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From technical difficulties to bizarre creative choices, music's biggest night has seen some truly cringe-worthy moments! Join us as we count down the most polarizing performances ever put on during the Grammy Awards. These performances might have been amazing for some, but to many others, they were just not good at all.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most polarizing performances
00:13ever put on during the biggest night in music. While they may have been amazing for some,
00:18to many others, they were just not good.
00:3016. Ariana Grande – Just a Little Bit of Your Heart 57th Annual Grammy Awards
00:37At the 2015 awards ceremony, Ariana Grande had the chance to grace the stage and wow
00:43the live audience and viewers at home with her impressive pipes. Rather than sing one
00:54of her more well-known and boppy singles, she opted for a newer ballad, Just a Little Bit
00:59of Your Heart. The performance was fine, but didn't do much to showcase the abilities
01:03people have come to know her by. It came across more like a safe choice, made in an attempt
01:08to appeal to the award's voters, rather than one made to impress the world at large.
01:20To make matters worse, she followed ACDC's electric opener, making her seem even more
01:26subdued in comparison.
01:2915. Adele – Fast Love 59th Annual Grammy Awards
01:35As it turns out, the saying, if at first you don't succeed, try try again, also applies
01:40to Grammy performances. Adele confirmed this during her tribute to George Michael at the
01:4559th awards. She was tasked with singing a slow, dramatic version of his piece, Fast Love.
01:52From the beginning, it sounded off, and she knew it. With an apology and a stream of censored
02:06curse words, she pleaded to start over again. Her wish was granted, and her second attempt
02:11went much more smoothly. However, not everyone was impressed. Some fans felt the personality
02:17had been drained from the original, turning the fun track into a dirge.
02:28Michael had plenty of ballads to choose from, which made this adaptation even more bizarre.
02:3414. Pharrell, Lang Lang, and Hans Zimmer – Happy 57th Annual Grammy Awards
02:42When Pharrell Williams took the stage at the 2015 awards ceremony to sing Happy, viewers mostly
02:48expected a faithful rendition of the song. Instead, they were treated to a jarring, spoken-word adaptation
03:01of the first verse set over an eerie instrumental. Things only became more unsettling from there,
03:07with it transitioning into an orchestral, discordant version of the chorus that had been arranged
03:12by Hans Zimmer. Eventually, the track returned to its bubbly roots, but the audience was already
03:18left disturbed. Though it had been an attempt at commentary on race relations in the United States,
03:32it ended up looking more like a scene from a horror movie instead.
03:3713. Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks – Today was a Fairy Tale, Rhiannon, and You Belong With Me – 52nd Annual
03:46Grammy Awards. When Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks came on stage to perform at the 52nd Annual Grammy
03:52Awards, neither could have guessed how it would have gone. Their voices were discordant from one
04:03another, and as the medley continued on, the differences in their vocal abilities became very
04:08apparent. Critics called out the younger star for her off-key renditions of both her own songs
04:14and Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon, and even expressed embarrassment for Nicks.
04:18Needless to say, it was a dark spot on Swift's otherwise pristine reputation as a musician.
04:33She didn't comment on it at the time, but a year later, her scathing track,
04:37Mean, dropped, and some are convinced it's a direct response to the critiques she received.
04:4212. Travis Scott and Playboy Cardi – My Eyes, I Know, and Fame – 66th Annual Grammy Awards
04:52Plenty of artists have called out the Grammys, but few have been brave enough to do it while
04:56performing on stage at the ceremony. Travis Scott did so during his appearance at the 66th Awards,
05:10and that was just the beginning. He started out mellow enough with calm renditions of my eyes and
05:16I Know. However, once Fane kicked in, everything went haywire. Scott's energy transformed, and soon
05:23he was dancing his fireballs shot out in the air around him. He then brazenly called out the Academy
05:37for snubbing him, before picking up props and smashing them against the stage. While it may have
05:43played well at one of his shows, at the industry function, it was wildly out of place.
