View List of Award Winning Songs

BMI held its 56th Annual Pop Awards tonight, May 20, honoring Daryl Hall and John Oates as BMI Icons. Famed songwriter and producer Polow Da Don earned the coveted Songwriter of the Year crown, Hinder's ubiquitous "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year honors and Publisher of the Year went to EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. Held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, the invitation-only ceremony was hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Vice President/General Manager, Los Angeles, Barbara Cane and also recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most-performed pop songs from BMI's extensive catalog of more than 6.5 million compositions.

The evening's capstone took the form of a musical tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, who were named BMI Icons in recognition of their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." With this award, they join an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

The effervescent popularity of Daryl Hall and John Oates's magical collaborations springs from the duo's devout passion for Philly soul and buoyant pop harmonies. Warmly accessible and expertly polished, Daryl Hall and John Oates's smooth production utilizes undeniable hooks and innate contemporary lyrical sensibility. The resulting eight no. 1 singles, three double-platinum and two platinum albums catapulted the pair into pop superstardom; in 1987, Daryl Hall and John Oates became the best-selling rock duo of all time. Skilled songwriters, they are both members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, together boasting 24 BMI Pop Awards and a catalog studded with 14 BMI Million-Air award songs, including "She's Gone," "Everytime You Go Away," "Kiss On My List," "Maneater" and "Sara Smile." They have prompted a surge of interest and homage from a diverse bevy of new artists, who cite the pair as definitive influences. Restless creators, Daryl Hall and John Oates have spent much of the last decade touring throughout the world.

Polow Da Don's resounding claim to the BMI Songwriter of the Year title stems from penning four songs among the year's top 50: the Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons," featuring Snoop Dogg; Fergie's "London Bridge" and "Glamorous," featuring Ludacris; and "Runaway Love," recorded by Ludacris and featuring Mary J. Blige. Fergie's emphatic shout, "Polow!" in "London Bridge" embedded Da Don's first name in the pop culture psyche, while his hit-making expertise catapulted him to behind-the-scenes impresario. Polow Da Don's first BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year win arrives on the shoulders of his first four BMI Awards, underscoring his unparalleled breakout success in 2007.

Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year bragging rights thanks to generating the most airplay of any tune on BMI's most-performed pop song list during the designated award period. Co-written and recorded by BMI songwriters and Hinder band members Blower, Cody Hanson, Mark King, Michael Rodden and Austin Winkler, along with producer Brian Howes (SOCAN), the wistful tune climbed to the no. 1 slot of Billboard's Pop 100, Hot Digital Songs and Top 40 Mainstream charts, achieving broad crossover success. Country artist Jack Ingram's recording of the song also resonated, reaching the top 20 tier of Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. and Hinder Music Co., "Lips of an Angel" also earned the Internet Song of the Year win as the most performed song on the Internet during the award period.

EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. claimed its BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crown with a staggering 14 award songs and highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year's top 50. In addition to publishing Song of the Year "Lips of an Angel," EMI-Blackwood's catalog includes award-winners "Money Maker" (Ludacris feat. Pharrell), "Break It Off" (Rihanna feat. Sean Paul), "Glamorous" (Fergie feat. Ludacris), "Hurt" (Christina Aguilera), "Nothing Left to Lose" (Mat Kearney), "The Riddle" (Five for Fighting) and "U + Ur Hand" (Pink).

Nickelback also enjoyed a big night as members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Dan Adair (all SOCAN) each took home three BMI Pop Awards; songwriters earning two awards each included Christina Aguilera; Hinder's Blower, Cody Hanson, Michael Rodden, Mark King and Austin Winkler; Snoop Dogg, Chris Daughtry; Sean Garrett; Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier, Barry Stock, Brad Walst and Neil Sanderson (all SOCAN); Brian Howes (SOCAN); Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman and Andrew Hurley; Ne-Yo; Pink; and will.i.am.

Publishing companies Universal Music Publishing Group (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc./Universal Music-Careers/Universal Music-Z Songs), Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Warner/Chappell Music Group (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Unichappell Music, Inc.), Songs of Windswept Pacific, Cherry River Music Co., Chicago X Softcore Songs, Hinder Music Co., Hitco Music, My Own Chit Publishing, Pink Inside Publishing, Super Sayin' Publishing, Surface Pretty Deep Ugly Music, Team S Dot Publishing, will.i.am music, inc. and Xtina Music each garnered multiple awards.

The BMI Foundation's 11th Annual John Lennon Scholarship was presented to burgeoning jazz/pop songwriter Travis Knapp for his song "Before You Go."  A recent graduate of Ithaca College where he studied music and anthropology, Knapp is currently recording his sophomore collection of original music. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by generous donations from Gibson Musical Instruments, the prestigious John Lennon Scholarship program recognizes and fosters auspicious young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24.

The Q&A session, moderated by Doug Frank, President, Music Operations for Warner Bros. Pictures, included guest panelists Richard Barton Lewis, producer; Mark Mancina, composer; Julia Michels, music supervisor; John Ondrasik musician/songwriter and Grammy Award nominee (Five For Fighting); and Jeff Pollack, music supervisor.

August Rush is a drama with fairy tale elements that tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.

Five years and several hit albums later, he continues to increase his reputation as an international singing star and songsmith. With his latest studio release, Awake, Groban is breaking new ground for himself. “The goal was to put music on the new album that was stylistically different from a lot of things that I’ve done,” he commented in a recent interview.

Inspired by a trip to South Africa, he wrote “Lullaby” with South African native Dave Matthews, featuring the harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Herbie Hancock is on hand to help create the subtle, understated funk of “Machine,” a collaboration with Eric Mouquet and Dave Bassett.

There is also plenty on the album to satisfy fans of Groban’s classic ballad style, such as the beautiful “February Song,” for which he shares writer credits with John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting and Marius De Vries. Groban relates how the song was born one sleepless night: “I walked over to the piano and it just came to me in the most magical way.”

Having achieved success so early, Josh Groban seems committed to discovering all he is capable of. “I feel that we’re in an exciting time when people are ready to accept all sorts of music,” he avers. “I owe it to the crazy success that has happened [to me] not to rest on it — and go where it thrills me.”

Built around singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, the group first made waves with its second album, 2000’s America Town (Columbia), featuring the Grammy-nominated song “Superman (It’s Not Easy).” Although already a hit before 9/11, afterwards the tune became a kind of spiritual national anthem, leading to Ondrasik’s being invited to join Paul McCartney, Elton John and The Who to perform at the post-9/11 fund-raiser “The Concert for New York.”

Ondrasik recalls “sitting at a piano in Madison Square Garden playing a song that seems to provide solace to the emergency workers and their families. Halfway through, seeing these burly firefighters with tears rolling down their faces: It was the most important thing I’ll ever do musically.”

Following up such a significant moment would be a difficult task, and Ondrasik took a couple of years to craft the Battle for Everything album, which yielded another inspirational hit with “100 Years.” “It means a lot as a writer when your songs find their way into everyday lives,” he says. “To hear MP3s of ‘100 Years’ sung at graduations, or to speak to folks about how certain songs helped out, inspires me to keep on swinging.”

Ondrasik aims squarely for the fences with his latest album, Two Lights, which grew out of conversations the songwriter had with a wide range of Americans, from cops (the Ben Folds-ish humor of “Policeman’s Xmas Party”), to surfers and soldiers.

The last subject looms large on the album’s title track. “Two Lights” came about following a dinner Ondrasik had with a young Iraq-bound soldier and the man’s father, a Vietnam War vet. “I wanted to write a song that talked about the reality of how these parents feel,” Ondrasik explains. “The simple thing of ‘Two Lights’ is two lives: the father’s and the son’s. That’s what inspired this song, the look of pride and fear in a father’s eye.”

Ondrasik also turns his keen observational skills on himself, via first single “The Riddle.” Written for his children, the song’s video features John’s blue Mustang, itself passed down to Ondrasik from his own father, and the inspiration for the song “’65 Mustang.” “At its heart it’s a love song from a father to his son,” he says.

Lest anyone think Ondrasik is always brooding, keep in mind his monthly NHL column for SI.com. Why hockey? Look to the band’s seemingly odd name, which refers to the number of penalty-box minutes given to brawling hockey players. “Like everyone in my demo,” he laughs, “I think I know a hell of a lot more about sports than I actually do.”

