Mike Love gave thanks to his late cousin and Beach Boys bandmate and co-writer Brian Wilson during his Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in New York on Thursday night, telling the crowd of fellow writers and industry insiders that “I do feel his presence” in the room as he accepted his honor.
Love’s induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame came just a day after Wilson died on Wednesday at age 82, and 25 years after Wilson was inducted into the Hall himself back in 2000.
“I especially must thank my cousin Brian Wilson,” Love said on Thursday. “My first cousin by blood but brother in music, together we set the stage for some of the most successful music collaborations of all time.”
Love was inducted by John Stamos, a famously huge Beach Boys fan who’s collaborated with the band frequently. In his induction speech, Stamos said that Love chronicled “the American dream” with the songs he wrote.
“He made the whole world want to be us: sun-kissed, carefree, full of promise,” Stamos said. “His lyrics were cinematic. What’s a song without a hook? What’s a hook without a picture in your head or a memory in your heart? Mike Love knows how to write that song.:
Love performed “California Girls,” with John Stamos beside him adorned with a sparked gold electric guitar before going through culture-defining hits “I Get Around,” “Kokomo” and “Good Vibrations.”
Love’s induction and performance was just one of several major moments in a ceremony that also celebrated funk legend George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons and hitmakers Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Tony Macaulay as this year’s inductees. Broadway icon Stephen Schwartz was also recognized as this year’s Johnny Mercer Award recipient, while rising star Gracie Abrams received the Hal David Starlight Award.
Living Color kicked off the evening to induct Clinton, opening the night with a rousing rendition of Funkadelic’s “Cosmic Slop, complete with shredding guitar solos from Vernon Reid.
Clinton came to the stage afterward for his speech, strutting to “We Want the Funk” and wearing a cream pinstriped suit, a bedazzled gold captain’s hat and a Sly and the Family Stone shirt, presumably in homage to his close friend Sly Stone, who also died this week.
In his speech, Clinton acknowledged his previous honors and awards like his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but said that “This one hits different, this comes from people who truly know what it means to be a songwriter,” Clinton said. The 83-year-old stuck around the stage, performing a lively rendition of the Parliament’s “(I Wanna) Testify” afterward.
Debbie Gibson also took the stage to perform a cover of the Tony Macaulay-penned classic “Build Me Up Butter Cup.” “Tony’s list of accolades is the stuff of legend.” Gibson told the crowd. “Wouldn’t the world be a happier place if we all sang “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes?””
Dan+Shay inducted Gorley, playing an extensive mashup of several of the country songwriting legend’s hits including Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” Luke Bryan’s “Play it Again,” Carrie Underwood’s “All-American Girl” Post Malone and Wallen’s “I Had Some Help.”
Gorely’s daughter came up for her father, giving a speech before she performed Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This,” which Gorely wrote with Lee Thomas Miller.
Teddy Riley inducted Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, who recalled his early days as a producer and songwriter, recalling how his father took out $1,200 from his life insurance policy to buy his son production equipment.
“As a little boy at five years old, I used to write poetry for my mother, whso would cherish every word, every rhyme,” Riley said. “She didn’t know it then, but she was nurturing the soul of a songwriter.”
Jerkins further spoke about how Clive Davis consistently rejected early songs he’d pitch to the legendary executive until he finally brought him Whitney Houston’s classic “It’s Not Right, But It’s OK.”
“Clive turned me down and said get back to work. The greatest way to become successful is to be turned down,” Jerkins said. “Those failures turn to wins, it builds you. I came back to Clive’s office, the next year and the next year until I walked into his office with “It’s Not Right, But it’s OK,” and Clive told me ‘I think you’ve got it, Rodney.’”
In one of the sweetest (and most impressive) moments of the evening, Jerkins’ four children performed a string-arranged cover of Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy is Mine” as their father looked on.
Musical theater songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul introduced Schwartz, while Mary Kate Morrisey and Kristin Chenoweth duetted “For Good from Wicked.”
By the latter half of the evening, the National’s Aaron Dessner had introduced Gracie Abrams, his friend and frequent writing partner, as she was presented with the Hal David Starlight Award.
She’s one of the most gifted lyricists and melodic artists I’ve ever heard,” Dessner said of Abrams. “Emotional narratives conveyed in her songs are uncompromising, honest, sung from the heart, and deeply moving and relatable to her fans.
Abrams, who soon after performed her song “Free Now,” told the crowd that “the truth is I love songwriters, and I’ll never stop pinching myself that anyone, let alone the Songwriters Hall of Fame, considers me one.”
Garth came out soon after and immediately opened with “Long Train Runnin’” before jumping into “China Grove” to induct the Doobies’ McDonald, Johnston and Simmons.
“We can talk about how great they were decades ago, but trust me, more people are listening to the Doobie Brothers today than they ever have,” Brooks said. “It’s feel-good music, undeniable Doobies, some of the greatest songwriting ever.”
The Doobies, for their part, played their hits “Black Water” and “Takin’ It to the Streets” before finishing the night with their ultimate yacht rock classic “Listen to the Music.”
“It’s just amazing to think we would be named along people like Stephen Schwartz on that list,” McDonald said before they played. “If I could send a message to all the writers in this room, I’d say thank you for the inspiration. We’ve learned from you, we’ve imitated you our whole lives. We’re honored to be among you.”
