HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The First Grammy For Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Goes To…

The Grammys: music’s highest accolade to be bestowed on the industry, or an out-of-touch ceremony that only rewards what’s popular. Whilst opinions on the awards can differ from person to person, there’s no denying their history since its inception in 1959, with the very first Grammys ceremony. Whilst there have been many celebrations and criticisms over the years, one that has stuck prominently is their commercialisation, especially when it comes to honouring the rock and metal categories. When grunge band PEARL JAM won the accolade in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance, Eddie Vedder (vocals) stated when he walked onto the stage, “I don’t know what this means. I don’t think it means anything.”, with other rock and metal artists voicing similar opinions with the show. In fact, the first time the Grammys acknowledged and awarded a category specifically for hard rock and heavy metal in 1989 garnered reason for that concern.

With the rise in popularity in the harsher sounding genres, the Grammys decided to recognise it for the first time, honouring some of the albums from the year. However, what constituted as ‘hard rock’ and ‘heavy metal’ was still up for debate back in the 1980s as it is today, as even one of the nominees, JANE’S ADDICTION, did not consider themselves a metal band. Nonetheless, the awards in 1989 announced their nominees for their first ever Hard Rock/Metal Performance, which included JANE’S ADDICTION, AC/DC, IGGY POP, JETHRO TULL, and METALLICA. From viewing the list, the diversity in sound and subgenre couldn’t have been more different, from thrash metal to progressive rock, but all fitted under the arbitrary umbrella of the category. Out of the nominees, METALLICA and their fourth album …And Justice For All (1988) was heavily favoured to win. At the time, the thrash band were rising to become one of the biggest names in metal, especially with their unique heavy style and intense lyrics that weren’t heard before at that time. In addition, the band were scheduled to perform during the show, meaning mainstream audiences had a chance to view this up and coming band everyone was talking about as this was the first heavy metal group to perform at the Grammy Awards.

22nd February 1989 came around, and the music industry descended upon the Shrine Auditorium, including many of the nominees of the Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance. All except the members of JETHRO TULL, that is, as their label Chrysalis Records also expected METALLICA to win so told their band not to bother going. Meanwhile, legends ALICE COOPER and LITA FORD took to the stage to present the award, stating the infamous words, “…and the Grammy goes to…” and awarding the Grammy to…not what was expected that night. Despite everyone in attendance and also not, as established, thought the winners would be METALLICA, the band that actually won was… JETHRO TULL. At the announcement, even through the broadcast, booing could be heard over the result, with member of the winning band, IAN ANDERSON, stating later that it was actually lucky they weren’t in attendance as it was likely the band wouldn’t have accepted the award. 

If the response at the time wasn’t any indication, this result was, and still is, considered one of the biggest upsets in the Grammys‘ history. The main sticking point critics point to as the reason for people’s displeasure comes from the difference in sound and style between JETHRO TULL and the other nominees, as the band are known for their progressive rock style and unique instrumentation like adding flutes to their tracks. In a humorous turn, the band took out an advert in Billboard reading “the flute is now a heavy metal instrument”. In similar fashion, METALLICA added stickers to copies of …And Justice For All which read ‘Grammy Award LOSERS’. Within the industry, the Grammys amended the award, splitting it to Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, later amending the former in 2014 to Best Rock Performance. Interestingly, METALLICA not only won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 1990 for their song, One, but also won the award for the next few years. METALLICA have gone on to win award a total of seven times, the most any band has won the award.

There is an interesting hindsight looking back at the controversy as METALLICA were considered a fresh sound and style within music at the time, and now in 2024, the band are one of the biggest in the world. Considering how they were favoured to win back then, it shows how everyone else could see the potential the band had in its longevity within music. Whilst JETHRO TULL are also hailed as innovators in progressive rock, this award win has distorted the view some fans have on this band and have left a sour taste in the mouth of other fans. For the Grammys, it’s still considered one of the biggest upsets in the awards’ history and is often cited when discussing if the Recording Academy is ‘out-of-touch’ when it comes to their nominees and winners, especially within alternative genres like rock and metal. Have things improved in the 35 years since this incident? It’s hard to say, depending on who is answering this question. However, as the Grammys continue to create further upsets, the answer to whether or not they have learned from this incident is debatable at best and questionable in the worst case scenario.

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