Posted in: Musicouching by CHAN LEE PENG on July 4, 2008 | 8 Comments
The Grammy Nominees refer to compilation albums of artists from the genes of pop, rock, soul, R&B, gospel, folk, country, and so forth. All of the songs compiled on the albums were those nominated for the awards of Grammy in the particular year. These albums have been released each year to date since 1995.
The Grammy Awards or Gramophone Awards are named for small, gilded gramophone trophies which are given away annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the U.S. to appreciate the outstanding achievements of the artists, musical bands, in the record industry. Indeed, the awards which are equivalent to the Academy Awards (Oscars) for motion movies, featuring the highest music honor to its winners.
These two songs have been documented in my article, The Best English Songs, Which Won Five Top Awards of the 50th Annual Grammies. You can listen to her song there. Amy Winehouse won five awards at the 2008 Grammy Awards (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album).
The song combines a gene of soul, and swing-jazz and was written by Linda Perry and Christina Aguilera. It was released as Aguilera’s third studio album, Back to Basics in 2006. It was charted on major charts in Europe and parts of America. In UK alone, the single gained over 100,000 digital downloads. On January 28, 2007, its music video was filmed with the theme of 1940s World War II. “Candyman” came live on TRL and later on MTV’s MakingThe Video on February 22, 2007.
This Indie pop song was Feist’s most successful single which was recorded in her third studio album, The Reminder. It was initially written by a Melbourne, Australia singer-songwriter, Sally Seltmann under the name of New Buffalo. The song was digitally released via iTune Music Store, and subsequently it was used extensively in an iPod nano commercial. This song was #2 at the US Hot Digital Songs, #8 in the US Hot 100, #34 at the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, #10 at the US Pop 100, #34 in the Triple J Hottest 100, #19 on the Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. By April 6, 2008, “1234” received the Juno award for Single of the Year in Calgary. Time magazine once ranked “1234” as number two out of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, while the writer, Josh Tyrangiel called the song as a masterpiece and said, “with a mixture of wisdom and exuberance that’s all her own.”
This is the song written by American singer-songwriter Mary J.Blige, Bryan Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, and Jason Perry for Blige’s album called The Breakthrough. This song won the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song categories at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. This was also Blige most successful R&B song as it topped the Billboard chart for 75 weeks, U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for 9 weeks, and has also topped the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.
This is the song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Amanda Ghost and Sasha Skarbek for Blunt’s album called Back to Bedlam. This song won him an Ivor Novello Award for airplay in 2006, entered #1 in several countries, and was in the Billboard Pop 100, Adult Contemporary, Hot Digital Songs, and was in the top-10 on most major charts. With this song, Blunt received three nominations of Song of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year, while in the video category; he won the Best Male Video, Best Cinematography and MTV Award.
This song was written by Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Johnta Austin, and Mariah Carey to be included in Carey’s first single and tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi which was released in 2005. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2006 Grammy Award. “It’s like that” was one of Carey most successful song as it was Carey’s first platinum digital single as certified by the RIAA. This song was charted at the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, Pop 100, Top 40 Tracks, Cadena 100 Hot List, and J-Wave Tokio Hot 100 Airplay chart. It reached the top twenty in Norway, France and Germany, and the top ten in Australia and United Kingdom.
Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson
This song has a punk-pop influence in drums and guitar riffs, and was written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald. It was recorded by Kelly Clarkson as in her second single album, Breakaway in the U.S. and the first in Europe in 2004. This song was successful that it reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian airplay chart, and was charted at the Pop 100, Mainstream Top 40, Hot Dance Airplay. Clarkson received the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song at the Grammy Awards of 2006. In March 2006, over 500,000 digital downloads and over 1,800,000 downloads sold in January 2008, bringing the song to another plateau and breakthrough milestone.
