1. “21 GUNS,” Green Day If a lighters-raised sing along could spur a revolution, “21 Guns” would be the song to do it. (Rock Song, Rock Performance by a Duo or Group)
2. “ALL I ASK FOR ANYMORE,” Trace Adkins His strong baritone reins in a sweeping, orchestral ballad about family and keeps it all on the right side of tear-jerking. (Country Song, Male Country Vocal)
3. “ALL IS LOVE,” Karen O and the Kids Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ members sound like the coolest baby sitters ever with a jangly tune that conjures the image of Max’s “Wild Things” rumpus. (Song Written for Motion Picture or TV)
4. “BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE,” Willie Nelson & Norah Jones Sweet, smooth, romantic, and breathlessly sincere, Willie and Norah sing it like love’s their own invention. (Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals)
5. “BEYOND HERE LIES NOTHIN’,” Bob Dylan Swampy, organ-ground, accordian-tinged blues-tastic tune about lasting love on a backdrop of boulevards of broken cars. (Solo Rock Vocal)
6. “BLAME IT” Jamie Foxx & T-Pain We’ve been blaming it on the alcohol for years. We just didn’t know it could be done so melodically. (Best R&B Song )
7. “CASA BEY,” Mos Def Nimble-tongued Mos Def gives his rapping the quality of a jazzy ’50s Beat poet. (Rap Solo Performance)
8. “CHECK MY BRAIN,” Alice in Chains After a 14-year hiatus, the only thing missing from Jerry Cantrell and Co.’s hard-charging anthem is the late Layne Staley’s howl. (Hard Rock Performance)
9. “CHOCOLATE HIGH,” India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild Smooth and simple, this soulful duet melts hearts with charming vocals and a drug-free message. (R&B Performance by a Duo or Group)
10. “DEAD AND GONE,” T.I. & Justin Timberlake T.I. bares his soul before heading to the slammer on massive weapons charges in this vivid, emotional confession blessed by Father Timberlake’s soothing vocals. (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration)
11. “DECODE,” Paramore As vicious and dark as a pack of Goths at Hot Topic, its tortured melody and growling guitars satisfy the teen vamp in us all. (Song Written for Motion Picture or TV)
12. “D.O.A. (DEATH OF AUTO-TUNE),” Jay-Z Mr. Z says, “My raps don’t have melodies.” This is old-school emcee-ing — like a Post headline wearing leather and shades. (Rap Solo Performance)
13. “EVERY PRAYER,” Israel Houghton & Mary Mary Builds from jazzy tranquility to the passion of true belief to the goosebumpy unity of a massive choir. (Gospel Song)
14. “EVERYTHING BUT QUITS,” Lee Ann Womack & George Strait Duet sung in the trad-country vein of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, with violins, pianos and pure heart. (Country Collaboration with Vocal)
15. “FORK IN THE ROAD,” Neil Young Driving guitars and organs adorn this sign of the economic times. Chorus: “There’s a bailout comin’ but it’s not for you. It’s for all those creeps hidin’ what they do.” (Solo Rock Vocal)
16. “FREE TO BE ME,” Francesca Battistelli A fender-bender inspired the young NY native to pen the sensitive lyrics for this piano-driven, pop-infused nugget — which became her breakout song. (Gospel Performance)
17. “HALO,” Beyoncé A tour de force performance by Beyoncé totally without pop gimmicks. The simple, classic voice-and-piano arrangement sends shivers down your spine. (Record of the Year)
18. “HATE WORLDWIDE,” Slayer Slayer members declare again why they “treat god like an infection” and live up their own 29 years’ worth of speed-metal supremacy. (Metal Performance)
19. “HIGH COST OF LIVING.” Jamey Johnson Listening to Johnson’s tale of a life overlived, you can practically smell the sawdust and whiskey through the twang of regret. (Male Country Vocal)
20. “HOT N COLD,” Katy Perry Perry’s vocals sound naturally rich and well-matched with the track’s energetic and playful synth beats. (Female Pop Vocal)
21. “IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW,” Seal No one expected (or believed) Seal could belt out the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ tear-jerker with such authority and passion. (Male Pop Vocal)
22. “KIDS,” MGMT Youth from the future don board shorts, ponchos and Day Glo Zink to pen a perfect synth sing-along for graduation day and the after-party. (Pop Performance by a Duo or Group)
23. “LOVE SEX MAGIC,” Ciara & Justin Timberlake Ciara and Justin serve up the meatiest, cannot-stop slab of bootie-shakin’ this side of P-Funk. (Pop Collaboration with Vocal)
