Taylor Swift Honored at Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony

Although she wasn't inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Taylor Swift was presented with the Hal David Starlight Award, which honors up-and-coming songwriters, The Associated Press reports.

Swift's friend, John Mayer, gave the award to the 'You Belong to Me' singer. "She's no accident," he said. "You could put her in a time machine in any era and she would have a hit record."

Mayer added, "Don't confuse everybody loving one thing as hype. Sometimes that's everyone agreeing that it's fabulous."

Other honorees included Paul Simon, Phil Collins and Leonard Cohen.

"I thought, 'Hmm, that's better than I usually write.' I was completely surprised that I wrote it -- it was completely unlike anything I had ever done before," he said of his tune.

Collins, who already belongs to the Hall of Fame, was granted the Johnny Mercer Award, while Cohen was inducted along with Jackie DeShannon, who wrote 'Bette Davis Eyes,' Bob Marley, Laura Nyro, Johnny Mandel, known for the 'M.A.S.H.' theme, and David Foster.

Comments

(71)

Saturday 19 June

By TOM

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Bill, Do your home work Taylor was a star and had many award"s before West acted like a idiot.

By NotMyMusicBut

Her music's not for me Neither is that of Elvis Presley, Lil' Wayne, Barbara Streisand, Madonna or Justin Bieber. I don't have any of them on my IPOD. Having said that, since they're all established stars, it's apparently MY personal tastes that are in question, not the ability of the performers all you negative twits out there.

Friday 09 July

By TJ

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

{A Sarcastic Response to TS.}
Hey Y'all I'm Taylor Swift.
I don't sing so well-
But I'm so pretty.
I can't carry a tune-
But I'm thin and have long blond hair.
I win awards I don't deserve,
Because I date celebrities.
If Adell-who has more talent- looked like me,
She'ed have my career!

By PAUL

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TJ, Give it up you"ll never be a singer as good as Taylor.

By will

DEAR ROD....I think you should spend some time playing with your 'rod' since you think she is talented. By the way..I am in the music indusry..you moron!

By Rod

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Nice, mature response, Will. What part of the music "indusry" are you in? Sweeping the studio after everyone has gone home?

I wasn't writing directly to you before, but if you think my previous post fits you...well, like they say, if the shoe fits.

By T

It's not about blond hair, it's not about singing well. It's about songwriting. If you've ever heard Leonard Cohen sing? Great songs mind you but extremely limited in his vocal ability. TS captures that teen age "butterfly angst" in her songs that people my age (and Leonards) have forgotten. And frankly, no other young songwriter has had the success she has had over the last couple years. BTW, I am a songwriter and I know many other really fine songwriters. ITS HARD! Exponentially hard to do it well enough to get a hit song much less a handfull over a couple years.

By m

And Kanye didn't interrupt? Cool.

By Emily

Um, the song is "You Belong With Me," not "You Belong To Me." PopEater fails.

By ofalaska

She wrote more hit tunes between the ages of fifteen and eighteen than anybody else alive, for your info. I'm a sixty year old dad who knew Jerry Garcia, Jessie Colin Young and Neal Young, and I haven't seen anybody with more talent at her age. Saw her live March 11th, and she was great. I wonder how she fooled people in 14 countries to make number one in each, has the biggest album of the twenty-first century, is the most downloaded artist in history and it's all "hype." And any IDIOT who think's Kanye West "made" her obvously wears diaper pants, a dildo hat and has a two-digit I.Q!

By Mike

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Swift couldn't carry a note in a hand basket. She's a fraud.

By annie

Taylor Swift write wonderful songs that might not be everyone taste, but appeals to a lot of people..a good song does not have to be deep and depressing to be good. Only people who have nothing better to do but gripe about life and how everyone and everything sucks (except them of course) think that. A great song is a song that speaks to you and makes you remember something and feel something...and some of us haven't had a life that is so miserable that we have to be cussed or told have life is pure hell to think "Wow, that's a great song". It great to have songs out there, that my kids can listen to and I don't have to wash their mouths out with soap when they sing along I think it refreshing to see a 20 year old with a positive and upbeat personality. Taylor you deserve to be recognize for what you are, a outstanding song writer.

By Ruth

Question? Have you ever heard Bob Dylan sing? If you have then you know that a person can be a great songwriter and a horrible singer!

Wednesday 06 October

By mybackpages

When Rolling Stone Magazine published "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" a few weeks ago, Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" was #1- and that's forty-five years after he released it! It's still considered one of the best songs of all time, Dylan's singing voice on it included, since he still has the definitive version of it. I wouldn't count Taylor Swift's songs to still be on top in 45 years. She'll be with the Leif Garretts and Debbie Gibsons, etc. of their era. Taylor Swift is a corporate music fraud. She doesn't deserve to be standing in the same room with Paul Simon let alone win an award the same night.

By KN

Give me a break! She is the worst singer/songwriter I've ever heard. Bubblegum country, yuk! I guess country music was desperate to find the next 'star'. More like falling star...
I can't stand her. She makes me turn the station every time she's on.

By JONI

I can't believe people think, this girl can sing. she a terrible singer.

By rewster

I ve got 1 more reward for her also....the 1 that says she doesnt sing country...she isnt country and cant write nor sing

By jane

I realize she is unique in her talent at her age, but even if the songs' lyrics change, the melody never does. Please before we give her sainthood, let her mature/mellow a little.

By Judy

It cant be a fluke that she has had as many awards that she has had. You people that think she cant sing or write should grow up. You probably just plain jealous that she has a lot of talent in both and has her own band, bus to travel in etc. Oh yea she is the youngest person in her band and anyone else that is part of her show and before they do anything they get her permission.

By Annie Oakley

Congratulations to Taylor Swift. She deserves the award. Taylor's songwriting does capture the song buying public with her lyrics that many of us can relate to. The messages in many of her songs such as Love Story and You Belong to me are both simple, yet straightforward, truthful and relatable to the angst that all of us go through.

To her detractors, everyone has a different opinion and taste, but you can't argue with success. To date, Taylor Swift has sold over 10 million albums worldwided. Can't argue with 10 million of us who enjoy her songs, auto-tuned in the studio or not. It is about the lyrics.

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