The 1984 Grammy Awards remains one of the most iconic nights in televised music awards history, largely due to Michael Jackson’s unprecedented haul of awards. Although Jackson did not perform himself, his presence dominated the entire event, so it was not forgotten. This Grammy ceremony not only celebrated the achievements of artists of various genres but also reflected the complexity and dynamics of celebrity influence in the music industry. The night’s events unfolded amid high expectations and behind-the-scenes efforts to manage the absence of one of the world’s most popular artists.
Before the Grammy Awards, the anticipation surrounding Michael Jackson was palpable. After the success of “Thriller,” Jackson was at the height of his career, his every move scrutinized and celebrated. Still, he chose not to perform at the ceremony, a decision that was fraught with both professional and personal consequences. That choice set the stage for the Grammy Awards, which had to creatively compensate for the absence of its biggest star while still striving to deliver a spectacular night of music and recognition.
In the absence of Jackson’s performance, the producers had to think outside the box. Indeed, they did.
Michael Jackson on February 28, 1984, at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
The producers of the 1984 Grammys were aware that they had to schedule a performance by Michael Jackson, who was the hottest pop artist since The Beatles in 1964-1965 in 1983-1984. When the Grammy nominees were revealed in early January and Michael Jackson surpassed the previous record with 12 nods, the necessity became even more apparent.
The only problem was that Jackson wasn’t willing to participate. As described in his 2007 book At the Grammys! Ken Ehrlich, who produced the program for the fifth year (a whopping 40 years), “Michael didn’t even say yes to the show after the record nominations, and it could have been very awkward without him.”
In an effort to prevent this
Embarrassed, Jackson’s manager arranged “a very quiet, discreet meeting at his house to talk about what we wanted to do. We sat, Michael barely spoke, and when he did, I directed my words at the manager, and I knew we were against it was not satisfactory wherever we went, so I left very disgusted.
Ehrlich’s associates tried to persuade Jackson to comply. “No matter how much pressure there was, Michael didn’t do it,” Ehrlich wrote, citing “people at Epic Records, his label; his father wanted him to perform; his sister Janet, who I was working with at the time on the TV series] Fame, talked to him about performing.”
As Ehrlich wrote, “Michael Jackson’s label, Epic Records, wanted him to perform. Ehrlich had allies who tried to get him to do so. His father hoped he would perform. He discussed the performance with his sister Janet, with whom Then I employed in [TV series Fame], but Michael did not budge, regardless of the pressure applied.
… We entered the Grammy show Michael-less because even Quincy Jones, a close friend of Grammy’s, couldn’t convince him.”
I was at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles that year talking about the show for Billboard and I remember it as a lively and fun show; Jackson’s performance would have elevated the show even higher, but it went phenomenally well as it was. John Denver hosted the show that year, promising “a show so hot it’ll explode if we don’t get into it.”
More than 51.67 million people watched the ceremony, setting a Grammy Awards record that is unlikely to be broken.
What was stopping Jackson from performing on what was clearly supposed to be his big night?
First of all, why take the risks of a live TV performance when he probably knew he wouldn’t have to perform to win the night? (Taylor Swift may have done the same when she decided not to sing at this year’s event.)
Jackson may also have been troubled by a well-known incident that occurred on Jan. 27 while he was filming a Pepsi commercial at the shrine. During the staged concert, pyrotechnicians inadvertently set fire to Jackson’s hair, leaving his scalp with second-degree burns.
Ehrlich offered another explanation in his book:
“And then we found out that like with other artists in the past, he’s felt mistreated during the Grammy voting and this was his way of getting back.”
The Jackson 5 (and later The Jacksons) never won a Grammy; Jackson has never before been nominated in the “Big Four” category – album, record, and song of the year plus best new artist; even the hit Off the Wall was not nominated for album of the year; Jackson’s only Grammy win to that point was a win in 1980 for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. It was clear that Jackson was underestimated by the Grammy voters.
He therefore had good reason to believe that the Academy had not given him what it should have: “Don’t stop until you’ve had enough.”
