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This St. Patrick's Day, Go Green With Music

Check out the Recording Academy's ultimate GRAMMY St. Patrick's Day playlist.

GRAMMYs/Mar 16, 2011 - 11:06 pm

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday celebrated worldwide in honor of the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the fifth century. While named after St. Patrick, the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, it began as purely a Christian holiday but has morphed over the years into a day celebrated by not just the Irish, but the Irish at heart.

In the United States, St. Patrick's Day is commemorated with lavish parades in many cities, including festivities in Boston, New York and Philadelphia that date back to the 18th century. Celebrants engage in all things green, shamrocks, Irish food and drink, and other fun activities — some cities, such as Chicago, have even been known to dye to their rivers green.

But what would all the festivities be without a little music? With that in the mind, following is our green-tinted GRAMMY St. Patrick's Day playlist.

U2, "Beautiful Day"

Every day is a beautiful day, especially St. Patrick's Day. (Or if you happen to be Bono.) This song from Ireland's favorite rock band won three GRAMMYs in 2000 for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

Sinéad O'Connor, "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Born in Dublin, O'Connor rose to prominence with the GRAMMY-nominated "Nothing Compares 2 U," which climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. O'Connor picked up a GRAMMY for Best Alternative Music Performance for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got the same year.

Culture Club, "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me"

Boy George has a touch of Irish lineage. His mother Dinah O'Dowd was born in Dublin and his father Gerry O'Dowd also has Irish roots. The colorful vocalist made his musical mark with Culture Club, which blended elements of pop, dance, new wave and soul, and won the Best New Artist GRAMMY in 1983.

Roger Daltrey & The Chieftains, "Behind Blue Eyes"

Arguably Ireland's most famous traditional folk band, the Chieftains have crafted their unique sound for more than four decades. This cover of the Who classic, though blue, is featured on their very green GRAMMY-winning album An Irish Evening — Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast.

Van Morrison, "Brown Eyed Girl"

The classic status of GRAMMY-winning Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" was further cemented in 2007 when it was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. Morrison is a native of Belfast, Ireland, and brown and green do go well together.

Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

After putting back one too many at the local pub, Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" may or may not be appropriate. The song, taken from their 2004 American Idiot album, won the GRAMMY for Record Of The Year in 2005.

Cee Lo Green, "F*** You"

If the change in your pockets wasn't enough and you're finding yourself green with envy because your ex-significant other recently moved on in favor of an Xbox upgrade, this is your song. Cee Lo himself proved to be much more than an Atari, picking up Best Urban/Alternative Performance honors at last month's 53rd GRAMMYs.

Booker T. & The MG's, "Green Onions"

Booker T. & The MG's were renowned for their tight Memphis R&B grooves and backing hits by artists such as Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, among others. They could also cook up a mean batch of "Green Onions" — this song was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1999.

The Black Keys, "Tighten Up"

Though their band name bears black and their style incorporates elements of blues, the Black Keys do have some green in them. Drummer Patrick Carney's surname has Irish origins, meaning warrior or soldier. The Black Keys recently had a little Irish luck on their side, winning for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Al Green, "As Long As We're Together"

This 11-time GRAMMY winner has turned Green into gold over the years, including the award for Best Soul Gospel Vocal Performance, Male Or Female for "As Long As We're Together" in 1989.

The Muppets, "Bein' Green"

Sometimes "it's not that easy bein' green" — just ask Kermit the Frog, or better yet ask Oscar the Grouch. But if there is any day that it is easy, it would be St. Patrick's Day. This contemplative number, sung by Kermit himself, is featured on the Muppets' 1978 GRAMMY-winning The Muppet Show.

New Christy Minstrels, "Green Green"

Perhaps one of the lesser-known popular post-World War II folk acts, the New Christy Minstrels were nominated for a Best Folk Recording GRAMMY in 1963 for "Green, Green," on which they ruminate about finding a place "where the grass is greener still."

Various Artists, Green Eggs And Ham And Other Servings Of Dr. Seuss

This spoken-word album, which features nine of Dr. Seuss' classic children stories including Green Eggs And Ham read by Jason Alexander, garnered a GRAMMY nomination in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album For Children. And since you're probably sick of green by now, also try One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, read by David Hyde Pierce.

Which artists fill up your St. Patrick's Day playlist?

Tina Turner

Photo: Paul Natkin/GettyImages

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Revisiting ‘Private Dancer’ At 40: How Tina Turner’s Liberation Album Remains A Musical Salvation

Released in May 1984, ‘Private Dancer’ was a musical tour de force. The record saw Tina Turner shed her assured vocal talents, exposing some fragility while adding in some sultriness too, to share a powerful tale of finally finding liberation.

Nathan Smith

GRAMMYs/May 30, 2024 - 02:50 pm

“How it all came about was a miracle,” says Terry Britten, the co-writer and producer of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”

The enduring single on Turner's 1984 album Private Dancer, released 40 years ago this month, was the songstress' ultimate emancipating act. It liberated her from the strictures of a music career bound to former husband Ike Turner, and debuted a new, self-possessed persona that highlighted her own rich talents as a solo artist. Decades on, the album remains a searing testament to resilience and the power of raw, honest expression.

Private Dancer, her fifth solo outing, was the beginning of Turner's renaissance and next era. Still, some of its most powerful songs — including “What’s Love” — almost didn’t make the cut. In fact, the song’s woeful quality and halted vocals proved an obstacle for Turner.

“After all this time, I’ve realized what the problem was and why she didn’t like it: because she was so damn vulnerable in it,” Britten tells GRAMMY.com. “She’d never been that vulnerable before in a song.”

Turner had long wrestled with her public image and allowing listeners into her inner world. Despite her success in the '70s and the subsequent 1976 breakdown of her abusive marriage to Ike (which left her penniless), followed by less successful Las Vegas revue shows, Turner was wary of conceding defeat.

Her career revival was largely born after Turner had made a cameo appearance in 1982 on the synth-inspired remake of The Temptations' “Ball of Confusion.” Masterminded by pop band Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware, the song netted Turner a singles deal with Capitol Records. Her next pairing with Ware, a remake of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” was a runaway success, charting at number six in the UK and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, in late 1983 and early 1984 respectively.

Chart success had eluded Turner for years, so by February 1984 Capitol quickly demanded a full album — with two weeks to deliver it. With Turner already on tour in the UK then, her manager, Roger Davies, raced around London seeking potential tracks. Davies had been old friends with Britten back in Australia, and reached out about available songs.

Co-written with Graham Lyle, Britten's "What’s Love” had been skipped over by British rock singer Cliff Richard. Its rumination on sexual over romantic desire awaited a new voice.

Turner's powerhouse vocals gave the track the justice it so called for. Just as her vocal prowess was put on display, "What's Love" also underscored Turner's ability to bring both fragility and sultriness to a song. The combination would soon propel Turner to worldwide domination.

In the studio, Britten leaned on Turner’s dancing background to make the meditative ballad work. Turner struggled with the song’s languid rhythm, so Britten suggested she jog on the spot. “We jogged at the mic,” he says. “Soon enough, she got it!”

Britten believes “What’s Love” showed Turner, for the first time, how empowering vulnerability could be. “She realized she could act out these songs,” he reflects. “The whole direction of her career changed in that moment.”

Released in May 1984, “What’s Love” slowly scaled the charts, competing for prime position with the likes of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and Lionel Ritchie’s “Stuck on You.” “What’s Love” ultimately landed at No. 1 in August 1984 — staying there for three weeks — and fast-tracked Turner’s forceful musical renaissance.

The arrival of Private Dancer only galvanized the transformation.

The album was a mixture of old and new, figuratively stitching together a reinvigorated yet still rock ’n’ roll Turner. There were completely new tracks and sounds, like the synth-infused “What’s Love” and spunky, pulsating “Show Some Respect” (another Britten number). Covers of the Beatles’ “Help!” and David Bowie’s “1984,” meanwhile, were reimagined with searching gospel energy and symphonic orchestral strings.

There was an emphasis on storytelling across Private Dancer, with lyrical explorations of respect, love, and desire, paired with Turner’s frayed timbre. “I Might Have Been Queen” was penned by Jeannette Obstoj and Rupert Hine in response to hearing Turner’s life story. From a youth picking cotton in Tennessee to her years as a double act with Ike, Obstoj took Turner’s trying life (and lifelong interest in Ancient Egypt) to craft an earthy narrative textured by stories of grief and self-understanding. The stomping funk result was an anthemic tribute, celebrating Turner as she sang proudly of being a “sole survivor.”

Allowed into Turner’s inner sanctum, listeners could better understand and relate to the singer’s past life — whether these were real stories or imagined tales. Songs like “Private Dancer,” seemingly about a dancer who keeps a firm psychological distance from her job as a means of self-protection, couldn’t help but be tied back to Turner’s former life as the mistreated singing partner to Ike. Turner’s coarse vocals — retelling regret with the ballad “Better Be Good to Me,” or celebrating self-confidence on “Show Some Respect” — underscored her toughness as she sang about respect and recognition.

Tina Turner’s emotional depth and lyrical confessions resonated with critics and listeners, affirming Turner as sensitive, soulful and, above all, an iconic solo artist. The success of the record at the 1985 GRAMMYs only affirmed Turner's status.

Britten, who won two gramophones for his work and joined Turner on stage to collect the GRAMMY for Record Of The Year, said that the audience — there and even at home watching — manifested her three wins that night. “In between introductions, you could hear the whole crowd going, ‘Tina! Tina! Tina!’” he says. “It was like the whole auditorium wanted her to win. In fact, they willed her to win.”

The entire musical project was a frenzied worldwide phenomenon: the confident comeback story of a 45-year-old liberated woman. Private Dancer represents a rare redemption for a female artist over 40 — a script contemporaries have taken cues from.

Madonna enjoyed a return serve with her revealing 1998 spiritual album Ray of Light, a record that saw her achieve renewed commercial success — and perhaps most important to her, critical acclaim. After the abject failure of 2001’s Glitter, Mariah Carey stormed the charts (and GRAMMYs) in 2005 with her confessional but defiant album, The Emancipation of Mimi. Janet Jackson, no longer suffering public shame after the infamous Superbowl incident and finally free to release music under her own label, returned revealing a more mature, reflective artist with 2015’s Unbreakable. Each album privileged some aspect of self-exposure and sonic difference to mount a comeback where audiences were invited in.

Publicly sharing some vulnerability while also celebrating fortitude, continues to enliven the story of Private Dancer — and the listening experience decades on. After Tina Turner's death in 2023, critics reappraised the record and the seismic impact of “What’s Love.” Some said the song was an enduring “call to action” on finding independence, while others concluded that Private Dancer alone “lifted [Turner] into the pop stratosphere.”

The record represents one of history’s greatest musical comebacks. Its emotional depth, paired with a tough if sometimes frayed sound, gave listeners a deeply resonant tale about overcoming.

“She gave me such trust,” Britten says of recording with Turner. “I can’t tell you what a moving experience it was.” With Private Dancer, Turner entrusted listeners with her own vulnerable admissions, many of which continue to resonate and inspire today.

Remembering The Artistry Of Tina Turner, "The Epitome Of Power And Passion"

National Recording Registry Announces Inductees

Photo: Library of Congress

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National Recording Registry Inducts Music From The Notorious B.I.G., Green Day, Blondie, The Chicks, & More

Recordings by the Cars, Bill Withers, Lily Tomlin, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, and the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band after World War I are also among the 25 selected for induction.

Nina Frazier

GRAMMYs/Apr 17, 2024 - 12:54 am

As a founding member of the National Recording Preservation Board, the Recording Academy was instrumental in lobbying and getting the board created by Congress. Now, the Library of Congress has added new treasures to the National Recording Registry, preserving masterpieces that have shaped American culture.

The 2024 class not only celebrates modern icons like Green Day’s punk classic Dookie and Biggie Smalls' seminal Ready to Die, but also honors vintage gems like Gene Autry’s "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Perry Como’s hits from 1957. These recordings join over 650 titles that constitute the registry — a curated collection housed within the Library’s vast archive of nearly 4 million sound recordings.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced these additions as essential pieces of our nation’s audio legacy, each selected for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance. This selection process is influenced by public nominations, which hit a record number this year, emphasizing the public's role in preserving audio history.

"The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry," Hayden said. "We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy. We were thrilled to receive a record number of public nominations, and we welcome the public’s input on what we should preserve next."

The latest selections named to the registry span from 1919 to 1998 and range from the recordings of the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe after World War I, to defining sounds of jazz and bluegrass, and iconic recordings from pop, dance, country, rock, rap, Latin and classical music.

"For the past 21 years the National Recording Preservation Board has provided musical expertise, historical perspective and deep knowledge of recorded sound to assist the Librarian in choosing landmark recordings to be inducted into the Library’s National Recording Registry," said Robbin Ahrold, Chair of the National Recording Preservation Board. "The board again this year is pleased to join the Librarian in highlighting influential works in our diverse sound heritage, as well as helping to spread the word on the National Recording Registry through their own social media and streaming media Campaigns."

Tune in to NPR's "1A" for "The Sounds of America" series, featuring interviews with Hayden and selected artists, to hear stories behind this year’s picks. Stay connected to the conversation about the registry via social media and listen to many of the recordings on your favorite streaming service.

For more details on the National Recording Registry and to explore more about the selections, visit The Library of Congress's official National Recording Registry page.

National Recording Registry, 2024 Selections (chronological order)

"Clarinet Marmalade" – Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)
"Kauhavan Polkka" – Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)
Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)
"Rose Room" – Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – Gene Autry (1949)
"Tennessee Waltz" – Patti Page (1950)
"Rocket ‘88’" – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)
"Catch a Falling Star" / "Magic Moments" – Perry Como (1957)
"Chances Are" – Johnny Mathis (1957)
"The Sidewinder" – Lee Morgan (1964)
"Surrealistic Pillow" – Jefferson Airplane (1967)
"Ain’t No Sunshine" – Bill Withers (1971)
"This is a Recording" – Lily Tomlin (1971)
"J.D. Crowe & the New South" – J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)
"Arrival" – ABBA (1976)
"El Cantante" – Héctor Lavoe (1978)
"The Cars" – The Cars (1978)
"Parallel Lines" – Blondie (1978)
"La-Di-Da-Di" – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)
"Don’t Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988)
"Amor Eterno" – Juan Gabriel (1990)
"Pieces of Africa" – Kronos Quartet (1992)
Dookie – Green Day (1994)
Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
"Wide Open Spaces" – The Chicks (1998)

21 Albums Turning 50 In 2024: 'Diamond Dogs,' 'Jolene,' 'Natty Dread' & More

LØLØ

Photo: Courtesy of LØLØ

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ReImagined: LØLØ Flips Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" Into An Acoustic Jam

Canadian pop-punk singer LØLØ offers a stripped-down rendition of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," the GRAMMY-winning smash from her childhood inspirations, Green Day.

Hillary Melin

GRAMMYs/Mar 19, 2024 - 05:00 pm

Almost exactly two decades ago, Green Day traced the story of a lonely teenager, Jesus of Suburbia, in their seventh album, American Idiot. Its most notable chapter, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," earned the band Record Of The Year at the 2006 GRAMMYs.

In this episode of ReImagined, Canadian pop-punk singer LØLØ delivers her take on the song, an ethereal acoustic version.

LØLØ is a longtime fan of Green Day. In an interview with Kerrang! magazine, she recalled their single "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" as the first song she learned to play. She later told idobi Radio that her 2023 track "omg" was "a bunch of intrusive thoughts jumbled into a song, wondering if I will ever be enough, or ever be as cool as Green Day."

This year, LØLØ released two original singles, "poser" and "2 of us," via Hopeless Records.

Press play on the video above to hear LØLØ's fresh rendition of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of ReImagined.

Green Day's 'Saviors': How Their New Album Links 'Dookie' & 'American Idiot' Decades Later

The Sphere in Las Vegas

Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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U2 Performs "Atomic City" & Transports The 2024 GRAMMYs To Las Vegas

Bono and co.’s long-distance return to the 2024 GRAMMYs marks the Sphere, a state-of-the-art Sin City structure. The 22-time GRAMMY winners performed a jaunty take on "Atomic City" among incredible visuals.

Glenn Rowley

GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 02:51 am

U2 transported Music's Biggest Night from the Crytpo.com Arena in Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Sunday night, performing their song "Atomic City" live from the Sphere.

"Guitar, she pulls the strings et cetera/ Sinatra swings, a choir sings/ Love is God and God is love/ And if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough," Bono wailed as the cameras took in the majesty and awe of the futuristic venue just off the Vegas Strip.

Following the performance, the live segment also featured a special presentation of Best Pop Vocal Album Award to Taylor Swift for 2022’s Midnights — with the superstar using her acceptance speech to announce the April 19 release date for her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Bono and co.’s long-distance return to the GRAMMYs (where they last performed at the 2018 GRAMMYs) marks the first live broadcast from the state-of-the-art Sin City structure, which the 22-time GRAMMY winners are currently breaking in as a performance venue with their residency U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.

Launched in September, U2’s inaugural run of 40 shows at the Sphere will wrap on March 2. After the Dublin rockers’ final concert highlighting their 1991 GRAMMY-winning album Achtung Baby, Dead & Company will take over the venue for their own residency with an assist from John Mayer.

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominees And Winners List

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This St. Patrick's Day, Go Green With Music

Revisiting ‘Private Dancer’ At 40: How Tina Turner’s Liberation Album Remains A Musical Salvation

National Recording Registry Inducts Music From The Notorious B.I.G., Green Day, Blondie, The Chicks, & More

ReImagined: LØLØ Flips Green Day's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" Into An Acoustic Jam

U2 Performs "Atomic City" & Transports The 2024 GRAMMYs To Las Vegas

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