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Adele Grammys 2012: Winner Shares Spotlight With Whitney Houston's Ghost

Adele, Whitney HoustonKevin Winter, Getty Images

The 2012 Grammy Awards was supposed to be Adele's night, the coronation of a singular pop star whose epic voice stunned and won over the world in a manner not seen since, well, a woman named Whitney Houston burst forth almost three decades earlier. So perhaps it's fitting that they shared Grammy night as Adele completed her triumph over a broken heart (and vocal chord) with a six Grammy sweep, including album of the year, just as Houston finally succumbed to a broken soul.

Even before Saturday's shocking news of Houston's death, the two divas were on a cultural collision course. Barring a Van Halen chart-top, Adele is on track to land a 20th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, tying her with the current title holder -- Whitney Houston's soundtrack for 'The Bodyguard.'

With both women on everyone's mind, the 54th Grammy Awards began with the manliest of men, Bruce Springsteen -- a rocker whose big breakthrough came just a year before Whitney's -- playing his new, and in hindsight somewhat ironic, single 'We Take Care of Our Own.' Because we don't -- or rather the music industry doesn't.

When Whitney was at her most strung out in 2000, she was handed a mind-blowing $100 Million recording contract. Her death was a shock, but not a surprise -- much like that of Amy Winehouse, who picked up a sadly posthumous pre-telecast Grammy for her duet with Tony Bennett.

Grammys Red Carpet: Celebs Talk Whitney Houston

Adele had already won best pop album and music video by the time she got a shout-out from host LL Cool J, who drew our attention to her before saying: "'Welcome back!" It was a subtle reminder that this was to be her first public performance after throat surgery, adding considerable drama to what was expected, and turned out, to be a sweep.

But even here, she had to follow footage of Whitney's own triumphant performance of 'I Will Always Love You' from the best album Grammy-winning 'The Bodyguard' soundtrack (yes, that actually happened). She looked like an angel back in 1994, with her white dress and a voice that even sounded heaven-sent to atheists.

But it had been sometime since Whitney had deserved an award, so it was something of a shame that her ghost threatened to overshadow Adele. Everyone else had stepped aside. Even Kanye West, whose equally epochal 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' was somehow robbed of a spot on the best albums list, stayed home and out of the way. (Though he still wound up winning four awards, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for 'All of the Lights' and a shared Best Rap Performance prize with Jay-Z for their 'Watch the Throne' single 'Otis.')

There were other stories beyond the Adele and Whitney melodrama, of course, like the invasion of dance music. It wasn't just the rock-rap-dance mash-ups out in the tent with Deadmau5 and David Guetta respectively paired with Foo Fighters and Lil Wayne. (Ironically, Dave Grohl accepted the band's Best Rock album award by saying "It's not about being perfect, it's not about what goes on in a computer!") Dance also dominated the main-stage performances of Rihanna's 'We Found Love' and her former boyfriend-slash-batterer Chris Brown's 'Turn Up the Music.' Not to mention Bon Iver's Justin Vernon topping his infamous Grammy disses with a pair of wins for Best Alternative Album and Best New Artist.

And there were other deaths, too. Etta James got an early tribute performance from Alicia Keys and Bonnie Rait while Gil Scott Heron got only a shout out, but will no doubt be brought back up when 'Take Care' -- Drake and Rihanna's reinterpretation of his song 'I'll Take Care of You' -- hits next year's awards.
Adele Storms the Grammys

When Adele did finally take the stage she wrested that Grammy spotlight back with her own Whitney-esque moment, performing publicly for the first time in months and absolutely destroying her all-time classic 'Rolling in the Deep.'

Her voice was as strong, emotion streaked and soul stirring as we'd remembered. And, dare we say it, Adele may even have the better voice. Yes, Whitney's was more technically perfect (often brilliantly so, as evidenced by this awe-inspiring isolated vocal track from 'How Will I Know') but like Grohl said, sometimes "it's not about being perfect." Adele's voice had little cracks and avoided acrobatics but it rose up from her gut, gained force in those powerful lungs and then escaped her throat to grab the audience by theirs. Her adorable expression when she pulled it off was the perfect capper -- Whitney always knew how good she was, but Adele, well, Adele, still just a kid, is almost as surprised as we are at how powerful she can be.

Or maybe 'Rolling in the Deep' is just a better song -- there's a reason why it took both Best Song and Best Record as well as being 2011's biggest-selling single despite, as Adele mentioned in her fifth acceptance speech, that "it's not really a pop record." At the least, it more than stood up to two performances of 'I Will Always Love You,' especially the tribute by Jennifer Hudson, who again has the technical chops but even in mourning was unable to match Adele's pure-strain emotion.

Emotion was the through line for this year's Grammys. But though it began in abject sadness over Houston's passing, it ended in tears of joy with Adele's sweep (as deserved an award run as any ever). If there's one positive thing about death, it's that it makes us appreciate life -- and the loss of one legend helped remind of us what we still had with Adele, whose own was cemented one tragic yet glorious Sunday night.

