Lou Reed è in lizza per entrate nel “Songwriters Hall of Fame”, la Hall of Fame dedicata ai cantautori, insieme ad altri artisti tra i quali Elvis Costello, U2, Leonard Cohen e John Mellecamp.

Così recita la motivazione: “L’aspetto compositivo dell’influente carriera musicale di Lou Reed è iniziata come compositore di ufficio per la Pickwick Records, dove creò la prima hit dance “The Ostrich“. Per supportare il brano fu creato il gruppo dei Primitives, che includeva il musicista gallese John Cale, con il quale Reed avrebbe fondato i Velvet Underground nel 1965 insieme a Sterling Morrison e Maureen Tucker. Il gruppo storico ha aiutato ad asfaltare la strada per l’esplosione punk rock degli anni ’70 con brani come “Heroin” e “Sweet Jane“. Sono stati inseriti nella Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nel 1996, molto dopo che Lou Reed si era affermato come un cantante-compositore solista di grande rilievo grazie anche a titoli come “Walk On The Wild Side” e “Dirty Blvd.“

La Songwriters Hall of Fame è divisa in due categorie, cantautori e autori puri. Queste le nomination:

Cantautori:

Garth Brooks (If Tomorrow Never Comes, The Thunder Rolls, Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til the Sun Comes Up), Papa Loved Mama)
Leonard Cohen (Suzanne, Hallelujah, Bird on a Wire, Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye)
Elvis Costello (Alison, Watching the Detectives, Everyday I Write the Book, Almost Blue)
Dion DiMucci (Runaround Sue, Donna the Prima Donna, Love Came to Me, Lovers Who Wander)
David Gates (Make It With You, If, Baby I’m-a Want You, Everything I Own)
Tommy James (Crimson in Clover, I Think We’re Alone Now, Mony Mony, Crystal Blue Persuasion)
John Mellencamp (Pink Houses, Small Town, The Authority Song, Jack & Diane)
Lou Reed (Walk on the Wild Side, Sweet Jane, Rock & Roll, Heroin)
Leon Russell (This Masquerade, Superstar, A Song For You, Delta Lady)
Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen (Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Beautiful Day, New Year’s Day)
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) (Peace Train, Wild World, Morning Has Broken, The First Cut is the Deepest)
Maurice White, Phillip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn, Al McKay (September, That’s the Way of the World, Shining Star, Sing A Song)

Autori:

Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart (Come a Little Bit Closer, I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone, I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?, Last Train to Clarksville)
Jackie DeShannon (Bette Davis Eyes, Everytime You Walk Into a Room, Put a Little Love in Your Heart, Dum Dum)
Luther Dixon (Sixteen Candles, Soldier Boy, Boys, I Don’t Want to Cry)
David Foster (I Have Nothing, You’re the Inspiration, After the Love Is Gone, The Prayer)
Mark James (Hooked on a Feeling, Suspicious Minds, Moody Blue, (You Were) Always On My Mind)
Robert John “Mutt” Lange ((Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Photograph, Get Outta My Dreams Get Into My Car, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman)
Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones (My Cup Runneth Over, Try To Remember)
Johnny Mandel (The Shadow Of Your Smile, Emily, A Time For Love, Suicide is Painless)
Jerry Ragovoy & Bert Berns (Cry Baby, Twist and Shout, Piece of My Heart, Time is On My Side)
Billy Sherrill (Stand By Your Man, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, My Elusive Dreams, Almost Persuaded)
Joe South (Rainy Night in Georgia, Hush, Games People Play, Down in the Boondocks)
Paul Vance & Neil Pockriss (Playground in My Mind, Catch a Falling Star, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Tracy)