Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, Steve Miller among 2012 Songwriters Hall nominees

Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, Steve Miller and Lou Reed are among the rockers nominated for the 2102 Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
October 16, 2011

The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. There are fewer than 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The organization, which is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, holds annual elections to determine those who will make up the roster of inductees for the following year. Eligible voting members will have until December 12th, 2011 to turn in ballots with their choices of two nominees from a non-performer and two from a performer category.

The 2012 Annual Awards Gala will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis on Thursday, June 14, as part of the “Songwriters Hall of Fame Week.”

2012 Songwriters Hall Of Fame nominees
Performer/Songwriters

Lou Reed
Bob Seger
Pete Townshend
Steve Miller
Gordon Lightfoot
Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
Dion DiMucci
Elvis Costello
Deborah Harry/Chris Stein (Blondie)
Annie Lennox/Dave Stewart
George Michael
Jim Steinman
Tom Waits

hennemusic: Pete Townshend, Bob Seger among 2012 Songwriters Hall nominees

Very Cool!! Nice to see Debbie and Chris in there along with Pete and the gang

I'm really very happy with pretty much all of those nominees, especially Lou Reed, Jim Steinman, and one of my all time favorite storytellers and lyricists Tom Waits.

If there's any justice, Pete, Lou Reed, and Tom Waits will get in. Aside from Elvis Costello, they're light years ahead of the rest of the field.

Light years? Not sure about that at all.


What exactly defines one songwriter to be leaps and bounds ahead of another songwriter?

Lynch said:

Light years? Not sure about that at all.


What exactly defines one songwriter to be leaps and bounds ahead of another songwriter?

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I'd guess outside of a personal and individual level timelessness of the lyrics. One's you still see quoted to this day. Then again I guess if a writers lyrics are synonymous with a certain time period to this day where you automatically connect the two. I think that's one of Dylan's highlights is he's one of those writers who took the opportunity to write during a time that will always be reflected on. Like him or not that was a brilliant career move if anything. On the other hand there's this idea that songwriters are timeless because "critics" still harp on about them until this day but I always thought it were the audiences who were supposed to determine that. I always wonder if the snobby critics stopped pushing the ideology of an artists genius down peoples throats if listeners would hear the same brilliance on their own.

Soot and Stars said:

I always wonder if the snobby critics stopped pushing the ideology of an artists genius down peoples throats if listeners would hear the same brilliance on their own.

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This right here is one of the biggest reasons I put VERY little stock in individual songwriters, specifically lyricists. For me personally, the music in a song is far more moving than what someone is saying. The influction of the vocalist's singing style in particular songs may also feed my own emotions more than lyrics typically will.

But back to what you said, I agree completely. I think that quite a few of the "greatest songwriters ever" spoke in pure gibberish. Others didn't say anything ~that~ incredible, it just hit certain listeners one way, and a handful of critics can truly push their own personal tastes and agenda on the masses because they have the outlet to do it.

Lynch said:

This right here is one of the biggest reasons I put VERY little stock in individual songwriters, specifically lyricists. For me personally, the music in a song is far more moving than what someone is saying. The influction of the vocalist's singing style in particular songs may also feed my own emotions more than lyrics typically will.

But back to what you said, I agree completely. I think that quite a few of the "greatest songwriters ever" spoke in pure gibberish. Others didn't say anything ~that~ incredible, it just hit certain listeners one way, and a handful of critics can truly push their own personal tastes and agenda on the masses because they have the outlet to do it.

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I'll just say for me lyrics are very important as well as how they are sung which is what you said. For me though it's still a personal experience. If the writer hits what you are feeling then he's going to connect with you and I couldn't care less if he connects with anyone else. That's why I'm glad to be listening to music without a voice for the generation. Please, who needs that. Music is for individuals. No one person can sum up what everyone's feeling. That being said I think the perfect songwriter can write purely for themselves and still have it be understood universally. If I have no idea personally or even a feel for what the songwriter is getting at personally they lose points from me. I love imagery and poetry but if the writer is self indulgent or I have to look things up in a history book to even understand the sentiment then no dice.

Soot and Stars said:

I always wonder if the snobby critics stopped pushing the ideology of an artists genius down peoples throats if listeners would hear the same brilliance on their own.

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I wonder similar things like that myself. Like for example....if people were not told since birth that The Beatles were more of less the greatest thing to ever happen to music then would it be as common of an opinion or would they just be a good bad?

Cosmic Harmony said:

I wonder similar things like that myself. Like for example....if people were not told since birth that The Beatles were more of less the greatest thing to ever happen to music then would it be as common of an opinion or would they just be a good bad?

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They're only a good band, to people who think they're ''just a good band''

But to millions of people - The Beatles were and still are ''the greatest thing to ever happen to (Rock) music''.