What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Do you remember where you were at six p.m. on February 26, 1985?  I do.  I was seated in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles because I was attending the twenty-seventh annual Grammy Awards.  Back then I was fortunate enough to have friends in cool places (thank you, Karen and Danny) and I got a ringside seat on all the musical action.  And now so do you. Here’s how it went down.

My then husband and I were already in California, vacationing en famille in Palm Springs. This was by design because when the Grammy weekend beckoned, we could leave Nicky, aged five, and Natasha, six, in the more-capable-than-my hands of my housekeeper, Mary, and just drive up to Los Angeles- our tuxedos at the ready.

Side Bar:  My darling Mary.  She came to me when I was six months pregnant with Natasha and was a cherished mainstay and guiding force in all our lives until the day she died.  From the mountains of Poland, loving, funny, meticulous, and bossy, she ran us with an iron hand.  (She once said to Bill “Take off your pants.  I’m doing laundry and I want to wash them.” And he did.)  She mowed our lawn in Barrington Hills with a rider mower, repainted a bathroom, (who asked her to?) rearranged my flower arrangements, and loved Natasha- her “little sweedenki” extravagantly and without restraint.  Mary showed her off to strangers so shamelessly- buttonholing them and asking if they had ever seen a more beautiful baby- that I was embarrassed to walk down the street with her.  I love her and miss her every day.

Back to Grammy Weekend.  We drove up to the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bill went to try to check in.  This was our favorite L.A. hostel at the time and it’s still my favorite coffee shop, room service, and the McCarthy Bowl in the Loggia is my all-time Hall of Fame salad.  And although we had backup reservations at the Century Plaza, Bill was hoping against hope that something would open up so we could stay there for the weekend.  He left me sitting in the car while he went to see if there were any last-minute cancellations.  He was back within five minutes.

“Good news, bad news, Bee. (My pet name. When he called me “Ellen,” I was in the woodshed.)  The good news is that the desk clerk said he could find a room for me.  The bad news is that he’s gay and you have to stay somewhere else.”

We checked in at the Century Plaza ten minutes later.

On Grammy night, we arrived at the theater at our appointed time.  Bill looked great in his tux- and so did I in mine. I wore an evening “le smoking” by Krizia- black velvet bustier with stones and little mirrors on the front, black velvet skinny pants, silver-sequined tux jacket.  I was the most glammed-up woman there.  This was before the days of Red Carpet Madness and the rock star wives- like supermodel Patti Hansen- were uniformly dressed in understated little black dresses.  But the men?  That was a different fashion story.  They were decked out in full-on outrageous rock god regalia.  Keith Richards’ tuxedo was made of python- with boots to match.

We were shown to our seats and told not to leave them.  The television camera would periodically pan the auditorium and the producers never wanted to show an empty space.  (The major recording stars had all been pre-assigned seat-fillers to cover for them if they had to answer an urgent call of nature. No, not a bathroom break.  A cigarette fix.)

It was a spectacular show.  1984 had been a banner year for music and the artists honored and performing that night made an unbelievable and unforgettable lineup of talent.  Just look at who was nominated for Album Of The Year: Lionel Richie’s “Can’t Slow Down,” Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” Prince and the Revolution’s “Purple Rain,” and Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual.”

(Quick- without Googling.  Who won?)

John Denver was the evening’s host.  Act One of the show opened with Huey Lewis and the News doing “The Heart of Rock and Roll.”  I can’t remember now who followed but since Phil Collins, The Cars, The Pointer Sisters, James Ingram and Michael McDonald were all nominated, I can tell you is that it was awesome.  Obviously.

And, to kick off Act Two in high style, the curtain slowly raised to reveal Prince in all his purple glory and his Revolution with Morris Day and Apollonia.  The performances were all sensational.  Chaka Khan did her own award-winning groove on “I Feel For You.” Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones and Thomas Dolby were cool in a futuristic jazz set. Debbie Allen danced “I Like to be in America” from West Side Story.  And Leonard Bernstein kissed Tina Turner with  heterosexual abandon when she won her Grammies for Song of the Year and Best Pop and Rock Vocal Performances- Female that night.

So that’s where I was on Grammy Night 1985.  Tonight promises to be a little different.  I’ll be watching it on tv- not a tuxedo or a husband in sight.  But the music will be great. Adele is scheduled.  So are Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake.  Word is Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Sting will be performing on stage together.  And thank heavens for SNL.  Without them I never would have heard – or heard of- The Black Keys, Frank Ocean, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons and Fun.  I plan on rocking out and thoroughly enjoying the show.

No seat filler required.