Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey & Former Members of R.E.M. Among 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees

Key songs: “Jesus Take the Wheel,” “Girl Crush,” “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Always Remember Us This Way,” “Million Reasons”

Notes: Lindsey, who is in her mid-40s, is this year’s only female inductee. Lindsey, a native of Georgia, has won three Grammys – best country song for the Carrie Underwood hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and the Little Big Town hit “Girl Crush” and best song written for visual media for “I’ll Never Love Again,” performed by Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born. Lindsey has received 10 Grammy nominations – all in songwriting categories.

Lindsey has won three Academy of Country Music Awards – two awards for songwriter of the year (2018-19) as well as the Tex Ritter Film Award for A Star Is Born. She has won one Country Music Association Award – song of the year for “Girl Crush.” Lindsey was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.

Key songs: “SexyBack,” “Get Ur Freak On,” “Pony,” “Big Pimpin’,” “The Way I Are”

Notes: Timbaland, 51, is this year’s only inductee who is a person of color. Timbaland has won four Grammys – best dance recording for Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” (featuring Timbaland) and “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows” and best R&B song for Timberlake’s “Pusher Love Girl” and Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z’s “Drunk in Love.”

His other songwriting nominations are for the Missy Elliott hit “Get Ur Freak On” (best R&B song) and Elliott’s “Work It,” 50 Cent’s “Ayo Technology” (featuring Timberlake and Timbaland) and Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake’s “Holy Grail” (all best rap song).

Key songs: “Footloose,” “Fame,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” “All the Man That I Need,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”

Notes: Pitchford was just 29 when he won an Oscar for best original song for co-writing “Fame” with Michael Gore. That song also received a Grammy nod for song of the year. Pitchford wrote the screenplay, and co-wrote all the songs, for the 1984 blockbuster Footloose. The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 for 10 consecutive weeks and spawned a pair of No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose” and Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.”

Even some of the songs that weren’t massive hits at the time, such as Bonnie Tyler’s “Holdin’ Out for a Hero” (No. 34 on the Hot 100) have become famous. Pitchford, 72, has amassed seven Grammy nods, including best R&B song for Shalamar’s hit “Dancing in the Sheets” – see what he did there? – another of the Footloose hits.

Key songs: “Losing My Religion,” “Everybody Hurts,” “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine),” “Radio Free Europe,” “The One I Love”

Notes: The band won three Grammys in 1992 – best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal and best music video – short form for “Losing My Religion” and best alternative music album for Out of Time. The band members have been nominated for two songwriting Grammys. “Losing My Religion” was nominated for song of the year. “The Great Beyond” from Man in the Moon was nominated for best song written for a motion picture, television or other visual media. R.E.M. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Key songs: “Reelin’ in the Years,” “My Old School,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Black Friday,” “Kid Charlemagne”

Notes: Steely Dan won three Grammys in 2001 – album of the year and best pop vocal album for Two Against Nature and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for “Cousin Dupree.” Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Becker, who died in 2017, is this year’s only posthumous honoree.

Fagen achieved two songwriting nominations on his own – song of the year for his solo hit “I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)” and best song written specifically for a motion picture or television for “Century’s End” from Bright Lights, Big City.