On a night that featured spectacles like Madonna dancing with human bulls, pop princess Ariana Grande showing off a softer side, Kanye West singing and conjuring dark magic, and Pharrell and Hans Zimmer teaming up for a ghoulish rendition of “Happy,” the only Grammy performance that we’ll remember (and perhaps cherish) for the next year was Annie Lennox’s rock cover of “I Put a Spell on You.“
Watch: the best part of Annie Lennox’s breathtaking Grammy performance
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.
Lennox came on stage during the last third of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church.” Their duet was good, but the mixing seemed a bit off — the vocals were overshadowed by the instruments in a song that’s very much about the purity and clarity of Hozier’s voice. Then it began to right itself when the song transitioned to Lennox’s “Spell.”
Written by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “Spell” is one of those songs that takes guts to perform, because it’ll always be compared to Nina Simone’s definitive cover. And Lennox’s performance was stellar — she hit notes that made it feel like your heart was unraveling. She commanded and bent the song to her will.
