'Bridge Over Troubled Water' honored
Source: Agencies |
June 19, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE iconic ballad "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was so stirring that even a young Paul Simon knew he was onto something special when he composed it 40 years ago.
"I thought, 'Hmm. That's better than I usually write,' " the American recalled. "I was completely surprised that I wrote it -- it was completely unlike anything I had ever done before."
On Thursday, Simon's magical moment -- one of several in his long career -- was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony in New York that featured Billy Joel, John Mayer and Judy Collins while honoring legends including Leonard Cohen as well as wunderkind Taylor Swift.
Swift was not among the inductees into the Songwriters Hall, but the 20-year-old was given the Hal David Starlight Award, which pays tribute to young songwriters with promise.
When Cohen was young, the Canadian poet-turned-songwriter presented one of his works to Collins, the singer recalled, and asked her if it was a song. Her response? "It's a song, and I'm recording it tomorrow."
At the induction ceremony, she performed a pitch-perfect "Suzanne" and was then followed by k.d. lang's moving version of Cohen's "Hallelujah."
The other inductees were Jackie DeShannon, whose hits include Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes;" reggae great Bob Marley; the late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro; Johnny Mandel, creator of the theme for "M.A.S.H."; David Foster, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter who's worked with artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand; and the principal members of the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" was given the Towering Song Award, while Phil Collins, a previous inductee, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award.
"I thought, 'Hmm. That's better than I usually write,' " the American recalled. "I was completely surprised that I wrote it -- it was completely unlike anything I had ever done before."
On Thursday, Simon's magical moment -- one of several in his long career -- was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony in New York that featured Billy Joel, John Mayer and Judy Collins while honoring legends including Leonard Cohen as well as wunderkind Taylor Swift.
Swift was not among the inductees into the Songwriters Hall, but the 20-year-old was given the Hal David Starlight Award, which pays tribute to young songwriters with promise.
When Cohen was young, the Canadian poet-turned-songwriter presented one of his works to Collins, the singer recalled, and asked her if it was a song. Her response? "It's a song, and I'm recording it tomorrow."
At the induction ceremony, she performed a pitch-perfect "Suzanne" and was then followed by k.d. lang's moving version of Cohen's "Hallelujah."
The other inductees were Jackie DeShannon, whose hits include Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes;" reggae great Bob Marley; the late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro; Johnny Mandel, creator of the theme for "M.A.S.H."; David Foster, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter who's worked with artists ranging from Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand; and the principal members of the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" was given the Towering Song Award, while Phil Collins, a previous inductee, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award.
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