#FlashbackFriday: Remembering the best Grammy moments of the 2000s
This Sunday is the 59th Grammys, and I for one could not be more excited.
Host James Corden may be the only late-night host left who doesn't look dead behind the eyes, and John Legend and Cynthia Erivo have confirmed they're performing together.
Will Beyoncé win in multiple genre categories? Maybe.
Will things get political? Probably.
Will I break my laptop if the Chainsmokers beat out Chance the Rapper for Best New Artist? Absolutely.
Regardless of what happens, I feel like this year’s show is going to be one to remember.
For that reason, I want to look back at some of the most unforgettable moments of recent Grammys — the good, the bad and the unexplainable.
P!nk, "Glitter in the Air," 2010
Sometimes when I run, I try to sing along to whatever I’m listening to, and it sounds more like the chocolate lady from SpongeBob than anything else.
P!nk, on the other hand, still manages to hit every note hanging upside down a-la Cirque du Soleil . How she sounds flawless while all of the blood was probably rushing to her head is beyond me, and I'm super impressed.
Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," 2013
T-Swift wanted to kick off the Grammys by getting back at her ex, Harry Styles, and I guess the only way to do this was with an “Alice in Wonderland” theme. Sure, this performance was immature and petty but honestly, I liked it because it’s really refreshing to see someone who has a worse British accent than I do.
Lady Gaga and Elton John, "Speechless" and "Your Song," 2010
You can’t have a list of unforgettable performances without Lady Gaga — if I were to make a list of most memorable performances, “Paparazzi” from the 2009 VMAs would be at the top. But Gaga has had some egg-cellent Grammy moments.
She was the only person who could’ve done last year’s David Bowie tribute justice . But — and this may be a hot take here — I think this joint 2010 performance with Elton John was her strongest Grammy appearance. I’ll admit I’m biased since I used to spend a concerning amount of time in my basement listening to "The Fame Monster" and pretending I was Lady Gaga.
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Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Muppets, "Forget You," 2011
When you didn’t think Cee Lo’s performance couldn’t get any more out of control than his NBC peacock get-up (which is weird considering the Grammy’s is on CBS?), his song is interrupted by none other than "superstar pop sensation" Gwyneth Paltrow. And we were all supposed to roll with this because she was on one episode of “Glee” at the time. That episode involved Mr. Schue having weird fever dreams, which is exactly what this performance felt like.
Kendrick “The Blacker the Berry,” "Alright," 2016
I vividly remember watching last year’s Grammy’s with a group of people who literally did not stop talking the entire show. But during Lamar's five minutes on stage — and about two minutes after — we all were silent. We didn’t have the words to describe how powerful his performance was then, and honestly I still don’t.
Elton John and Eminem, "Stan," 2001
Remember in middle school, when the tool with the high Nike Elite socks got paired up with the band kid he always picked on to do a science project together? The whole time they presented, you were just waiting for Nike Elite socks to give the trumpet player a wedgie or something. This is what watching this felt like. But, what came out of this was a one of the strangest, coolest collaborations I’ve ever seen.
Kanye West, "Jesus Walks," 2005
Picking just one Kanye song was tough — the Super Bowl-inspired "Gold Digger" was a bop, and I almost feel guilty not choosing the tribute to his late mom from the 2008 show . But his first Grammy performance in 2005 may be my favorite live performance of all time. West has a boundless energy I honestly have never seen in any other artist, and this theatrical performance was this energy at its best. If nothing else, "Jesus Walks" was proof the Grammy's made a mistake when it gave Maroon 5 the "Best New Artist" award over West.
