More awards for you, and US collecting society BMI staged its annual European awards in London yesterday, paying tribute to songwriters whose music has performed well in the American market in the last year.
Roxette's 'Listen To Your Heart' was named 'Song Of The Year', which you might find surprising given that it was released in 1989, but Belgian pop group DHT released a cover version of it last year, which had considerable success in the States. Roxette's Per Gessle and his fellow songwriter Mats Persson were presented with both the 'Song Of The Year' gong, and the BMI's 'Robert S Musel Award' which is pretty prestigious, apparently. More importantly, this all reminded me just how great Roxette were - and I'm working my way through their back catalogue right now courtesy of YouTube and their wonderful, if slightly illegal, video jukebox (Roxette weren't signed to Warner, I don't think).
Back to the BMI Awards, and Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and De La Soul's David Jolicoeur won the title of College Song Of The Year for Gorillaz track 'Feel Good Inc', the most played European song on US college radio last year. Meanwhile the Dance Award went to the writers of the Cascada hit 'Everytime We Touch' - Stuart MacKillop, Maggie Reilly and Peter Risavy.
On a lifetime achievement theme, BMI's 'Icon' award went to Kinks man Ray Davies in recognition of his string of hits including, of course, 'Waterloo Sunset', 'You Really Got Me' and 'Lola'. Which reminds me, I haven't played my Kinks greatest hits album in a while. I wonder if there's any Kinks stuff on YouTube...?