Beck, who’s really been out of it for some time, has won the Grammy for Album of the Year. His collection is called “Morning Phase,” and it won this afternoon for Best Rock Album, as well. Beck pulled off quite a coup, beating Beyonce and Sam Smith. Kanye West almost interrupted Beck’s win, then thought better of it.
All the awards were almost secondary to the show itself, which full of music and lots of terrific performances. Even the misses worked. You can quibble about the mistakes, and the weird off topic things like Enrique Iglesias giving Song of the Year. But somehow the show represented the best of pop music of all kinds for 2014.
That Sam Smith won for Best Song after it turned out he nicked it from Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne– who now get songwriting credit and royalties– is a sad state of affairs, however.
Highlights: Paul McCartney-Rihanna-Kanye were lovely. Annie Lennox was perfection. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett a class act. Jeff Lynne and Ed Sheeran were so much fun. Madonna is still a great show-woman. I really liked Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam.
Headscratcher: Kanye’s “Only One” sung in darkness. Katy Perry’s turgid ballad. And the cutting off of Tom Jones and Jessie J on what could have been an outstanding version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”
Here’s the full list of winners:
Album of the Year
Beck, Morning Phase — WINNER
Beyonce, Beyonce
Ed Sheeran, x
Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
Pharrell Williams, Girl
Best New Artist
Bastille
Iggy Azalea
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith — WINNER
Best R&B Performance
“Drunk In Love,” Beyoncé ft. Jay Z — WINNER
“New Flame,” Chris Brown ft. Usher & Rick Ross
“It’s Your World,” Jennifer Hudson ft. R. Kelly
“Like This,” Ledisi
“Good Kisser,” Usher
Best Rock Album
Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams
Morning Phase, Beck — WINNER
Turn Blue, The Black Keys
Hypnotic Eye, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Songs of Innocence, U2
Best Pop Solo Performance
“All of Me,” John Legend
“Chandelier,” Sia
“Stay With Me,” Sam Smith
“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
“Happy,” Pharrell Williams — WINNER
Best Country Album
Riser, Dierks Bentley
The Outsiders, Eric Church
The Way I’m Livin’, Lee Ann Womack
12 Stories, Brandy Clark
Platinum, Miranda Lambert — WINNER
Best Pop Vocal Album
Ghost Stories, Coldplay
Bangerz, Miley Cyrus
My Everything, Ariana Grande
Prism, Katy Perry
x, Ed Sheeran
In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith — WINNER
Record of the Year
“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
“Chandelier,” Sia
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith — WINNER
“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
“All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor
Song of the Year
“Chandelier,” Sia
“All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor
“Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith — WINNER
“Take Me to Church,” Hozier
Best Rap Album
The New Classic, Iggy Azalea
Because the Internet, Childish Gambino
Nobody’s Smiling, Common
The Marshall Mathers LP2, Eminem — WINNER
Oxymoron, ScHoolboy Q
Blacc Hollywood, Wiz Khalifa
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
“A Sky Full of Stars,” Coldplay
“Say Something,” A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera — WINNER
“Bang Bang,” Ariana Grande, Jessie J & Nicki Minaj
“Dark Horse,” Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
Best Rap Performance
“3005,” Childish Gambino
“0 to 100/The Catch Up,” Drake
“Rap God,” Eminem
“i,” Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
“All I Need Is You,” Lecrae
Best Alternative Music Album
This Is All Yours, alt-J
Reflektor, Arcade Fire
Melophobia, Cage the Elephant
St. Vincent, St. Vincent — WINNER
Lazaretto, Jack White
Best Rock Song
“Ain’t It Fun,” Paramore — WINNER
“Blue Moon,” Beck
“Fever,” The Black Keys
“Gimme Something Good,” Ryan Adams
“Lazaretto,” Jack White
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Blak Majik,” Common ft. Jhené Aiko
“The Monster,” Eminem ft. Rihanna — WINNER
“Tuesday,” I Love Makonnen ft. Drake
“Studio,” ScHoolboy Q ft. BJ The Chicago Kid
“Bound 2,” Kanye West & Charlie Wilson
Best Rap Song
“Anaconda,” Nicki Minaj
“Bound 2,” Kanye West & Charlie Wilson
