U2 Wins 4 GRAMMY Awards! Bono and his Gretsch "Irish Falcon"

Story by UEC

Bono Bono, with his Gretsch “Irish Falcon” in hand, hit the stage with U2 for an exciting night at the 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards! U2 picked up Record of the Year for “Walk On”, Best Rock Album for “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”, Best Song by a Pop Duo or Group for “Stuck in a Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of” and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for “Elevation”.

Alicia Keys pipped U2 for total number of awards taking five including Best Song for “Fallin”, as well as Best New Artist and three R&B awards. One of the biggest surprises of the night was the Best Album award going to the film soundtrack for O Brother Where Art Thou ?

“Being Irish, if you get eight nominations and got no awards they wouldn’t let you back in the country,” said Bono, after picking up the first award of the night for Stuck in a Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of. “So this is a public safety issue.”

At a rehearsal Tuesday night for the band’s scheduled broadcast performance of “Walk On,” the band was in fine form, with Bono adding some extra rhythm guitar muscle to the sound as he delivered his lead vocals. He received some heavenly vocal support from a choir lead by gospel talent Kirk Franklin. It was the Edge who worked with Franklin to make last-minute decisions on how to integrate the sounds of the choir and band, and once that work was done, and the collected musicians applied their talents to the soaring tune, the results were powerful, uplifting rock and roll.

Last night’s awards mean that “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” has now won a total of seven Grammy’s, with four different tracks – “Beautiful Day” won three awards last year – awarded Grammy’s.

Describing the band as “pushing a rock up a hill” in 2000, Bono exulted in the fact that U2 earned a total of seven Grammys this year and last for “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” “an album that we made in a desperate fashion.” He said the band was “desperate to be relevant rather than successful.”

Commenting on the success of their Elevation tour, he added, “When this country takes you to its heart, it’s an extraordinary feeling … These have been testy times for America, so we know you didn’t take just anyone to your heart.”

As usual, Grammy voters rewarded a number of longtime favorites. A remake of one of his ’70s songs, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”, won James Taylor a pop male vocal award over new records by Michael Jackson and Elton John (both prominent shutout victims for the night). Eric Clapton, Sade, Harry Connick Jr., Janet Jackson and Bob Dylan (a notable performer as well) all took home awards.

Yet youth also was served. Along with Keys, newcomer Nelly Furtado beat veterans Janet Jackson, Faith Hill, Sade and Lucinda Williams for female pop vocal, and new rockers Linkin Park and Coldplay won for hard-rock and alternative-album, respectively. However, highly touted new artist India Arie, nominated seven times, failed to win an award. Nor did the late Aaliyah, predicted by some to win via sympathy votes.

Other winners in key categories included Train for rock song; Lenny Kravitz, male rock vocal; Williams, female rock vocal; Missy Elliott, rap solo; Outkast, rap group and rap album; and Eve and No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani, winners in the new rap/sung collaboration category.