Posts Tagged With: Ed Sheeran

When it’s 70 degrees in February

When it’s warm outside in February, there is no other option but to make a playlist you can listen to while your dog drags you around the park (I should really get a wagon or sled or something for him to pull me in, w’d both have more fun that way).  IMG_5736

All You Had To Do Was Stay – Taylor Swift – 1989
“People like you always want back, the love they pushed aside, but people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye.” 

Wild – Troye Sivan – Wild EP
“You make my heart shake, bend, and break. But I can’t turn away and it’s driving me wild.”

Without You – Parachute – Wide Awake
“Doesn’t matter where I go. Doesn’t matter if I run. We were always gonna get too close. We were always gonna fall in love.”

Remedy – Adele – 25
“When the world seems so cruel, and your heart makes you feel like a fool. I promise you will see that I will be your remedy.”

Don’t – Ed Sheeran – X
“And I wasn’t looking for a promise or 
commitment, but this was never just fun and I thought you were different.”

Same Old Love – Selena Gomez – Revival
“Take away your things and go, you can’t take back what you said. I know I’ve heard it all before at least a million times, I’m not one to forget, you know.”

Ordinary Words – Hanson – Members Only EP 2010
“Well, give it to me straight, so I can feel your pain. Nothing lasts forever, life don’t work that way. I know you’d love to hate me, but it’s too late for that.”

Say You’re Mine – Kate Voegele – Gravity Happens
“I bit my tongue for too long. My patience gets a bit thin. I gotta tell you the way that it is. I think you know this is something different we’ve started. We’re more than ordinary.”

Disappear – Matt Nathanson – Show Me Your Fangs
“For my greatest trick, the one everyone cheers. You’re deep in love, and I’m not even here.”

Should’ve Been Us – Tori Kelly – Unbreakable Smile
“Dressed up, got my heart messed up. You got yours and I got mine. It’s unfair that I still care and I wonder where you are tonight.”

Alone Again – Betty Who – Take Me When You Go
“Get away. Anywhere but here. I’m gonna give you a break. Drive until you disappear. And maybe then you’ll say ‘don’t ever leave me alone again’.”

Sorry – Justin Bieber – Purpose
“I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice. And by once or twice I mean maybe a couple a hundred times.”

Out Of the Woods – Taylor Swift – 1989
“Remember when we couldn’t take the heat? I walked out and said, ‘I’m settin’ you free,’ but the monsters turned out to be just trees. And when the sun came up you were looking at me.” 

We Don’t Talk Anymore – Charlie Puth Feat Selena Gomez – 9 Track Mind
“Every now and then I think you might want me to come show up at your door. But I’m just too afraid that I’ll be wrong.”

Shameless – The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness
“You want me to fix you but it’s never enough. That’s why you always call me cause you’re scared to be loved.”

Holes Inside – Joe Brooks – A Reason To Swim
“If you hold tight, shadows will be lost in the light. Because sometimes, fate and your dreams will collide. So don’t walk away from me.” 

Energy – Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
“I got girls askin’ me about the code for the Wi-Fi. So they can talk about they timeline and show me pictures of they friends, just to tell me they ain’t really friends.”

Catch Me – Demi Lovato – Here We Go Again
“Before I fall too fast, kiss me quick but make it last. So I can see how badly this will hurt me when you say goodbye.”

Perfect – One Direction – Made in the A.M.
“If you like cameras flashing every time we go out…”

Jinx – DANC – Swway EP
“Fingers cross when I kiss you. Knocking on wood when I miss you. Acting like a teenage fool when you are with me.” 

Sun is Shining – Axwell ^ Ingrosso – Sun is Shining (Single)
“And we’re gonna be alright. Dry your tears and hold tight. Can’t you tell I got news for you. Sun is shining and so are you.”

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Grammy “Predictions”

Each year I try to predict how the Academy will choose it’s winner, but the is year I’m 26 and have discovered that there is literally no predicting anything. Not the weather, and definitely not the Academy.

So this year I’m just going to to go with my heart and choose who I want to win the awards. (and you can pretty much assume if T. Swift is nominated, I want her to win.) I didn’t choose for the awards of music I didn’t listen to…obviously. Some of the awards I have attached reasons I want them to win…some of them I didn’t.

Record Of The Year
• Really Love — D’Angelo And The Vanguard
• Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
• Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran
• Blank Space — Taylor Swift
• Can’t Feel My Face — The Weeknd

If we give them a Grammy will the song go away? I like it (not as much as I liked the bottom three nominees), and it was good the first 400 billion times I heard it, but now I find myself switching stations when it comes on. But, the fact that I’ve hear it upwards of 400 billion times has got to count for something. 

Album Of The Year
• Sound & Color —  Alabama Shakes
• To Pimp A Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar
• Traveller —  Chris Stapleton
• 1989 — Taylor Swift
• Beauty Behind The Madness — The Weeknd

The Academy is so random when they choose their winners. I can’t actually decide how they choose? Commercial success? Critical success? Relevancy? I’m actually convinced they just put all the names in a hat and draw from it. Yes, all of the albums are good, but none of them had the selling power of 1989, nor did any of the rest of them produce as many singles as 1989.

Song Of The Year
• Alright —  Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
• Blank Space — Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters
(Taylor Swift)
• Girl Crush — Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters
(Little Big Town)
• See You Again — Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
• Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters
(Ed Sheeran)

I love Ed Sheeran, and I loved See You Again…but Blank Space is one of the best written, most clever, and creative songs to be written in a long time.

Best New Artist
• Courtney Barnett
• James Bay
• Sam Hunt
• Tori Kelly
• Meghan Trainor

This one, for me, is kind of a toss up between Megan Trainer and Tori Kelly. Megan Trainer writes some pretty catchy songs, but Tori Kelly is a pretty much undiscovered powerhouse.

Best Pop Solo Performance
• Heartbeat Song — Kelly Clarkson
• Love Me Like You Do — Ellie Goulding
• Thinking Out Loud — Ed Sheeran
• Blank Space — Taylor Swift
• Can’t Feel My Face — The Weeknd

Be still my heart.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
• Ship To Wreck — Florence + The Machine
• Sugar — Maroon 5
• Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
• Bad Blood — Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar
• See You Again — Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth

I actually like the Taylor Swift not featuring Kendrick Lamar version better. And this is my favorite Maroon 5 song since their Hands All Over album. 

Best Pop Vocal Album
• Piece By Piece — Kelly Clarkson
• How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful — Florence + The Machine
• Uptown Special — Mark Ronson
 • 1989 — Taylor Swift
• Before This World — James Taylor

Best Dance Recording
• We’re All We Need — Above & Beyond Featuring Zoë Johnston
• Go — The Chemical Brothers
• Never Catch Me —  Flying Lotus Featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Runaway (U & I) — Galantis
• Where Are Ü Now — Skrillex And Diplo With Justin Bieber

Give the Biebs a Grammy!

Best Rap Performance
• Apparently —  J. Cole
• Back To Back — Drake
• Trap Queen — Fetty Wap
• Alright — Kendrick Lamar
• Truffle Butter —  Nicki Minaj Featuring Drake & Lil Wayne
• All Day — Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney

Full disclosure: I only listen to Drake.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
• One Man Can Change The World — Big Sean Featuring Kanye West & John Legend
• Glory —  Common & John Legend
• Classic Man — Jidenna Featuring Roman GianArthur
• These Walls — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
• Only —  Nicki Minaj Featuring Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown

This song made it onto my ultimate summer 2015 playlist

Best Rap Song
• All Day — Ernest Brown, Tyler Bryant, Sean Combs, Mike Dean, Rennard East, Noah Goldstein, Malik Yusef Jones, Karim Kharbouch, Allan Kyariga, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Victor Mensah, Charles Njapa, Che Pope, Patrick Reynolds, Allen Ritter, Kanye West, Mario Winans & Cydel Young, songwriters
(Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney)
• Alright — Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
• Energy — Richard Dorfmeister, A. Graham, Markus Kienzl, M. O’Brien, M. Samuels & Phillip Thomas, songwriters
(Drake)
• Glory — Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters
(Common & John Legend)
• Trap Queen — Tony Fadd & Willie J. Maxwell, songwriters
(Fetty Wap)

Side note: WHY DO YOU NEED NINETEEN SONGWRITERS FOR ONE SONG! If it takes that many people to make it work…you should just give it up!

Best Rap Album
• 2014 Forest Hills Drive —  J. Cole
• Compton —  Dr. Dre
• If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late — Drake
• To Pimp A Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar
• The Pinkprint — Nicki Minaj

Best Country Solo Performance
• Burning House — Cam
• Traveller — Chris Stapleton
• Little Toy Guns — Carrie Underwood
• John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 — Keith Urban
• Chances Are — Lee Ann Womack

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
• Stay A Little Longer — Brothers Osborne
• If I Needed You — Joey+Rory
• The Driver — Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
• Girl Crush — Little Big Town
• Lonely Tonight — Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe

Boy can Charles Kelly sing.

Best Country Song
• Chances Are — Hayes Carll, songwriter
(Lee Ann Womack)
• Diamond Rings And Old Barstools — Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
• Girl Crush — Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters
(Little Big Town)
• Hold My Hand — Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones, songwriters
(Brandy Clark)
• Traveller — Chris Stapleton, songwriter
(Chris Stapleton)

Pretty clever. 

Best Country Album
• Montevallo — Sam Hunt
• Pain Killer — Little Big Town
• The Blade — Ashley Monroe
• Pageant Material — Kacey Musgraves
• Traveller — Chris Stapleton

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
• Empire: Season 1
• Fifty Shades Of Grey
• Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
• Pitch Perfect 2
• Selma

They incorporated Mmmbop, how can I not choose them?

Best Song Written For Visual Media
• Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) — Ahmad Balshe, Stephan Moccio, Jason Quenneville & Abel Tesfaye, songwriters (The Weeknd)
• Glory — Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters (Common & John Legend)
• Love Me Like You Do — Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Tove Nilsson, Ali Payami & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Ellie Goulding)
• See You Again — Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
• Til It Happens To You — Lady Gaga & Diane Warren, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

I did not cry in the back of the theater of AN ACTION MOVIE or nothing.

Best Music Video
• LSD — ASAP Rocky
• I Feel Love (Every Million Miles) — The Dead Weather
• Alright — Kendrick Lamar
• Bad Blood — Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Freedom — Pharrell Williams

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Same old story, not much to say. Hearts are broken every day.

Sad seasons in life (broken hearts) sometimes align with sad seasons in nature (winter).

Sometimes people let you believe that they love you, never actually correcting you or telling you otherwise, they just go on not loving you. While you stand by idly. Trusting their heart. Surrendering your heart over to them. Living in an illusion.

And then, instead of fighting for your heart when the moment arises, they just walk away. And you sit at home. And cry. Alternating between listening to sad songs and binge watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix (or on DVD when Netflix also betrays you). While you eat unhealthy amounts pizza and puppy chow. Because that is what numbs the pain.

People tell you that it gets better. That you deserved better. But thostirede aren’t the people who just watched their futures go from happily ever
after to lonely cat-lady.

All it does is reopen the wounds when you talk about it to new people and have to explain all the nuances of your lost relationship. And your friends, your real friends, the ones who know everything and love you anyway, they are tired of hearing about Adr-eh-um-him. They are tired of hearing about him. So you fake it. Fake it until you make it, right?

And so you pretend to be okay. Because it’s exhausting being sad all the time. And sometimes you are okay; because life is full of distractions. And sometimes you go back. Even after you said you wouldn’t. “For real this time,” you said. But you’re in love. And you can’t help it. So you go back every time thinking things will be different. One day hopefully it will be. Or one day you’ll fully heal. But truth be told, I don’t want to just heal, I want him. But I guess I would settle for either.

And then you make a playlist. And then you blog about it. Because your word vomit has to go somewhere. And Lord knows that boy doesn’t want to hear it.

  1. All I Ask – Adele – 25
    “No one knows me like you do. And since you’re the only one that matters, tell me who do I run to?”
  2. Me, Myself, and I – Hanson – Shout It Out
    “I don’t wanna get used to ‘it’s over’ but we’ve already said too much to make it new.”
  3. All Too Well – Taylor Swift – Red
    “Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it. I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it.”
  4. When I Was Your Man – Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox
    “Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now. Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same.”
  5. California Rain – Betty Who – Take Me When You Go
    “We won’t build a home, you won’t buy flowers every Monday.Or call on my birthday. I’m not the first & I won’t be the last to love you.”
  6. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room – John Mayer – Continuum
    “I was the one you always dreamed of, you were the one I tried to draw. How dare you say it’s nothing to me? Baby, you’re the only light I ever saw.”
  7. Silhouette – Owl City – The Midsummer Station
    “I’m new to this grief I can’t explain. But I’m no stranger to the heartache and the pain.”
  8. Hurricane – Parachute – Overnight
    “I’m standing in the pouring rain, I feel it like a hurricane. A photograph is all it takes, but I know I shouldn’t let it.”
  9. Unfair – Kate Voegele – A Fine Mess
    “Cause those who get to know our hearts the most, they always seem to be the ones we’ll never hold.”
  10. Dreaming with a Broken Heart – John Mayer – Continuum
    “When you’re dreaming with a broken hear the waking up is the hardest part. You fall outta bed, and down on your knees, and for a moment you can hardly breathe.”
  11. Sunburn – Ed Sheeran – +
    “If you cut deep then I might learn. If you scar and leave me like a sunburn.”
  12. You Were Meant for Me – Jewel – Pieces of You
    “Same old story, not much to say. Hearts are broken everyday.”
  13. Sad Beautiful Tragic – Taylor Swift – Red
    “And time is taking its sweet time erasing you. And you’ve got your demons, and, darling, they all look like me.”
  14. Say You Love Me – Jessica Ware – Tough Love
    “Cause I don’t wanna fall in love if you don’t wanna try. But all that I’ve been thinking of is maybe that you might.”
  15. Sooner Surrender – Matt Nathanson – Modern Love
    “I’d sooner surrender, than watch the last wall collapse. I’d sooner surrender and our love will count for everything. And I miss when you were everything.”
  16. Was I the Only One – Jordin Sparks – Battlefield
    “I don’t understand how I can feel this pain, and still be alive. All these broken dreams and all these memories are killing me inside.”
  17. The Heart Wants What it Wants – Selena Gomez
    “Save your advice cause I won’t hear. You might be right but I don’t care. There’s a million reasons why I should give you up, but…”
  18. Not in Love – Olin & The Moon – Footsteps
    “Because you’re not in love. There’s no way you possibly could. You shouldn’t even like this, you just like the way it looks.”
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#BeachHouse2014

WE LEAVE FOR THE OUTER BANKS TODAY! Spending a week in a house off the coast of North Carolina is pretty much my favorite thing in the world.

And naturally, I’ve created a playlist. The full playlist is roughly 12 hours long, but here are the highlights.

1. The Mixed Tape  Jack’s Mannequin One Tree Hill: Friends with Benefit

“As I rearrange the songs again. This mix could burn a hole in anyone, but it was you I was thinking of.”

2. Last Days of Summer in San Francisco  Matt Nathanson Last of the Great Pretenders

“There was so much I didn’t believe in, and then, there was you. You made me brave, you made me stupid.                                         Gave me this skin, that I could move in.”

3. Sing Ed Sheeran X

“I don’t wanna know if you’re getting ahead of the program. I want you to be mine.”

4. Birthday  Selena Gomez Star Dance

“Tell ’em that it’s my birthday when I party like that. Every night’s my birthday, they don’t know, so it’s okay.                                        Tell ’em that it’s my birthday when I party like that.”

5. Meant to Be  Parachute Overnight

“Baby all I know, and that I’ve come to find, you can the touch the sun, but you’re never gonna kiss the sky.”

6. Rather Be  Clean Bandit (Single)

“It’s easy being with you, sacred simplicity. As long as we’re together, there’s no place I’d rather be.”

7. Best Day of My Life — American Authors Best Day of My Life

“I’m never gonna look back. Whoa. I’m never gonna give it up. Nooo. Please don’t wake me now.”

8. Cut Right Through Me  Hanson Anthem

“I’ve said a word and I’ve said too much. You take a piece of everything you touch.”

9. American Secrets  Parachute The Way It Was “We would drive out through every lonely street, yeah. Smell the truth in her hair, felt the world at my feet, yeah.” 10. Classic  MKTO MKTO

“Out of my league. Old school chic. Like a movie star from the silver screen. You’re one of a kind living in a world gone plastic,  baby, you’re so classic.”

11. Hundred Million Dollar Soul  Kate Voegele Gravity Happens

“It’s no wonder that you’re such a natural, you got everything I want from your head to your toes. And underneath that smile that has me sold is your hundred million dollar soul.”

12. Parallel  Heffron Drive (Single)

“Counting stars, laying in the grass, side by side, your head on my shoulder. We talk a lot about nothing much, with every breath we are getting closer.”

13. 22  Taylor Swift Red

“It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters, and make fun of our exes, ah-oh, ah-oh.”

14. TKO  Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience Pt. 2

“This ain’t the girl I used to know, no, not anymore. TKO.”

15. Moment With You — Will Anderson (I may have downloaded this off SoundCloud, sorry Mikey)

“Baby, close your eye, don’t miss this feelin’. When I pull you close this heart hits the ceilin’.”

16. Wanna Be Startin’ Something  Darren Criss (Originally by Michael Jackson) (Single)

“It’s too high to get over. Too low to get under. You’re stuck in the middle, and the pain is thunder.”

17. She Look So Perfect  5 Seconds of Summer She Looks So Perfect EP

“You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now, that I’m so down.”

18. Just Want You To Know  Backstreet Boys Never Gone

“Looking at your picture from when we first met, you gave me a smile that I could never forget. And nothing I could do could protect me from you that night.”

19. The Way  Ariana Grande Yours Truly

“I got it bad boy, I must admit it. You got my heart, don’t know how you did it.”

20. Somewhere in my Car — Keith Urban Fuse

“But in my mind we’re somewhere in my car and it’s raining hard on the streetlights glow.”

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2014 Grammy Predictions

Each year I struggle with whether I am more excited for the Grammys or for the Superbowl. This year there is not contest. I care very, very little about the Superbowl this year. [As a Chiefs fan, that is my prerogative. Current AFC West rivals Denver vs. former AFC West rivals Seattle (any ACF West team current or former is considered a rival, obviously). It’s lose-lose for me. For the record I’ll be cheering for Seattle, because there is nothing in this world that could bring me to cheer on Denver.] But I care very, very much about the Grammys (as much as someone who has no actual investment in the show or music industry can care).

I feel like this year, they might have done a fairly decent job with the nominations (minus the fact that JT wasn’t present on the list for Album of the Year). I think they manage to not choose the most obscure stuff possible, which is the norm for the Recording Academy. If you watch the show, and you keep up with music in any sense, you will most likely recognized 3/4 of the people, which is a fantastic concept!

I always like to make my picks prior to the actual give aways…because who doesn’t like to do that? Below you fill find the list of people I think will go home with the award, and people I want to/should take home the gramophone (of course you will notice I only choose winner for the awards I have interest in…because I don’t want to get involved in 0ver 80 awards). 

******I will be live-tweeting this event. You can follow me here: @mistydawnclay******

RECORD OF THE YEAR (goes to the performer)

  • Get Lucky -Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
  • Radioactive-Imagine Dragons
  • Royals-Lorde
  • Locked Out Of Heaven-Bruno Mars
  • Blurred LinesRobin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

There is no way that “Blurred Lines” shouldn’t go home with this award. IT WAS THE MOST PLAYED SONG IN THE HISTORY OF EVER. And I’m hoping the academy recognizes this.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

  • The Blessed Unrest -Sara Bareilles
  • Random Access Memories -Daft Punk
  • Good Kid, M.A.A.D City -Kendrick Lamar
  • The Heist -Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Red -Taylor Swift

I think that The Heist is a safe Grammy bet. I mean, it was independently released and has a “message.” It’s Grammy bait. But I think Taylor Swift should be the victor here. I mean, seriously. Did any of the rest of the nominees sell over ONE MILLION albums in a week? And did any of the other nominees have an album with more diversity? The answer is no.

SONG OF THE YEAR (goes to the writer)

  • Just Give Me A Reason -Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
  • Locked Out Of Heaven -Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
  • Roar -Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
  • Royals -Joel Little & Ella Yelich O’Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
  • Same Love -Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)

“Royals” should have this in the bag. It’s easily the most unique song and the cleverest. Which I’m pretty sure is what this award is about. I’m just fearful that the Academy will once again side with the message of “Same Love”.

BEST NEW ARTIST

  • James Blake
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Kacey Musgraves
  • Ed Sheeran

I want Ed Sheeran to win. Because he is the bomb, and clearly the best artist out of this bunch, but I just don’t think it’s fair. He’s not really a new artist. Last year “A Team” was nominated for Song of the Year, and I feel like the fact that he’s been nominated before should disqualify him. With him out the running, I think Kacey Musgraves should win, but I think Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will sweep.

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

  • Brave -Sara Bareilles
  • Royals -Lorde
  • When I Was Your Man -Bruno Mars
  • Roar -Katy Perry
  • Mirrors -Justin Timberlake

Quick fact: I want JT to win everything he’s ever nominated for.

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

  • Get Lucky -Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
  • Just Give Me A Reason -Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
  • Stay -Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko
  • Blurred Lines -Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell
  • Suit & Tie -Justin Timberlake & Jay Z

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

  • Paradise -Lana Del Rey
  • Pure Heroine -Lorde
  • Unorthodox Jukebox -Bruno Mars
  • Blurred Lines -Robin Thicke
  • The 20/20 Experience The Complete Experience Justin Timberlake

This is the best they can do after snubbing him in for Album of the Year. Give JT’s comeback album some real love.

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM

  • Random Access MemoriesDaft Punk
  • Settle -Disclosure
  • 18 Months -Calvin Harris
  • Atmosphere -Kaskade
  • A Color Map Of The Sun -Pretty Lights

To be totally honest, I only recognize Daft Punk and Calvin Harris. And out of those two I like Daft Punk more.

BEST ROCK ALBUM

  • 13 Black Sabbath
  • The Next Day -David Bowie
  • Mechanical Bull -Kings Of Leon
  • Celebration Day -Led Zeppelin
  • …Like Clockwork -Queens Of The Stone Age
  • Psychedelic Pill -Neil Young With Crazy Horse

So many old guys in one category. But I think no one is more true, real rock than Black Sabbath. The Kings of Leon don’t even deserve to be nominated with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

  • The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You -Neko Case
  • Trouble Will Find Me -The National
  • Hesitation Marks -Nine Inch Nails
  • Lonerism -Tame Impala
  • Modern Vampires Of The City -Vampire Weekend

I’m seeing a nostalgia win in this category. But I like Vampire Weekend more.

BEST R&B SONG

  • Best Of Me -Anthony Hamilton & Jairus Mozee, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)
  • Love And War -Tamar Braxton, Darhyl Camper, Jr., LaShawn Daniels & Makeba Riddick, songwriters (Tamar Braxton)
  • Only One -PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton Featuring Stevie Wonder)
  • Pusher Love Girl -James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake)
  • Without Me -Fantasia Barrino, Missy Elliott, Al Sherrod Lambert, Harmony Samuels & Kyle Stewart, songwriters (Fantasia Featuring Kelly Rowland & Missy Elliot)

The truth is I have no idea who the Academy will choose, since I know none of these songs, but I do know who Stevie Wonder is, and I think his name will/should pull some votes. But once again, I ALWAYS want JT to win.

BEST R&B ALBUM

  • R&B Divas -Faith Evans
  • Girl On Fire -Alicia Keys
  • Love In The Future -John Legend
  • Better -Chrisette Michele
  • Three Kings -TGT

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE

  • Started From The Bottom -Drake
  • Berzerk -Eminem
  • Tom Ford -Jay Z
  • Swimming Pools (Drank) -Kendrick Lamar
  • Thrift Shop -Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz

Just so we are all clear, I know little to nothing about rap music. I know that I like Drake, because he seems to have feelings and in general is less offensive to me, not to mention he is incredibly attractive and also sings. But that is where my knowledge ends. I know who all of these people are, but I can’t tell you a single thing about what makes a rap song good. I do know that Jay-Z and Eminem seem to be crazy respected though…so there’s that. I’m calling it a toss up between them.

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION

  • Power Trip -J. Cole Featuring Miguel
  • Part II (On The Run) -Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
  • Holy Grail -Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
  • Now Or Never -Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J. Blige
  • Remember You -Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

Oh look, it’s Jay-Z vs. Jay-Z. Side note: Maybe it’s just me, but aren’t alllllll rap songs collaborations???

BEST RAP SONG

  • F***in’ Problems -Tauheed Epps, Aubrey Graham, Kendrick Lamar, Rakim Mayers & Noah Shebib, songwriters (ASAP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar)
  • Holy Grail -Shawn Carter, Terius Nash, J. Harmon, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl & Krist Novoselic, songwriters) (Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake)
  • New Slaves -Christopher Breaux, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Louis Johnson, Malik Jones, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, Che Smith, Kanye West & Cydell Young, songwriters (Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser, songwriters)
    (Kanye West)
  • Started From The Bottom -W. Coleman, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Bruno Sanfilippo, songwriter) (Drake)
  • Thrift Shop -Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz)

BEST RAP ALBUM

  • Nothing Was The Same -Drake
  • Magna Carta…Holy Grail -Jay Z
  • Good Kid, M.A.A.D City -Kendrick Lamar
  • The Heist -Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Yeezus -Kanye West

Personally I find Kanye West to be incredibly offensive. But I also recognize that everyone sees him as kind of a crazy genius. 

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

  • I Drive Your Truck -Lee Brice
  • I Want Crazy -Hunter Hayes
  • Mama’s Broken Heart -Miranda Lambert
  • Wagon Wheel -Darius Rucker
  • Mine Would Be You -Blake Shelton

“I Drive Your Truck” is the sentimental favorite. And I feel like “Wagon Wheel” shouldn’t be allowed because it’s not an original song. This year feel like all of the country nominees are pretty dead even this year. That’s the beauty of country music, it’s all good. These are the hardest categories for me to choose, because not only do I like them all, but I also see them all as equally likely to win.

