Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesFour little lion men roared tonight at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
Though a number of their competitors racked up wins in threes, Mumford & Sons made the most triumphant trip to the podium when their sophomore studio effort, Babel, was named Album of the Year.
"We didn't get a look in last year, 'cause she was nominated," Marcus Mumford said, gesturing to Adele, who presented her fellow Brits with their Grammys, "and we figured we wouldn't win anything because The Black Keys were sweeping up all day, and rightfully so."
And how did the night turn out for the other artists who, like Mumford & Sons, were tops in nominations?
Belgian-Australian artist Gotye took all three prizes he was nominated for, including the prestigious Record of the Year Grammy for the quirky and catchy "Somebody That I Used to Know," featuring Kimbra. The two also shared a win for Best Pop/Duo Group Performance and Gotye's Making Mirrors was named Best Alternative Music Album.
New York-bred trio fun. had more than just some night, collecting Grammys for Best New Artist (always ironic when you formed five years ago) and Song of the Year for their ubiquitous live-it-up anthem "We Are Young."
"I don't know what I was thinking, writing the chorus for this song," deadpanned frontman Nate Ruess, accepting for Song of the Year earlier in the night. "If this is in HD, everybody can see our faces. And we are not very young."
"And to our families, we've been touring for 12 years and we haven't made money for a long time, and they've let us live at home for a very long time," added guitarist Jack Antonoff, who had a lot of opportunities for congratulatory hugs from girlfriend Lena Dunham down in the audience. (Though fun. only formed in 2008, its members have been struggling musicians since the early '00s.)
"We're so old!" marveled Ruess when they topped The Lumineers, Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes and Frank Ocean to win Best New Artist.
But no need to cry for Ocean. One of the most talked-about artists of the year, he made his Grammys performance debut and topped fellow upstart Miguel and recent sparring partner Chris Brown in the brand-new category of Best Urban Contemporary Album with his critical smash, Channel Orange.
Ocean also shared Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Kanye West, Jay-Z and The-Dream for "No Church in the Wild," one of three Grammys for Jay-Z—who was in attendance and turned in a suave rendition of "Suit & Tie" with Justin Timberlake—and West, who skipped the ceremony in favor of a Brazilian getaway with Kim Kardashian.
Though they were shut out of the top categories, The Black Keys were also three-time winners, the duo from Akron, Ohio, choosing to keep it short and humble while in acceptance mode for Rock Performance for "Lonely Boy." Before showtime, "Lonely Boy" was named Best Rock Song and their El Camino won for Best Rock Album.
And while surely it won't come up at their next jam session, Dan Auerbach actually edged Patrick Carney in the personal glory department, the singer-guitarist also being named Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, to lead all comers with four Grammy wins.
Chris Brown had to settle for the consolation prize that was Rihanna—whose slow burn of a performance of "Stay" with Mikky Ekko was itself a winner—cuddling up next to him. (Remember the time when lawyers had to be consulted to make that OK?)
Kelly Clarkson's Stronger bested fun. for Best Pop Vocal Album—a turn of events that seemed to surprise Clarkson more than anybody.
"I'm so sorry, I got stuck to Miranda Lambert!" she exclaimed after getting stuck on the country singer's sequins. "There's a story and a song, for later—after alcohol. I'm just kidding, children. I get nervous speaking in front of people!"
"Honestly, I just wanted to come and be part of the night—'cause I loved it last year, obviously. Thank you, I just want to send a massive big love to all the other girls and all us females doing this, 'cause we work so hard and make it look so easy. See you later, have a wonderful night!"
And that's how you do short and sweet, something the three-and-a-half-hour-long Grammy Awards isn't necessarily known for.
"Country music has always been so good to me, and I thank the good lord that I'm part of such a wonderful, talented, amazing family," said a glowing Carrie Underwood (who also thanked her "amazing, perfect husband," Mike Fisher), a winner for Best Country Solo Performance for "Blown Away."
"Blown Away" was also named Best Country Song, which went to writers Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, and Underwood gave a searing—if stationary—performance of the tune while some digital trickery allowed for the skirt of her ball gown to act as a canvas for a constantly morphing array of colorful graphic art.