This is an inspiring popular song written by Secret Garden’s Rolf Løvland with its lyrics by a songwriter, Brendan Graham. Originally, the song was released on the 2001 Secret Garden album, “Once in a Red Moon” and sung by an Irish singer, Brian Kennedy as the commemorations of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2003, Josh Groban was invited to record the song which later became popular in the US. His version charted the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and he was also invited to perform it in a special NASA commemoration for the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbiadisaster atSuper Bowl XXXVIII. The song was then nominated for a 2005 Grammy award. The single was successful that it was recorded separately in Spanish by ll Divo and Paul Potts of the song entitled “Por Ti Seré” and in Japanese by Korean-American singer, Lena Park as the opening theme to the Japanese TV anime series Romeo x Juliet. “You Raise Me Up” was also included in the album of Westlife as in my article, The Best Pop Hit Song Ever.
This is a song that combines R&B and ballad genres along with some robotic noises, synthesized strings and guitar lines. It was written by an American singers-rappers and songwriters Usher, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jermaine Dupri with its lyrics constructed in the traditional verse-chorus form. The song was released as Ursher’s fourth studio album, Confessions in 2004 which topped various charts around the world. This single was certified gold for selling 500,000 units by the Recording Industry Association of America, and platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling 70,000 units. Internationally, the song received very good praises from Denmark, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Ireland.
Dance with My Father, Luther Vandross
This song is the thirteenth and final studio album by American R&B/Soul singer, Luther Vandross which was released on June, 2003 to be included in Vandross’s 2003 album Dance with My Father. It was written by Richard Marx and Luther Vandross. It has also been performed by other artists like Steve Brookstein, Kellie Coffey, Celine Dion, and Tamyra Gray during the FOX TV drama Boston Public. This song won Vandross #1 at the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
This is a pop rock song written by Canadian singer, Avril Lavigne and The Matrix (Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards, Scott Spock) and was included as Lavigne’s first ballad album, Let Go. This song attained number one in Mexico, number seven in the UK, number thirteen in Canada, and number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was also used in the film Bruce Almighty and was channelled via radio and television airplay in Australia.
A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton
This is a piano-driven pop song written by Vanessa Carlton, an American singer who had her debut album Be Not Nobody recorded in 2002. This single appeared to be Carlton’s breakthrough hit as it entered the top ten in the United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It was the most successful album in Australia. All Music Guide once wrote: “as it moves from its solo piano opening to bombastic orchestral-backed choruses, the result isn’t overwhelming; it’s sweet, multi-layered, and appealing.”
“A Thousand Miles” was particularly popular among the U.S. troops serving in Iraq in 2003. Carlton replied, “Perhaps, “A Thousand Miles” conveys the feelings and longing and desperation that the U.S. soldier feel for their loved ones. I don’t know. But whatever peace I am able to bring to the hearts of the people at war is a contribution that I am proud of.”
This song was written by an English R&B singer songwriter, Craig David and was recorded as his second single debut album Born to Do It. Its lyrics is about how David spend a week with a girl he met on Monday, and he felt to have a social connection with her by taking her out for a drink on Tuesday, causing him to “make love” with her on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This song has the biggest worldwide hit earning him to receive a Gold certification sale in the UK. It hit # 1 at the UK Singles Chart, #10 at the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top ten in the U.S.
Shape of My Heart, Backstreet Boys
This song was written by Max Martin, Rami and Lisa Miskovsky. It was recorded by the American pop band as their first single album, Black & Blue which was released in October 2000. The song debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #1 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream, Hot 100 Airplay and Hot 100 Singles Sales chart for a consecutive 16 weeks, #3 on the Canadian (CHR) chart, #1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary (AC) chart for 14 weeks. The song was also played on 170 out of 171 of the Top 40 stations in the US.
You Rock My World, Michael Jackson
This is a popular song by singer-songwriter, Michael Jackson which was included in his album, Invincible in 2001. The song was immensely successful considering its achievement at #10 on the U.S. Hot 100 and #1 in the United World Chart. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The music video for this song was found to be a premier worldwide on September, 2001 which won him a NAACP Image Award for Best Music Video.
