Online Exclusive: mtvU's Woodie Awards

We went to the college-centric mtvU Woodie Awards so you didn't have to. In fact, you don't even have to watch them when they air on November 2nd! But you can if you want. Get the synopsis here — and a list of the winners:

Woodie of the Year (Artist of the Year)
Angels & Airwaves

The Breaking Woodie (Best Emerging Artist)
Plain White T's

Left Field Woodie (Most Original Artist)
Gnarls Barkley

Best Video Woodie (Live Action)
30 Seconds to Mars - "The Kill"

Best Video Woodie (Animated)
Gorillaz - "El Manana"

The Good Woodie (Greatest Social Impact)
System of a Down - "Armenian Genocide"

Road Woodie (Best Tour)
Taking Back Sunday

International Woodie
The Subways

Alumni Woodie (a.k.a. The You're Still OK in Our Book Award)
AFI

Streaming Woodie (Most Streamed)
O.A.R. - "Lay Down"

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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