Jackson also chose not to attend the American Music Awards, which took place on January 16 at the shrine that served as his home away from home that year. Barry Manilow sang The J5’s “I’ll Be There” in place of Jackson. Jackson also appeared on Motown 25:
In the March 25, 1983 special taped Yesterday, Today and Forever, Michael Jackson made his public debut during “Billie Jean”; the performance earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination.
As it is with Swift now, it was with Michael Jackson then, and he had no first-time romance to fuel the flames of the press. Jackson, who was 25 at the time—and, as it turned out, midlife—couldn’t have been hotter than he was in 1984. His every move made the news.
Although Jackson did not sing on Grammy night, he was often cut short as he sat in the front row with actress Brooke Shields, who was his date for the evening;
Thriller producer, the legendary Jones, and the 12-year-old star of the hit sitcom Webster, Emmanuel Lewis, whose presence was an unspoken reminder that Jackson was also a child star, scoring his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit at age 11 as frontman for The Jackson 5.
Wearing smart clothes, Jackson seemed to be trying to live up to his popular moniker, the King of Pop. (Decades later, Andy Greene wrote in Rolling Stone with less respect, calling him “the captain of the disco navy.”)
Denver made the statement, “Videos, Boy George and Michael…” at the beginning of the concert without having to finish it.
The star’s last name was shouted by fans in the audience.
Jackson took home a record eight Grammys in 1984 – one for covering the children’s record E.T. Alien and seven for his work on Thriller — one more than Paul Simon had in 1971, the year of the first-ever live Grammy ceremony.
Jackson took home five of the eight televised awards, including two that aren’t often given live: Best Children’s Recording, Non-Classical Producer of the Year, and Best Recording Ever.
He and Jones shared the award in those two categories, as well as two others Jackson won live that night: record of the year and album of the year. Both men, whose age difference is 25 years and look very similar to father and son, spent a lot of time together on stage.
Producers had to come up with something creative in the absence of Jackson’s performance, so they booked performances by all five nominees for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. This was a wise move, as it gave the show a theme that Jackson wasn’t involved in, which helped broaden the show’s focus. Additionally, the nominees that year were very strong and diverse.
Donna Summer opened the show with a spectacular performance of her famous song “She Works Hard for the Money”, which she sang dressed as a pink waitress (she wore the same outfit on the album cover and on the sleeve). It was a big production act that got the evening off to a good start.
The other four nominees in this category alternated performances of their songs during the show: Bonnie Tyler’s storming power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Linda Ronstadt’s 1928 Gershwin hit “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” which was a standout performance from her collection of Sheena Easton’s What’s New and Trendy hits
Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” was so amazing you could forgive her for pretty much copying the Summer hit playbook. “Telephone (Long Distance Love).”
With the exception of Ronstadt’s ballad, which appeared on an album that surprised the music industry by peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 during holiday sales, four of those songs were top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Cara, who co-wrote the song, was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song on April 9.
Unfortunately, we were informed that the first three winners did not appear on the telecast as they were on tour.
The video overtook the music business, as evidenced by the fact that Sting won Song of the Year for “Every Breath You Take” (the only Big Three award Jackson missed); The Police won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for Synchronicity; and Duran Duran won Best Video Album for Duran Duran. (The fact that the latter category was presented on air was a sign of the times.)
Fortunately, Jackson and Jones were present to accept the fourth award of the night – Producer of the Year, Non-Classical – from Toto, the previous year’s category winners.
In a touching moment, Jackson remembered R&B pioneer Jackie Wilson, who died five weeks ago aged 49. “Jackie Wilson was a great entertainer,” Jackson said. Sharing the spotlight of his five trips to the stage, Jackson called his sisters, then 17-year-old Janet; La Toya, 27; and Rebbie, 33, as well as CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff (“the best president of any record company,” Jackson said of the man who forced MTV to add the “Billie Jean” video). Even though he is no longer with us, Jackie, wherever you are, know that I respect and adore you.”
