NEW YORK ― In a crowded ballroom full of less-than-famous faces are the minds behind the most iconic songs: Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” and Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”
These songs, so heavily associated with the stars who brought them to life, often overshadow the writers who workshopped notes and lyrics until their completion. But Thursday’s Songwriters’ Hall of Fame induction, taking place between a lengthy cocktail hour and late night Uber surcharges, shed the much-deserved light on those hidden music makers.
While last year’s inductees included more front-and-center names MariahCarey, Annie Lennox and Pharrell ― this year’s induction focused on the behind-the-scenes writers and their stories in addition to a big history-making moment for Gloria Estefan, the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the prestigious music club.
“I have to admit, this is a big one for me,” Estefan, who has received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, Gershwin Prize and Kennedy Center honor within the last decade, said.
Her fellow class of inductees included: Glen Ballard, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette collaborator; Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra frontman and “Mr. Blue Sky” writer; Teddy Riley, New Jack Swing pioneer and Liz Rose, country music maven.
Post Malone, 27, and Tim Rice, who penned lyrics for Disney’s “A Whole New World” and “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” were presented with special recognition awards for their musical creations.
Sade and Snoop Dogg, who were announced in January as 2023 inductees, deferred their entry until a later year with the latter pulling out just days before for “personal reasons.”
The show still went on despite the absences with vivacious performances, hear-it-to-believe-it stories and disses toward a common enemy of writers, AI.
Gloria Estefan makes history as first Hispanic woman inductee
Estefan’s musical life can be seen on Broadway, viewed on Facebook Watch and seen on social media with Instagram feeds. But only in-person can you hear her recall her music journey with pepperings of “Oh baby,” “Yeah” and “mijo” interjections.
Inducted by fellow songwriter Valerie Simpson, the “Let’s Get Loud” and “Conga” singer-songwriter took the stage recalling her earliest music memories in diapers, to her teenage crushes on David Cassidy and Donny Osmond until finally meeting her future collaborator and husband Emilio Estefan, joining his all-boy gig band.
“Music has saved my life,” Estefan said. “Music was my therapy.”
After thanking her family with individual, intimate shout outs, Estefan led the crowd into a high-energy medley of songs including “Reach,” “Words Get in the Way,” and “Anything for You” with her husband and 11-year-old grandson, Sasha.
Taylor Swift’s co-writer Liz Rose recalls meeting 14-year-old star
Rose didn’t begin songwriting until her late 30s after a divorce but became the perfect pair with a 14-year-old on the precipice of superstardom.
Introduced between tears and laughter from her daughter Caitlin Rose, Swift’s collaborator helped pen “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “You Belong With Me” among others.
Rose said the honor to be inducted had left her “speechless,” literally: “I didn’t write a speech and I didn’t use AI.”
After moving to Nashville with her three children, Rose was convinced by a friend that she had a special songwriting talent. Her affinity led her to meet with Swift to collaborate on some of her earliest hits.
“It was the easiest part of my day,” Rose said adding that she and the early teen would get in a room and churn out a song in “an hour and a half.”
Rose didn’t perform any of her songs but concluded with an affirmation to fight off any imposter syndrome she’d felt earlier.
“I am supposed to be here,” Rose said. “I am a songwriter.”
Post Malone described as an ‘angelic goat’ by discovering producer
After several rounds of iconic performances of well-known songs, Post Malone took the stage and apologized as he was about to play a song “nobody knows.”
Before his performance of “Feeling Whitney” from his debut “Stoney,” the musician was brought to the podium by producer Louis Bell who met Malone, born Austin Richard Post, at 19.
“It felt like I was listening to an iconic voice,” Bell recalled after first hearing the “Congratulations” singer for the first time, describing Malone’s unique vibrato as an “angelic goat.”
“There’s so much inspiration and love for music in this room, it’s overwhelming,” Malone said. “I’m 27 years old and as a 12 year old, sitting on my bed, writing these songs learning (audio software) Fruity Loops. It’s the most beautiful thing.”
Teddy Riley reveals how ‘New Jack Swing’ genre came about
Riley’s songwriting led to hits including Jackson’s “Remember The Time,” Brown’s iconic single “My Prerogative” and Keith Sweat’s “Why Me Baby.” Those tunes led to new R&B and hip-hop subgenre: New Jack Swing, which was created by a bit of intimidation from screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper.
“As he was writing ‘New Jack City,’ I was a young kid and (Cooper) kept asking me ‘What are you going to call your music?’ and I didn’t know … I just said ‘music is music,” Riley said. “He said ‘The next time I interview you, you better know the name of your music. You better call it something.’ “
Riley said Cooper gave his music the name New Jack City, inspired by his 1991 movie title and told the young Riley to “run with it.”
Doug E. Fresh and Sweat energetically inducted Riley into the Hall of Fame before coercing the mostly seated crowd to get on their feet and dance as the trio rocked the ballroom with live horns, Riley’s piano melodies and Doug E. Fresh’s iconic beatboxing.
“This is the greatest honor, I’ve got a star on Hollywood and so many other things but this means the most because at the end of the day, it is about the song,” Riley said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
