Every year the GRAMMY Hall of Fame adds to the impressive list of recordings honoring some of the essential songs and albums in the history of music. For 2017, their inductee list includes classic tracks from Nirvana, Deep Purple and more.
Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water will be inducted. Initially appearing on the 1972 release of Machine Head and being issued as a single the following year, the song became one of the greatest guitar anthems of the ’70s with one of the most iconic opening guitar riffs in history. It reached number four on the Billboard pop charts and has been certified gold in the U.S.
Also on the list is Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, the song that is often credited with the start of the Grunge Era of music in the early ’90s. The track is featured on the band’s iconic 1991 release Nevermind and the opening guitar lines and drums licks are instantly recognizable. The song has been certified platinum in the U.S., with a gold certification for digital sales as well.
For a song to be eligible, it must be at least 25 years old, and the new class of 25 inductees brings the GRAMMY Hall of Fame total to 1,038 recordings. See the full list below.
2017 GRAMMY Hall of Fame Inductees:
Arlo Guthrie – The City of New Orleans
The Beach Boys – I Get Around
Billie Holiday – Lady Sings the Blues
Blind Willie McTell – Statesboro Blues
Bonnie Raitt – I Can’t Make Your Love Me
Cab Calloway And His Orchestra – (Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin’ Jive
David Bowie – Changes
Deep Purple – Smoke of the Water
Dion – The Wanderer
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
The Everly Brothers – Wake Up Little Susie
Jackson 5 – ABC
Lalo Schifrin – Mission Impossible
Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra – When the Saints Go Marching In
Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee
Mills Brothers – You Always Hurt the One You Love
Mississippi John Hurt – Stack O’Lee Blues
N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion
Rod Stewart – Maggie May
Sly & The Family Stone – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe
source: loudwire.com
2 Responses
Lots of great stuff here, agree on just about every song I’ve heard of, which is most. Sonny and Cher, “I’ve Got You Babe” (you had to be there, and I was). “I Get Around” is one of the rockingest Beach Boy tunes. “Jailhouse” is Elvis at his best. As far as the two Dana highlighted for this site, yes, Nirvana kicked ass with that tune, and Purple became a monument.
Hi Mark,
Actually, it was the source, Loudwire, that highlighted those two songs, in particular. However, their site had Nirvana listed above Deep Purple. I switched that order, to make sure Purple got top billing, as they should.
I was rolling my eyes when posting this, because Smoke On The Water was eligible for induction in 1997. Whether you like the song, or feel that is it is has been played to death, it contains one of the most iconic guitar intros of all time. How many fledgling guitarists learn to play that song? It is a shame the GRAMMY committee took this long to recognize it.
D 🙂