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jupl1

Just a humble thought

-In light of such tragedies what if we all worked as community on lyrics, poem, etc.? Where we work together… where no one is better than anyone else?

Why not?

-Below is extremely rough/rushed drafts for example/Extremely sorry about that!

Please feel free to do what ever desired with following:

(Please know not trying to make any statements with following, etc! Don’t pretend to have any answers about such subjects! Thank you for understanding!)

(Nay sayers, etc. please don't apply, etc.)

Speaks volumes
When the sensitive die
Are we too insensitive
Even just to try
To ask the real reasons why?

She is beautiful
Inside and out
But dies alone beneath spirit’s surface… amongst waters of doubt
When will the wise be the ones
To ask what these tragedies are truly all about?

What if we were wrong
About the judgements of History
What really killed him
When all along
Could it not have been you and me?

To say the least
Sadly the countless more
We are all in need of revelations… reach out… save… heal one another
Otherwise what are we truly living for?

When one reaches out… bares their souls
Should these strengths not be praised
For is it not more noble
To seek our own strengths
By eternally comforting those needing to be consoled
Than hiding in the futility of comforting our own insecurities
Judgement's evils and questions raised… need not control?

Bottom line is
We’re all in this life together
And yes we all do rely on one another
For in our present time
And the best of all worlds
Peace without peace within
Never allows for that one true blessed gift
The blessed gifts of peace of the mind

Now if we all always needed somewhere to walk to
Somewhere someplace to call home?

And if we all always needed someone to talk to
Someone somebody when they’re all alone?

What kind of world would that be?

When it’s very simple...
What it comes down to is up to you and me

You and me
You and me

Seek what it means to truly be free

You and me
You and me

For sometimes within such simplicity
Awaits the answers of truly being free
You and me

========

Come in out of the darkness
There’s enough light for us two
Stop chasing shadows
For they can soon stand taller than you

Everyone needs somewhere they can walk to
Somewhere someplace to call their home

Everyone needs someone they can talk to
Someone somebody when they are all alone

Come in out of storm’s rain
For there’s shelter here for us all
Tears can sadly go unnoticed
When shed in lives of pain

Let them fall

Let us comfort you

One and all

Let them fall
Let them fall

For the Sun will shine once again

Not for one but for in doing so… by comforting one another… then for us all

February 16 2012 at 5:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jupl1

Just a humble thought

-In light of such tragedies what if we all worked as community on lyrics, poem, etc.? Where we work together… where no one is better than anyone else?

-Why not?

-Below is extremely rough/rushed drafts for example/Extremely sorry about that!

Please feel free to do what ever desired with following:

(Please know not trying to make any statements with following, etc! Don’t pretend to have any answers about such subjects! Thank you for understanding!)

(Nay sayers, etc. please don't apply, etc.)

Speaks volumes
When the sensitive die
Are we too insensitive
Even just to try
To ask the real reasons why?

She is beautiful
Inside and out
But dies alone beneath spirit’s surface… amongst waters of doubt
When will the wise be the ones
To ask what these tragedies are truly all about?

What if we were wrong
About the judgements of History
What really killed him
When all along
Could it not have been you and me?

To say the least
Sadly the countless more
We are all in need of revelations… reach out… save… heal one another
Otherwise what are we truly living for?

When one reaches out… bares their souls
Should these strengths not be praised
For is it not more noble
To seek our own strengths
By eternally comforting those needing to be consoled
Than hiding in the futility of comforting our own insecurities
Judgement's evils and questions raised… need not control?

Bottom line is
We’re all in this life together
And yes we all do rely on one another
For in our present time
And the best of all worlds
Peace without peace within
Never allows for that one true blessed gift
The blessed gifts of peace of the mind

Now if we all always needed somewhere to walk to
Somewhere someplace to call home?

And if we all always needed someone to talk to
Someone somebody when they’re all alone?

What kind of world would that be?

When it’s very simple...
What it comes down to is up to you and me

You and me
You and me

Seek what it means to truly be free

You and me
You and me

For sometimes within such simplicity
Awaits the answers of truly being free
You and me

========

Come in out of the darkness
There’s enough light for us two
Stop chasing shadows
For they can soon stand taller than you

Everyone needs somewhere they can walk to
Somewhere someplace to call their home

Everyone needs someone they can talk to
Someone somebody when they are all alone

Come in out of storm’s rain
For there’s shelter here for us all
Tears can sadly go unnoticed
When shed in lives of pain

Let them fall

Let us comfort you

One and all

Let them fall
Let them fall

For the Sun will shine once again

Not for one but for in doing so… by comforting one another… then for us all

February 16 2012 at 5:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Vanessa

Joshua -
Can you please explain to me how "absolutely destroying' a song is supposed to be a compliment? Considering you are writing about Adele's first performance in months, "destroying her all-time classic" makes it sound more like she messed it up. Which she didn't.

Say what you mean. Don't be cute with expressions.

February 13 2012 at 6:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kathleen

David Grohl's comment about music not being about what comes out of a computer isn't ironic at all, in fact, the Foo Fighters' most recent album was not recorded with computers, but with good ol' fashioned tape.

February 13 2012 at 8:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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