The 30 Greatest Grammy Performances of All Time
One thing about the Grammys never changes: nobody cares about the awards. We watch for the music. Those live moments where the Grammy spotlight hits a brilliant performer who’s ready to shine. Those are the Grammy thrills we wait for. And this is our celebration of the show’s all-time best classic performances.
The only rule we used is no doubling up on artists—otherwise Beyonce, Prince and Taylor would own most of the list. And we want to make room for some of the freaky cult-fave moments.
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Dua Lipa & St Vincent, ‘Respect/Masseducation/One Kiss’ (2019)
Image Credit: Getty Images for The Recording A There’s chemistry, and then there’s “Dua Lipa staring into St. Vincent’s eyes” chemistry. The disco princess and the rock guitar hero meet up for a shockingly steamy duet, while whispering a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. (“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!”) Future historians will remember this as the night heterosexuality died in America.
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Foo Fighters, ‘The Pretender’ (2008)
Image Credit: John Shearer/WireImage A Grammy moment that stands as a beautiful tribute to Taylor Hawkins. Dave Grohl and crew team up outdoors with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, who conducts an orchestra for a punk demolition of a Jackson Browne oldie. And through it all, the drummer’s boyish smile lights up the L.A. skies. R.I.P., Taylor.
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Lil Nas X, ‘Dead Right Now’/‘Montero’/‘Industry Baby’ (2022)
Image Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images Lil Nax X is already an old hand at dominating the Grammy stage, and he brought all his flash to the 2022 ceremony. He shimmied out in a glittery black cape, and then zipped through three costume changes in three minutes—that’s positively Cher level. He also brought out Jack Harlow to double-team on “Industry Baby.”
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Gladys Knight and the Pips, ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ (1974)
Image Credit: CBS/Getty Images A moment of classic old-school Atlanta soul. Gladys Knight testifies while the Pips step tall behind her, doing their train-themed choreography. They won for this song later in the show, in an award memorably presented by the flirty team of 37-year-old Kris Kristofferson and 80-year-old Moms Mabley. (“‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’? If you can make it for half an hour it’ll be all right with me!”) The same ceremony has Helen Reddy debating feminism with Alice Cooper. The Seventies, dude.
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Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Up/WAP’ (2021)
Image Credit: Getty Images for The Recording A Two hip-hop queens enter the stage—yet they both emerge more regal than ever. Megan had her own solo showcase that night with “Body” and “Savage.” They twerked to “WAP” on a giant purple bed. Even though the lyrics got ridiculously censored (they bleeped the word “bucket”!) the message came through.
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Eurythmics, ‘Sweet Dreams’ (1984)
Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images Annie Lennox totally stunned the audience that night—she sang “Sweet Dreams” in drag, rocking an Elvis pompadour and sideburns. It’s tough to even describe how shocking this gender-twisting performance was for American TV viewers at the time. It changed the lives of countless fans, including a little girl named Stefani Germanotta a.k.a. Lady Gaga, who later paid tribute by hosting the VMAs as her alter ego Jo Calderone. This was the same night Culture Club won Best New Artist and Boy George said, “Thank you, America—you’ve got style, you’ve got taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one.” All told, a breakthrough in the history of pop androgyny.
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Madonna, ‘Nothing Else Matters’ (1999)
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage Madonna has saved most of her splashiest live TV performances for the MTV Video Music Awards, from her legend-making stage-humping “Like a Virgin” to her Britney makeout session nearly 20 years later. But she ruled at the 1999 Grammys with the Ray of Light classic “Nothing Else Matters,” in a kimono designed for her by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
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Herbie Hancock and Friends, ‘Synthesizer Battle’ (1985)
Image Credit: TV Times/Getty Images The most Eighties moment of the Eighties. You have to see this to even believe it happened. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock gives the world a lesson in this weird new gadget called the “synthesizer.” It’s a cage match between four synth giants: Hancock, Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, and Stevie Wonder. They battle it out on keytar jams like Herbie’s electro-funk hit “Rockit.” This was basically the synthesizer equivalent of Jimi Hendrix setting his electric guitar on fire at Monterey.
