It occurred to me, after reviewing the red carpet fashions from the 2026 Grammy Awards and thinking about my excitement over how many of the artists and songs I was familiar with, that it might be fun for me to review not just the fashions, but the music itself - as in, the whole reason for the awards ceremony.
I will open with a disclaimer that I am clearly not in the target demographic for the vast majority of these genres, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. But if you are a parent, this might give you an idea of songs your kids like that you might be able to listen to together or even discuss, and if you are a teenager, this might give you an idea of songs you like that you could share with your parents and which they might actually enjoy (or at least, tolerate).
I'm rating each song on an academic grading scale (A-F), and I'm limiting myself to awards given to single songs (as opposed to albums). I have also noted when lyrics are explicit, in reference to profanity but also graphic violence or sexual references. Each song title is linked to a YouTube video version of the song, and a link to the full lyrics is also provided.
Note about award categories: "Best Performance" awards are based on vocals and instrumentals, and are given to the singer(s)/band; "Best Song" awards are based on the music and lyrics, and are given to the songwriter(s), who may also be the performer(s); and "Best Recording" awards (including "Record of the Year") take into account both the performance and the technical aspects of the final recording, including sound engineering, production, etc. Shout-out to my son Ryan for helping clarify this for me!
"Wildflower" by Billie Eilish (Song of the Year)
Lyrics
Eilish has a very appealing husky quality to her voice that works really well with the soft acoustic guitar accompaniment of this piece. It has a very gentle feel, which is emphasized by the quiet, unobtrusive background vocals. The song examines the guilty feeling of dating a friend's ex, and has a sad, wistful quality to it. Lines like "You fell out of love, and you both let go," and "Did I cross the line?...I just wonder how she felt," are both sad and haunting. I genuinely enjoy this song, both musically and lyrically.
My Score: A
"Messy" by Lola Young (Best Pop Solo Performance) *explicit*
Lyrics
Young has a gritty, unpolished quality to her voice which works well with this song, which is about frustration at not being able to meet the unrealistic expectations of others. Lyrics include, "You told me 'Get a job' then you ask where the hell I've been," and "I'm too perfect 'til I open my big mouth. I want to be me, is that not allowed?" I completely understand the appeal of this song to young people caught between childhood and adulthood, continually told to be responsible but at the same time not treated as being fully responsible. The laid-back feel of the song beautifully portrays the singer's exhaustion as well as her despair. The song ends with Young's voice breaking on the final word of the closing line, "A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the f%@#ing lot," and your heart breaks along with it.
My Score: A-
"Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga (Best Dance-Pop Recording)
Lyrics
Fun fact: The word "abracadabra" originates from an Aramaic phrase meaning "I create as I speak."
Not surprisingly for the "dance-pop" category, this song has Gaga's signature pulsing beat throughout. The repeated refrain includes the lyrics, "Abracadabra Amor oo na na Abra ca da bra Morta oo gaga," a reference to love ("Amor") and death ("Mort"), and the lyrics seem to explore using art, passion, and persistence to shape your own life and fate, even when it's risky ("death or love tonight"). It's not one of my favorite Gaga songs, but I like it. It's the kind of song that would get me up on the dance floor at a wedding.
My Score: B+
"Chains and Whips" by Clipse ft. Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell (Best Rap Performance) *explicit*
Lyrics
Although it's slightly more melodic than a lot of rap music, I don't love the repetitive nature of the song, although I do like the underlying instrumental. I also like the variety provided by using multiple lead voices. The lyrics include a lot of expletives and there are non-graphic references to weapons and violence, but I don't find the lyrics to be particularly offensive. The singer (speaker?) seems to be gloating over a rival's fall from grace, with lyrics like, "Your lucky streak is now losin' you, money's dried up like a cuticle, you're gaspin' for air now, it's beautiful." I find it interesting that the terms in the title, "chains" and "whips," can refer both to literal chains and whips, which evoke the idea of slavery (all four performers are African-American), but "chains" could also refer to jewelry, and the term "whips" is slang for cars, with flashy jewelry and cars being major status symbols in rap culture. The song seems to criticize the materialism of rap culture, enslaving those who are part of it as much as literal chains and whips. I won't be listening to this one on repeat, but it has something to say and says it well.