John’s Grammy-nominated song “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” from the America Town CD, was already a hit when 9/11 happened. Afterwards, the song became a spiritual national anthem, and John joined superstar headliners Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others for the post-9/11 fund-raiser “The Concert for New York.” “Here’s a kid just getting over shock of hearing himself on radio for first time,” recalls John, “sitting at a piano in Madison Square Garden playing a song that seems to provide solace to the emergency workers and their families. Halfway through, seeing these burly firefighters with tears rolling down their faces: it was the most important thing I’ll ever do musically.”

In 2004 he recorded The Battle For Everything, which yielded the hit “100 Years,” once again proving Ondrasik’s ability to craft inspirational songs with a social message. “It means a lot as a writer when your songs find their way into everyday lives,” he says. “To hear mp3s of ‘100 Years’ sung at graduations, or to speak to folks about how certain songs helped out, inspires me to keep on swinging.”

Two Lights should yield no less. Produced by John and band mates Curt Schneider (bass, guitars) and Andrew Williams (guitars), the album was inspired in part by conversations John had with ordinary Americans. Cops and cruisers, soldiers and surfers all have a place in John’s America. Overall the CD is classic Americana, grittier and riskier than his previous work. That’s especially so on songs like “California Justice” and the darkly comic “Policeman’s Xmas Party,” both based on real events.

Yet he also touches unflinchingly on the personal. The CD’s debut single “The Riddle” is a song he wrote for his children, while the companion video features his beloved blue Mustang (a car passed down to John from his father and the inspiration for the song “‘65 Mustang"). Says John of the single, “A lot of my songs touch on mortality, but at its heart it’s a love song from a father to his son.”

The father-son motif is most poignantly expressed in “Two Lights,” a song that came to John after having dinner with a young soldier bound for Iraq, and the soldier’s father, a Vietnam veteran. “I talked with the kid’s father,” John remembers. “In that moment, I saw a mixture of pride and fear in the old man’s eyes. I wanted to write a song that talked about the reality of how these parents feel. The simple thing of ‘Two Lights’ is two lives: the father’s and the son’s. That’s what inspired this song, the look of pride and fear in a father’s eye.”

Whatever subject he tackles, John’s music is always infused with an empathetic spirit and sung in one of the most richly distinctive voices in contemporary pop. Still, the new CD may surprise those unaccustomed to the sharper edge of John’s musical persona. “Producing is rewarding but also an extra slice of pain and suffering,” he says. “Songs like ‘The Riddle’ and ‘California Justice’ are 90 percent craft, whereas others like ‘Road to Heaven’ and ‘I Just Love You’ are essentially live takes. In either case, the band has to be in the room, the clock has to be turned off, and the red light (or hard drive)...blinking.”

John Ondrasik was born in L.A.’s sprawling San Fernando Valley, and grew up in a musical family. At two, he began studying piano and later added guitar. He majored in math at UCLA, but his heart was always in music. His hard work paid off, and today he’s right where he wants to be: a working touring musician with a great family to come home to. “Being in a band,” he says, “you spend a lot of months on a bus rolling through America. Unless you do that you don’t have a sense of the expanse and the differences that make it so great. My music just comes from my experience putting the miles on tires.”

Over the last year, John has also been busy working on music for films. He wrote, produced and performed “The Best,” the main title song for the upcoming animated baseball-comedy feature Everyone’s Hero (he also teamed up with country greats Brooks & Dunn to co-write “Keep On Swinging” for the same film). For the movie August Rush, John produced and wrote “Break,” which is performed on screen by actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Although primarily known for performing his own compositions, John also recorded a compelling new version of the classic Jimmy Webb composition, “All I Know” (a chart-topping pop hit song for Art Garfunkel in 1973), for the hit Walt Disney Pictures Film, Chicken Little.

But right now, Two Lights remains first and foremost in his musical life; that, and reaching out to an ever-expanding audience of admirers, whether in a darkened concert hall or on an iPod during morning rush hour. “I just try to get better as a songwriter,” he says. “That’s all I can do: try to write things that matter. At the end of the day all you can do is say what you believe.”

