Taylor Swift received four awards during Sunday's Grammys. Photo courtesy of cbc.ca.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Grammy Awards (I’m more of an Oscars sort of person), but this year, I found myself dancing along to almost every performance and excitedly predicting the winners before they were announced.

From Taylor Swift and Beyoncé  to Lil’ Wayne and Eminem, this year’s Grammys were full of goose-bump-inducing performances and “dream coming true” moments for some of the winners.  Click here to watch clips from the Grammys.

The show opened with Lady Gaga singing her number one hit, “Poker Face.”  Never one to blend with the crowd, Gaga donned a green leotard with angel wings (because she’s just too cool for pants), accessorized with a thick layer of pink glitter around her eyes.

She saved her foot-tall headpiece for after the performance, which looked something like a cluster of bright, flashing silver lightning bolts (too bad for the person sitting behind her).  She followed up with a duet with Elton John; they battled it out at the piano, Gaga singing “Speechless” while Elton sang “Your Song.”

Both sported monster-like make-up; I must be a little dense, because I didn’t really understand the artistry behind the outfits.

Next, the first award of the night was presented by Stephen Colbert, who announced that Beyoncé ’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” won song of the year.

Beyoncé  took the stage soon after, where she marched on with a team of SWAT dancers and rivetingly sang “If I Were A Boy” with her signature diva style. At one point, she even got down on her knees and swung her hair around.  Fortunately, Beyoncé  can pull off anything she wants.

Pink was ready to make her performance just as memorable.  She gracefully sauntered onto the stage in what looked like a shiny white sheet, which she quickly took off to reveal a nude suit and white strings wrapped around her body.

She was hoisted into the air and impressively sang “Glitter in the Air,” while spinning around upside down several feet above the ground.  She later claimed that she sings better upside down since she cannot see the audience.  Hey, whatever works for you, Pink.

The Black Eyed Peas followed up with “Imma Be” and segued into “I Gotta Feeling,” one of my favorite performances of the night.  They bounced around the entire stage and got the audience fist-pumping.

After a few more performances and a win for the Zac Brown Band for best new artist, Taylor Swift came onto the stage with her childhood hero, Stevie Nicks.  The duo sang “Today Was a Fairytale,” Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Rhiannon” and “You Belong With Me.”

While I’m generally a fan of both singers, the performance fell flat (literally); the two simply did not match up to the performances that prefaced them.

Lionel Richie introduced the tribute to Michael Jackson.  Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson and Usher all sang alongside a 3-D video of Jackson’s “Earth Song.”  The extremely talented singers delivered the most memorable and touching performance of the night – I even found myself with a tear in my eye by the end of the song.

Right after the performance, Jackson’s kids Prince and Paris gave a heartfelt and well-delivered speech about their father, after accepting the lifetime achievement award on his behalf.

Between the star-studded performances, Kings of Leon won the record of the year award for “Use Somebody” over Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and The Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling,” much to my surprise.

Beyoncé  went on to win another five Grammys, a new record for a female artist.  Taylor Swift came second, with four wins, while The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga took home three trophies each.

The show consisted of another 40 minutes of performances and awards before John Legend presented the long-awaited album of the year award.  The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and the Dave Matthews Band were all up for the biggest award of the night.

Taylor Swift upset her elders by taking home the coveted award; she squealed and jumped on stage and said “My dad and brother are going crazy in our living room right now!”  Well, Taylor, so were all your devoted fans.