In less tumultuous times the Grammys may not have risen above being a hyped self-promotion of a commercial industry.

If the 2012 awards night had a profound message, though, it might have been due to its poignant timing. There was an equal air of celebration and grief as people contemplated how music could help heal even as the fame it generates for the extremely talented can at times become soul-destroying.

The standing ovation to celebrate the return after vocal chords surgery of British soul diva Adele, so splendidly portrayed in her full-throated live rendition of Rolling in the Deep, was a resounding endorsement of the life-affirming power of music, the six Grammys she won a tribute to a winsome talent.

At the same time, the music world was left contemplating mortality as it mourned the recent loss of Whitney Houston, reportedly from a deadly cocktail of drinks and prescription drugs and not by drowning in her bath.

Amy Winehouse’s parents, Mitch and Jannis, were also around to accept a posthumous award for another talent gone waste after failing to cope with the entertainment industry’s pressures. But for all the dark clouds hovering over awards night, the redemptive power of music prevailed as old rockers and veterans gathered on stage.

Paul McCartney lent the Los Angeles evening a dose of nostalgia by belting out a Beatles medley, while the young would have revelled in the singing of the likes of the emerging Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. Long live music.