05:4911. Metallica and Lady Gaga – Moth into Flame – 59th Annual Grammy Awards
05:58There are instances where a musician's performance is hindered by others working the event. One such case
06:05was Lady Gaga's Grammy collaboration with Metallica. As soon as their rendition of Moth into Flame began,
06:19it was clear something was wrong. Headfield's vocals were completely inaudible, forcing him to share a
06:25microphone with the pop star. While the rest of the piece went fine, it was clear by his reaction
06:31afterwards that he was livid about the mistake. His mic stand and guitar both fell victim to his rage,
06:45and his anger reportedly carried on into the dressing room afterwards as well. Both artists later posted
06:51rehearsals, giving their fans a glimpse of how legendary it would have been had the technical
06:56difficulties not occurred. 10. U2 – Atomic City – 66th Annual Grammy Awards
07:05When the news originally broke that they'd be performing one of their newest singles at the
07:092024 ceremony, their fans were excited at what the group would do.
07:13What they hadn't expected was an ad. Rather than a traditional live show, U2 filmed themselves singing
07:27Atomic City to their audience at the Sphere in Las Vegas, all while showing off the impressive venue.
07:34Things became more confusing once the camera moved inside. Besides some of the clips appearing to be
07:40pre-recorded and played alongside the live performance, the camera work was so disorienting
07:45that it became a hindrance rather than a technical feat. The cherry on top was them exposing the nation
07:59to constant strobing lights, putting some viewers at risk for a seizure.
08:039. Jennifer Lopez, Smokey Robinson, Alicia Keys, and Neo – Motown 60 – A Grammy Celebration – 61st Annual
08:14Grammy Awards We're not sure what reaction the Academy expected.
08:19When Jennifer Lopez led a tribute dedicated to Motown at the 2019 ceremony, they likely thought it would go
08:25swimmingly. But instead, it was the complete opposite. While she did a decent job taking on
08:38those iconic pieces, it was hard not to compare them to the far superior originals. Additionally,
08:45her performance was clouded by backlash from viewers, many of whom felt she'd taken a high-profile
08:50gig from a black artist in the middle of Black History Month. The response was so severe afterward
08:56that fellow performer Smokey Robinson stepped in to defend her inclusion.
09:08However, given the plethora of artists they seemingly skipped over to cast Lopez,
09:13we can't say the fallout was entirely justified.
09:168. Frank Ocean, Forrest Gump – 55th Annual Grammy Awards
09:23Frank Ocean made waves with the release of his debut album Channel Orange,
09:27but his performance at the following year's Grammys failed to make a splash.
09:38Okay, moving on from the bad water puns, we so wish this had gone better. It starts promising,
09:45with an innovative projection that makes it look like Ocean is performing while simultaneously running
09:50slowly down the road. But his visible nerves negatively impact his performance. We can't
10:02imagine trying to deal with the pressure of performing on such a major stage, especially as a
10:08fairly new artist. But we were hoping for more from Ocean.
10:177. Michael Jackson Tribute – Earth Song – 52nd Annual Grammy Awards
10:22When Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, it was unquestionable that he would be honored in some
10:35way at the following year's Grammys. But how do you pay homage to someone with star power on a level
10:42that arguably no one since has reached?
10:45What about killing fields? Is there a time?
10:52What about all the things that you said was yours or mine?
10:56The Recording Academy decided to have an impressive slate of vocalists sing Jackson's environmental
11:03ballad, Earth Song, presented with a 3D short film.
11:13But while Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson, Celine Dion, and Usher are all beyond
11:19capable vocalists, they don't have the combined chemistry to make this feel like anything but a
11:24well-meaning but overall clunky ode to a legend.
11:386. Harry Styles – As It Was – 65th Annual Grammy Awards
11:45Performing his hit as it was, the former one-directioner-turned-solostar sang in front
11:51of dancers on a spinning platform similar to the one in the song's video.
12:01But the dancers were quite literally thrown for a loop when the turntable they were on went in the
12:06opposite direction from the one they had rehearsed. Though they did their best to figure out how to
12:18adapt their choreography, the performance was ultimately let down by Styles looking nervous
12:24and sounding exhausted. At least he got to take home his first Album of the Year trophy later that night.
12:385. Hollywood Vampires – As Bad As I Am and Ace of Spades – 58th Annual Grammy Awards
12:47Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, better known as Just Lemmy, had an inimitable presence.
13:00So, tributing him properly is an unenviable task. But the Hollywood Vampires tried their best,
13:07apparently. You might not know this group, but you definitely know its members, as it features Alice
13:12Cooper, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, and Johnny Depp. At the 2016 Grammys, the hard rock supergroup
13:28performed Ace of Spades in a performance full of effects, but lacking the power that made the
13:33Motorhead original so iconic. And to make matters worse, they performed their own original composition,
13:48As Bad As I Am, first. It's the kind of performance that belongs in a smoky club on the
13:54Sunset Strip in the 80s, not on the Grammy stage.
14:044. Lady Gaga and Nile Rodgers – David Bowie Tribute – 58th Annual Grammy Awards
14:12On paper, a chameleon like Lady Gaga honoring glam rock pioneer David Bowie seems like a no-brainer.
14:28But isn't the entire purpose of a tribute performance that it pays tribute to the person
14:33in question? Gaga must have missed the memo. With a whopping 10 hits to get through,
14:44Gaga doesn't leave the audience with much time to consider each tune and its place in Bowie's legacy.
14:51In fairness, Bowie was always one for reinventing himself and changing his appearance. But Gaga's
15:04performance ultimately reads as more self-serving than celebratory. For as bold as he was in life,
15:11it's unfortunate that this tribute never does much to stand out.
15:163. Outkast – Hey Ya – 46th Annual Grammy Awards
15:36Hey Ya is a song so iconic that its legacy seems untouchable. But a great song can only do so much
15:43when paired with such a befuddling performance. It begins with a grim, sci-fi-ish introduction,
15:49delivered by the disembodied head of Jack Black. Then, tribal chanting is heard before the lights
15:55turn on to reveal Andre 3000 wearing a fringed green outfit, surrounded by dancers dressed in
16:02stereotypical Native American outfits.
16:043. Outkast – You think you've got it? Oh, you think you've got it? But got it? Just don't get it,
16:08just there's nothing at all. Andre's vocals don't sound great, but even if they were beyond perfect,
16:16it wouldn't make up for how tone-deaf the whole thing was.
16:194. Outkast – I want to sing out on y'all baddest behavior.
16:22Let me some sugar. I am your neighbor.
16:244. The backlash was strong enough for CBS to issue an apology. To paraphrase the lyrics of this classic,
16:32why or why did anyone think this was a good idea?
16:452. Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True – 32nd Annual Grammy Awards
16:51By now, Milli Vanilli are more associated with lip-syncing than they are with any of their hit songs.
16:573. I've been loving you, girl, cause I'm on my mind. You're the one I think about most every time.
17:023. Though this Grammy's performance didn't expose Fab Morvan and Rob Pelaitis as not actually singing,
17:08it becomes pretty obvious in retrospect.
17:114. I'm saying, girl, I can't explain. My neck starts up when I hear your name.
17:154. It would be one thing if they were lip-syncing their own vocals, but as we know, that was not the case.
17:215. So what we're left with is a poorly lip-synced and otherwise lackluster performance from a group
17:28who would soon prove that not all publicity is good publicity, and who would also have their
17:35Best New Artist trophies rescinded.
17:451. Opening Medli – 47th Annual Grant
17:55Music is a lot like cooking. You have to be strategic about what flavors you combine and how.
18:17Do it wrong and you can end up with something truly unappetizing, even if all the ingredients
18:22taste great on their own. The 2005 Grammy's kicked off with an 11-minute catastrophe of an opening
18:28number. First, the Black Eyed Peas commenced things appropriately with Let's Get It Started. Then,
18:40Gwen Stefani and Eve, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5, and Franz Ferdinand all performed snippets of their hits,
18:48with the peas cutting in to continue getting things started.
18:58It doesn't enter full-blown trainwreck territory until the very end,
19:02when everyone performs at once in what could be charitably described as a cacophony.
19:07Which artist do you think has put on the worst performance at the Grammy Awards? Let us know in the comments!
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