Nashville, Broadway, classic rock, hip-hop, new jack swing, and beyond were represented at the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday (June 15).
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Held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, the annual event celebrated new inductee Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley, Glen Ballard, and Liz Rose, along with special honorees British lyricist Tim Rice and rapper Post Malone.
Though the ceremony was missing Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg), who deferred his induction due to personal reasons and will accept it in 2024, along with Sade, who also had to defer her honor, the 2023 ceremony represented a full spectrum of writers and performers.
Lynne, honored for his work with Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Traveling Wilburys, and Tom Petty (“Learning to Fly,” “Free Fallin'”), was inducted by guitarist Joe Walsh, who introduced his friend as “a one-man Renaissance artist.”
“Last week, I overheard my wife on the phone telling a friend that Jeff Lynne was being indicted in New York,” joked Joe Walsh. “So here we are, the people versus Jeff Lynne.”
Walsh, who went on to perform ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” after his speech, added, “The first time people heard Jeff’s band, ELO, heads exploded. All of this was due to Jeff’s writing and wizardry in the studio. He’s a brilliant musician that can conceive and incorporate full orchestrations while the song was being born before other songwriters could even imagine a world in which all that could exist. It’s that unmatched talent he has, to take a great song, bring it to life, and turn it into an unforgettable record.
During his speech, Lynne recalled a time when he was trying to write ELO’s 1977 album, Out of the Blue, in a Swiss chalet. It was dark and misty, but when he woke up one day, the sky was clear, and the sun was shining, and he began writing 14 songs, including Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky,” which he performed.
Riley, who created the new jack swing sound that penetrated the late ’80s through early 1990s, and penned dozens of songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” and Bobby Brown’s hit “My Prerogative,” was inducted by his old-school Harlem, New York friends, “Human Beat Box” Doug E. Fresh and R&B singer Keith Sweat.
The trio brought some new jack swing to the ceremony, performing a medley of Riley-penned songs, including his 1996 BlackStreet hit “No Diggity/Rump Shaker,” along with Fresh’s “The Show” and Sweat’s 1987 hit, “I Want Her.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about the song,” said Riley. “It’s about what’s in your heart.”
Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey honored their fellow “Love Junkie” and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Liz Rose, with a performance of Little Big Town‘s 2014 hit “Girl Crush,” which all three wrote for the band. Rose then received a tearful induction by her daughter, singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose, who also performed.
First becoming a songwriter in Nashville at the age of 37, and as a single mother of three, the elder Rose got her first big break when she began writing with a then 14-year-old Taylor Swift. The two co-wrote a dozen songs together, including “You Belong with Me,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Fearless,” and “White Horse,” among others.
“The cool thing about songwriting is that you get to hang out with your friends and you get to have therapy and you get to cry and drink wine and eat Cheez-Its,” said Rose, who has also written for Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, and many more over the past 15 years. “I just love to dig in and just see that song come out at the end of the session. There’s just nothing like it.”
Admitting to being a late starter within the songwriting circuit, a defiant Rose also admitted that she’s not a typical writer, because she doesn’t sing or play any instruments, but insisted “I am supposed to be here, dammit, and I am a songwriter.”
Broadway was also represented by inductee lyricist Tim Rice, who received the Johnny Mercer Award and was honored by two performances, including one with Heather Headley belting “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from his rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Headley was then joined by actor Michael Maliakel and Alan Menken on the piano for Rice’s Alladin hit “A Whole New World.”
Also representing the stage was 2023 inductee Glen Ballard, whose songwriting career has spanned genres, with songs written for Aerosmith, Goo Goo Dolls, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, Josh Groban, and more
Ballard also penned the 1990 Wilson Phillips hit “Hold On” and Michael Jackson‘s 1988 classic “Man in the Mirror”—a song fellow inductee Estefan recently told American Songwriter is a song she wished she wrote. Ballard’s decade-plus transition to scoring for musicals began with Ghost the Musical in 2012, followed by a stage production of Back to the Future, and the 2019 musical, Jagged Little Pill, based on Alanis Morissette‘s 1995 album, which he also produced and co-wrote.
“All I’ve been doing for the past 50 years is writing songs,” said Ballard, who wrote his first song at the age of 10 and was already playing in bands by the fifth grade. “This is the ultimate honor for me and it has convinced me that I haven’t been wasting my time.”
Presented by producer and songwriter Louis Bell, Post Malone was moved by his special honor later in the evening. “It’s so epic to be able to come up here and be honored with this award tonight,” said Malone, who was honored with a Hal David Starlight Award.
Sat center stage, playing an acoustic guitar, Malone sang through his tender ballad, “Feeling Whitney,” the closing track off his 2016 debut, Stoney.
Established in 1969, The Songwriters Hall of Fame honors songwriters with a notable catalog of songs, who are qualified for induction 20 years after their first commercial success. Previous inductees include Neil Diamond, Carole King, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Tom Petty, Bill Withers, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, and many more.
In addition to the core honorees, CBS broadcaster Anthony Mason also received the Patron of the Arts Award.
This year, Estefan also made history as the first hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“To those fans that have found in my music what I found in the music of the life-changing songwriters that nourished my soul throughout my life, I thank you for that privilege,” said Estefan. ”And I can assure you that it is just as magical from the other side of the song.”
Joined by her husband, Emilio on congas, Estefan performed a medley of her solo hits, including “Reach,” “Words Get in the Way,” “Anything for You,” “Can’t Stay Away from You,” “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” “Let’s Get Loud,” which became a hit for Jennifer Lopez in 1999.
Estefan’s performance turned into a greater family affair when daughter Emily joined her father on congas, and her 11-year-old grandson duetted with her on “Rhythm Gonna Get You.”
“I have been incredibly blessed with some pretty cool honors,” said Estefan, “but I have to admit this is a big one for me.”
All Photos by Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame with the exception of Jeff Lynne by L. Busacca / Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame
