Grammy News: Berry Gordy To Be Honored at Special Ceremony, Strike Threatens Show

• In the WGA strike-induced aftermath of the cancelled Golden Globe Awards and the Queen Latifah-hosted borefest that was the People's Choices Awards, the word out of Hollywood is that the Grammys might suffer a similar fate, as many musicians, actors and stagehands are reluctant to cross picket lines in order to appear at the ceremony. If the Grammys were to go on with the strike still active, the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Jack White and many more would not attend, according to Variety.
• Following this year's awards, the Recording Academy will honor Motown Records founder Berry Gordy in a special ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10th. Gordy will receive the Academy's "Grammy Salute to Industry Icons President's Merit Award," which in the past has been given to A&M Records founder Herb Alpert, Atlantic Records icon Ahmet Ertegun and more. Gordy started Motown Records on an $800 loan from his family, and went on to nurture the careers of Smokey Robinson (who Gordy discovered), Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes and Stevie Wonder. Gordy was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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