This song was co-written and produced by Shania Twain’s producer and her husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange. It was then recorded by Irish pop-rock group, The Corrs in their third studio album, In Blue which was released in 2000. The band was considered to have their breakthrough worldwide hit, when the song hit at #1 in Ireland, and topped all major international charts, giving them a status as number I in the UK.
This song was written by Andreas Carlsson, Jake Schulze, and Kristian Lundin. It was the first single by American boyband, NSYNC recorded as their second album, No String Attached in 2000. The song was said to receive two Grammy nominations of “Record of the Year” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.” It was debuted at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the UK Singles Chart, and charted the top ten of the Hot 100 singles chart for 12 weeks. The song won a Radio Music Radio award for Best Song of the Year, three Teen Choice Awards (Choice Single, Choice Music Video, and Song of the Summer) in 2000. A year later, it won Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the category of Favorite Single.
Baby One More Time, Britney Spears
This song was written by the Swedish music producer, Max Martix. It was recorded by a pop singer, Britney Spears, which was released as her debut single album, Baby One More Time in 1998. The song was the most successful singles as it has over 14 million copies sold since its release in 1998. When it was released in February, 1999 in the UK, it has sold over 460,000 for the first week and hit #1 in the UK Singles Chart. Hence, it was considered as the fastest selling and most successful debut single.
I Want It That Way, Backstreet Boys
This pop song was written by Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin. It was recorded by the Backstreet Boy in their 1999 album, Millennium, which was considered as the biggest hit of their signature song. It was then released on their group’s biggest hit album, The Hits: Chapter One in 2001. This single broke the record of most major radio stations, reaching #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts for 14 weeks, Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart, Top 40, and peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was nominated for three Grammy awards. The song also successfully hit #1 the charts in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Spain and Austria.
My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion
This pop song was written by James Horner and Will Jennings and was recorded in Celine Dion’s album, Let’s Talk About Love. In 1997, this song was selected as the theme song of the blockbuster film, Titanic. It was Celine Dion’s biggest love ballad hit and the best selling singles in her musical career. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks, Billboard Hot 100 Airplay for 10 weeks, 2 weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Sales and peaked at number 34 on the Japanese Oricon chart. Within a few weeks, 687,000 limited copies of the song were sold out and was certified gold in the US. It became the biggest worldwide hit when this song won her the 1997 Academy Award Best Original Song, winning 4 awards of the Grammy Awards in 1999 (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance), the Golden Globe Award in 1998, Billboard Music Award for the Soundtrack Single of the Year, Japanese Gold Disc Award for the Song of the Year, Japan Record Award for the Special Achievement, Blockbuster Entertainment Award for the Favorite Song from a Movie, and lastly, Billboard Latin Award for the First English-language Song to Top Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks Chart.
This pop song was written by Max Martin and Denniz Pop. It was recorded as the first single for the Backstreet Boys’ second international album, Backstreet’s Back in 1997 and their US debut album was released in 1998. This song was the most successful for the band as it hit #2 in the charts of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, #6 in New Zealand, #3 in the UK Single Chart and in Austria, #5 in the Nerherlands, and #4 in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The singles had 2.1 million albums sold out and was certified platinum in the US.
This is a song that combines R&B, gospel, pop and ballad genes. It was written and sung by R&B singer, R. Kelly. This song was included in his album, I Believe I Can Fly in1998 and it was the theme song of the movie, Space Jam. The song made a breakthrough success when it hit #1 on both the UK charts and R&B Singles chart, and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and ranked #406 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, besides winning three Grammy awards. It is also a popular song during NBA games, and it is also popular to be played for many high school graduations.
Everyday Is a Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
This is a rock song written by Jeff Trott, Sheryl Crow and Brian MacLeod. It was recorded by American rock star, Sheryl Crow in her album in 1996. The song peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart, and at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was included in Prince’s album in 1998, and was made used in the films of Phenomenon and Erin Brockovich.
Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
This is a song that combines R&B, pop, soul and ballad genes. It was written by music impresario, Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. The ballad was recorded in Braxton’s second studio album, Secrets in 1996 and it was considered as the biggest single and signature song of Braxton. The song became a success to hit #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later re-recorded by Braxton in Spanish, Regresa a Mi (which means “Come Back to Me”) in 2004, included by a popular Mexican singer Yuridia in her album Habla El Corazón, and was also recorded by a pop singer Alla Gorbacheva in the Russian album, Сердце не плачь (which means “Heart, don’t cry”). Braxton became a famous first artist when she won a Grammy Award of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for this song. Her other song, You’re Makin’ Me High won her a Grammy Award of Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. This song was included in the album, Voices from the FIFA World Cup, and was played as one of the official songs for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion
This pop song was written by Diane Warren and was released as the first single of Celine Dion in February, 1996 in the United States, Latin America, Canada, and Japan. It was produced by David Foster to be included in the film, Up Close & Personal. The song was Celine Dion’s smash hit as it won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, topped the charts of Hot 100 Airplay, Hot 100 Singles Sales, Top 40 Mainstream, ARC Weekly Top 40, Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, United World Chart, Global World Chart, and the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Recurrents Chart. It has also become a worldwide hit in Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, Poland and New Zealand. In 1999, a live version of this song was included in the album, A New Day….Live in Las Vegas, when Celine Dion was invited to perform her show, A New Day for as long as five nights a week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Let Her Cry, Hootie & the Blowfish
This is a rock song by Hootie & the Blowfish. This is their successful song that was recorded in the album, Cracked Rear View in 1994 with its lyrics telling the story of how a patient man keeps trying to tie with a relationship with an irresponsible alcoholic woman whom he falls in love. The single which was released a year later along with a music video, winning them number two on the American Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart, number four on the Australian ARIA Charts, and number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also won them Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 1996 Grammy Annual Award.
You Are Not Alone, Michael Jackson
This is R&B song written by R&B singer-songwriter, R. Kelly. It was released as the second single for Michael Jackson’s album, HIStory-Past, Present and Future, Book I which emerged as a hit in the Billboard Hot 100. This is his third successful single after his other songs, “Black or White” and “Earth Song.” “You Are Not Alone” became the number one hits in countries like New Zealand, France, Switzerland, the U.S., Ireland and the UK. The single once broke the record on a Billboard in the U.S. It reached number one on the Hot 100 Singles chart, R&B chart, Billboard R&B Sales chart, Billboard’s R&B Airplay chart for seven weeks; number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Sales chart, Hot 100 Airplay chart; and number three on the Billboard Maxi-single Sales chart.
Streets of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen
This is an Academy Award-winning rock song written and sung by American singer, Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded for the film, Philadelphia in 1993. The song is characterised by its sad, slow and mournful melody as its lyrics are about the AIDS’s life. The song gained huge popularity in Europe, particularly in Germany and France. It was then included in the album, All Time Greatest Movie Songs released by Sony in 1999. The song won several awards, including Academic Awards for Best Original Song, four Grammy Awards of 1995 (Song of the Year, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Song Written for a Motion Picture) and MTV Video Music Awards.
I ll Make Love to You, Boyz II Men
This R&B song was written by Babyface. It was a smash hit single by R&B group, Boyz II Men in 1994. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for as long as 14 weeks, topped the U.S. R&B chart, Adult Contemporary charts, and remained as top ten in the UK in the same year. It was certified platinum single and won them Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 1995 Grammy Annual Award, and two awards from American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Single and Favorite Pop/ Rock Single.
Judy Sheldon July 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Chan, you have created such an awesome list of recording artists. Songs were playing in my head as I recalled the tunes. Great job!! Music is so magical.
Take care.
Hein Marais July 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Great List.
nobert soloria bermosa July 4th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
beautiful collection,thanks
louie jerome July 5th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Great collection.
alexa gates July 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
what a wonderful collection..
desmonrock21 July 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I like the Avril Lavigne’s Im With You.. great article.. hehehe
Lucy Lockett July 8th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I enjoy music!
ajay September 17th, 2008 at 6:20 am
wonderful collection, thanks dear