The 30 Best Grammy Performances of All Time

Sometimes folks forget about Mrs. Alicia Keys, so that’s why we’re giving a reminder. It takes a ton of skill to wow an audience to the point of a standing ovation with a ballad, and yet she did just that. Playing the piano version of her 2003 single “If I Ain’t Got You” from her album The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia served vocals, expert piano playing, and beauty in this stunning performance.

If Pink is flying in the air, then you already know the performance is going to be a killer, and her song "Glitter in the Air," required her to do just that. A masterpiece of a performance full of gorgeous acrobats, stunning vocals (some of which were sung upside down by the way), and the ability to bring you to tears, this is regarded by many as being one of if not Pink's greatest performances.

We do things a little differently around these parts. Oftentimes in these types of roundups, a lot of performances from before a certain year/era get left out. Not on our list—these all-time great performers didn't step onto a stage and bare their hearts out just to end up being forgotten about/ignored decades later. The Carpenters are very much an all-time legendary act, and they delivered a great performance of " We've Only Just Begun" at the 1971 Grammy Awards. Just listen to that voice on Karen Carpenter—beautiful.

Fun fact—this is the only time Destiny's Child ever performed at the Grammys by themselves (not counting their 2002 performance with Alejandro Sanz) before disbanding in 2005, and it remain quite underrated in our honest opinion. It takes a lot of skill to walk/dance down those steps in heels the way they did in the beginning, and they sounded great performing their "Independent Women"/"Say My Name" mash up.

Is Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Brandy, and Cece Winans not a female vocalist masterclass? Each and every lady listed above is renowned for their vocal prowess, so to have all of them on the stage at the same time—speechless.

The 2008 Grammy Awards is probably up there with one of the last great music award shows where it was just one banger after the next when it came to great performances. Any Foo Fighters fan will tell you that there's a difference between the Foo Fighters studio experience, and the Foo Fighter live experience. This showing of "The Pretender" captures that in its fullness.

You may have forgotten just how great Outkast's performance of "Hey Ya" at the 2004 Grammy Awards was, so allow the video above to serve as your personal time capsule. The energy was electric, everybody was on their feet because "Hey Ya" is genuinely one of the best songs to come out of the 2000s, and the performance was super fun and enjoyable.

Once again—this is another performance that doesn't get recognized the way it should because it was during an early era of the Grammys. Just look at the showmanship displayed here, and listen to their harmonies. We aren't really getting groups harmonizing anymore because we don't really have many new groups emerging in the music space. The current absence really makes you appreciate a performance like this.

Does this really need an explanation? All of these all-time Hip-Hop legends came together to perform a medley of classics and had the place going ballistic. While this performance is a relatively newer entry on this list, there's no doubt that decades from now we'll still be talking about it—which is exactly why it's already made our greatest performances ever.

Christina Aguilera doesn't get enough credit for this performance in our opinion because it's certainly not easy to pull off a tribute to James Brown. You've gotta have a certain amount of strength, grit, and power and your voice to accurately match James Brown, and Aguilera did a phenomenal job in her rendition of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World."

This era of Madonna will always be one of our favorites because she was being completely counted out by the media, and the ageism (she was 48 at the time) was insane. It was being said by certain individuals that Madonna was "over," only for her to comeback with this massive hit ("Hung Up") that was number one in just about every part of the world. That's how you hush the doubters, and this 2006 Grammys performance was an extension of that.

It's criminal how underrated TLC still continues to be to this day. T-Boz and Chilli have given some hints about a broadway show and other projects in the works, so hopefully those who haven't had a chance can get introduced to just how brilliant this group was and still is. There's no way you can watch this performance and not deem it to be one of the best Grammy performances that came from the 1990s decade. No way.

Be prepared to fall into a trance while watching this. Metallica is truly one of the greatest bands to ever do it, and they demonstrated that at the 1989 Grammy Awards with the stunning performance of "One." It starts out mellow and relaxing, and then transitions into full blown heavy metal greatness. Each second is more hype than the last, and it's clear Metallica forgot they were on planet Earth the five minutes they were on stage.

At the tail end of his Purple Rain era, Prince and The Revolution took to the stage for an ultra funky rendition of "Baby I'm A Star." What makes this performance even better is the fact that I'm willing to bet money 99% of the audience/viewers thought he was going to perform "Purple Rain." Nope! "Baby I'm A Star" it was, and it brought the house down.

You know your performance was good if Michael Jackson gave you a standing ovation. This performance was nothing short of perfection with the breaking/popping, the live instrumentation, and even the costumes. This right here ladies and gents is nothing short of true talent—the crowd was literally oohing and aahing.

Do you know how hard it is to sing Opera? Not everyone can do it (even those that are very good/great singer), and yet Ms. Aretha Franklin did it seemingly without even lifting a finger. She wasn't a trained opera singer either, and filled in because Luciano Pavarotti got sick leading up to the ceremony and couldn't do the performance. Read that back—this was a fill-in performance. Goodness.

Another performance that doesn't even begin to get the credit it deserves years on. Mariah's Emancipation of Mimi era was one of the finest comebacks we've seen. Certain sectors of the media and general public were counting her out as well, and she came back with not just one of the greatest albums of the 2000s, but one of the greatest albums in any era/decade. This performance was incredible.

That voice. If you watch this clip of Whitney Houston performing "One Moment in Time" at the 1989 Grammys, you will be tears at the end of it—guaranteed. That final note...there will never ever be another Whitney Houston.

Kanye and Jamie Foxx linked up to perform their 2005 smash “Golddigger” at the 2006 Grammys. Joined by a marching band, West and Foxx were literally everywhere during the performance and got the crowd super hype. This is just our personal favorite due to the energy and nostalgia, but Ye also has other great Grammy performances such as “Jesus Walks” at the 2005 Grammys, and his “Stronger/Hey Mama” medley at the 2008 ceremony.

You want to talk about shutting it down? Kendrick Lamar shut.it.down at the 2016 Grammy Awards with "The Blacker the Berry" and "Alright." The power, the statement, the imagery, the live instrumentation, the lyricism—Mr. Lamar delivered one of the greatest Grammy performances to come out of the 2010s.

The 2004 Grammys were memorable for both Prince and Beyoncé. Prince had been largely out of the public eye for about five years as he battled his record label Warner Bros. for his masters (the rights to his music), and Beyoncé was in the middle of the promotional campaign for her first solo album Dangerously In Love. For the performance, Prince enlisted the services of the then 22-year-old Bey to open the show with a medley of his greatest hits from the 1980s and 1990s including Purple Rain and Baby I’m A Star. The two brought the house down, and Beyoncé would go on to add to her historic night by winning five Grammys and performing her single Dangerously In Love.

In what remains one of the most emotional performances in the history of the Grammy Awards, Clapton performed his song “Tears In Heaven” as a tribute to his four-year-old son Conor, who had passed unexpectedly two years prior. Not a single dry eye was present in the audience upon the conclusion of the performance, and Clapton went on to win both “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the ceremony.

Who do we need to talk to in terms of getting a clear video of this on YouTube? Is it YouTube? Adele, is it you sis? This performance was way too good to only have 1990s quality videos available of it. Nonetheless, 2011-2012 was all about Adele, and the 2012 Grammys were just a part of the artist’s iconic era. Performing “Rolling In The Deep,” it was just Adele and her microphone. That’s all that was needed, and the entertainer entertained.

Boy, do we miss Amy Winehouse in the music industry. While it will always stink that we lost such a superstar so early, we’re fortunate that she left us with her incredible music and performances to remember. The 2008 Grammys were Winehouse at her best with sultry soulful renditions of her songs “You Know I’m No Good,” and “Rehab.” Winehouse would later win the prestigious “Record of the Year” award for her 2006 album Back to Black.

The legends had a thing for working with Bey during the course of her early solo career, and this combination was a perfect one. Beyoncé had long drawn comparisons to a modern-day Tina Turner in terms of her performance style, look, and costumes, with Bey citing Turner as one of the artists that had influenced her the most growing up (behind the scenes footage shows Beyoncé literally skipping to Turner during their rehearsals).

The two legends performed Turner’s 1970 hit “Proud Mary,” and the crowd was on their feet the entire time.

Usher is another artist that had the privilege of working with the GOATs during his earlier career, bringing James Brown on stage for a “Caught Up/Sex Machine” mashup. Of course, James Brown is known as regarded as of the greatest entertainers of all time, and Usher has secured his rightful spot in history, so the performance included tons of dancing and intricate footwork. Needless to say, a show was put on.

So we’ve reached the point in this article where we have to decide which Beyoncé Grammy performance makes the final cut. It came down to this one and her 2004 Grammy performance of “Dangerously In Love” which we mentioned earlier. It was a tough call (especially since Bey ended the 04 performance with a dove landing on her hand which is a very hard thing to do), but we went with the 2010 Grammys performance of “If I Were A Boy” as it was 2004 Beyoncé, but even better.

Always known for continuously working on her craft, Bey’s stage presence, sharp vocals, and choreography had evolved immensely in those six years, which could especially be seen in the middle of the performance when she busted out her version of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” It was a ballad, pop, and rock show all in one, and boy was it good.

Two things. First of all—how did the Grammys not feel compelled to get up out of their seats after a performance like that? What was their problem? Second of all—Whitney Houston was just unfair. You shouldn’t be that gorgeous and have a voice like that. It’s just simply not fair. That said, if you know music, then you are already aware of the impact of Houston’s I Will Always Love You remake from her 1992 movie The Bodyguard.

To say this song rocked the universe would be a massive understatement. With the success of the song and the movie, Houston was pretty much left with no choice but to perform the record everywhere, and the Grammys were on the promo trail. Again to the crowd—what were you thinking?

Janet Jackson is one of the undisputed musical GOATs, but in 1987, she was a youngin' determined to blaze her own trail and separate herself from the comparisons of her famous family. Jackson’s third studio album Control was setting the charts on fire, and the 21-year-old hit the stage with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to perform her hit record “What Have You Done For Me Lately.”

The performance was a simple one that consisted of just Janet, Jam, and Lewis, a few dancers, and loads of talent. Tight choreography—all live as well. Wowed by her incredible performance, the audience rewarded Jackson with an enthusiastic ovation.

Last but not least—Michael Jackson. The beauty about MJ is that as an adult solo artist, he only performed at each major award show once (some he didn't even give a performance to at all), and that one time is the best in that respective show's history. To set the scene a bit, this was the only time Jackson ever performed at the Grammys (again as an adult solo artist). He didn’t perform during the Thriller era (though he did show up to collect his record-setting eight Grammys), and he didn’t perform again after. Jackson opened up his set with his number one single “The Way You Make Me Feel,” switching to his other number one “Man In The Mirror” midway through.

Jackson was joined by a church choir at the end, and the conclusion brought everybody to their feet per usual. It's impossible to watch this performance and not get emotional—the literally definition of leaving it all out on the floor.