Inside The 2013 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Awards

The annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards is arguably the most important and prestigious night for songwriters. In a room full of legendary craftsmen (and women) who’ve written songs embedded into our collective conscious, it was refreshing to see egos and posturing put aside. The phrases “humbled and honored to be here” and “I can’t believe I’m in the same room as my heroes” were uttered by many of the evening’s honorees.

The body of work for this year’s inductees covered a wide range of what several presenters referred to as “the soundtrack of our lives.” The songwriting teams of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Mick Jones were recognized, along with a diverse mix of writers including Tony Hatch (‘60s British pop), JD Souther (Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and more) and Holly Knight (Pat Benatar, Tina Turner and more). Motown founder Berry Gordy received the Pioneer Award while newcomer Benny Blanco (Rihanna, Katy Perry, Maroon 5) was given the Hal David Starlight Award for gifted young songwriters. Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” was honored as the Towering Song Award. The recent deaths of legendary lyricist Hal David (a past Chairman of the Hall) and producer Phil Ramone were also acknowledged throughout the evening by several artists directly connected to each. “They were two irreplaceable human beings” current Song Hall Chairman Jimmy Webb said.

Also of note was a presumed ending to a ‘feud’  between Billy Joel and Elton John, who toured together in the past but have recently had negative words about the other in the press. “I didn’t see you tonight Mr. Joel,” John said. “But I love you dearly and I hope I see you soon.” Joel commented later in the evening, “Call me. It’s the same number.”

PHOTO GALLERY: The 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards

Though it’s hard to whittle down the breadth of work from each artist to one or two songs, an accompanying musical tribute highlighted each honorees most popular material, with several artists performing themselves. Sting opened up the 44^th edition of the show, held at New York’s Marriott Marquis, with an energetic version of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting.” A radiant Petula Clark had the crowd singing along to the Hatch-penned “Downtown.” Patty Smyth performed her 80’s Scandal hit “The Warrior,” written by Holly Knight. Knight also performed her Pat Benatar hit “Love Is A Battlefield” at the piano in a stripped down and powerful version, featuring beautiful, classically-influenced piano flourishes. Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and Ryan Peake took on Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” followed by Perry and Tyler commanding the stage for “Walk This Way.” Alison Krauss was in fine form interpreting the JD Souther song “Faithless Love.” Jordin Sparks performed Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and the cast members of the Broadway play Motown The Musical delivered an ultra-slick medley of the Detroit labels’ vast catalog in recognition of Berry Gordy. The musical highlight of the show was undoubtedly Gramm and Jones’ moving performance of their Foreigner classic ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is,” accompanied by the stellar house band and featuring the Anthony Morgan Inspirational Choir of Harlem. As the music ended, Jimmy Webb took the podium to introduce the next speaker and paused to reflect. “I’m sorry, I’ve just had a total emotional experience.”

The speeches from each of the presenters and inductees, who are voted in by their fellow songwriters, were heartfelt and inspiring. Elton John and Bernie Taupin received the Johnny Mercer Award for lifetime achievement as presented by Sting. Taupin acknowledged his fascination with the lyrical content of classic American country songwriters such as Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Marty Robbins. “I always wanted to write stories. I got the opportunity to do so and was given someone who made them multi-genre, multi-dimensional and multi-generational, someone who gave wings to my songs and took them all over the world and made them special to people. Without Elton I may have ended up telling stories, but I’m not sure anyone would have been listening.”

Elton John referred to Taupin as “the brother I never had, the friend I always wanted.” Their partnership endured because they gave each other the chance to write with other people. “You must give each other freedom to try out other sources. And because of that, we’re still together. And I think that is pretty amazing. I have the easiest job in the world. I have to write music to these beautiful stories. Songwriting is a wonderful thing. It takes you around the world. It gives people pleasure. We take it for granted sometimes and then people come up to you and say ‘you have no idea what that song means to me.’ When you write a song, you give birth to a child.”

Steven Tyler was clearly excited at being inducted. “For all the other awards we’ve gotten, this is the one.” He offered great insight into the moment he realized the power of music and that singing would be his calling in life. And believe it or not, it was via the legendary crooner Nat King Cole. “My mom was teaching me this song “Kee-Mo Ky-Mo.” (sings snippet of song). “And I went and sang it to the 9-year old girl next door and she kissed me. And I got it! And it’s been downhill ever since.” Listen to the rhythmic qualities of Cole’s vocals in this clip: Then imagine the young Tyler singing it to impress a girl and the transformation to the percussive swagger of the flamboyant rock star singing “My next door neighbor with a daughter had a favor/so I gave her just a little kiss” in “Walk This Way” is not too hard to imagine.

