This repeated when Beck’s “Morning Phase” famously won Album of the Year over Beyoncé’s self-titled album (which probably split votes with Pharrell‘s “Girl”) and Sam Smith’s “In The Lonely Hour” (which probably split votes with Ed Sheeran‘s “X”). First, just how strong rock and alternative voters can be if they only have one choice of their genre, and especially if there’s multiple pop, rap, or R&B records to split. With that in mind, is it really that surprising that voters went with the acclaimed rock record over a very-explicit rapper and a couple of pop stars?Īrcade Fire’s win can teach us two things. That’s probably why an album like “Two Against Nature” by Steely Dan could beat Eminem’s heavily debated landmark “The Marshall Mathers LP,” and why jazz legends Ray Charles (“Genius Loves Company”) and Herbie Hancock (“River: The Joni Letters”) could beat decade-defining artists like Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Usher, Alicia Keys, and Green Day.

While the Grammys were already less snobby than they had been in the years before, the Recording Academy still had a reputation of being shady to big albums with progressive sounds that weren’t “safe” for older, more conservative listeners.

SEE Grammys flashback: In 2010 Beyonce won her first (and ONLY) award in a top category for ‘Single Ladies’īut vote splitting isn’t the only theory about “The Suburbs’” win.

Lady A was probably seen as more of a standard, commercial country-pop act.Īs for Eminem’s “Recovery,” which many considered the front-runner, he was likely a victim of anti-rap bias only two hip-hop albums have ever won the category ( Lauryn Hill‘s “ The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and OutKast‘s “ Speakerboxxx/The Love Below“), and both were significantly more R&B-inspired than your standard rap record, especially compared to Eminem’s brand of abrasive and explicit hip-hop. Sure, a lot of pop voters probably fell in love with Lady A’s “Need You Now” as a song (it won Record and Song of the Year), but how many had heard the rest of that album? And out of the ones who had, would they seriously go for a country project over two monumental pop albums? In modern Grammy history the genre has only taken the award four times, two of those being massive, near-diamond-certified records ( Taylor Swift‘s “Fearless” and the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack), and the other two being critically acclaimed albums with strong narratives behind them ( The Chicks‘ post-political backlash “Taking the Long Way” and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss‘s unique collaboration “Raising Sand”). SEE Grammys flashback: The curious case of Mumford and Sons’ Album of the Year win 9 years ago As for the other two, country and rap might not be strong enough to win in the general field without some type of cross-genre appeal. Being the only rock or alternative nominees, the band could’ve monopolized those voting blocs while Gaga and Perry split the pop vote. So how did Arcade Fire beat four commercial blockbusters? It might have been a classic case of vote-splitting. And of course, we can’t leave out Katy Perry’s career-defining era, “Teenage Dream,” which at the time of the nominations had scored two number-one hits and would go on to score three more, tying Michael Jackson‘s “Bad” for the most number-ones off an album ever, and thus earning its place in pop music history. Lady Gaga’s “The Fame Monster” was a tremendous success, spawning some of Gaga’s most iconic hits like “Telephone” and “Bad Romance,” the latter of which won a Grammy the album also won Gaga the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. SEE Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 inductees: Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon It was a crossover commercial success and established Lady A as a force in country music. After Arcade Fire came Eminem with his monumental album “Recovery.” The eventual Best Rap Album winner was the bestselling project of the year, and was considered an improvement by critics compared to his previous album, “Relapse.” Lady A were also nominated for their smash “Need You Now,” which earned them five awards that night, which were all their noms except Album of the Year. Arcade Fire was first on the list with their critically beloved third studio album, “The Suburbs.” The record followed two other Grammy-nominated efforts, “Funeral” and “Neon Bible.” It was a fixture in most best-of-the-year lists, and peaked at number-one on the Billboard 200. Let’s start by taking a look at the nominees that year.

Sam smith in the lonely hour song list