Why Bruce Is Still the Boss: Reason #15,086
Reason #15,086: He Still Makes Good Videos
Today, I was lucky enough to be awake during the one hour of the day when VH1 plays music videos. Before this station became the washed up celebrity reality show network, it used to live up to its name “Video Hits One” and play stomachable new music mixed with some old classics. Anyhow, other than the present-day VH1 staples — John Mayer, Maroon 5 and Lenny Kravitz (who seems to have had a new video on VH1 for like 17 consecutive years) — I caught Bruce Springsteen’s newest video, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” the second single from his latest album Magic. And while this video isn’t that new — it’s been out for a month already — and the Grammys took place 2 weeks ago, seeing Bruce’s latest video sent a wave of anger through me.
What I’ve realized about the Grammys is that there are two reasons artists win awards: the first is that they are viable recording artists who are on the rise and could use some attention on national television — Amy Winehouse this year, Kanye a few years back, Justin Timberlake, etc. In this case, the Grammys is merely a stepladder for commercial acts. But the other reason is that the Grammys like to take an artist who might be over the hill, blind, unsung or irrelevant and extol him or her with the highest honor of the night — the Best Album of the Year award. Simultaneously, in doing this, the Grammy Awards people like to remind you that they still have a keen eye as to what is hip… or atleast what should be in their view. Here’s my short list of albums in the last 20 years that fit into this latter category of albums being totally unfit for Best Album of the Year.
- 2007: Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters
I like Herbie and his performance with Lang Lang was amazing, but come on. - 2005: Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
The ultimate Starbucks album; Kanye and Green Day both deserved it more this year. - 2002: Oh Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack
Is this the Grammys or the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York? - 2001: Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
Love them but this one beat out Midnight Vultures, Kid A and the Marshall Mathers LP. Absurd. - 1997: Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind
This album sucked. - 1995: Tony Bennett - MTV Unplugged
Probably the most ridiculous pick in the history of the show. - 1992: Natalie Cole - Unforgettable… with Love
A tribute album? Really? - 1991: Quincy Jones - Back on the Block
The utmost in intra-industry ass-kissing.
*I didn’t forget about Santana’s snoozefest in 2000, it’s just all the other albums sucked that year so I left him off.
So here’s my point. The last 20 years have been all about honoring these musicians, who while deserving of recognition, are about as current as a 1-900 number. And if the Grammys are in the business of handing the Best Album of the Year to proven musicians with careers that span decades, there was one little artist with one little album this year who couldn’t be more deserving of a good praise party at the Grammys. And that’s Bruce. Not only is he a star with a career spanning 5 decades, but more importantly and unlike any of the artists on my list, he released the best album of the year. This was Bruce’s year and he got jacked not by the Foo Fighters or Kanye, but by an instrumental jazz album. Quietly, Bruce picked up Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance for the first single off Magic, “Radio Nowhere.” The whole album is sensational, however, and this brings us to Reason #15,086 why Bruce is still “The Boss”: he still makes good videos.