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Bono, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Brian Wilson and more, ‘Across The Universe’ (2005)
Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images A long Grammy tradition—the all-star sing-along that tries to get uplifting, yet ends up a surreal “how did this happen?” mess. A host of music legends join hands to sing the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” Look, it’s Norah Jones! Tim McGraw! Scott Weiland! Slash on guitar! Steven Tyler on maracas! By the time we get to Billie Joe Armstrong chirping “Jai guru deva om,” you know this is the kind of comedy gold that could only happen at the Grammys.
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Alicia Keys, ‘Songs I Wish I Wrote’ (2019)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Host Alicia Keys sat at the piano and said, “I wanna welcome you to Club Keys!” Then she did a free-flowing medley of her favorites—“I wish I wrote ‘em!”—from oldies (“Killing Me Softly,” “Unforgettable”) to hits like Coldplay’s “Clocks” and Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up.” What a generous and classy gesture—and a tribute to Alicia’s great taste.
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Adele, ‘Rolling in the Deep (2012)
Image Credit: John Shearer/WireImage Adele always brings it at the Grammys, and this stands as her proudest moment on that stage. It was the day after Whitney Houston died, so everyone was extra emotional, but Adele’s soulful version of her breakthrough hit was a true coronation moment.
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Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Little Steven, ‘London Calling’ (for Joe Strummer) (2003)
Image Credit: Getty Images Just a few weeks after the Clash’s Joe Strummer died of a heart attack, he got an unforgettable tribute at the Grammys. (As with so many other great artists, Joe got a lavish Grammy send-off after probably never getting mentioned on the show in his lifetime.) To climax the show, Springsteen, Costello, Grohl and Little Steven grabbed their guitars for a rowdy version of the Clash’s punk classic “London Calling.” Springsteen yelled, “This is for Joe!” A tribute to an old rebel comrade from four rock & roll survivors.
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Ricky Martin, ‘La Copa De Vida’ (1999)
Image Credit: Getty Images A huge moment for the history of Latin pop in the USA. Ricky Martin was virtually unknown to English-speaking music fans when he stepped on the Grammy stage that night—but five minutes later, he was a star. He made everyone else look like stiff amateurs, doing “La Copa De Vida” with enough energy and sex and showmanship to melt the room. Nobody there remembered him from Menudo, but nobody ever forgot his name after this. Easily the biggest star-making moment in Grammy history. Exactly 20 years later, Ricky was back, performing with Camila Cabello for “Havana.”
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Metallica, ‘One’ (1989)
Image Credit: Rick Maiman Not a lot of famous rock moments at the Grammys, for the excellent reason that the Grammys snoozed through most of the rock era. In the Sixties, Seventies, or Eighties, they wouldn’t let hard rock anywhere near the show, let alone punk or metal. But tonight, Metallica wouldn’t be denied. Billy Crystal had to introduce them with an apology to viewers who were about to be frightened. Metallica blew everyone away with a genuinely terrifying “One”—they won countless new converts that night. They also lost the first-ever metal Grammy—to Jethro Tull.
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Billie Eilish, ‘Happier Than Ever’ (2022)
Image Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images Billie wails her heaviest, greatest song on a rooftop in a rain storm, while her brother Finneas wilds out on guitar. They whip up all the intensity of “Happier Than Ever,” making it feel cathartic. And Billie does it all in a Taylor Hawkins t-shirt, a touching tribute from a true fan. Doing a song this dark and personal in a high-profile gig like the Grammys—that was a bold move. But what else would you expect from Billie?
