Every time someone presented one of the show’s major prizes — album of the year, record of the year, song of the year, best new artist — he or she rattled off the line before revealing the winner. It was a small but telling detail that demonstrated how the academy wants to be perceived after years of being portrayed as a shadowy record-industry cabal.

It’s one thing for Beyoncé to win the night’s most prestigious award. It’s another to win for 'Cowboy Carter.'

Well, the Recording Academy finally decided to recognize the artist Beyoncé for the grandest prize of them all. After four whiffs on Album of the Year, the Grammys awarded Beyoncé with the biggest award of the night for her country crossover hit Cowboy Carter.