REM, Blondie and Snoop Dogg Nominated for Songwriters Hall

Bryan Adams, REM, Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Heart and The Doobie Brothers have been named to the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Voting included musical theater duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote ragtime and Anastasia, and jazz-soul singer Sade, whose 1980s soft-rock hits included Smooth Operator and The Sweetest Taboo.

Two veteran rock stars are also nominated: Patti Smith — whose hits include “Because of the Night” and “Dancing Barefoot” — and Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Higher Love” and “Walk with it”.

Vince Gill, who first cast his ballot in 2018, is nominated again.

Eligible voting members must submit ballots by December 28 to select three nominees from the songwriter and performing songwriter categories.

ELO’s Jeff Lynne, who created Mr. Blue Sky and Evil Woman, will face the Losing My Religion REM quartet led by Michael Stipe and Heart’s sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, who showed women can be Barracuda and Crazy For You.

Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke are eligible to enter the halls as Blondie, who brought us new wave hits Call Me and Rapture, while Snoop Dogg will join rappers like Missy Elliott and Jay-Z, If he can make the cut.

Estefan is credited with popularizing Latin rhythms with crossover songs like Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Let’s Get Loud.

Two classic rock icons compete as Adams – against radio staples such as “Summer of ’69” and “Did You Really Love a Woman?” – Compete with the Doobie Brothers and their always-on rotation of Listen To The Music and Long Train Running.

Nominees who worked behind the scenes include Glenn Ballard, who helped write Alanis Morissette’s 1995 monster album Jagged Little Pill, and participated in the recording and writing of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Bad and Dangerous.

Veteran songwriter Tom Snow, who collaborated with Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand, Cher, the Pointer sisters and co-wrote Let’s Hear It For The Boy in the film Footloose, is also eligible.

Footloose teamed up with another nominee, Dean Pitchford, who beat Thriller to No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in 1984.

The list of nominees includes Teddy Riley, the singer, songwriter and producer known for writing New Jack Swing and its top hits like Bobby Brown’s My Prerogative and Keith Sweat’s I Want Her, and Liz Rose, with Taylor Swift co-wrote a number of songs including “You Are Mine”, “Teardrops on Guitar” and “White Horse”.

And country songwriter Dean Dillon, who wrote songs with Toby Keith, George Strait and Lee Ann Womack; pop songwriter Franne Golde, Jody Watley’s Don’t You Want Me and the Commodores’ Nightshift; and the duo Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce, who wrote many of The Monkees’ hits.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those who created popular music. Songwriters with a notable catalog of songs are eligible for entry 20 years after the song’s first commercial release.

Some of those already in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.