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Radiohead, ’15 Step’ (2009)
Image Credit: WireImage Radiohead were fresh from the triumph of their surprise rush-release album In Rainbows. But they aimed even higher with their performance of “15 Step.” They recruited the USC Trojan Marching Band—30 years after Fleetwood Mac pulled a similar trick with “Tusk.” An unlikely combo, but Radiohead and the Trojans did justice to the song’s polyrhythmic ferocity.
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BTS, ‘Butter’ (2022)
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images One night in Vegas: BTS took the stage with the swagger of a James Bond squad of super-spies, in Rat Pack suits. Their big Grammy moment was long overdue—in the pandemic they had to beam in long-distance from Seoul, and in previous years they stole the show with just a few seconds of airtime. But they were on fire with confidence and charisma. Bonus points for the way “Butter” began with V whispering in Olivia Rodrigo’s ear—whatever he told her, it looks like it must have been shocking.
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Lady Gaga, ‘Born This Way’ (2011)
Image Credit: Getty Images Gaga always serves up a surprise at the Grammys. Sometimes that means her amazing glam-punk version of “Shallow,” singing both halves of her A Star Is Born duet. (A movie about a singer who gets her life destroyed by winning a Grammy!) Sometimes that means a mega-controversial Bowie tribute. And sometimes that means hatching from a giant egg. In 2011, she crawled out of the egg to do her brand new pro-LBTQ disco anthem “Born This Way,” released just two days before. The song immediately debuted at Number One and stayed there for six weeks.
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Whitney Houston, ‘I Will Always Love You’ (1994)
Image Credit: Getty Images Whitney was always linked with Grammy history—but especially at the 1994 ceremony, in the wake of The Bodyguard. She opened the show with a spectacular “I Will Always Love You,” showing off all the firepower of her voice. Later that night, it won Record of the Year. Dolly Parton told the crowd, “When I wrote that song 22 years ago, I had a heartache. But it’s amazing how healing money can be.” Eight years later, when Whitney died suddenly the night before the show, Jennifer Hudson sang a gorgeous version as a tribute.
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A Tribe Called Quest, ‘Space Program/ We The People’ (2017)
Image Credit: Getty Images for NARAS The Tribe gave the performance of a lifetime, cutting loose with an explosive, spontaneous, all-the-way-live moment. Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak paid tribute to the late great Phife Dawg, venting political rage and fury with an us-against-the-world spirit. Busta yelled, “I wanna thank President Agent Orange for your unsuccessful Muslim ban!” Q-Tip chanted, “Resist, resist, resist.”(Respect to the Grammys for giving them so much airtime to do this right.) A righteous and life-affirming gut punch.
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Michael Jackson, ‘Man in the Mirror’ (1988)
Image Credit: WireImage A jaw-dropping feat of MJ at his peak as a singer as well as a performer, doing “The Man in the Mirror” with a gospel choir. He had countless classic TV performances, from Soul Train with the J5 to “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25 special. But this was the greatest.
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Bob Dylan, ‘Love Sick’ (1998)
Image Credit: WireImage Dylan did a sinister rendition of “Love Sick,” the bluesy lament from his classic 1997 album Time Out Of Mind. Except he had a surprise visitor on stage: a half-naked dancer with the words “Soy Bomb” painted on his chest. Dylan was such a pro, he barely cracked a smile. And it wasn’t even the night’s weirdest stage invasion: that was the Grammy ceremony Ol’ Dirty Bastard bumrushed the mic to say, “Wu-Tang is for the children!”
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Harry Styles, ‘Watermelon Sugar’ (2021)
Image Credit: Getty Images for The Recording A Harry made his Grammy solo debut with a bang, in glam-rock golden-god mode. He did “Watermelon Sugar” dressed in black leather and a feather boa. Needless to say, the boa ended up on the floor, after decorating every inch of Harry’s body in a burlesque-worthy bump-and-grind dance. A spectacular way to kick off the show, and a celebration of his solo triumph. Later in the show, he won his first Grammy. A spectacular way to kick off the show. The definition of a strawberry state of mind.
