13.02.2012, 17:26:40

Sincerely yours

Grammy 2012 capitulated to Adele

Official awards that serve the interests of mass culture are usually criticized for being biased, narrow-minded, predictable, short-sighted and thousands of other things. All this, to varying degrees, can be attributed to the Grammy Award, in fact the main music award in the world. But, despite all the visible and hidden flaws, you can’t deny her one thing - this is still one of the most spectacular shows.

The 54th Grammy Awards was no exception: it initially did not involve any great intrigue in the awards part, but it more than made up for it in terms of live performances. On February 12 in Los Angeles there was a reunion of The Beach Boys , a benefit performance by Paul McCartney , a powerful comeback by Bruce Springsteen with the track “We Take Care Of Our Own”, and a duet of Rihanna with Coldplay, and much more.

Essentially the evening had three main characters. First up, Whitney Houston. The 48-year-old singer died suddenly a day before the Grammys, apparently by accidentally drowning in the bathtub of her room in a Beverly Hills hotel. The news of the sudden death of one of the main American pop singers, even though she had not shone on stage for a long time as before, stunned absolutely everyone. Understanding the gravity and importance of the moment, the Grammy organizers decided to hastily replay the script of the ceremony, dedicating it to the memory of the singer. The tribute resulted in a collective prayer for the repose of Whitney's soul and an emotional performance by singer Jennifer Hudson , who performed Houston's imperishable hit "I Will Always Love You." They say that during rehearsals the young singer and actress, who is revered by many as a successor to Whitney’s legacy, could not hold back and burst into tears, but at the performance she coped with her difficult task brilliantly.

The second hero, practically already on duty, was Sir Paul. In 2012, the ex-Beatle turns 70 years old, so all his current deeds and actions, willy-nilly, are attributed a touch of legend, however, absolutely deserved. McCartney had an extremely busy weekend in Los Angeles. On Friday, he was the latest Beatle to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On Saturday, the musician received the Philanthropist of the Year Award from the Recording Academy's MusiCares charity. Well, on Sunday, McCartney won a Grammy in the strange category “Best Historical Album” for the re-release of his classic album “Band on the Run”, after which he presented the public with his new song “My Valentine” and, finally, closed the ceremony altogether with a medley performance from the Beatles' "Abbey Road" featuring Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Joe Walsh.

The third and, probably, main hero of the Grammy Awards was the 23-year-old British singer Adele Adkins. In fact, she was the undisputed favorite long before the ceremony began. Adele’s second album, entitled “21,” set all imaginable and unimaginable records in 2011, becoming the main music bestseller of the year, topping the charts in dozens of countries and selling over 17 million copies, which is crazy for the current industry. "Grammy 2012" only finally and irrevocably confirmed Adele's status, ranking her among the pantheon of great musicians.

Adele won six out of six possible awards, including three in the major categories of Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. In the entire history of the Grammys since 1958, only five artists have managed to win simultaneously in three of the most prestigious categories: Paul Simon, Carole King, Christopher Cross, Eric Clapton and the Dixie Chicks. Those who managed to win six golden gramophones in one ceremony are also few. These are Roger Miller, Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton and Beyoncé. Better than them and Adele are only Paul Simon, who was awarded seven Grammy awards in 1971, as well as Michael Jackson and Carlos Santana, who received eight gramophones in 1984 and 2000, respectively.

Some argue that Adele was simply lucky and her success is fleeting. They say it’s a seasonal entertainment, a new singer will appear, and everyone will forget about this one. But to understand the short-sightedness of these judgments, it is enough to watch a single performance by Adele , who performed the song “Rolling In The Deep” at the ceremony. Could anyone even imagine a couple of years ago that a standing ovation at the Grammys would be received by an overweight and shy girl who does not put on any mind-blowing shows, but simply sings from her heart?! This modest woman of a broad soul and great talent, who clearly has little idea what to do with all this success, with her sincerity sweeps away cardboard stars and breaks all the conventions and laws of a decaying and declining show business. This is fully characteristic of the other two Grammy 2012 heroes and generally looks like a universal recipe. After all, only sincerity can save any official event from failure.

Alexander Filimonov

Sincerely yours

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