Is anyone tired of mashups yet? The Grammys sure weren’t on Sunday night, with an awards show that was heavy on epic collab performances with a sprinkling of awards to balance things out. And thankfully, a lot of Sam Smith.
Grammys 2015 started out with great drama as the music world’s A-list stepped out on the red carpet, with heavy hitters like Beyonce, Rihanna and Taylor Swift debuting ensembles that ranged from elegant to futuristic to a little bit dessert-y. Standouts included Sia’s giant wig, worn to obscure her face, Pharrell’s reflective suit and Madonna’s cheeky matador-inspired look.
The show opened with a mighty performance from AC/DC who performed a medley of their hit songs, going full-force and almost daring the youngsters to step up. And they didn’t disappoint, with young British phenom Sam Smith picking up multiple awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album for "In The Lonely Hour," and packing a powerhouse rendition of his hit “Stay With Me” with the legendary Mary J. Blige.
Legends paired up with their young counterparts for performances throughout the night, with Rihanna and Kanye performing “FourFiveSeconds” with Sir Paul McCartney, Jessie J and Tom Jones belting out “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” and Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett crooning “Cheek To Cheek.” Annie Lennox brought down the house with her astounding performance of "Take Me To Church"/"You Put A Spell On Me" with Hozier. Standout solo performances came from Madonna (she's back!), Ariana Grande, Pharrell and Miranda Lambert.
And of course, let’s not forget the awards. It was a banner year for Smith, but also for Beyonce, who picked up three awards, rounding her up to 20 total, and for Beck, who, in an unexpected twist to seemingly even him, won Album Of The Year for "Morning Phase," beating out the likes of said Queen Bey, and prompting Kanye to jokingly run up on stage in reference to his infamous "I'mma let you finish" speech from the 2009 VMAs.
The night was not without its solemn moments, with Katy Perry’s collaborative performance with abuse survivor Brooke Axtell prefaced by a message from U.S. president Barack Obama on the importance of ending domestic violence. The night wrapped with a thunderous performance of “Glory” by John Legend and Common, with Beyonce warming up the crowd with her rendition of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”
But bottom line: It was all about Sam Smith. See all the Grammy 2015 winners below and check out photos of the show's best nights:
Grammy 2015: Most Memorable Moments
1. RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)," Sam Smith
2. ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"Morning Phase," Beck
3. SONG OF THE YEAR
"Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)," James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
4. BEST NEW ARTIST
Sam Smith
5. BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Happy (Live)," Pharrell Williams
6. BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Say Something," A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
7. BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
"Cheek To Cheek," Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
8. BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
"In The Lonely Hour," Sam Smith
9. BEST DANCE RECORDING
"Rather Be," Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne
10. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
"Syro," Aphex Twin
11. BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Bass & Mandolin," Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer
12. BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
"Lazaretto," Jack White
13. BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
"The Last In Line," Tenacious D
14. BEST ROCK SONG
"Ain't It Fun," Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters (Paramore)
15. BEST ROCK ALBUM
"Morning Phase," Beck
16. BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
"St. Vincent," St. Vincent
17. BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
"Drunk In Love," Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z
18. BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
"Jesus Children," Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner
19. BEST R&B SONG
"Drunk In Love," Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters (Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z)
20. BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
"Girl," Pharrell Williams
21. BEST R&B ALBUM
"Love, Marriage & Divorce," Toni Braxton & Babyface
22. BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
"i," Kendrick Lamar
23. BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"The Monster," Eminem Featuring Rihanna
24. BEST RAP SONG
"i," K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
25. BEST RAP ALBUM
"The Marshall Mathers LP2," Eminem
26. BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Something In The Water," Carrie Underwood
27. BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Gentle On My Mind," The Band Perry
28. BEST COUNTRY SONG
"I'm Not Gonna Miss You," Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)
29. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
"Platinum," Miranda Lambert
30. BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
"Winds Of Samsara," Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman
31. BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
"Fingerprints," Chick Corea, soloist
32. BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
"Beautiful Life," Dianne Reeves
33. BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Trilogy," Chick Corea Trio
34. BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
"Life In The Bubble," Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
35. BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
"The Offense Of The Drum," Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
36. BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG
"No Greater Love," Smokie Norful
37. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG
"Messengers," Lecrae Featuring For King & Country
38. BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
"Help," Erica Campbell
39. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
"Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong," For King & Country
40. BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM
"Shine For All The People," Mike Farris
41. BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
"Tangos," Rubén Blades
42. BEST LATIN ROCK, URBAN OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
"Multiviral," Calle 13
43. BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
"Mano A Mano - Tangos A La Manera De Vicente Fernández," Vicente Fernández
44. BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
"Más + Corazón Profundo," Carlos Vives
45. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
"A Feather's Not A Bird," Rosanne Cash
46. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
"A Feather's Not A Bird," Rosanne Cash
47. BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
"The River & The Thread," Rosanne Cash
48. BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
"The Earls Of Leicester," The Earls Of Leicester
49. BEST BLUES ALBUM
"Step Back," Johnny Winter
50. BEST FOLK ALBUM
"Remedy," Old Crow Medicine Show
51. BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
"The Legacy," Jo-El Sonnier
52. BEST REGGAE ALBUM
"Fly Rasta," Ziggy Marley
53. BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
"Eve," Angelique Kidjo
54. BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM
"I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)," Neela Vaswani
55. BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
"Diary Of A Mad Diva," Joan Rivers
56. BEST COMEDY ALBUM
"Mandatory Fun," "Weird Al" Yankovic
57. BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"
58. BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"Frozen"
59. BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"The Grand Budapest Hotel," Alexandre Desplat, composer
60. BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
"Let It Go," Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel) (Track from: "Frozen")
61. BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
"The Book Thief," John Williams, composer (John Williams)
62. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA
"Daft Punk," Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado & Kevin Olusola, arrangers (Pentatonix)
63. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
"New York Tendaberry," Billy Childs, arranger (Billy Childs Featuring Renée Fleming & Yo-Yo Ma)
64. BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
"Lightning Bolt," Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors (Pearl Jam)
65. BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
"The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)," Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)
66. BEST ALBUM NOTES
"Offering: Live At Temple University," Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (John Coltrane)
67. BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
"The Garden Spot Programs, 1950," Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Hank Williams)
68. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
"Morning Phase," Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Beck)
69. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Max Martin
70. BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL
"All Of Me (Tiesto's Birthday Treatment Remix)," Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer (John Legend)
71. BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
"Beyoncé," Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer (Beyoncé)
72. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
"Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem; Symphony No. 4; The Lark Ascending," Michael Bishop, engineer; Michael Bishop, mastering engineer (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
73. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Judith Sherman
74. BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
"Adams, John: City Noir," David Robertson, conductor (St. Louis Symphony)
75. BEST OPERA RECORDING
"Charpentier: La Descente D'Orphée Aux Enfers," Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)
76. BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
"The Sacred Spirit Of Russia," Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
77. BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
"In 27 Pieces - The Hilary Hahn Encores," Hilary Hahn & Cory Smythe
78. BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
"Play," Jason Vieaux
79. BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM
"Douce France," Anne Sofie Von Otter; Bengt Forsberg, accompanist (Carl Bagge, Margareta Bengston, Mats Bergström, Per Ekdahl, Bengan Janson, Olle Linder & Antoine Tamestit)
80. BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
"Partch: Plectra & Percussion Dances," Partch; John Schneider, producer
81. BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
"Adams, John Luther: Become Ocean," John Luther Adams, composer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)
82. BEST MUSIC VIDEO
"Happy," Pharrell Williams
83. BEST MUSIC FILM
"20 Feet From Stardom," Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill