Know Your 2014 Grammy Nominees

I try to keep up with current music so I can both relate to and horrify my teen children. Nothing ruins a favorite Indie song like your mom knowing all the words.

Sunday, January 26, the 56th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast beginning at 8 pm EST, with coverage starting several hours beforehand.

Lots of our favorite artists from the 60s and 70s are scheduled to present, perform, or receive achievement awards for not overdosing, and for making sweet, sweet music.

Carole King and Kris Kristofferson will be there.  The Beatles are being honored (Ringo and Paul are slated to perform!), and Lindsey Buckingham will be part of the big closing ensemble performance, but who are all those other people?

Here’s my primer for the Song of the Year Grammy nominees. Familiarize yourself so you can sing along to performances and express a cogent opinion that will surprise and not-delight your kids. See a list of all nominees at the official Grammy site.

P!nk – Just Give Me A Reason ft. Nate Ruess

This song topped the pop charts for most of the spring of 2013, so if you listen to the radio at all you heard this a bunch.

You’ll recognize the man singing with P!nk as Nate Ruess from the band “fun.”, and their song “We Are Young”, another song with maximum airplay and usage in commercials.

The guy on the bed with P!nk is her husband, motocross racer Carey Hart.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert, “Same Love“

Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is not bouncy and enjoyable like Thrift Shop, but it’s got a real shot at the award. I prefer a rapping Macklemore, but when Mary Lambert’s voice starts to soar, so does my heart.

Throwback alert: Same Love samples The Impressions’ song from 1965, “People Get Ready”.

Lorde, “Royals”

If you have teenage daughters like I do, this song owned their iPods last fall. Even my four-year-old girl cousin had the lyrics to this one memorized.

Lorde may only be 17, but her talent seems built to last.

Katy Perry, “Roar”

I may know every word of this song, and I might also have danced my shoes off to it at a blog conference, but Roar is one of those songs you hate yourself for liking. Please don’t let this be the thing that defines the music of 2013. History deserves better.

Roar was criticized for sounding much the same as the Sara Bareilles’ song, “Brave”, but it was all a tempest in a D-cup since “Roar” was recorded first.

Bruno Mars, “Locked Out Of Heaven”

Here’s my vote for song of the year. It’s my morning alarm, and the song I listen to when I want to dance around. The bass is reminiscent of early 80s Police, one of my favorite bands.

Locked Out of Heaven is just so funky and sensual–really a fun song.

Best of luck to all the nominees. I’ll be watching the award and tweeting on the #Grammys hashtag.

This is a link up of the week’s best from our community. Click the links below to read posts from the women of Midlife Boulevard.