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Image credit:  David Emery, courtesy of XL Recordings | Adele’s return to the spotlight was nothing short of triumphant at the 2012 Grammys

2012 Grammys Review: Music Industry's Annual Awards Full of Big Winners and Stories

by Kirsty Chan – Riverside Secondary, Coquitlam BC Feb 15, 2012

The 2012 Grammys may have been shrouded in grief, but they certainly weren’t boring.

 There are a few stories floating around this year’s Grammys that are impossible to ignore: the untimely death of Whitney Houston, the triumph of Adele and, my personal favourite, Bon Iver taking home the award for Best New Artist.
 
The abrupt passing of Whitney Houston hung over the awards show like a haze, with multiple tributes and acknowledgments dedicated to the legendary songstress. Show host LL Cool J led a prayer to “our fallen sister,” and Jennifer Hudson sang an emotional cover of I Will Always Love You. Houston passed away on February 11 while getting ready for a Grammys pre-party – the cause of death has not yet been determined.

In stark contrast to the mourning was the triumphant return of Adele. The British soul singer delivered her first live performance since getting surgery on her vocal chords in November 2011. She performed her hit song, Rolling In The Deep brilliantly, explosively bursting back onto the music scene. To cap off her successful performance, Adele took home six awards, including Song Of The Year and Album Of The Year.

One of the more controversial moments of the night came when folk singer-songwriter Bon Iver won the award for Best New Artist. (The reaction was similar to that of the Arcade Fire Album-of-the-Year upset last year.) Bon Iver beat out Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, J Cole and Skrillex for the prize, despite bashing the awards at every chance he got (yes, including even a little bit during his acceptance speech). Twitter was a flurry of confused viewers questioning who this low-profile winner was, while fans were vocal in their pride (although some were quick to point out that the honour for best “new” artist wasn’t entirely appropriate as Bon Iver’s debut album came out four long years ago).
 
It was an interesting year at the Grammys – lots of big stories and scandals packed into a single show (and I didn’t even touch on Chris Brown's controversial win). When you have all the most prolific and accomplished artists of the Western world together for one night, I guess you never run out of stories to tell.
 

List of 2012 Grammy winners:

  • Record of the Year: Rolling in the Deep by Adele
  • Album of the Year: 21 by Adele
  • Song of the Year: Rolling in the Deep by Adele
  • Best New Artist: Bon Iver
  • Best Pop Solo Performance: Someone Like You by Adele
  • Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Body Soul by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse
  • Best Pop Instrumental Album: The Road from Memphis by Booker T. Jones
  • Best Pop Vocal Album: 21 by Adele
  • Best Dance Recording: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex
  • Best Dance/Electronica Album: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex
  • Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Duets II by Tony Bennett and Various Artists
  • Best Rock Performance: Walk by Foo Fighers
  • Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance: White Limo by Foo Fighters
  • Best Rock Song: Walk by Foo Fighters
  • Best Rock Album: Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
  • Best Alternative Music Album: Bon Iver self-titled
  • Best R&B Performance: Is This Love by Corinne Bailey Rae
  • Best Traditional R&B Performance: Fool for You by Cee Lo Gren and Melanie Fiona
  • Best R&B Song: Fool For You by Ceel Lo Green and Melanie Fiona
  • Best R&B Album: F.A.M.E. by Chris Brown
  • Best Rap Performance: Otis by Jay Z and Kanye West
  • Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: All of the Lights by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie
  • Best Rap Song: All of the Lights by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie
  • Best Rap Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
  • Best County Solo Performance: Mean by Taylor Swift
  • Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
  • Best Country Song: Mean by Taylor Swift
  • Best Country Album: Own the Night by Lady Antebellum
  • Best Comedy Album: Hilarious by Louis C.K.
  • Best Short Form Music Video: Rolling in the Deep by Adele
  • Best Long Form Music Video: Back and Forth by Foo Fighters
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