“i,” Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
“We Dem Boyz,” Wiz Khalifa
“0 to 100/The Catch Up,” Drake
Best Country Song
“American Kids,” Kenny Chesney
“Automatic,” Miranda Lambert
“Give Me Back My Hometown,” Eric Church
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell — WINNER
“Meanwhile Back at Mama’s,” Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Gentle On My Mind,” The Band Perry — WINNER
“Somethin’ Bad,” Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood
“Day Drinking,” Little Big Town
“Meanwhile Back At Mama’s,” Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill
“Raise ‘Em Up,” Keith Urban ft. Eric Church
Best Country Solo Performance
“Give Me Me Back My Hometown,” Eric Church
“Invisible,” Hunter Hayes
“Automatic,” Miranda Lambert
“Something In the Water,” Carrie Underwood — WINNER
“Cop Car,” Keith Urban
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Sail Out, Jhene Aiko
Beyonce, Beyonce
X, Chris Brown
Mali Is, Mali Music
G I R L, Pharrell Williams — WINNER
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Syro, Aphex Twin — WINNER
While (1, Deadmaus
Nabuma Rubberband, Little Dragon
Do It Again, Röyksopp & Robyn
Damage Control, Mat Zo
Best Dance Recording
“Never Say Never,” Basement Jaxx
“Rather Be,” Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne — WINNER
“F for You,” Disclosure ft. Mary J. Blige
“I Got U,” Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones
“Faded,” Zhu
Best Latin Pop Album
Tangos, Ruben Blades — WINNER
Elypse, Camila
Raiz, Lila Downs, Niña Pastori & Soledad Pastorutti
Loco de Amor, Juanes
Gracias Por Estar Aqui, Marco Antonio Solis
Grammy Latin Nominations Cast a Wide Net
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
American Hustle
Guardians of the Galaxy
Frozen — WINNER
Get On Up: The James Brown Story
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Music Video
“We Exist,” Arcade Fire
“Turn Down for What,” DJ Snake & Lil Jon
“Chandelier,” Sia
“Happy,” Pharrell Williams — WINNER
“The Golden Age,” Woodkid ft. Max Richter
Best Music Film
Beyoncé & Jay Z: On The Run Tour, Beyoncé & Jay Z
Ghost Stories, Coldplay
20 Feet From Stardom, Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill — WINNER
Metallica: Through The Never, Metallica
The Truth About Love Tour: Live From Melbourne, Pink
Best Reggae Album
Fly Rasta, Ziggy Marley — WINNER
Back on the Controls, Lee “Scratch” Perry
Full Frequency, Sean Paul
Out of Many, One Music, Shaggy,
The Reggae Power, Sly & Robbie & Spicy Chocolate,
Amid the Noise and the Haste, Soja
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Cheek to Cheek, Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett — WINNER
Sending You a Little Christmas, Johnny Mathis
Nostalgia, Annie Lennox
Partners, Barbra Streisand
Night Songs, Barry Manilow
Best Americana Album
The River & The Thread, Rosanne Cash — WINNER
Terms of My Surrener, John Hiatt
Bluesamericana, Keb’ Mo’
A Dotted Line, Nickel Creek
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, Sturgill Simpson
Best Spoken Word Album
Actors Anonymous, James Franco
A Call to Action, Jimmy Carter
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America, John Waters
A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
Diary of a Mad Diva, Joan Rivers — WINNER
We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration and the Power of Song, Gloria Gaynor
Joan Rivers & 5 More Posthumous Grammy Award Nominees
Best Gospel Album
Help, Erica Campbell — WINNER
Amazing, Ricky Dillard & New G
Withholding Nothing: Live, William McDowell
Forever Yours, Smokie Norful
Vintage Worship, Anita Wilson
Best Rock Performance
“Gimme Something Good,” Ryan Adams
“Do I Wanna Know?”, Arctic Monkeys
“Blue Moon,” Beck
“Fever,” The Black Keys
“Lazaretto,” Jack White — WINNER
Best Metal Performance
“Neon Knights,” Anthrax
“High Road,” Mastodon
“Heartbreaker,” Motörhead
“The Negative One,” Slipknot
“The Last In Line,” Tenacious D — WINNER
Best R&B Song
“Drunk In Love,” Beyonce ft. Jay Z — WINNER
“Good Kisser,” Usher
“New Flame,” Chris Brown ft. Usher & Rick Ross
“Options (Wolfjames Version),” Luke James ft. Rick Ross
“The Worst,” Jhené Aiko
Best R&B Album
Islander, Bernhoft
Lift Your Spirit, Aloe Blacc
Love, Marriage & Divorce, Toni Braxton & Babyface — WINNER
Black Radio 2, Robert Glasper Experiment
Give The People What They Want, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings