I admit it. I just don't get The Grammys.

Can anyone tell me the difference between "Record of the Year" and "Album of the Year" please? I thought that maybe "record" implied a particular song, but then there's "Song of the Year" so that just ain't it.

I think a Britney Spears nomination is mandatory in the Bylaws. It's just the only way.

Here's the list of nominees and the categories:

Album of the Year
Ray Charles & Various Artists - Genius Loves Company
Green Day - American Idiot
Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
Usher - Confessions
Kanye West - The College Dropout

Record of the Year
The Black Eyed - "Let's Get It Started"
Ray Charles & Norah Jones - "Here We Go Again"
Green Day - "American Idiot"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"

Song of the Year
John Mayer - "Daughters"
John Mayer, songwriter
Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You"
Alicia Keys - songwriter
Kanye West - "Jesus Walks"
C. Smith & Kanye West, songwriters
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim Nichols & Craig Wiseman, songwriters
Hoobastank - "The Reason"
Daniel Estrin & Douglas Robb, songwriters

Best New Artist
Los Lonely Boys
Maroon 5
Joss Stone
Kanye West
Gretchen Wilson

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Björk - "Oceania"
Sheryl Crow - "The First Cut Is The Deepest"
Norah Jones - "Sunrise"
Gwen Stefani - "What You Waiting For?"
Joss Stone - "You Had Me"

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Elvis Costello - "Let's Misbehave"
Josh Groban - "You Raise Me Up"
John Mayer - "Daughters"
Prince - "Cinnamon Girl"
Seal - "Love's Divine"

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Evanescence - "My Immortal"
Hoobastank - "The Reason"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Maroon 5 - "She Will Be Loved"
No Doubt - "It's My Life"

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer - "Redemption Song"
Ray Charles & Elton John - "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"
Ray Charles & Norah Jones - "Here We Go Again"
Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - "Something"
Stevie Wonder & Take 6 - "Moon River"

Best Pop Vocal Album
Ray Charles & Various Artists - Genius Loves Company
Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul
Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Presents Smile

Best Dance Recording
Basement Jaxx Featuring Lisa Kekaula - "Good Luck"
The Chemical Brothers - "Get Yourself High"
Kylie Minogue - "Slow"
Scissor Sisters - "Comfortably Numb"
Britney Spears - "Toxic"

Best Dance Album
Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
The Crystal Method - Legion Of Boom
Paul Oakenfold - Creamfields
The Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
Paul Van Dyk - Reflections

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Ryan Adams - "Wonderwall"
Steve Earle - "The Revolution Starts Now"
Melissa Ethridge - "Breathe"
Bruce Springsteen - "Code Of Silence"
Tom Waits - "Metropolitan Glide"

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Elvis Costello & The Imposters - "Monkey To Man"
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Green Day - "American Idiot"
The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"
U2 - "Vertigo"

Best Hard Rock Performance
Incubus - "Megalomaniac"
Metallica - "Some Kind Of Monster"
Nickelback - "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good"
Slipknot - "Duality"
Velvet Revolver - "Slither"

Best Metal Performance
Cradle Of Filth - "Nymphetamine"
Hatebreed - "Live For This"
Killswitch Engage - "The End Of Heartache"
Motörhead - "Whiplash"
Slipknot - "Vermilion"

Best Rock Song
Green Day - "American Idiot"
Velvet Revolver - "Fall To Pieces"
Modest Mouse - "Float On"
The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"
U2 - "Vertigo"

Best Rock Album
Elvis Costello & The Imposters - The Delivery Man
Green Day - American Idiot
Hoobastank - The Reason
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Velvet Revolver - Contraband

Best Alternative Music Album
Björk - Medulla
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Janet Jackson - "I Want You"
Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You"
Teena Marie - "I'm Still In Love"
Jill Scott - "Whatever"
Angie Stone - "U-Haul"

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Anthony Hamilton - "Charlene"
R. Kelly - "Happy People"
Brian Mcknight - "What We Do Here"
Prince - "Call My Name"
Usher - "Burn"

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Destiny'S Child - "Lose Your Breath"
Earth, Wind & Fire Featuring Raphael Saadiq - "Show Me The Way"
Floetry - "Say Yes"
Alicia Keys Featuring Tony! Toni! Toné! - "Diary"
Usher & Alicia Keys - "My Boo"

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Mos Def - "Sex, Love & Money"
Musiq - "Are You Experienced?"
N.E.R.D. - "She Wants To Move"
The Roots - "Star"
Jill Scott - "Cross My Mind"

Best R&B Song
Usher - "Burn"
Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri & Usher Raymond, songwriters
Prince - "Call My Name"
Prince, songwriter
Usher & Alicia Keys - "My Boo"
Jermaine Dupri, Alicia Keys, Usher Raymond, Manuel Seal & Adonis Shropshire, songwriters
Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"
Chris Bridges, Sean Garrett, LaMarquis Jefferson, Robert McDowell, James Phillips, Jonathan Smith & Patrick J. Que Smith, songwriters
Alicia Keys - "You Don't Know My Name"
Alicia Keys, Harold Lilly & Kanye West, songwriters

Best R&B Album
Anita Baker - My Everything
Al Green - I Can't Stop
Alicia Keys - The Diary Of Alicia Keys
Prince - Musicology
Jill Scott - Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds Vol. 2

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Brandy - Afrodisiac
Janet Jackson - Damita Jo
Christina Milian - It's About Time
Usher - Confessions
Mario Winans - Hurt No More

Best Rap Solo Performance
Lloyd Banks - "On Fire"
Eminem - "Just Lose It"
Jay-Z - "99 Problems"
Twista - "Overnight Celebrity"
Kanye West - "Through The Wire"

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Beastie Boys - "Ch-Check It Out"
The Black Eyed - "Let's Get It Started"
The Roots - "Don't Say Nuthin'"
Snoop Dogg & Pharrell - "Drop It Like It's Hot"
Terror Squad - "Lean Back"

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Jadakiss Featuring Anthony Hamilton - "Why"
Christina Milian Featuring Fabolous - "Dip It Low"
Twista Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx - "Slow Jamz"
Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"
Kanye West & Syleena Johnson - "All Falls Down"

Best Rap Song
Snoop Dogg & Pharrell - "Drop It Like It's Hot"
The Black Eyed Peas - "Hey Mama"
Kanye West - "Jesus Walks"
The Black Eyed Peas - "Let's Get It Started"
Jay-Z


Best Rap Album
Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
Jay-Z - The Black Album
LL Cool J - The Definition
Nelly - Suit
Kanye West - The College Dropout

Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Counting Crows - "Accidentally In Love" (from "Shrek 2")
David Bryson, Adam Duritz, David Immergluck, Matthew Malley & Dan Vickrey, songwriters
Benoit Charest & Sylvain Chomet - "Belleville Rendez-Vous" (from "The Triplets Of Belleville")
Benoit Charest & Sylvain Chomet, songwriters
Annie Lennox - "Into The West" (from "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King")
Annie Lennox, Howard Shore & Fran Walsh, songwriters
Alison Krauss - "The Scarlet Tide" (from "Cold Mountain")
Henry Burnett & Elvis Costello, songwriters
Alison Krauss - "You Will Be My Ain True Love" (from "Cold Mountain")
Alison Krauss, songwriter

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
Cold Mountain (Various Artists)
De-Lovely (Various Artists)
Garden State (Various Artists)
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Various Artists)
Shrek 2 (Various Artists)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
T Bone Burnett
Cold Mountain - Soundtrack (Various Artists)

Rob Cavallo
American Idiot (Green Day)

Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis
Damita Jo (Janet Jackson), "Eyes Of The Heart (Radio's Song)" (India Arie), "R&B Junkie" (Janet Jackson), "Simple Things" (Usher), "Spending Time With You" (Janet Jackson), "That's What It's Made For" (Usher), "Truth Hurts" (Usher)

Tommy LiPuma
"Accentuate The Positive" (Al Jarreau), "The Girl In The Other Room" (Diana Krall)

John Shanks
"Autobiography" (Ashlee Simpson), "Breakaway" (Kelly Clarkson), "The First Cut Is The Deepest" (Sheryl Crow), "Fly" (Hilary Duff), "Shine Your Light" (Robbie Robertson), "So-Called Chaos" (Alanis Morissette),

Best Short Form Music Video
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Green Day - "American Idiot"
George Michael - "Flawless"
Steriogram - "Walkie Talkie Man"
U2 - "Vertigo"

Song of the year goes to the composer. Both record and song awards are for a "single".

how is ashLee simpson NOT nominated for at Least 8 of those awards!!!? this is a travesty

tape, officially.

A few people have been hoarding it, but everything is digital now...

Brave Combo, the pride of Denton, Texas, is up for "Let's Kiss: 25th Anniversary Album." They've been nominated several times & actually won a few years ago.

www.grammy.org/awards/grammy/47noms.aspx#00

Steve Earle's "The Revolution Starts...Now" is listed in Contemporary Folk. Many of the most interesting categories are barely mentioned during the televised Grammy show.

Sorry for anything left out. I think it was MTV or VH1. I googled for a list, and that's what came up.

A truly excellent Texas band that plays polkas--& every other type of music!

The Grammy show usually makes me feel like some old coot, mumbling about "kids these days & the noise they listen to!" Awards for the "odd" categories are usually presented before the show & we don't get to hear any "odd" music. Which makes for a duller show.

Starland Vocal Band - Best New Artist 1973