My Score: B-
"Bad As I Used to Be" by Chris Stapleton (Best Country Solo Performance)
Lyrics
The song (which is from the soundtrack of the film
F1) opens with an extended instrumental featuring electric guitar and harmonica, before Stapleton's raspy vocals come in, with several similar instrumental breaks later in the song. The lyrics are about a comeback, reflecting the plot of the movie, although there isn't much to the lyrics, mainly repetitions of the title (over half of the lines in the only nineteen-line song are or include the lyrics, "I'm just as bad as I used to be"). It feels to me like an abbreviated version of a larger song, but in this form, it's boring and repetitive and doesn't have much to say, but I guess that's sometimes what you want for a film soundtrack.
My Score: C-
"TV Off" by Kendrick Lamar ft Lefty Gunplay (Best Rap Song) *explicit*
Lyrics
This song is supposedly about unplugging from screens and technology, but I have to admit that the lyrics are so full of street slang that I don't understand most of what they're saying. I mean, I understand the words, but the way they put them together makes no sense. Even the way the words are spoken is frequently very monotone and expressionless, not giving any sense of the emotions being portrayed. And musically and rhythmically, it's overly repetitive, yet there's a section in the middle (from about 1:55-2:10 in the linked recording) that feels completely unrelated to the rest of the song. The bottom line is that I just don't get it and nothing about the song seems to be making an effort to help me get it.
My Score: D
"Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (Best Pop Duo/Group Performance)
Lyrics
Another disclaimer: I am a big fan of musical theatre in general and of
Wicked in particular, so this was already a winner in my book. That said, I don't always love the way musicals transition from stage to screen, but I found this film to be unusually successful in navigating those fraught waters, especially considering the iconic original performers. The lush, gorgeous orchestrations and Erivo's and Grande's powerful, expressive vocals simply soar throughout this recording. Brilliantly done.
My Score: A
Changes (Live from Villa Park, Back to the Beginning) by Yungblud (Best Rock Performance) *explicit*
Lyrics
This ballad was originally
performed in 1972 by Black Sabbath with Ozzy on vocals. Yungblud performed it as a tribute to Ozzy Osborne during what was billed as Black Sabbath's final tour, only a few weeks before Osborne's death. This version opens with an acoustic piano introduction, adding in a solo vocal and some backing strings, then gradually building and adding more electronic instrumentation, and the crowd joins in on some of the choruses, ending with an a cappella version sung by the audience. It is a moving and emotional performance, and Yungblud's respect and admiration for Osborne is obvious in every note. I really enjoyed this recording.
My Score: A-
Birds* by Turnstile (Best Metal Performance)
Lyrics
* This video link includes both "Seein' Stars" and "Birds;" jump ahead to 3:06 in the video for "Birds"
This song has several distinct sections: it opens with a long sustained chord, then adds in some quiet percussion effects like woodblocks, cowbell, clicking, and cymbals, before crescendoing and adding in electric guitar and screaming vocals, mainly repetitive (shouted) choruses like "I'm free, free, free, free, free, free, No one left to be, be, be, be, be, be, be" (or so the lyric sheet tells me), then a section with another electric guitar lick and heavy drums followed by a siren sound effect, then a final "outro" shouted chorus repeating the lyric, "Finally I can see it, these birds not meant to fly alone." Which is actually a rather lovely lyric, but I don't see how it connects to anything else in the song. I can appreciate a lot of heavy metal music, but this song is not part of that group.
My Score: D-
Folded by Kehlani (Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song)
Lyrics
It's a shame there's so much auto-tuning going on in this recording, because Kehlani's voice has a beautifully rich timbre and I find the auto-tune distracting. The lyrics tell of the possible end of a relationship, of meeting a lover at the door having packed up his clothes, yet the door is still open, hinting at a chance of reconciliation. It's a song worth listening to more than once.
