While accepting the Ivor Novello Award in London on Thursday, Bruce Springsteen told a story about the first time he came to the British capital.
In 1975, Springsteen and his band arrived at Heathrow airport hungry and went in search of cheeseburgers. However, we learned that such exotic dishes have yet to make it to the other side of the pond and only fish and chips are sold.
Not knowing what “chips” were (the fattier, thicker and far superior British fries, in case you're still wondering), Boss refused the local delicacy and went hungry for his first British gig at Hammersmith Odeon. I poured it. There he saw a huge sign announcing, “London is finally ready for Bruce Springsteen!”
“And” Springsteen thought. “All I could think was, ‘If London isn’t ready for a cheeseburger, maybe I’m not ready for one.’”
Nearly 50 years later, British tastes have changed. The same goes for Ivors, now officially known as Ivors on Amazon Music. So while Thursday's ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel was the 69th Ivors, it was the first to award the top honor to an international composer, making Springsteen an Academy member.
(Note: Springsteen's culinary preferences may have continued to change. very While everyone else was eating guinea fowl, he couldn't pass up the European pork and cheese board he had specially requested for his table.)
Springsteen's fellowship means he joins an elite club that includes Kate Bush, Elton John, Annie Lennox and Paul McCartney, who recruited him.
Macca's arrival on stage sent a real ripple of excitement through the weary and slightly inebriated industry crowd, which soon turned into laughter as the former Beatle grilled his American friend.
McCartney tactfully added, “Unlike Bruce’s concerts, I will explain this concert briefly,” and then added, “I was curious about how Bruce would adapt to the Beatles. “In terms of ability, he’s definitely in the top five,” he said.
“I can’t think of anyone better suited for the first International Composer’s Fellowship,” he added with a serious expression. “Except maybe Bob Dylan. Or Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Beyonce, Taylor Swift… The list goes on.”
It was the kind of moment only Ivors could deliver. Two legendary figures enjoyed their ultimate relaxation not only in each other's company but also in front of a crowd delighted to provide a safe space to practice the art of songwriting, at least for a day. Center stage.
Springsteen smiled and hugged McCartney during his speech and delivered his trademark serious response. Complaining that he had lost his voice after performing in 'horrible weather' in Sunderland the night before, he paid tribute to the influence of McCartney's former band Rolling Stones and the Animals. “I was born in America and lived a very cold life, but when I was 16, I desperately wanted to become British.”
He also praised his record label, Sony Music Group, especially its UK chairman Rob Stringer (“Even though I’ve sold all my music, I still treat it like it’s my music,” he said. spoke about the contract). The less said about his attempts at a British accent, the better, but his awareness of his “long and beautiful history” in this country is unquestionable.
“What I wondered on the plane to England in 1975 was, ‘What do I have that will ever be enough to repay those who have given me so much?’ The answer is all I have. “Thank you for putting my music into your hearts and souls and including me in Britain’s challenging and beautiful cultural life.”
As it turns out, Boss wasn't the only American razzmatazz standout at this year's Ivors. Organizers pushed back the start time from the traditional morning kickoff to mid-afternoon, allowing America (at least on the East Coast) to hear Twitch's new, shiny, behind-the-scenes coverage (despite the presence of plenty of die-hard Brits). Officials were still in the nearby pub, Audley, well after the official kick-off time, proof that some Ivors traditions will live on forever.
Additionally, Universal Music Publishing Group CEO Jody Gerson presented Lana Del Rey with a Special International Award.
Gerson, one of Warner Chappell's powerful U.S.-based publishers that includes co-presidents Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall, called Del Rey “a true originalist who will be an outstanding artist in any era.” She is iconic and influential, her career transcends genres, and her songs and music will stand the test of time. “She is a treasure.”
Gerson emphasized that the best is yet to come for the influential artist. Unless Del Rey chooses to become a “waitress at a Waffle House in Alabama”, a suggestion that saw the star give the camera a two thumbs up sign.
Del Rey wanted to divert her moment in the spotlight, so she asked her British manager Ben Mawson and Tap Music's Ed Millett to stand up and be recognized by showing them a “500 Pounds” ad. She appeared on her event program for her. They complied, rather coyly, before the star recalled her days living in London, where she said: “I didn't know anyone and I didn't drink, so I had no friends other than people I knew. But they gave me a career here, which allowed me to return home. Now I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.”
Del Rey recently revealed that she turned down the opportunity to tour stadiums after winning Coachella.
“After Coachella, everyone treated me like a new artist. ‘Oh, she’s back’.” she said “I said it was like being on a new ship, but I didn’t want to go forward and do stadium tours, I wanted to figure out how to turn it into a glass ship that could fly. And I don't even know what that means. But I’m going to find out.”
So far, the transatlantic crossing has been so bizarre. But while her host Lauren Laverne took the Ivors through her Oscars moment in stride, keeping her proceedings smooth, there was plenty of her no-nonsense Britishness on display, too. Original Film Score award when Bat For Lashes was handed the wrong envelope and read the wrong top winner (“Poor Things” was immediately designated the rightful winner).