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LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C., Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Questlove, and more, ‘Hip Hop 50’ (2023)
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Variety A stunning 15-minute blast of hip-hop history, curated by the Roots’ Questlove to celebrate the music’s 50th anniversary—as LL Cool J put it, “From the Bronx to TikTok to the whole world!” It began with Eighties NYC legends from Grandmaster Flash to Rakim to Public Enemy, fanned out with OutKast and Scarface and Missy, with virtuoso turns from Busta Rhymes and Queen Latifah. The pass-the-mic spirit was electrifying—it was a high-speed celebration of solidarity, innovation, and community.
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Aretha Franklin, ‘Nessun Dorma’ (1998)
Image Credit: AP The Queen of Soul has ruled the Grammys since the very first telecast in 1971, where she brought down the house with “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” But “Nessun Dorma” is rightly her most famous Grammy moment. Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti was supposed to headline the 1998 show with this Puccini aria, but called in sick with a sore throat—just at showtime. So Aretha Franklin stepped in as a last-minute sub. She didn’t even get to do a rehearsal. She just listened to a tape of Pavarotti’s dress rehearsal on a boombox, then told the producer, “Yeah, I can do this.” Then the Queen simply got onstage and made history.
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Stevie Wonder, ‘You Haven’t Done Nothing’ (1975)
Image Credit: AP Stevie was the Grammys’ favorite star in the Seventies. He won so many awards that when Paul Simon won Album of the Year in 1976, he said, “Most of all, I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn’t make an album this year.” Stevie was at his grittiest here, with this ferocious Motown funk attack on Nixon-era politicians. He still seems to show up at the Grammys every year, and he’s still the most beloved guy in the room.
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Taylor Swift, ‘Cardigan‘/’August‘/’Willow’ (2021)
Image Credit: via Getty Images Taylor never fails to slay at the Grammys. There’s her solo version of “All Too Well,” just Tay and her piano in an epic hair-twirling display. There’s also “Out of the Woods,” in a gorgeous acoustic version that honestly should have gone on the actual album. But this was her ultimate triumph, celebrating the Folklore/Evermore era with “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Willow.” She went full cottage-core in a moss-covered forest, with moments like Aaron Dessner’s gasp-inducingly gorgeous guitar solo in “August.” The show ended with her winning Album of the Year: Taylor’s Version.
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Beyonce, ‘Love Drought’/‘Sandcastles’ (2017)
Image Credit: Getty Images for NARAS Bey has so many unforgettable Grammy moments—we could fill up the entire list with her highlight reel. Who can forget her 2004 Prince duet, sliding from “Crazy in Love” to “Let’s Go Crazy”? Or the night she sang “Drunk In Love” with Jay-Z? No artist has ever had this many classic Grammy performances—which makes sense, since nobody’s won as many Grammys. But she hit her Grammy peak in this conceptual Lemonade extravaganza, doing “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles,” wearing a literal halo as a maternal sun goddess.
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Prince and the Revolution, ‘Baby I’m a Star’ (1985)
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive The Purple One takes his first spin on the Grammy stage, with his band the Revolution blazing away behind him for six minutes in heaven. He twirls like a maniac to “Baby I’m a Star,” while shouting out Sheila E for her timbales solo. Then he struts off stage like a champion boxer. The performance was introduced by Academy president Mike Melvoin—father of Prince’s guitarist Wendy Melvoin.
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Kendrick Lamar, ‘The Blacker The Berry’/‘Alright’ (2016)
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage Kendrick did a historic performance that followed the African-American experience from slave ships to prison cells. The ambition was worthy of Bowie or Prince; the painful humor worthy of Richard Pryor. But it was unmistakably Kendrick’s voice. He added an unreleased verse about Trayvon Martin, saying, “on February 26 I lost my life too.” The most incendiary, powerful, intense Grammy music moment of all time.