My Score: A-
Vibes Don't Lie by Leon Thomas (Best Traditional R&B Performance) *explicit*
Lyrics
The word "groove" comes to mind when listening to this song, because it makes you want to just sit back and groove to the cool rhythm, especially when the jazzy trumpet comes in at the end. But the lyrics are a bit more problematic for me. It seems to be commenting that his girlfriend is insecure, relying on money to show her worth, but he trusts his heart and his intuition - his "vibes" that she's worthy. Maybe? Eh, I like it as background music, I just can't think about it too much.
My Score: C+
EoO by Bad Bunny (Best Global Music Performance) *explicit*
Lyrics (English Translation)
Another song that will absolutely get me up on the dance floor, this is a great example of emotion coming through regardless of language. The title "EeO" refers to the ending syllable of the word "perreo," a Puerto Rican "reggaeton" dance style. The song is described as a "high energy party anthem" that celebrates female independence and sexual empowerment and the power of dance. Even for non-Spanish speakers, it has a fun, celebratory vibe, although I don't love the way it ends by just...kind of...stopping. But it's upbeat and catchy and it makes me look forward to the Superbowl Halftime Show!
My Score: B+
As Alive As You Need Me to Be by Nine Inch Nails (Best Rock Song)
Lyrics
This song is from the soundtrack to
Tron: Ares, which explains the title somewhat. Trent Reznor's rich (and very much human) vocals overlay a pounding techno-pop instrumental track with heavily processed electronic background voices, frequently chanting a repeated "yeah yeah yeah," then in an extended final chorus repeating the words, "I can finally feel," then the song fades into a single sustained electronic tone that dissolves into garbled static. It's deliciously eerie.
My Score: A-
Bitin' List by Tyler Childers (Best Country Song) *explicit*
Lyrics
Featuring a marvelously twangy banjo, this song is traditional country through and through, right down to the hilarious refrain (please imagine the country drawl), "To put it plain, I just don't like you, not a thing about the way you is. And if there ever come a time I got rabies, you're high on my bitin' list." This song made me laugh right out loud, even as I was joining in on the chorus.
My Score: A+
Alone by The Cure (Best Alternative Music Performance)
Lyrics
The lyrics to this song are based on a poem by Ernest Dowson called "Dregs," and they are incredibly grim and hopeless, summed up in the first verse: "This is the end of every song that we sing, the fire burned out to ash and the stars grown dim with tears, cold and afraid, the ghosts of all that we've been. We toast with bitter dregs, to our emptiness." But even before we hear those words, there is nearly three and a half minutes of haunting instrumental music. And the song fades away on the single word, "alone." It is bleak, but it is beautiful.
My Score: B
Anxiety by Doechii (Best Music Video)
Lyrics
The opening riff is sampled from Gotye's 2011 "Somebody That I Used to Know," which in turn sampled it from a 1967 Brazilian guitar track. It's catchy, and the boppy melody carries throughout the song, giving the whole song a trippy sense of
deja vu that's very fitting for the theme of "anxiety" - do I know this song or not? This is definitely one I'd listen to on repeat.
My Score: AEnd of Summer by Tame Impala (Best Dance/Electronic Recording)
Lyrics
Despite its processed techno feel, there is a certain authenticity about this song that I like. Its themes are about putting things off and missing the moment - "I waited till the end of summer and I ran out of time" - resonates within all of us, creating a sense of nostalgia for what was and what might have been. It's a little repetitive and not as melodic as I would like, but it's not a bad listen.
My Score: B-
Push 2 Start by Tyla (Best African Music Performance)
Lyrics
I enjoy the complicated rhythms at the beginning of the song, but I was hoping for a more traditional African beat and melodies. It has more of a South American feel to me. It wasn't a terrible song, but it left me cold.