24. “MAKE HER SAY,” Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common Sampling “Poker Face” and mixing in rap stars makes Grammy voters say, “Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.” (Rap Performance By a Duo or a Group)
25. “MONEY GOES, HONEY STAY,” Fabolous feat. Jay-Z The Brooklyn rapper has the rhyming goods (“trendy” and “Fendi”), the story and the star to go with it. (Rap Performance By a Duo or a Group)
26. “THE MOTIONS,” Matthew West In this ode to the Almighty, West commits to living the same way he sings — all out and to the fullest. (Gospel Song)
27. “NEVER SAY NEVER,” the Fray The most timeless, falsetto-laden heart-rocker since Radiohead’s “Creep,” engineered for first kisses at proms worldwide. (Pop Performance by a Duo or Group)
28. “PEARLS,” India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore India.Arie somehow spins smooth, relatable pop from tragedy (and bunions), singing that female suffering in Rwanda and Somalia “hurts like brand new shoes.” (Urban/Alternative Performance)
29. “POKER FACE,” Lady Gaga Like the best disco classics, the bottom is big and the beats are fast. Gaga is impressive staying in key without any auto-tune help. (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Dance Recording)
30. “PRETTY WINGS,” Maxwell Commence baby-making! Dotted with horns, this heartbreaking R&B song about letting love fly away is as light as a feather. (R&B Song, Male R&B Vocal)
31. “RUN THIS TOWN,” Jay-Z feat. Kanye West and Rihanna Rihanna’s radiant pipes set the stage for a testosterone-fueled showdown between Hova and Kanye — who produced the sharp, malevolent beat. (Rap Song)
32. “SET TO FAIL,” Lamb of God The offspring of Slayer, Pantera and late-era Ozzy form a Voltron of power metal that’s almost too precise for its own good. (Metal Performance)
33. “SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT),” Beyoncé Was there even a choice? Even without “one of the best videos of all time,” the song itself is rhythmic, glee-filled defiance at its best. (Song of the Year, R&B Song, Female R&B Vocal, Short Form Music Video)
34. “SOLITARY THINKIN’,” Lee Ann Womack With a genuine drawl, she mixes honkey tonk, swing and a splash of doo wop with alcohol-soaked break-up metaphors for lovelorn hillbillies. (Female Country Vocal)
35. “START A BAND,” Brad Paisley & Keith Urban A rollicking, rocking good time that name-checks “Freebird” and “Rambling Man.” (Country Collaboration with Vocal)
36. “THERE GOES MY BABY,” Charlie Wilson The former member of the Gap Band — once a homeless cocaine addict — who famously sang, “You dropped the bomb on me,” grooves wonderfully in ’70s soul style. (Male R&B Vocal)
37. “THE UNFORGIVEN III,” Metallica The infamous guitar riff — replaced by piano — that began the first two installments is MIA, but James Hetfield continues his penance for almost eight minutes, two of them filled with a shredding Kirk Hammett guitar solo. (Hard Rock Performance)
38. “USE SOMEBODY,” Kings of Leon The bar for love songs got set higher because of this bombastic, rock-it-like-U2 melody hitched to romantic yet sugar-free lyrics. The “I Kissed a Girl” (times 10) of this year’s Grammys. (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Rock Song, Rock Performance By a Duo or Group)
39. “WHITE HORSE,” Taylor Swift The 20-year-old songwriting phenom gives us her heart on her sleeve — plus princesses and horseys and the deliciously viscous goo of young love. (Female Country Vocal)
40. “WOMANIZER,” Britney Spears On this ode to Casanovas, auto-tuned Brit sings the title word in machine-gun repetitions designed to oil the dancing bone. (Dance Recording)
The Post predicts the winners in tonight’s big categories:
RECORD OF THE YEAR
* “Halo,” Beyoncé
Dan says: “Beyoncé’s vocals on this song — simple, strong and pure — make all of her competitors seem puny by comparison.”
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
* “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King,” Dave Matthews Band
Dan says: “It may look like a four-way pop catfight between Fergie, Beyoncé, Taylor and Gaga, but Dave and Company have the goods.”
SONG OF THE YEAR
* “You Belong With Me,” Taylor Swift
Dan says: “Young Taylor Swift’s look at unrequited love is a perfect balance of snappy guitar pop and heartfelt teenage lyrics.”
BEST NEW ARTIST
* MGMT
Dan says: “After seeing Brooklyn’s MGMT play Prospect Park this summer, it was clear they have it all — from hooks to looks — and deserve a little more, like this award.”