Same Love

“Same Love” substituted for the traditional wedding march at the 2014 Grammys, where Macklemore and Ryan Lewis sang their paean to marriage equality and Queen Latifah married 34 couples, gay and straight.

The news of the mass wedding only broke this weekend, as did word that Madonna would be joining the Best New Artist winners in “Same Love.”

Earlier, Lewis said it “will be, in our minds, the ultimate statement of equality, that all the couples are entitled to the same exact thing.” His sister was among those who got hitched at the show.

“This is a love song, not for some of us but for all of us,” declared Latifah, who made no announcement about her own sexuality. After Latifah read the vows to the couples, who lined the aisles, Madonna stepped out to sing “Open Your Heart.” She then finished “Same Love” with original vocalist Mary Lambert.

Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, whose daughter is a lesbian, pitched the idea of an on-stage wedding to Mac and Ryan, who were eager to participate. Erlich says the event reflected his own personal beliefs, “but I would not want to make a broad statement that it represents the views of the academy or the CBS television network.”

Grammy executives are prepared for some negative backlash: “I expect that people with all kinds of opinions might voice them,” says National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president Neil Portnow. “and that’s healthy.”