Ultimate Classic Rock reports that in order to prove they weren't out of touch, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences introduced the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989. Jane's Addiction, AC/DC, and Iggy Pop were among the contenders, but Metallica was the favorite to win. The previous year's "...And Justice for All," spearheaded by the hit single "One," had been yet another leap forward not just for the band, but for heavy music as a whole. But none of those bands won. Proving once and for all that the Academy was indeed out of touch, the award went to the fifth nominated artist: Jethro Tull.
"Everybody in that room was certain that Metallica would get the Grammy," Alice Cooper, who presented the award alongside Lita Ford, later commented, according to Classic Rock (excerpted in Loudersound). "There was a two-minute pause, then everybody broke out laughing. They thought I was doing a joke." According to the article, Jethro Tull wasn't even present; they were considered such long shots that their record label, Chrysalis, didn't think they should bother to attend the event.
Meanwhile, Metallica's label, Elektra Records, was left holding the bag after the mystifying ceremony. "The record company had already made 10,000 one-sheets to put in record stores that said 'Grammy Award Winner,'" drummer Lars Ulrich later said to Rolling Stone. "So we said, why don't we just put a sticker on them that says, 'Grammy Award Loser'?"
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