The 17th Annual Grammy Awards - Record of the Year (Mar. 1975)

[AMSTARDUSTI]

Oh, I see....it either erases my comment, or else posts it 5 times. Perfect. Real cute.

[AMSTARDUSTI]

As I said, does everyone have an empty head? I have one prevailing thought on this, and am stunned that not one person addressed it. All those great artists and songs, and the award goes to the only one I was sure didn't stand a chance....that bland, whitebread, soulless song and singer. I knew the world is upside down, but there is solid proof. Scary.

[AMSTARDUSTI]

who erased my comment?????

[MrZizzy99]

Good to see Eraserhead getting some pub

[Mr429guy]

This must have been the year that Andy Williams committed the worst gaffe ever on an awards show. Stevie Wonder was in Africa but a live hook-up was provided so he could keep in touch with the proceedings. Somehow, the feed got garbled and Andy was wondering if there was any connection. He actually asked Stevie (I kid you not): "Stevie, can you see us?" Mr. Williams must have felt like crawling in a hole and dying. If anybody can provide the video for this, I'll be grateful.

[klutzyknockoutlady]

Wonder's performance was via satellite and they had been having trouble with it all night. While they were wrestling with the signal, Any Williams was on camera and was forced to ad-lib. He said "Stevie, can you hear me? If you can't hear me, can you see me?". I don't remember anyone booing, only scattered laughter. Later, he went back on-camera and apologized, stating that he meant the people in (wherever) and not Stevie, and that he meant no disrespect to him . He got applause .

[MrFrendan]

Great entertainment!  What a sexy record year too! Love all those songs and artists immensely!

[salamonetalton]

i disagree maria muldaur or onjhn shouldve won!

[MoveOverCasanova]

1:40 "touching"

[simonsmatthew]

If only all these award shows were presented with humour like that some of today's "artists" would be brought down to earth.

I like "feel like making love" the most. It has aged the best. .It has a great chord structure.

[airstrip101]

What an interesting year!

Five really good tunes and well produced recordings.

[dobazajr]

john lennon's accent reminds me of michael caine.

[Victor1970s]

The Grammy Awards are a joke! How can they invite John Lennon over to present the Record of The Year Award, when the Beatles or Lennon himself as a solo artist NEVER won the award before. Paul Simon can smile, because he won the award twice as a member of Simon & Garfunkel (1968-Mrs. Robinson; 1970- A Bridge Over Troubled Water)

[substitute91]

agree with you, i honestly think that the grammy today has overlooked so many great and talented artists and musicians and the legends of course. They invite silly people to perform ( i'm glad at least there are 2 or 3 performers who are quite good).

[billieshears04]

the thing here... was to invite JOHN & PAUL!!! (of course... a joke... JOHN lennon & PAUL simon)

[cmbtravelagent]

Actually, I forgot about all the songs nominated except " I honestly love you" so obviously, that deserved to win.

Take care

Chris

[TheGreatAndyWILLIAMS]

i think Andy Williams made a brilliant host to this once glamorous and "conservative" event!

[AvlDao]

Great TV Clip. And the winning tune represents a unique 'low' in the many staid Grammy Record of Year Choices.

Of all the songs from 1974, every other nominee against I Honestly Love You in this category and in songwriting is now better remembered 34 years later and each are held in higher regard than that lame tune of hers.

In my opinion.

[alewis41]

Actually I Honestly Love You is widely regarded as a classic song that fully merited the award. It is also remembered to this day. Apart from that your analysis is spot on.

[AvlDao]

Well In know Im working a very biased 'room' here. Lets recap:

Help Me by Joni Mitchell, Feel Like Making Love by Roberta Flack, Dont Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Elton, and Midnight At the Oasis were also up for ROY. I feel all were superior...and all have enjoyed far more longevity and post-1974 embrace than ONJ's tune.

[maggieskaggs]

I agree I think Roberta Flack or Joni Mitchell should have won.

That being said, these awards are so political and Joni probably won lots of awards before, they usually like to spread the wealth to up and comers.

I still think Help Me and Feel Like Making Love far surpassed "I honestly love you" in quality. I'm also a huge ONJ fan, but artistically speaking, I think Flack or Mitchell should have won.

[maggieskaggs]

It's Obvious that John Lennon leaned towards Roberta Flack for the win, you can tell, and when ONJ won, he gave kind of a loddi da thing,

he knows these awards are a joke, they all do, it's an inside thing.

[alleyt1989]

no i honestly love you is a good song

[AvlDao]

honestly?

LOL

[MrFrendan]

@AvlDao It is the Grammy Awards what do you expect? While I admit Record Of The Year is always a "wtf" category, the song "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John is stunning. And no other song that year even came close to grabbing the public's attention like it did. This year the Grammy might have got it right in my opinion.

[AvlDao]

@MrFrendan

In 1974, the "song" that captured attention more than others was, thankfully, the winner of the "Song of The Year" award, The Way We Were; it was Billboard's Top Tune for the Year...Olivia did not even make the Top 5 in the Year-End Tally.

The category, Record of The Year, was on a great streak from late-60s to We Are The World in early 80s, with few winners being defacto shunned from offending radio eardrums as Olivia's I Honestly Love You has been "shunned".

[MrFrendan]

@AvlDao My radio was on all the time and Olivia Newton-John was all over it on AM radio, Barbara Streisand not so much where I lived. The fact that the Grammy's choice mirrors your own for those years has everything to do with the overall quality of music to choose from. I will never agree with anyone who says the Grammy's are an accurate award institution...sorry.

[AvlDao]

@MrFrendan

As I wrote, the Grammy's go on streaks. I never said they are a 100% accurate institution. I accept that what is art to one person is trash to another. But in past decades, look at when they eschewed AM radio popularity rankings (this is # 1, this is only #10, etc). And when they did not. In 2011 we have the benefit of experiencing what's proven to have legs (staying power) 35 years or more after the fact.

Maybe Glee will resurrect I Honestly Love You from the grave

[Atomsmasher777]

Lennon and Simon. Wow.

2 classic rock legends.

[viclagoon]

i had not seen this ever and remember seeing everthing she did on tv back when we had only 3 channels , i must have been that night anyways, wow , she was beginning to be the buzz all over hollywood and who this lovely rising star was man , the world will never again see another Olivia ever come close to her sing like her again .

[WiltatKansas]

John Lennon must not stay with the rest of musical idolatrous, but at that time the grammys still weren't an idolater nest.

[icereis2]

i don't understand why Art represented Olivia to accept the award , is he relates to Olivia ?

[burtmurdoch]

not sure

[roxyrowboat]

Maybe because Yoko was there. Claudine, of course, wasn't. Andy's cute, funny, and non-offensive comments about his partner and his "three hits" were wonderful.

[oranger2525]

it was a set up. just a little show biz.

[Maccastreisfan]

@icereis2 Obviously comic relief. Remember Simon and Garfunkel? It was set up that way. Olivia lived in England she wasnt there.

[roxyrowboat]

SUPERB! I loved this heart-warming and funny video! And I remember all the nominated songs; they were all wonderful. Wow, 1975 and now it's Sir Elton John. RIP John, you are missed but not forgotten.

[Stanzi99]

Great vid, brings back memories and I still have those nominated songs. thanks for sharing.