My Score: C+
Windows (live) by Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade (Best Jazz Performance)
Legendary jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea won his first Grammy in 1976, earning a total of 79 Grammy nominations and winning 29 competitive Grammys, including three posthumously (he died in 2021). This version was recorded during a 2020 tour with Corea (on piano) and longtime bandmates Brian Blade (drums) and Christian McBride (double bass), and a compilation of live recordings from that tour were released as "Trilogy 3" ("Trilogy" and "Trilogy 2" were live recordings from a 2013 tour). This is my type of jazz; it has rhythm and melody and unexpected changes but it always comes back home. I could groove to this track for hours.
My Score: A+
Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie* by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor (Best Orchestral Performance)
*This link is only the first movement, but it will automatically move ahead through all the movements if you let the video play.
I'm not familiar with Messiaen, but this piece (I didn't listen to the entire recording, but I did hear excerpts from multiple movements) has a kind of clashing, dissonant, Stravinsky vibe that is exciting even when it's a little disturbing or off-putting. It sounds like background music for a weird dream sequence in a Hitchcock film - but it resolves into a gentle Copland-like melody or trill now and then that brings you back to reality before zooming off into dissonance again. I don't know if I'd say I like it, exactly, but it is certainly interesting to listen to. And it did grow on me the longer I listened.
My Score: B+Luther by Kendrick Lamar with SZA (Best Melodic Rap Performance, Record of the Year)
Lyrics
The song opens with a simple acoustic guitar line, then a sample of Luther Vandross singing, "If this world were mine," then Kendrick tells his girl everything he'd give her "if this world were mine." It's an oddly sweet love song and although I'm not a fan of Kendrick's mealy-mouthed style, I like his voice here. When SZA enters on the chorus I was a little annoyed by the autotuning, but their voices blend nicely and I liked how the song incorporated a few more Vandross samples in a very natural way. The song - and the story - has a nice arc, and I'd listen to it more than once.
My Score: A- Amen by Shaboozey and Jelly Roll (Best Country Duo/Group Performance)
Lyrics
This is not the kind of song I'd expect from two guys that look like this, but this is a genuine two-steppin' country song that you want to clap along to. In the first verse, Shaboozey is admitting to being a troubled mess ("Them angels know, they don't look my way. I'm way too gone to save"), yet asking for prayers of mercy, then in the second verse, Jelly Roll - despite being "headed nowhere fast" - is "just hopin' I see the day I ain't ashamed of the man in the mirror, and the man upstairs ain't either." I particularly like the juxtaposition of the two oh-so-similar choruses: "I'm diggin' my grave down, 12 feet deep. I got none left, so I'm on my knees beggin'" vs. "Instead of diggin' my grave down, 12 feet deep.
I got nothin' left, so I'm on my knees singin'." It's a little bit country, a little bit gospel, and a whole lotta hopeful.
My Score: B+
Beautiful Strangers by Mavis Staples (Best American Roots Performance)
Lyrics
I had no idea what to expect from a genre called "American Roots," but if it's all like this honey-voiced, jazzy, gospel, folk mama, I want to hear more. Her voice is the kind you can trust for wise advice and I believe her when she says, "If you ever hear that gunshot...I am a rock." She sings of the troubles of the world but assures you that she and Jesus will be there to carry you through. If I could fall asleep to this song every night I'd never have a bad dream again.
My Score: A
Godspeed by Mavis Staples (Best Americana Performance)
Lyrics
Staples' voice is harsher, almost raspier on this song than on
Beautiful Strangers, with a rawer emotional edge and a stronger sense of power underneath it. The lyrics speak of letting go of a loved one, but always keeping a place for them to come back to, and I can imagine singing the first part to my children when they leave the nest, knowing they will always be welcomed back. It's a lovely, moving song, although I don't love the spoken "outro" section that ends the piece. It feels like a sample from something, but I don't know what so it doesn't make sense to me.
