Perhaps one of the biggest shockers at the 2023 Grammy Awards was Bonnie Raitt's Song of the Year "Just Like That" win.
Many people have expressed shock over Bonnie Raitt's Song of the Year win because of how far the results were from the predictions that many music publications have projected in the past few months.
Based on The Recording Academy guidelines, the Grammy Award for Song of the Year is given to any song entered for consideration that represents the best achievement in songwriting.
When the 2023 Grammy nominees were announced, many were surprised for Raitt's "Just Like That" to be nominated, considering her song did not amass significant commercial success on the charts.
"Just Like That" went against GAYLE's "ABCDEFU," Harry Styles' "Harry's House," Beyonce's "Break My Soul," Lizzo's "About Damn Time," Adele's "Easy On Me," Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (10-Minute Version) (Taylor's Version)," DJ Khaled's "GOD DID," Steve Lacy's "Bad Habits," and Kendrick Lamar's "The Heart Pt 5."
First Lady Jill Biden took the stage to announce Bonnie Raitt's Song of the Year win for "Just Like That," which for a second enveloped the Crypto.com arena with a brief awkward pause, processing the surprising announcement.
When the camera panned on Raitt, she was visibly shocked too, but she made her way to the stage to give a very meaningful speech.
"Oh, I'm so surprised. I don't know what to say. This is just an unreal moment. Thank you for honoring me, to all the academy that surrounds me with so much support and appreciates the art of songwriting as I do," Raitt said in her speech. "I was so inspired for this song by the incredible story of the love and the grace and the generosity of someone that donates their beloved's organs to help another person live, and the story was so simple and so beautiful for these times."
People have also expressed their shock on social media, noting that no one, even Raitt herself, did not expect she would win the award too.
"the song of the year is a song i've never heard," a user shared.
"153k views?? For song of the year??? I have tweets with more views than that," another asked.
However, some have defended Raitt on her behalf.
"If you don't know who Bonnie Raitt is, keep those outraged tweets to yourself. Go do your homework then come back once you've learned," another posted.
"Live your life in such a way that if you're the completely unexpected winner in a very tough awards category, everyone who was pulling for another nominee still sings your praises because they love you. Take a bow, Bonnie Raitt," someone pointed out.
Aside from Song of the Year, Bonnie Raitt also won Best American Roots Song for "Just Like That," and Best Americana Performance for "Made Up Mind."
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