The Curse of the General Field Sweep
For those who are the GRAMMY-watching type, and for those who are pedantic enough to know that the correct way to type it is GRAMMYs, this article may not come as much of a surprise. But if you aren’t necessarily familiar with recent music history and you don’t know who “Christopher Cross” is, allow me to spin you a tale.
The year is 1980. Yes, 1980, a long time ago, I get it. And there’s this really popular singer, Christopher Cross.
You know it’s gotta be old because that picture’s 4:3. Anyway, that year, he debuts as an artist, releasing a hit song: “Sailing”, from his hit album Christopher Cross. And here’s the thing: people just couldn’t get enough of it. Here’s the song, which you may know already:
At the GRAMMYs, there are four “big” awards, known as the General Field:
Record of the Year
Song of the Year
Album of the Year
Best New Artist
And at those fateful 1980 GRAMMY awards, Christopher Cross wins…
Record of the Year: “Sailing”
Song of the Year: “Sailing”
Album of the Year: Christopher Cross
Best New Artist
That’s just incredible. Sweeping all four awards in the General Field is really a monumental achievement. But if you’re anything like me, you probably hear the name “Christopher Cross” and wonder if he has anything to do with the hip-hop duo. What happened to him?
Perhaps there’s something cursed about sweeping the General Field. Maybe those elect artists who dominate so thoroughly are secretly destined to fizzle, not explode. After winning all four awards, he had some minor success. Two or more award wins in ‘81. But despite numerous more albums, he never really achieved the peak that he set shockingly early in his career.
Sound familiar?
Let me (re)introduce you to someone. I’d like you to meet…Billie Eilish.
You know it’s gotta be new because of that sweet widescreen shot. Anyway, you might be aware of recent happenings, but let me fill you in nonetheless. In 2019, she debuts as an artist, releasing a hit song: "bad guy”, from her hit album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? And here’s the thing: people just couldn’t get enough of it. Here’s the song, which you may know already:
So it’s the 2020 GRAMMYs. Award time. Any predictions?
Record of the Year: “bad guy”
Song of the Year: “bad guy”
Album of the Year: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Best New Artist
Interesting.
So I’m not going to say that it’s an omen or anything, but those are some…small…shoes to fill? Look, whether I wanted Lizzo to win at least Best New Artist isn’t important to the story. What is important is that the next days, weeks, and months are going to be the biggest ever for Billie and her team.
So congratulations to her an everyone who won. I will, begrudgingly or not, have my eyes on our new pop overlord.
