I Actually Watched The Grammy Awards

Because my Daughter Loves Harry Styles

I hate awards shows.

But my 14-year-old daughter, who adores Harry Styles, wanted to watch.

I was somewhat of a hostage, but here are my observations from the show.

Adele meeting the Rock — her childhood wrestling hero — was absolutely Adelable. I mean, adorable.

Harry Styles’ acceptance speech struck me. I’ve been over-exposed to his music, and I really like it. He seemed authentically moved and surprised by his win. Humility is in short supply these days, so I appreciated his.

Billy Crystal’s appearance made me long for the days when he hosted. Nobody better.

Beyoncé not being there for her first win tells me there is a limo company somewhere that’s in big trouble. Either that or she is basking in being fashionably late.

Stevie Wonder is truly iconic. Loved his segment with Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton.

Trevor Noah is not great at this hosting gig. Serviceable, but not great.

Ben Affleck looked bored, even as JLO stunned in her dress. I’m thinking there might have been a lovers’ spat on the way to the show.

I learned I am old-fashioned in many ways. I don’t like explicit lyrics. Or twerking. There, I said it.

Someone during the broadcast thanked Lizzo for giving opportunities to women of color, as if this was some new phenomenon. Ummmmm… Sarah Vaughn. Anita Baker. Billy Holiday. Ella Fitzgerald. Minnie Riperton. Queen Latifah. Janet Jackson. Bessie Smith. Whitney Houston. Nina Simone. Lena Horne. Diana Ross. Etta James. Donna Summer. Aretha Franklin. Tracy Chapman. Tina Turner. The Pointer Sisters. Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. Mamie Smith. Joan Armatrading. Alicia Keyes. Irene Cara. India.Arie. Beyoncé. Dionne Warwick. Dinah Washington. Gladys Knight. Natalie Cole. Patti LaBelle. Lauryn Hill. Mariah Carey. Toni Braxton. Chaka Khan. Mary J. Blige. Jennifer Hudson. Brandy. Salt N Pepa. Roberta Flack. Barbara Lewis. Sade. Josephine Baker. Nancy Wilson. Rita Ora. June Richmond. Beverly Knight. Nenah Cherry. Ronnie Spector. Phyllis Hyman. Mary Wells. Grace Jones. Aaliyah. Rihanna. Missy Elliott. Fantasia Barrino. Ciara. Betty Everett. H.E.R.

I could go on.

And these women simply DOMINATED their genres.

People seem to forget (or ignore) history when it suits their narrative.

My daughter was not pleased with Harry’s outfit as he sang, “As It Was.” Sorry, kid.

In Memoriam is appropriate and touching. But the crowd reactions should be muted during this segment. Why one person’s passing gets louder applause than another is a tribute to their popularity. But having popularity recognized in death is strange to me. Every life is significant. No applause, please. This is a gripe I’ve had with award shows forever.

Madonna. The fact that she had to encourage the audience to cheer, make noise, etc., demonstrated to me that she is just not that interesting anymore. When you begin your presentation saying, “Are you ready for some controversy,” and then say nothing controversial… What are you going for?

As Sam Smith and Kim Petras sang, “Unholy,” my 17-year-old son declared, “There is nothing substantial about this song.” I checked out the lyrics. Here’s a sample:

Mmm, daddy, daddy, if you want it, drop the add'y (yuh)
Give me love, give me Fendi, my Balenciaga daddy
You gon' need to bag it up, 'cause I'm spending on Rodeo (woo)
You can watch me back it up, I'll be gone in the a.m
And he, he get me Prada, get me Miu Miu like Rihanna (ah)
He always call me 'cause I never cause no drama
And when you want it, baby, I know I got you covered
And when you need it, baby, just jump under the covers

I was glad to learn my son requires more from his music.

Beyoncé made history. #Icon.

Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Hip-Hop was the best part of the night. Damn. Love the old stuff!

And I’m turning into a country music fan. Luke Combs helped that along with his debut Grammy performance of “Going, Going, Gone.”

I lost count of how many outfit changes Trevor Noah made.

Biggest Surprise? The great Bonnie Raitt winning best song. She’s a legend.

And I really liked Lizzo’s acceptance speech. That she wants positivity is enough for me. Oh, and she is fun and really talented.

Samara Joy is AMAZING. Closest thing I’ve heard to Sarah Vaughn. Unreal talent.

And congrats to my daughter’s fave, Harry Styles, for winning album of the year. Fantastic collection of music. Don’t judge it til you hear it.

And that’s all I got.