring Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” 12.3%
5. Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” 12.3%
6. fun.’s “Some Nights,” 8.5%
7. The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” 5.7%
My comments: The use of the word “catchiest,” rather than “best” or “your favorite,” probably boosted earworms like “Call Me Maybe” and “We Are Never Ever…” Incidentally, “Moves Like Jagger” is from 2011. It was nominated for a Grammy a year ago. So which of these “catchy” songs received Record of the Year nominations? “Call Me Maybe,” “Somebody That I Used To Know” and “We Are Never Ever…’’
