A little show called ‘The Grammy Awards’ aired Sunday night and everybody was Tweeting about it! And while there were some strong performances including Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera and Yolanda Adams paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, Rihanna, Eminem busting it out and Gwyneth Paltrow proving her vocal chops with Cee Lo Green and a bunch of Muppets, nothing really quite caught our attention like P!nk’s aerial performance of "Glitter in the Air” at last year’s show. It got us thinking about some of our favorite performances from Grammy show’s gone by including Annie Lennox in drag, Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone toasting Janis Joplin and Janet Jackson taking the world by storm in the late 80’s.
Here are some of our favorite performances, which is by no means a comprehensive list. Feel free to share some of your favorite Grammy performances.
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams, 1984
Eurythmics first single "Sweet Dreams” permeated the air waves over the summer of 1983, and while front woman Annie Lennox sported a provocative androgynous performance in the song’s video, even her most ardent fans were blown away by the look she pulled off for her Grammy performance the following year.
Amy Winehouse – You know I’m no Good, 2008
The summer of 2007 was filled with the strains of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” spilling out of clubs all over the country. Her Grammy performance of “You Know I’m No Good” teemed with funky, soulful energy, and sadly, she hasn’t recorded new material since. Here’s Winehouse caught in her meteoric and short rise to stardom.
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Whitney Houston-- I Will Always Love You, 1983
While Whitney Houston had been topping the charts since the mid-1980’s she blew it out of the water with her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” from The Bodyguard. Whitney took home the Grammy for Song of the Year for her rendition of what was a country classic. Here she is performing it.
Pink-- Glitter in the Air, 2010
Arguably the greatest Grammy performance of all time – and that’s with some bias – P!nk left the audience speechless, and some of them, a little wet.
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Alanis Morissette – Uninvited, 1999
Two years before her breathtaking Grammy performance of “Uninvited” from City of Angels, Alanis had taken the music industry by storm with a little album called Jagged Little Pill. Her haunting live performance proved that Alanis was here to stay.
Jennifer Hudson -- You Pulled me Through, 2009
In an utterly fearless show of stoicism Jennifer Hudson received a standing ovation when she sang “You Pulled Me Through,” at the Grammy Awards just a few short months after her mother and brother were murdered.
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k.d. Lang – Constant Craving, 1993
A crooner of the highest order, k.d. Lang’s delicious rendition of her hit song “Constant Craving” emboldened her as a true lesbian icon and likely even aurally seduced a few housewives who couldn’t resist her charm.
Kelly Clarkson -- Because of You, 2006
It had been four years since original Idol Kelly Clarkson had won America’s hearts – and votes, but here she is in 2006 flexing her big pipes with the ballad “Because of You” of her first mega-hit release Breakaway.
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Janet Jackson -- What Have You Done for Me Lately, 1987
During the late 80’s Janet Jackson, who formerly had made more of a splash with her acting than her usual prowess despite her famous brothers, became a superstar churning out catchy pop hit after the other and renowned for her spot-on choreographed routines. Here’s Janet with “What Have You Done for Me Lately.”
Lady Gaga -- Bad Romance, 2010
Gaga performed at the 2011 Grammy Awards but it was her creative, energenic rendition of "Bad Romance" at the 2010 Awards that galvanized her as a force to be reckoned with.
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Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone -- Janis Joplin Tribute, 2005
Having just beaten breast cancer, Melissa Etheridge took to the Grammy stage with Joss Stone in 2005 for a Janis Joplin Tribute and delivered an impassioned and arresting performance.
Sinead O'Connor -- Mandinka , 1989
The college radio station crowd was well aware of Sinead O'Connor when she released her debut album The Lion and the Cobra in 1987, but it took two years until the Grammy's recognized her as a 'new artist.' By the time she was finished belting her warrior cry 'Mandinka' at the Grammy's show the rest of the country knew her name.
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