The Grammy Awards' Biggest Mistakes
the last "vo-de-o-doh" crooned through a megaphone.
1979 Best New Artist: A Taste of Honey
Admittedly, the Best New Artist prize is a crap shoot. Without hindsight, the Grammy voters couldn't have known that, say, Elvis Costello and the Cars would go on to become legendary acts with countless hits and boundless acclaim. But still, they passed over these post-punk upstarts in favour of the L.A. disco outfit that brought 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' to the dance floor -- and little else since.
1986 Record of the Year: USA for Africa, 'We Are the World'
With the African famine raging, American pop stars banded together to one-up British pop stars with this charity single penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. It was a great cause, without question, but the song itself could hardly compare to its category companions: Dire Straits' 'Money for Nothing,' Don Henley's 'Boys of Summer,' Huey Lewis and the News' 'Power of Love' (c'mon, it was the 'Back to the Future' theme!) and the robbed record of the year, Bruce Springsteen's arms-up anthem 'Born in the USA.'
1989 Best Hard Rock Recording: Jethro Tull, 'Crest of a Knave'
Giving the flute-flouting '70s prog-rockers this post-peak award is one of the most infamous flubs, with 'Entertainment Weekly' later naming it the Grammys' biggest upset. Not only were Jethro Tull not "hard" -- the album's called 'Crest of a Knave' for frak's sake -- but they beat out the likes of AC/DC, Jane's Addiction and even Metallica's '... And Justice for
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