My Score: B (I averaged the "A" of the first section with the "C" of the outro)
Ancient Light by I'm with Her (Best American Roots Song)
Lyrics
This folksy/country song features acoustic guitar and fiddle and very traditional tight harmonies with the three female voices. The refrain, "I'll be swimmin' in the ancient light" evokes a connection to the past ("thinkin' of who came before") as well as imagery of a warm fire in the darkness ("sparks and smoke rings fill up the night"). The song speaks of finding a sense of peace amid the chaos of life. The sound and the meaning are soothing to both ear and mind, and if you like Appalachian-style music (think Alison Krauss & Union Station), you'll like this song.
My Score: A
Come Jesus Come by Cece Winans ft. Shirley Caesar (Best Gospel Performance/Song)
Lyrics
This song is very much traditional gospel music, opening with Winans' clear, strong vocals over a simple piano accompaniment with just a hint of sustained strings underneath, and slowly building over the course of the song, adding a choir and organ. Despite the build, the song is restrained throughout, and I love that Winans doesn't feel the need to end the song with a huge belt or glory note as is so common in gospel music, but instead keeps a sense of quiet trust throughout. It is a beautiful anthem of hope and faith.
My Score: A-Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake With Jelly Roll (Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song)
Lyrics
Again, not the style of music you expect from guys who look like this. The style is more country than "Christian pop," and unlike much contemporary Christian music which is praise songs focusing on God, this song refers to the unsavory past of the singers ("I've wrestled with thе darkness but I'm tryin' to reach for the light") and admits that having faith isn't always easy ("There's days when the praise comes out easy and days when it takes all the strength I've got"), summed up in the refrain of "I'll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt been-through-hell hallelujah." Most Christian music with a message like this is in a much more rock or even metal style, so it's refreshing to hear it in a less intense genre.
My Score: B+
Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”] by Huntr/x (Best Song Written for Visual Media)
Lyrics
My daughter is a big fan of both Huntr/x and
KPop Demon Hunters so I've been hearing this song for months and I'll admit that it's a huge earworm for me. I love its theme of female empowerment ("Oh, I'm done hidin', now I'm shinin' like I'm born to be"). I find the melody interesting and different, and the accompaniment treads a fine line between acoustic and electronic that really works for both the song and the film. I could definitely listen to this one on repeat, which is good, because it kind of is at my house.
My Score: A+First Snow by Nordkraft Big Band (Best Instrumental Composition)
My favorite parts of this recording is the way the saxophone solos are doubled by a woman's voice that gives it a wonderful depth and timbre, and the hints of dissonance throughout. This is the kind of soft, melodic jazz that I want in the background of my life all the time. It's soothing without being boring, and includes a few jazzy riffs, but none of them wander too far afield, which keeps it interesting. And I love the big, brassy section that just melts away for the ending. This is my kind of jazz.
My Score: A
Super Mario Praise Break by The 8-Bit Big Band (Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella)
How can you not love a piece called "Super Mario Praise Break"? The fast, jazzy beat, staccato melody, and tight harmonies really do blend a gospel style with a distinctive video game sound that's fun and upbeat. It'll get your heart racing! While I wouldn't want to listen to it over and over again (it's a little manic for that), if you need a quick pick-me-up to elevate your mood and bring a smile to your face (and maybe a dance to your feet), this is it.
My Score: B+
Big Fish by Nate Smith Featuring Säje (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals)
Lyrics
This piece has an interesting and unexpected 4-4-3 jazz rhythm (it reminds me a bit of Brubeck), and the soft female vocals use unusual harmonies and dissonance (it reminds me a lot of
New York Voices). About 3 minutes into the piece, there's an abrupt change than begins with a musical vocal "panting," and the focus is clearly more on the vocals for this section, before returning to the opening style. If you like Manhattan Transfer and/or Brubeck, you'll like this. It works as background music, but it's better if you really listen to it and appreciate its complexity.
