29 shocking Grammy moments, from Helen Reddy's line to Harry Styles' 2023 win

With the 68th Grammy Awards scheduled for Sunday, February 1, Business Insider revisits 29 of the show’s most surprising and controversial moments — from shocking wins to crashed speeches and impromptu performances. Early moments include Helen Reddy’s 1973 acceptance line thanking “God because She makes everything possible,” a statement the Recording Academy recorded and NPR called “an audacious move,” and a 1978 tie for song of the year between Barbra Streisand and Debby Boone, when songwriter Joe Brooks accepted Boone’s prize.

The Grammys have also produced theatrical stunts and surprises: Annie Lennox performed in drag in 1984, Jethro Tull upset Metallica for the newly created hard-rock/heavy-metal prize, Frank Sinatra’s 1994 speech was cut off mid‑address prompting Billy Joel to pause his set, and 1998 saw both Michael Portnoy’s “Soy Bomb” crash of Bob Dylan’s number and Aretha Franklin stepping in at the last minute to sing “Nessun Dorma.” Show moments in the 2000s and 2010s ranged from fashion and unexpected pairings to emotional returns: Jennifer Lopez’s 2000 Versace dress spurred unprecedented online searches (often credited with inspiring Google Images), Elton John embraced Eminem in a controversial 2001 duet, 50 Cent briefly walked onstage during Evanescence’s 2004 acceptance, Melissa Etheridge performed bald after chemotherapy in 2005, and after Whitney Houston’s death Jennifer Hudson gave a last‑minute tribute at the 2012 ceremony.

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