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

  • From This Valley -The Civil Wars
  • Don’t Rush -Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill
  • Your Side Of The Bed -Little Big Town
  • Highway Don’t Care -Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
  • You Can’t Make Old Friends –Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton

“Your Side of the Bed” is hands down the best song in this category. Buuuuut, Vince Gill has 20 Grammys, so they obviously like him.

BEST COUNTRY SONG

  • Begin AgainTaylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
  • I Drive Your Truck -Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Jimmy Yeary, songwriters (Lee Brice)
  • Mama’s Broken Heart -Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
  • Merry Go ‘Round -Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
  • Mine Would Be You -Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Deric Ruttan, songwriters (Blake Shelton)

The Academy likes Taylor, and for good reason. She embodies everything that they promote. Regardless of whether you like her or not, you can’t really deny her song writing ability (which is what this award recognizes). Also, she is the only one single writer nominated, so that should count for something. She is possibly the best writer of my generation. Also, I am partial to this song because it’s rumored to be about the love of my life, one Will Anderson.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

  • Night Train –Jason Aldean
  • Two Lanes Of Freedom –Tim McGraw
  • Same Trailer Different Park –Kacey Musgraves
  • Based On A True Story –Blake Shelton
  • Red –Taylor Swift

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore Taylor Swift, but “Red” is not a country album. Yes, it has a few country songs on it, but in general, it’s a pretty pop album. The fact that my bffff Tara likes it is all the verification I need. Other than “Red” I think this is a solid batch of country albums, it could go to anyone, but I think the Academy is going to send Kacey Musgraves home with the award.

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I’ll pick you up when you’re getting down. And out of all these things I’ve done, I think I love you better now.

Why does everyone want to see Ed Sheeran? Okay, that’s a dumb question. Obviously everyone wants to see him because he’s the bomb. Really, I’m just angry that every single one of his shows always sells out before I get tickets.

If you don’t already know who this guy is, look him up. He’s 21-years-old and already he’s probably the greatest songwriter to come out of England since the McCartney/Lennon days. No joke. If all you know of him is his performance of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” from the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, you are so behind. He is literally the entire musical package. He’s a typical singer/songwriter…who also raps. Seriously.  And if that wasn’t enough of a shocker, he’s also ginger. I didn’t even know gingers had the ability to rap.

Over the past few years he’s self-released a lot of EPs and a a couple full albums, but in 2011 he was finally picked up by Atlantic Records (a sub-division of Warner Music Group). And that led to the release of his “debut” album, +.  It’s the best album I’ve ever heard. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s probably one of the most diverse albums I’ve ever heard (and it’s definitely in the top 10 best albums ever). I cannot stop listening to it (and neither can Elton John, so that gives it some heavy credibility right there). He sings like an angel. It’s amazing lyrically and has so many different sounds to it. It’s kind of hard to believe that it all came from the brain of one 21-year-old guy. You have acoustic driven tracks, and hip-hop, and pop.

Ed Sheeran is pretty much poised to take over the world. This month he will be featured on the album Red. You know, the upcoming new album from that little, blond country girl. Taylor Swift? Maybe you’ve heard of her. That album is a guaranteed smash. And as if that wasn’t enough, he’s also got a couple songs coming out in November on the album Take Me Home. It’s by another band you might have heard of…One Direction [like them or not, you can’t deny that their popularity (or their catchy songs for that matter), and the fact that their new album is bound to break some records]. He’s got songs on the two most anticipated albums of the year. Not bad for a rookie, huh?

Get familiar with him. You’ll be glad you did. Also, if you’re in any way, shape, or form a Harry Potter fan, go watch his video for “Lego House”. Or if you’re into funny things, go watch it. Or if you like things that are cute, go watch it. Basically I’m telling you that you should watch this video, because really, who doesn’t love Harry Potter and/or funny/cute things?

Is that you Ron Weasley? No, it’s Ed Sheeran.

Listen to the album + here. (Quick fact: my favorite song is “Grade 8″!)

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