The Grammy Awards had been moved from two to three hours the year before to allow CBS more time to celebrate its 25th anniversary; the 1984 program was only the second program to run for three hours. Since then, the show has lasted three hours (or more).
This was the first time that the Academy had presented Lifetime Achievement Awards in twelve years, most likely due to severe time constraints on broadcast television; however, with more airtime, they were able to resume the tradition, and the 1984 show posthumously honored rock pioneer Chuck Berry, then 57, as well as jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker and Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini.
Following his 1955 classic “Maybelline,” which paved the way for Jackson and other black superstars of the modern era, Berry performed his signature duckwalk. George Thorogood and Stevie Ray Vaughan then played “Roll Over Beethoven” before the three joined forces for “Let It Rock.”
Imagine how awesome it would be to see both Moonwalk and Duckwalk at the same show.
The performance was a replica of the critically acclaimed video, which was directed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and featured Herbie Hancock’s instrumental hit “Rockit”. In his book, Ehrlich wrote that “we found the original robots [that were featured in the video], worked on the system to make it work live (it took four days to record the video), and the performance was very distant.” performance.” Later that year, “Rockit” was nominated for Video of the Year at the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards. The crowd loved it.
Wynton Marsalis, 22, showed off his versatility by playing jazz and classical pieces.
Marsalis ended up winning both Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, and Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists (with Orchestra). He was the first to feature songs nominated in two separate genres on the show.
The broadcast went to London twice, where Joan Rivers and Boy George of Culture Club offered light relief; in their first segment, they read the rules (another longtime tradition from the Oscars that seems to have disappeared).
After reviewing the regulations, Rivers gave a light-hearted justification, saying, “Every single one of the nominees should know why they lost to Michael Jackson.”
“I’m excited to be on a music show because I know very little about music,” Rivers said, referring to the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney song that topped the Hot 100 for six weeks in December 1983 and January 1984. some of Rivers’ comments were up to date. I believed that Mel Tillis was trying to perform the National Anthem to the tune of “Say Say Say”.
After Eurythmics, among others, Culture Club came in second and won Best New Artist; presenters included Rodney Dangerfield and Cyndi Lauper, the previous year’s winner; Boy George’s acceptance speech became an instant classic: “Thank you America, you have taste, style and you know a good drag queen when you see one.”
A common theme of the show was cross-dressing; for example, Annie Lennox dressed as Elvis Presley, down to her sideburns, when the Eurythmics performed “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” a song that reached number one on the Hot 100.
La Cage Aux Folles Broadway hit Walter Charles performed the show’s signature song “I Am What I Am” in full crossdress with actor Jamie Ross joining him. The stars of the show, Gene Barry and George Hearn, did not travel to Los Angeles, which they probably regretted after seeing the ratings. La Cage won the Tony for Best Musical on June 3.
Denver sang “Gone Fishin'” from Rocky Mountain Holiday, The Muppets’ album that was nominated for Best Children’s Recording (but lost to You-Know-Who), with Floyd the Muppet (Jerry Nelson).
The Oak Ridge Boys sang Hot Country Songs which was the highlight of “Love Song”, Big Country performed their pop/rock hit “In a Big Country”, Phil Driscoll sang the popular Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” and Albertina Walker led the Pentecost community. Chorus in “Spread the Word.”
The Grammy presentation paid tribute to the past while also looking to the future, as is customary. Timeless classics that year included “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra and “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams. Jones also revealed the five Grammy Hall of Fame inductees.
Despite an impassioned appeal from Mike Melvoin, then president of the Academy, he failed to convince people that CDs would overtake LPs in sales until 1987 and cassettes in sales until 1991. Holding up a vinyl LP and then a shiny silver object, Melvoin declared, “This is the new compact disc.” In addition, Melvoin unveiled a special award in honor of the late conductor and composer Béla Bartók.
The show had several technical problems. Blocks from the sanctuary, as Ehrlich describes in his book, Summer’s limousine broke down. Summer, who was supposed to open the show, got out of the limo and headed towards the venue.
“She ran into the house, and took off, about two minutes before the hard wall went up on the number,” Ehrlich recalled. “But it was a big score.
Ehrlich stated in his book, “To this day, I can’t tell you if Mickey was a little beat up or if that’s just the way he is.” Mickey Rooney, another former child star, took it to the point that director Walter C. Miller asked Ehrlich “to go out on stage and tear him down, anything we can do to end this embarrassing moment.”
The accountants handling the event harassed classical clarinetist Richard Stolzman, who was to present the awards: “He opened the envelope to find it was empty and vamped… until one of the accountants ran on stage to give him the correct envelope. ” recalled Ehrlich.
As the ratings rolled in, many forgot about the technical issues and Jackson’s choice to cancel his performance.
Will the Grammy Awards ever draw a crowd this big again? It’s unlikely. With 39.9 million viewers, the 2012 Grammy show was the only one to come close to the 51.67 million watched in 1984. There were two primary drawings that year.
– Whitney Houston, who died the previous afternoon, and fiery Adele, who took home six trophies. The public was curious to see how the Grammys would react to something they could never have predicted.
I watched the 1984 program again after 40 years and was amazed at how much had changed. The most remarkable thing is that the performance was still held in the auditorium at that time. In 1997, she debuted in the arena. In addition, the show tried to include music of many genres such as jazz, classical music, and gospel in its broadcast at the time.
Still, it increasingly sought to recognize award winners before the telecast as the number of categories grew. In 1984 there were 67 categories. This year there were 94.
In addition, the pace of the show was slower. The nominees in each category were exhibited in clip packs that were much longer than they are now.
Along with Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Walter Charles, Albertina Walker, and Cara, I was also struck by how many of the night’s headliners had passed away, including Denver, Jackson, Summer, and Cara. Although it seems like yesterday in some ways, forty years is still a long time.
So was Jackson justified in refusing to play on the most important night of his career? That can’t be answered, but Ehrlich wrote the following in his book, published two years before Jackson’s death: “Perhaps he was right to reject the 1984 show because the Academy had treated him similarly in the past, but on this day, I wonder if the show he saw on stage that night made him feel like he missed the boat because he wasn’t performing.” On the other hand, he continued to perform years later and gave one of his greatest television performances ever.
In fact, Jackson gave two performances during the 1988 Grammy Show held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City: “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Man in the Mirror.”
His performance that night will always be considered Exhibit A for anyone who wants to see evidence of his mastery and skill at the peak of his abilities.
Commemorating Michael Jackson’s record-breaking night of honors despite his notable absence from the performance lineup, the 1984 Grammy Awards remains a seminal moment in televised music awards history. It wasn’t just the awards or the glitz that made the night memorable, but the myriad of reactions it sparked – from technological innovation to social reactions that reflected the evolving music landscape.
Driven by a combination of personal, medical, and possibly psychological reasons, Jackson’s decision not to perform highlights the complex relationship between artists and the institutions that celebrate them. This choice did not diminish the impact of his success that night, which actually set a record for the number of Grammy wins that still speaks to his influence and legacy in the music industry.
Additionally, the event itself showcased a diverse array of acts that spanned genres and showcased a dynamic range of artists, from veterans like Donna Summer to newcomers like Eurythmics. This diversity not only catered to a wide audience but also reflected the changing tides of music consumption and production at the time, underscored by the embrace of music videos and the burgeoning compact disc format.
The 1984 Grammys, reflecting on that night, not only celebrated music but also navigated the complexities of a changing industry. It demonstrated the power of music as a unifying force, capable of bridging old and new, traditional and innovative. Jackson’s absence from the stage didn’t detract from his achievements but perhaps emphasized the sheer weight of his influence — where his presence was felt and celebrated, even in silence.
As the years have passed, the 1984 Grammys serve as a reminder of how music, technology, and cultural expression are permanently intertwined. They remind us that moments of recognition, whether through awards or accolades, are as much about the performances on stage as the stories that unfold behind the scenes. Even as we watch and appreciate the spectacle of music awards today, the legacy of that night remains a great watermark of how artists like Michael Jackson shaped not only music but the events that celebrate it.