SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Nominations for next year’s Grammy Awards were announced on Friday, and Beyoncé leads the list with 11 nominations.
(SOUNDBITE OF “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”)
Beyoncé: (Singing) This ain’t Texas, and it ain’t a safe place. So put your cards down, down, down, down.
DETROW: Here to talk about the Grammys is Stephen Thompson of NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. Hey, Steven.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: So we mentioned Beyoncé. In all things, you have to start with Beyoncé.
Thompson: That’s right.
DETROW: Give me the biggest takeaways outside of Beyoncé from this area.
THOMPSON: Well, if you look at the year broadly, it’s been an absolutely huge year for women. Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chapelle Rowan, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “360”)
Charli XCX: (Singing) Yeah, 360. When you’re in the mirror, do you like what you see? When you’re in the mirror, you’re just looking at me. I’m everywhere. I’m Julia, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
THOMPSON: These six women really dominated the major fields, kind of as expected. I think a lot of these awards came in a way that reflected the way the music went throughout the year. These are the records that had the biggest cultural imprint of the year, and the closest thing we have to a monoculture. So it’s no surprise that those records dominated the field. However, there were a bunch of surprises along the way.
DETROW: Talk to me about that because again, everything you just said, like, yeah, makes sense. What was it…
Thompson: Right.
DETROW: What are the curves?
Thompson: I think the curves came out on record for the year. There was – you know, there was kind of an expectation that a lot of the biggest – you know, a lot of the biggest songs of the year would be – like – maybe Shabussy’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” would be nominated. It was nominated for Song of the Year but not Record of the Year. What’s Nominated for Record of the Year – “Now and Then” by The Beatles.
(Soundbite of song, “Now and Then”)
The Beatles: (Singing) I’ll Love You Now and Then.
DETROW: Can you explain that to me?
Thompson: So “Now and Then” was a demo recorded by John Lennon around 1977.
Detro: Yes.
THOMPSON: It was finished and then released in late 2023 and was billed as the Beatles’ last song. It’s a beautiful song. It’s beautiful. It’s a little trivial, and not necessarily something I would think of as one of the records of the year.
DETROW: Yes.
(Soundbite of song, “Now and Then”)
The Beatles: (Singing) For me, I know…
Thompson: For me, there’s a bigger surprise in album of the year. The six artists I named in the intro – they’re all up for album of the year, plus Jacob Collier, who is a Grammy favorite. The eighth nominee was “New Blue Sun” by Andre 3000.
(SOUNDBITE OF Andre 3000’s “I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album But That’s the Way the Wind Blown Me This Time”)
DETROW: As a proud millennial, Andre 3000 means a lot to me, but that was the flute album.
Thompson: This is the album of flute epics. It’s an interesting record, but a curious one.
Detro: Yes.
Thompson: Is it one of the eight albums that people have listened to and celebrated the most during this eligibility period? I wouldn’t say that or think that. Andre 3000 name recognition goes a long way.
(SOUNDBITE OF Andre 3000’s “I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album But That’s the Way the Wind Blown Me This Time”)
DETROW: What a big snub?
Thompson: I think with so many female juggernauts in pop music, it’s herded a couple of major artists out of the business. Dua Lipa was completely excluded.
(SOUNDBITE OF “HOUDINI”)
Dua Lipa: (Singing) You need me. I’m not here for long. Catch me, or I’ll go Houdini. I come, and I go.
Thompson: She didn’t receive any nominations, and the Grammys have certainly embraced her in the past. Ariana Grande was left out of the major categories, although she received three nominations in the pop fields. It really surprised me that Vampire Weekend closed down completely. I was expecting room, especially on album of the year…
Detro: Yes.
THOMPSON: …Where their album “Only God Was Over Us” could have been a hit, but they were – they weren’t even nominated for best alternative album. That surprised me. And for those who were expecting a big performance from Zack Bryan, a very big star in country music…
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG “I REMEMBER EVERYTHING”)
Zack Bryan: (Singing) Coldly at closing time, you’d beg me to stay ’til sunrise. Tense words…
Thompson: He didn’t submit any of his music for consideration, and was completely excluded.
DETROW: Stephen, last question – in general, I feel like we’ve talked over the years, like the times when the Grammy Awards fit in with popular culture and the actual zeitgeist of music and the times when it’s, like, a caricature.
THOMPSON: Far, yeah.
DETROW: What field does this fall into?
Thompson: This really feels like it’s in the zeitgeist of popular culture. I mean, when you think of summer 2024, one of the songs you think of is Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” It was completely inevitable.
(Soundbite of song “Espresso”)
Sabrina Carpenter: (Singing) Now he thinks about me every night. Oh, is this sweet? I think so. Say you can’t sleep baby, I know that’s my espresso. Move it up and down…
Thompson: Those six artists I mentioned above seemed like the six biggest records of this eligibility period. It makes sense that they would be so generously nominated. This is where they feel in tune with what is happening.
DETROW: Okay. This is NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson. Stephen, it’s always good to talk to you.
Thompson: Always a pleasure to talk to you, Scott.
(Soundbite of song “Espresso”)
Al-Najjar: (Singing) We are on vacation, and I have…
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