We hate to be those guys, but we’re willing to bet that you haven’t heard of Rick Nowels, Jimmy Napes, RuthAnne, and Fraser T. Smith.
We’re also pretty sure that the names Sunmisola Agbebi, Richard Kerr, Shaznay Lewis, and Izzey Cross won’t ring a bell either. That’s fine, though – they’d prefer it to be that way. In fact, we’re pretty sure that all that those people will really care about is whether or not you’ve heard their songs.
And, you have. After all, who in this day and age hasn’t cried their freshly heartbroken eyes out to Set Fire To The Rain, White Flag, Summertime Sadness, or Stay With Me?
And who hasn’t then attempted to dance away their feelings to the strains of Genie In A Bottle, Big For Your Boots, Too Little Too Late, Heaven Is A Place On Earth, or Life Is A Rollercoaster, before retiring quietly to their bedroom to wind down to the mellow sounds of Broken Strings, Lay Me Down, or even – whisper it – Mandy by Barry Manilow?
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For us, the best music is more than a series of chords, notes, and melodies.
It’s a collection of moments, feelings, and memories that we’ve accumulated over the years. Heartbreaks, triumphs, and road trips, all soundtracked by those brilliant songs.
And, for those moments, we’ve got those songwriters to thank. Without the Napes, Smiths, Lewises, and Nowels of the world, your favourite artist might never have written your favourite song. They’re the unsung, un-singing heroes of the music business – and, at The Ivors Academy’s The Other Songs Live event at London’s Palladium, they finally got the credit they deserve.
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You see, this wasn’t a night spent fawning over artists or gushing over celebrities.
It was a night where the song, and the song’s writers, were pushed to the front and center. Whether it was Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart providing a stem-by-stem breakdown of the writing of Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These), Richard Kerr delivering a tender piano rendition of his track ‘Mandy’, or Rick Nowels effectively running through a Now That’s What I Call Classic Pop setlist of songs he just happened to also have written, the show was a genuine celebration of the behind-the-scenes creatives who aren’t always given their due.
And that, dear reader, is what made it so special. It’s not unusual for successful artists to be lauded, praised, and shouted about for the quality of their work – but it is for the songwriters behind them to be celebrated in the same way.
One might argue that it’s a shame that in order for these plaudits to be to the songwriters they work with, there needs to be a flagship event at the London Palladium. However, we’re not going to complain if it means that we get to enjoy nights like those.