Website: www.fiveforfighting.com

Pop Awards Photo Slideshow

2005 BMI Pop Awards Song List

Paul Simon's BMI Awards List

2005 Lennon Scholarship Winners

Del Bryant, President & CEO, and Barbara Cane, Vice President & General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles, hosted the dinner event. The writers and publishers of the 50 most performed songs of the past year were recognized, plus the overall song, songwriter and publisher winners. A highlight of the gala, staged at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, was a tribute to songwriter/artist Paul Simon, who was named a BMI Icon.

3 Doors Down	Lil Jon

"Here Without You" won the title of BMI Pop Song of the Year, with songwriters Brad Arnold, Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson and Matt Roberts of the group 3 Doors Down accepting; this distinction is given to the song tallying the most feature broadcast performances during the eligibility period. Published by Escatawpa Songs and Songs of Universal, Inc. and included on 3 Doors Down's Republic/Universal CD Away From the Sun, "Here Without You" has already been certified as a BMI Million-Air (with two million broadcast performances) and was previously honored as BMI's 2004 Most Performed Song on College Radio. Lead singer Brad Arnold was also named Songwriter of the Year at the 2002 BMI Pop Awards.

Nickelback	Paul Simon

Lil Jon wrote four songs on the Most Performed List of 50 to collect the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year crown. The songs earning him the title were "Damn!" (YoungBloodZ featuring Lil Jon), "Freek-A-Leek" (Petey Pablo), "Get Low" (Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring the Ying Yang Twins) and "Yeah!" (Usher featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon).

Of the 88 songwriters who received 2005 BMI Pop Awards, two were triple winners: Chad Kroeger (SOCAN) of Nickelback and Sham. Other writer/artists earning awards included Michelle Branch, Five for Fighting, Linkin Park, Sarah McLachlan, Pete Townshend (PRS), Shania Twain, Maroon 5, Los Lonely Boys, R. Kelly, Seal (PRS), Lil' Kim, Evanescence, the White Stripes, Fountains of Wayne, Mario Winans and the Black Eyed Peas.

Paul Simon was saluted as a BMI Icon for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." In a career dating back to the 1950s, Paul Simon has established himself among the best and most popular songwriters of the rock era. His songs have bookmarked moments in the lives of millions, whether with words of love, longing, humor, politics or, above all, hope. He has incorporated the rhythms of his native New York with those from as far away as Brazil and South Africa.

For his efforts, he is a 12-time Grammy winner, a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee (as Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist), the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Oscar nominee, an Emmy Award winner, and the much-honored co-founder of the Children's Health Fund. His songwriting catalog has earned 39 BMI Awards -- including multiple citations for "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson," "Scarborough Fair" and "The Sound of Silence" -- and amassed nearly 75 million broadcast airplays, according to BMI surveys.

After a video tribute, the musical salute to Simon featured performances by 2004 Icon recipient Brian Wilson (who sang "The Sound of Silence"), British sensation Joss Stone ("Mother and Child Reunion"), Adam Levine and James Valentine of the Grammy-winning band Maroon 5 ("Homeward Bound") and soul gospel diva Yolanda Adams ("Bridge Over Troubled Water").

Simon enters the elite company of previously praised BMI Icons, including Bill Anderson, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Loretta Lynn, Carlos Santana, Dolly Parton, Al Green, Van Morrison and Brian Wilson.

EMI Music Publishing (EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc./EMI-Stone Agate Music), with 11 award songs, claimed the BMI Pop Publisher of the Year prize, given to the publishing concern with the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. EMI's winning songs were "100 Years," "Bright Lights," "Damn!," "Freek-A-Leek," "Get Low," "Heaven," "I Don't Wanna Know," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Into You," "Unwell" and "Where Is the Love." EMI Chairman & CEO Martin Bandier accepted the crystal trophy.

Other publishers garnering three or more awards were Universal Music Publishing (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc./Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.); Warner/Chappell Music Group (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. and Rick's Music, Inc.); Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Loco De Amor Music/Zomba Songs Inc.; and White Rhino Music.

