Maybe the Grammys won't be terrible this year: Frank Ocean, The Black Keys, fun., and more get big nods
The 55th annual Grammy nominations are out, and from the looks of things, this year’s ceremony might not make every single music fan with a modicum of taste want to curl up and die.
Frank Ocean, The Black Keys, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mumford & Sons, and fun. lead this year’s big categories, with each act scooping up six nods apiece. Ocean nabbed arguably the most prestigious honors, including one in all the major categories: Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Best New Artist, as well as Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Best Short Form Music Video for “No Church In The Wild” with Jay-Z and Kanye West.
The Black Keys and/or Dan Auerbach also scraped together Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year nods, as well as Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album, and Producer Of The Year for Dan Auerbach’s work on records like Dr. John’s Locked Down and Hacienda’s Shakedown. Diplo was also nominated in that category.
Ocean’s “Thinking About You” is up against The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” for Record Of The Year, where they’ll be vying for the honor with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” fun.’s “We Are Young,” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.”
Ocean’s Channel Orange and the Keys’ El Camino are going head to head with Jack White’s Blunderbuss, Mumford & Sons’ Babel, and fun.’s Some Nights for Album Of The Year. It’s a little premature, but some critics are already calling the win for Ocean, given the potential for all the rock albums to split the same set of votes.
fun. also got a nod for Best New Artist among its six. Other acts up for that category are Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes, The Lumineers, and the aforementioned Ocean.
As if the big category nominees weren’t relatively “alternative” enough, the Best Alternative Music Album nominees are Fiona Apple’s The Idler Wheel, Björk’s Biophilia, Gotye’s Making Mirrors, M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, and Tom Waits’ Bad As Me.
A list of all the major categories and nominees are below for your snide judgment and casual approval.
Album of the Year
» The Black Keys – El Camino
» Fun. – Some Nights
» Mumford & Sons – Babel
» Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
» Jack White – Blunderbuss
Record of the Year
» The Black Keys – "Lonely Boy"
» Kelly Clarkson – "Stronger"
» Fun. feat. Janelle Monae – "We Are Young"
» Gotye feat. Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know"
» Frank Ocean – "Thinkin Bout You"
» Taylor Swift – "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
Best New Artist
» The Alabama Shakes
» Fun.
» Hunter Hayes
» The Lumineers
» Frank Ocean
Best Pop Vocal Album
» Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
» Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
» Fun. – Some Nights
» Maroon 5 – Overexposed
» Pink – The Truth About Love
Song of the Year
» Ed Sheeran – "The A Team"
» Miguel – "Adorn"
» Carly Rae Jepsen – "Call Me Maybe"
» Kelly Clarkson – "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
» Fun. – "We Are Young"
Best Pop Solo Performance
» Adele – "Set Fire to the Rain (Live)"
» Kelly Clarkson – "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
» Carly Rae Jepsen – "Call Me Maybe"
» Katy Perry – "Wide Awake"
» Rihanna – "Where Have You Been"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
» Florence and the Machine – "Shake It Out"
» Fun. – "We Are Young"
» Gotye feat. Kimbra – "Somebody That I Used to Know"
» LMFAO – "Sexy and I Know It"
» Maroon 5 – "Payphone"
Best Dance Recording
» Avicii – "Levels"
» Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo – "Let's Go"
» Skrillex feat. Sirah – "Bangarang"
» Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin – "Don't You Worry Child"
» Al Walser – "I Can't Live Without You"
Best Dance/Electronic Album
» Steve Aoki – Wonderland
» The Chemical Brothers Don't Think
» deadmau5>Album Title Goes Here<
» Kaskade Fire & Ice
» Skrillex Bangarang
Best Rock Performance
» Alabama Shakes – "Hold On"
» The Black Keys – "Lonely Boy"
» Coldplay – "Charlie Brown"
» Mumford & Sons – "I Will Wait"
» Bruce Springsteen – "We Take Care of Our Own"
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
» Anthrax – "I'm Alive"
» Halestorm – "Love Bites (So Do I)"
» Iron Maiden – "Blood Brothers"
» Lamb of God – "Ghost Walking"
» Marilyn Manson – "No Reflection"
» Megadeth – "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)"
Best Rock Song
» Jack White – "Freedom at 21"
» Mumford & Sons – "I Will Wait"
» The Black Keys – "Lonely Boy"
» Muse – "Madness"
» Bruce Springsteen – "We Take Care of Our Own"
Best Rock Album
» The Black Keys, El Camino
» Muse, The 2nd Law
» Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
» Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball
» Jack White, Blunderbuss
Best Alternative Music Album
» Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
» Bjork, Biophilia
» Gotye, Making Mirrors
» M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
» Tom Waits, Bad As Me
Best R&B Performance
» Estelle – "Thank You"
» Robert Glasper Experiment feat. Ledisi – "Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)
» Luke James – "I Want You"
» Miguel – "Adorn"
» Usher – "Climax"
Best Traditional R&B Performance
» Anita Baker – "Lately"
» Beyonce – "Love on Top"
» Melanie Fiona – "Wrong Side of a Love Song"
» Gregory Porter – "Real Good Hands"
» SWV – "If Only You Knew"
Best Urban Contemporary Album
» Chris Brown, Fortune
» Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
» Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
Best R&B Album
» Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio
» Anthony Hamilton, Back To Love
» R. Kelly, Write Me Back
» Tamia, Beautiful Surprise
» Tyrese, Open Invitation
Best Rap Performance
» Drake feat. Lil' Wayne – "HYFR (Hell Ya F—-ing Right)"
» Jay-Z & Kanye West – "N—-as In Paris"
» Nas – "Daughters"
» Kanye West feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz – "Mercy"
» Young Geezy feat. Jay-Z & Andre 3000 – "I Do"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
» Flo Rida feat. Sia – "Wild Ones"
» Jay-Z & Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream – "No Church in the Wild"
» John Legend feat. Ludacris – "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)"
» Nas feat. Amy Whinehouse – "Cherry Wine"
» Rihanna feat. Jay-Z – "Talk That Talk"
Best Rap Song
» Nas – "Daughters"
» Wale feat. Miguel – "Lotus Flower Bomb"
» Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz – "Mercy"
» Drake feat. Lil' Wayne – "The Motto"
» Jay-Z & Kanye West – "N—-as In Paris"
» Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Featuring Bruno Mars – "Young, Wild & Free"
Best Rap Album
» Drake, Take Care
» Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1
» The Roots, Undun
» Nas, Life Is Good
» Rick Ross, God Forgives, I Don't
» 2 Chainz, Based on a T.R.U. Story
Best Country Song
» Carrie Underwood – "Blown Away"
» Ronnie Dunn -"Cost of Livin' "
» Eli Young Band – "Even If It Breaks Your Heart"
» Alan Jackson – "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore"
» Eric Church – "Springsteen"
Best Country Solo Performance
» Dierks Bentley – "Home"
» Eric Church – "Springsteen"
» Ronnie Dunn – "Cost of Livin' "
» Hunter Hayes – "Wanted"
» Blake Shelton – "Over"
» Carrie Underwood – "Blown Away"
Best Americana Album
» The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter
» John Fullbright, From the Ground Up
» The Lumineers, The Lumineers
» Mumford & Sons, Babel
» Bonnie Raitt, Slipstream
Best Blues Album
» Shemekia Copeland, 33 1/3
» Dr. John, Locked Down
» Ruthie Foster, Let It Burn
» Heritage Blues Orchestra, And I Still Rise
» Joan Osborne, Bring It on Home