Ivors Academy chairman Tom Gray, who is also currently a shadow member of parliament, was one of the few politicians who did not stop attending the event after Chancellor Rishi Sunak called a snap general election the night before. “It is a celebration of composition everywhere in the world,” he said, warning that “composers should not be taken for granted.”
He wasn't alone. Raye, a back-to-back winner this season, won Songwriter of the Year and brought on stage her grandfather, a former aspiring songwriter who “stole a ton of songs from him,” according to Raye.
“This is for all the songwriters who aren't even in this room. They just need a break,” she said, repeating her request for record labels to award songwriters points for master recordings and travel/meal expenses for sessions.
“This is not a joke,” she fumed, as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. “We are very important. I'm talking about the silent beating heart of this industry: songwriters. We must stick together.”
Elsewhere, Squeeze composer Chris Difford gave an entertaining speech as he presented the Outstanding Song Collection award to KT Tunstall.
“KT has recently joined the ranks of those who have supported Squeeze and done much better,” he quipped. “REM, Police, Bon Jovi, Jam, Dire Straits and U2 have all supported Squeeze over the years. Today proves that Squeeze's support slot is the gift that keeps on giving. Unless, of course, you are a flock of seagulls…
In return, Tunstall announced a new publishing deal with BMG (with a look at the official announcement the next day) and recalled the Ivors' first win with “Suddenly I See” in 2006, writing in his diary: Damn Aibo. “I had no idea that was going to happen and I wore really bad jeans.” “So this time I got dressed,” she said.
Veteran pop star Lulu presented Elton John's long-term writing partner Bernie Taupin with the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, noting: “If you travel anywhere in the world and turn on the radio, Bernie can connect with us.”
In response, Taupin apologized for how he and Reg Dwight at the time were merely “working songwriters” and entered a preliminary song for the UK's Eurovision Song Contest entry, which Lulu had to sing on television as part of the selection process. The song was not chosen, and Lulu ended up being the joint winner of the contest with another song, “Boom Bang-a-Bang”.
“Between that terrible song and today, I probably did something right to win,” Taupin said.
I also saw many new faces. Skepta won the Visionary Award (“I know every composer in this room feels that what we do is no longer valuable, and technology can do what we do, but our talent can't be taken away. It doesn't exist.”).
Dave collected a PRS for Most Performed Work in Music for his Central Cee collaboration, “Sprinter” (“As a songwriter, it's amazing to see so many people sharing the same feelings in one building”).
And last year's Rising Star winner Victoria Canal returned to win Best Song, Musical and Lyrical for “Black Swan” (the song she performed live at the awards ceremony).
All of this has led to a vibrant event with far more international star power than the Brit Awards, which are typically the more high-profile recorded music competition.
Whether Ivors can go on to win remains to be seen as the top prize will now be open to all contestants. Much of the conversation during the aftershow focused on how the hosts could top this year's McCartney-Springsteen combination.
But that can wait. There was only one way to end this year's proceedings. Springsteen took up guitar and harmonica and wheezed out “Thunder Road.” His voice cracked, but he still energized the crowd, who couldn't believe he had a front row seat. For shows, you can usually only see them at stadiums.
And even when everyone dispersed to the party, Springsteen's speech still lingered in the memory.
“It used to be a dream, but today it has become a reality,” he said. “I think London is finally…ready for a cheeseburger.”
And as the Ivors move towards a potentially bold international future, the only question remaining is this: Would you like some French fries too?
The full list of Ivors winners is below:
academy fellowship
bruce springsteen
Excellent collection of songs from PRS for Music
KT Tunstall
Outstanding contribution to British music
Bernie Taupin
Amazon Music's Visionary Award
Skepta
Named Songwriter of the Year by Amazon Music
ray
special international award
king's wool
best album
““Black classical music”
Written by Yussef Dayes, Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey.
Yussef Dayes performance
Music published in the UK by YD Music – Kobalt Music Publishing and Sentric Music
Best contemporary song
“Geronimo Blues”
Written by Kwake Bass, Peter Bennie, Biscuit, Raven Bush and Kae Tempest.
Speakers Corner Quartet feat. cat tempest
Music published in the UK by Warp Publishing and Domino Publishing Company
The best song musically and lyrically
““black swan”
Written by Victoria Canal, Jonny Lattimer and Eg White.
Victoria Canal performance
middleusic published in the UK by Second Songs – Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music Ltd and Universal Music Publishing.
PRS for most performed works of music
“Sprinter”
Written by Central Cee, Dave, Jo Caleb and Jonny Leslie.
Dave & Central Cee's performance;
Music published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music Ltd and Kobalt Music Publishing
Amazon Music's Rising Star Award
master piece
Best Original Movie Score
““Poor things”
Composed by Jerskin Fendrix
Music published in the UK by Sony Music Publishing
Best Original Video Game Score
“'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor'
Composed by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab.
Music published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
Best TV Soundtrack
“The next event is based on a bundle of lies.
Composed by Arthur Sharp
BDi Music obo Music published in the UK by Sister Pictures and Rights Worldwide.