The 56th annual Grammys were held this past Sunday, January 26  and began with a bang. The show opened with a stunning performance of “Drunk In Love” by Hollywood’s power couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. This performance was then followed by a stripped-down version of New Zealand teen Lorde’s “Royals”, for which she won “Song of the Year,” and “Best Pop Solo Performance” honors, beating out music heavyweights like Pink, Katy Perry, and Bruno Mars.

Taylor Swift contributed to the night’s memorable moments when she delivered a head-swinging rendition of “All Too Well”. The glamorous night was filled with eclectic musical mash-up performances, including Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar’s “M.A.A.D. City/Radioactive”, and Sarah Bareilles and Carole King’s “Brave/Beautiful”.

Later that night, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis shocked everybody when they swept all the rap categories with their album “The Heist”, beating fellow artist Kendrick Lamar and many more established rappers such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake. This dynamic duo definitely came out of the Grammy’s with a booming sense of accomplishment in the music industry.

Perhaps the single most controversial moment of the night was when 33 gay and straight couples were married by Queen Latifah as Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Madonna performed “Same Love”. Regardless of controversy, though, this portion of the awards show sent out the significant message that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis try to portray in their song.

In terms of the most exciting performances of the night, one that got fans of all ages

roaring must have been been Sir Paul McCartney performing one of his new songs with his former band member, the one and only, Ringo Starr. This performance, a tribute to the 50 year anniversary of when The Beatles first played on The Ed Sullivan Show, spiked a huge rush of nostalgia. With Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon rocking out to the music in the audience, it was like one big reunion. Hopefully this performance will lead to more reunions of McCartney and Starr as this 50-year mark approaches.

By the end of the night, techno artists Daft Punk took home the awards “Album of the Year” and “Record of the Year,” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won “Best New Artist,” and the record “Unorthodox Jukebox” earned Bruno Mars the “Pop Vocal Album of the Year” award.

Overall, it’s evident that the 2014 Grammys Awards Show was one that will be remembered for quite some time. Having been filled with an array of stellar performances and a number of talented winners, this show spoke to a wider audience than others before. It looks like this 56th annual awards show will be deeply remembered for quite some time!