Patty Smyth called ‘80s songwriting icon Holly Knight a “songwriting powerhouse who wrote some of the most memorable and anthemic songs of the 1980’s. Her signature sound helped define an era filled with remarkable music, including Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good To Me” and “The Best,” Heart’s “Never” and Pat Benatar’s iconic blockbuster MTV hit “Love Is A Battlefield.” Knight was ecstatic over her induction. “This is a triumph. There’s nothing I could imagine in my wildest dreams that could come close this experience tonight. I’m honored to be joining these amazing songwriters and proud to be in this group of rock and roll royalty. Sometimes songwriters can be perceived as the bottom of the food chain so it’s nice to be recognized.”

Tony Hatch authored multiple hits for several ‘60’s British Invasion pop-era artists. His biggest hit, Petula Clark’s  “Downtown,” though was not written in his home country. In 1964, Hatch was on his first visit to New York City and wound up in midtown’s Times Square. With all its neon lights and vibrancy, Hatch thought he was downtown. The word resonated with him. “After listening to the sounds and rhythms of the city, I knew there was a song there. But I only had the word ‘downtown.’” Upon returning from his overseas trip, he discussed the experience with an enthused Clark, who encouraged him to finish the song so she could record it. They recorded “Downtown” at Pie Studios in London with a 40-piece orchestra. In her speech before performing the song, Clark reminisced. “I’ll never forget that sound. I’ve sung the song all over the world with local musicians. And they get so excited when they see the (sheet music) scores. These are songs that are beautifully crafted and orchestrated. And they’re a joy to sing.”

Benny Blanco received the Hal David Starlight Award from Rob Thomas, a former recipient of the award himself. Blanco may not be a household name, but his music is certainly heard in most houses around the world. The 25-year old wunderkind has written or co-written fifteen #1 hits in the last decade, including Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” and more. Clearly taken in by the honor bestowed upon him, Blanco joked “I should probably be serving food to some of the people in this room,” before adding “songwriting is about spilling your guts, good or bad, on the page and hoping someone doesn’t lock you up for what you said.”

Billy Joel inducted Foreigner’s Gramm and Jones, and playfully sang the hooks to some of their classic songs: “Feels Like The First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice” and “Urgent.” “Back when there really were jukeboxes these guys were jukebox heroes,” Joel said. Joel offered a songwriting observation on what caught his ear with the duo’s mega-hit “I Want to Know What Love Is.” “I really like that you put the emphasis on the word ‘is’- I would think ‘I want to know LOVE is. But you did ‘I want to know what love IS.’ And you got away with it.”

Jones thanked the organization for “honoring us and finally make us legit” and complimented Gramm’s vocal abilities. “I always knew I needed somebody to sing my songs and this guy just killed them and took them to another level.” Gramm, who left the band in the mid ‘90’s and battled a brain tumor before returning, humbly noted: “My years with Foreigner were great, incredible times with my songwriting buddy here that I will never forget.

The Towering Song Award spotlights great songs that have become classics whose sentiment and universal appeal are undeniable. This year’s selection, Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” was written by Cooke in the early 1960’s during the struggle for civil rights and has since been recorded by over 500 artists. Former President Bill Clinton, who spoke via a pre-recorded videotape message, called the song “sacred and powerful.” Cooke’s granddaughter accepted the award and noted: “Sam was determined to use his breathtaking musical ability to contribute to the fight for equality sweeping across America in the 1960’s.”

Producer Peter Asher praised JD Souther’s dual understanding of complex chord structure and simple three-chord rock and roll and knowing when to use each in a song. “He is a man who’s genius spans different eras of pop songwriting. He appreciates the cogent simplicity of a Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry rocker, with chords that even I can play. But he equally adores and understands the complexity of a Johnny Mercer song or a Nelson Riddle arrangement, with chords I cannot play but he can.” For Souther, trying to explain the process of songwriting to someone is difficult. “You sit at home at night and wonder how in the world to do it. Then someone asks you how you did it. You have no idea so you make up something on the spot to prove that you still have the chops to keep writing.”

The night ended with a long but poignant speech by Smokey Robinson, who bestowed Motown founder Berry Gordy with the Pioneer Award. Robinson urged up and coming songwriters to know their history and to never become too cocky, “because there is always someone around the corner who will write you under the table. Robinson compared Gordy to baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, and urged the audience to pass his name down to future generations. “If I could retire Berry’s number, his number would be 1.”