The 2011 Grammy Nominees: A Breakdown

Last night, Eminem emerged as the clear favorite for the 2011 Grammy Awards, garnering a total of ten nominations. Bruno Mars follows with seven nods, and Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Lady Antebellum each received six. Other notable nominees include Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend, with five each. Alex Da Kid, the Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Roots, Dirk Sobotka, and Zac Brown all received four nominations.

The nominees for the most prestigious songs include a wide diversity of artists. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster, Eminem’s Recovery, Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now, and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream are competing for Album of the Year. Tracks from B.o.B/Bruno Mars, Eminem/Rihanna, Cee Lo Green, Jay-Z/Alicia Keys, and Lady Antebellum are all up for Record of the Year. Cee Lo’s “F**k You,” Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” and the Eminem and Rihanna collaboration “Love The Way You Lie” are also nominated for Song of the Year, as are Ray LaMontagne’s “Beg Steal or Borrow” and Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” “F**k You” is additionally nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best Short Form Music Video.

The year’s chart-topping, NPR-approved indie phenomenons, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Vampire Weekend’s Contra, face off in Best Alternative Music Album. English folk rockers Mumford & Sons are up for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song. Long-running synthpop royalty Goldfrapp and Robyn compete against La Roux, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna for Best Dance Recording.

Glee fever invades the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group category with a nomination for the cast’s rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” (Though submitted for consideration, Matthew “Mr. Schuester” Morrison’s cover of “Gold Digger” failed to make the cut for Best Rap Solo Performance.) This issue’s cover stars Kings of Leon were nominated for both Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for their track “Radioactive.”

The 53rd annual Grammy Awards will also mark the inauguration of the Best Americana Album category. Roseanne Cash is nominated for the eleventh time in her career for acclaimed covers album The List. Also nominated are Los Lobos with Tin Can Trust, Willie Nelson’s Country Music, Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, and Mavis Staples’ You Are Not Alone.

The complete nominations for the 53rd annual Grammys:

Album of the Year
» Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
» Eminem – Recovery
» Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
» Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
» Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

Record of the Year
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) – “Nothin’ on You”
» Eminem (featuring Rihanna) – “Love the Way You Lie”
» Cee Lo Green – “F— You”
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
» Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”

Best New Artist
» Justin Bieber
» Drake
» Florence & the Machine
» Mumford & Sons
» Esperanza Spalding

Song of the Year
» Ray LaMontagne – “Beg Steal or Borrow”
» Cee Lo Green – “F— You”
» Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
» Eminem (featuring Rihanna) – “Love the Way You Lie”
» Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
» “Glee” cast – “Don’t Stop Believin’ (Regionals Version)”
» Maroon 5 – “Misery
» Paramore – “The Only Exception”
» Sade – “Babyfather”
» Train – “Hey, Soul Sister (Live)”

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
» B.o.B, Eminem and Hayley Williams – “Airplanes II”
» Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck and Oumou Sangare – “Imagine”
» Elton John & Leon Russell – “If It Wasn’t For Bad”
» Lady Gaga and Beyoncé – “Telephone”
» Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg – “California Gurls”

Best Dance Recording
» Goldfrapp – “Rocket”
» La Roux – “In For The Kill”
» Lady Gaga – “Dance in the Dark”
» Rihanna – “Only Girl (In the World)”
» Robyn – “Dancing on My Own”

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
» Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start”
» Jeff Beck and Joss Stone – “I Put a Spell on You”
» The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”
» Kings of Leon – “Radioactive”
» Muse – “Resistance”

Best Hard Rock Performance
» Alice in Chains – “A Looking in View”
» Ozzy Osbourne – “Let Me Hear You Scream”
» Soundgarden – “Black Rain”
» Stone Temple Pilots – “Between the Lines”
» Them Crooked Vultures – “New Fang”

Best Rock Song
» Neil Young – “Angry World”
» Mumford & Sons – “Little Lion Man”
» Kings of Leon – “Radioactive”
» Muse – “Resistance”
» The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

Best Alternative Music Album
» Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
» Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
» The Black Keys – Brothers
» Broken Bells – Broken Bells
» Vampire Weekend – Contra

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
» Chris Brown and Tank – “Take My Time”
» Chuck Brown, Jill Scott and Marcus Miller – “Love”
» Ronald Isley and Aretha Franklin – “You’ve Got a Friend”
» John Legend and the Roots – “Shine”
» Sade – “Soldier of Love”

Best Contemporary R&B Album
» Chris Brown – Graffiti
» R. Kelly – Untitled
» Ryan Leslie – Transition
» Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndroid
» Usher – Raymond v. Raymond

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) – “Nothin’ on You”
» Chris Brown, Tyga and Kevin McCall – “Deuces”
» Eminem and Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
» John Legend, the Roots, Melanie Fiona and Common – “Wake Up! Everybody”

Best Rap Song
» Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
» Eminem and Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”
» Eminem – “Not Afraid”
» B.o.B (featuring Bruno Mars) – “Nothin’ on You”
» Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz – “On to the Next One”

Best Rap Album
» B.o.B – The Adventures of Bobby Ray
» Drake – Thank Me Later
» Eminem – Recovery
» Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
» The Roots – How I Got Over

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
» Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson – “Bad Angel”
» Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury and the Punch Brothers – “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
» Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson – “As She’s Walking Away”
» Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins – “Hillbilly Bone”
» Marty Stuart and Connie Smith – “I Run to You”

Best Country Song
» George Strait – “The Breath You Take”
» Zac Brown Band – “Free”
» Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
» Gretchen Wilson – “I’d Love To Be Your Last”
» The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
» Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”

Best Country Album
» Dierks Bentley – Up on the Ridge
» Zac Brown Band – You Get What You Give
» Jamey Johnson – The Guitar Song
» Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
» Miranda Lambert – Revolution

Best Americana Album
» Rosanne Cash – The List
» Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust
» Willie Nelson – Country Music
» Robert Plant – Band of Joy
» Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone

Best Traditional Blues Album
» James Cotton – Giant
» Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues
» Charlie Musselwhite – The Well
» Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith – Joined at the Hip
» Jimmie Vaughan – Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites