Famed lyricist Tim Rice nearly caused several heart attacks at the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner Thursday night in the Marriott Marquis ballroom.
Rice seemed to be telling the star-studded audience his heartfelt feelings about working with his longtime collaborator Andrew Lloyd Weber.
“Would you like to work with someone who takes 75 percent of the credit, work with a fellow who takes 75 percent of the money and chases after every woman he comes across in the theater?” Rice asked, with dead seriousness. A hush fell over the several hundred people dressed in formal wear. “Would you like to work with a guy like that?” Rice queried in a booming English accent.
Could it be that long-held opinions of Weber were about to be validated in public?
Then he delivered the punch line: “Neither did Andrew.”
There actually was a group sigh of relief and even some laughter. Whew!
Rice was on stage introducing another collaborator, Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast”), who was one of the night’s recipients at this warmly received, always top-notch affair. (Why, oh why, so many guests ask, can’t the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame be like this?)
Under the guidance of Linda Moran and songwriter Hal David, the SHOF also honored country legend Loretta Lynn; perennial hitmaker Paul Anka (“My Way”); Desmond Child (“Livin’ La Vida Loca,” “Living on a Prayer,” “Dude Looks Like a Lady”); John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful (“Summer in the City,” “Do You Believe in Magic?”); as well as the Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik; famed publisher Milt Okun; the rich-voiced Canadian superstar Anne Murray (“Snowbird”); and writer-singer Albert Hammond (“It Never Rains in Southern California”).
All of the writers performed their own material, with special guests including John Legend, Lee Ann Womack, Natasha Bedingfield, the Naked Brothers and Tom Paxton. Retired New York Yankee great Bernie Williams played disarmingly beautiful blues guitar to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” winner of this year’s Towering Song Award.
The audience included a few of the remaining leading lights in the ailing record business including manager Peter Asher; Sire’s Seymour Stein; music publishers such as Evan Lamberg, John Titta and Marty Bandier; Mark Shimmel; NARAS chief Neil Portnow; a large contingent from BMI; Norman Chesky; and Mary Jo Mennella.
But even though the night was a huge money-maker, the landscape of the business has changed the players. The major record labels were not represented by their leaders. For example: WMG’s Edgar Bronfman, someone said, was traveling in Greece. The industry, it now feels, is being run by remote control.
Desmond Child, whose speech was warm and funny, noted this when he said: “This is everyone in the record business. Quick, lock the doors. Don’t let anyone leave!”
As usual, it was a night full of tremendous performances. Lynn, wearing a sequined powder-blue full-length gown with puffy shoulders, was simply a knockout. The 74-year-old cracked wise and then sang her signature song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
It was such a rousing success that she then advised the house band to follow her on a number no one had rehearsed — “Don’t Come Home A-Drinking With Loving on Your Mind.” Again, she hit a home run and taught the musicians a lesson: Be ready for anything.
“In Nashville, I like to aggravate people,” this “steel magnolia” said. More to the point, she said that when she heard she was receiving a writers’ award, she already was on the plane to New York. “I love writing more than anything,” she said.