In addition to Song of the Year "Here Without You," BMI recognized the performance achievements of two other songs. "Someday" by Nickelback earned Most Performed Song on College Radio kudos for songwriters Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Ryan Vikedal of the group and publisher Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," the most performed composition in BMI's repertoire of 6.5 million musical works, was certified as a 10 Million-Air, meaning it has been broadcast 10 million times. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and published by ABKCO Music, Inc., Mother Bertha Music, Inc., and Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc.

Phil Spector	Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Another special presentation was the announcement of the First Place winner of the 2005 John Lennon Scholarship Awards. Sydney Price, a 17-year-old junior at Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts in

The Battle For Everything has become more than the follow up to the smash America Town , it’s proof that Ondrasik is a singer/songwriter with real staying power. The evidence is all over Everything . There’s “100 Years,” the first single, a meditation on the poetry of time passing. But then there’s “The Taste,” whose delicate opening gets pulverized by slashing electric guitar and a raw, screaming vocal. A crocodile sings on “Disneyland,” loss and hope hover in the haunted melody of “If God Made You,” Heaven itself crashes and burns on “Infidel,” and on tunes like “The Devil in the Wishing Well” and “Nobody” turbulent lyrics and ambitious compositional structures unleashed panic back at the record label—for a minute, at least.

“When I was a kid I could put on Dark Side of the Moon , turn up the sound in my headphones, lie down in the dark, and go away,” Ondrasik remembers. “I wanted that experience again, and so I was ambitious to the point of absurdity. If I wanted drama, we got a thirty-piece orchestra. If we wanted a rock edge, we went after it with reckless abandonment. It was like doing my own private Quadrophenia .”

Months after the The Battle For Everything’s release both “100 Years” and “The Devil in the Wishing Well” have become radio hits. The record has been embraced by fans as another great work in the cannon of one of today’s finest singer/songwriters. and Ondrasik’s songs continue to inspire and spark imagination with their bristling mix of contemporary emotions and classic techniques.

Pictured accepting the Most Performed Foreign Work award for Ondrasik are John Anderson, Managing Director of EMI Music Publishing Australia and BMI's J.W. Johnson.

]]> 2003-06-25T18:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233196 Artists, Brooks & Dunn, Carlton, Vanessa, Creed, Crow, Sheryl, Dixie Chicks, Eminem, Five For Fighting, Ja Rule, Jars of Clay, Keith, Toby, Linkin Park, Lonestar, Lopez, Jennifer, McBride, Martina, McGraw, Tim, Nappy Roots, Nickelback, Shakira, Musical Styles, Country, Latin, R&B, Rock American Music Awards were announced recently in Beverly Hills (11/20). Superstar rapper Eminem led the list of BMI nominated artists with four nods, including Favorite Male Artist in both the Pop/Rock and Hip Hop/R&B categories.

Earning two nominations each were rockers Creed and Linkin Park, country darlings the Dixie Chicks, and hip hop group Nappy Roots. The music to the blockbuster hit movie, Spider-Man is up for Favorite Soundtrack.

The American Music Awards, whose nominees and winners are determined by fan voting, will be hosted by the Osbourne family and will air live on ABC on January 13, 2003 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Complete List of BMI American Music Awards Nominees

POP/ROCK
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem

Favorite Female Artist
Sheryl Crow

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Creed
Linkin Park
Nickelback (SOCAN)

Favorite Album
Eminem
The Eminem Show

HIP-HOP/R&B
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Ja Rule

Favorite Female Artist
Jennifer Lopez

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Nappy Roots

Favorite Album
Eminem
The Eminem Show

Favorite New Artist
Nappy Roots

COUNTRY
Favorite Male Artist
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Favorite Female Artist
Martina McBride

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Brooks & Dunn
Dixie Chicks
Lonestar

Favorite Album
Dixie Chicks
Home
Toby Keith
Unleashed

ALTERNATIVE
Favorite Artist
Creed
Linkin Park

ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Favorite Artist
Vanessa Carlton
Five For Fighting

LATIN
Favorite Artist
Shakira

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist
Jars Of Clay

SOUNDTRACK
Favorite Soundtrack
Spider-Man]]> 2002-11-21T17:00:01-05:00