Kanye, if you’re reading this (and we know you are), our condolences go out to you for never having won this award. You are more than deserving. But take solace in the fact that, for the most part, this category is bullshit. For example, both Mumford & Sons and Celine Dion have as many wins (one) as The Beatles, while Santana and Steely Dan each won their Grammys a full 30 years into their careers. And last night, Beck won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year a good 18 years after the release of his landmark album (Odelay).
But recent victors might actually provide a little bit of hope for the once-prestigious-but-more-recently-irrelevant Grammy Awards: In 2011, Arcade Fire beat out Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry with The Suburbs (probably their fourth-best album, but still), and the last two winners (Beck and Daft Punk) fall under the better-late-than-never line of defense, and are at least a sign of progress for a category that often confounds more than it validates.
So, Mr. West, while we’re certainly not arguing that Beyoncé wasn’t deserving of the prize, let’s embrace the notion that our desperately uncool Uncle Grammy’s tastes are beginning to mature, and that he is still capable of rewarding some pretty top-notch artists for their achievements.
Here are 10 times Uncle Grammy actually did his damn job, ranked:
10. Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2004)
9. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1977)
8. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1988)
7. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2014)
6. Stan Getz & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto (1965)
5. Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1971)
4. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1984)
3. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1978)
2. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (1974)
1. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1968)