My Score: A- Ortiz: Yanga by Los Angeles Philharmonic, Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, and Los Angeles Master Chorale; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Grant Gershon, chorus master (Best Choral Performance)
*Note: I was unable to find the choral lyrics, either in Spanish or an English translation
This piece was inspired by Gaspar Yanga, leader of an enslaved African colony which was marooned in Mexico in the early 1600s. Ortiz uses many instruments, especially percussion (the score includes a "solo percussion quartet" in addition to orchestra and mixed choir), which were brought from Africa and later became heavily used in Latin American Music. Ortiz wrote, "My idea was to add the unique color of these instruments into a musical discourse from my imaginary sound world without trying to directly emulate Afro-Latin American rhythms." I think he was successful, as the piece has its own unique feel while still having moments that are clearly evocative of both African and Latin American musical styles. Not only do I want to listen to this piece live, I want to sing it! It's probably not to everyone's taste, but if you like Carmina Burana, you should give it a listen. Yes, all 17 minutes of it.
My Score: A
Ortiz: Dzonot* by Los Angeles Philharmonic (Best Contemporary Classical Composition) *Note: This link is for the first movement only; see below for links to each of the four movements
This piece is by the same composer and on the same album as
Yanga, above, but has a very different feel. "Dzonot" is a Mexican term which means "abyss," and the piece was inspired by a system of subterranean caves and rivers on the Yucatan peninsula. Scored for solo cello and orchestra, the movements are called "
Luz Vertical" ("vertical light"), "
el olo del Jaguar" ("the eye of the jaguar"), "
Jade", and "
el vuelo del Toh" ("Toh's flight"). Luz Vertical features solo cello in a very high register, first minimally underscored with bells and harp, then adding quiet horns, haunting woodwinds, and the full orchestra at various times. El olo del Jaguar features plucked strings and a pulsing beat in the bells and other percussion that evokes for me a sense of one's heart pounding when facing a jaguar, and a racing melody on the cello that sounds like running for one's life. Jade features solo cello with relatively light underscoring through most of the piece, and has an ethereal, dreamlike quality. El vuelo del Toh opens with "noodling" in the winds, followed by the brass, then adding strong percussion beats, then the solo cello enters with a fast melody that slows and then adds "dreamlike" underscoring from percussion and orchestra which eventually transitions into a plucked melody and pounding accompaniment. This movement includes the most virtuosic (yes, that's a word; I looked it up) passages for the cellist. It also includes a few North American-sounding licks (the percussion at 7:04 and following could have been directly lifted from "Mambo" from
West Side Story), but otherwise has an distinctly ethnic, exotic feel. It's a little different to the point of being weird, and unless you're really a fan of modern music, it's probably not to your taste. I didn't exactly enjoy listening to it, but it found it interesting and intriguing to analyze.
My Score: C+
Dennehy: Land Of Winter by Alan Pierson and Alarm Will Sound (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance)
This piece would definitely be classified as a "tone poem," like Vivaldi's
Four Seasons, in that it evokes a sense of cold, bleak weather (tremolo strings shivering!), but it has a much less melodic, more modern and dissonant sound. It was fine, but just didn't do anything for me.
My Score: C-Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos* by Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor (Best Classical Instrumental Solo)
*Note: This link is to Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major movement I: Allegretto; this collection also includes movements II: Moderato, III: Cadenza, and IV: Finale - Allegro con moto; and Concerto No. 2 in G Major, movements I: Largo, II: Scherzo - Allegretto, and III: Finale - Allegretto.
I was tempted to give this one an A+ without even listening to it simply for the trifecta of Yo-Yo Ma, Shostakovich, and the BSO (and also because this has been a LONG blog and this was a LOT of music), but I'm glad I did listen to it, or at least multiple excerpts. I love Shostakovich in small doses, and this is a pretty big dose, but there are parts of it that I found very accessible. If you're not a fan but want to give it a try, I recommend the Finale of Concerto No. 2, which features a lot of brass and some "prettier-sounding" cello parts, and which ends surprisingly calmly and quietly (I always expect Shostavokich to end with crashing cymbals) with wood blocks,
pizzicati, and xylophone, and a long sustained cello note that simply fades away at the end.
My Score: A-
I hope this blog has opened your eyes - well, ears - to some new music and musical genres that you may not have considered in the past! Happy listening!
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