Sir Paul McCartney charmed the viewers together with his playful humor whereas honoring Bruce Springsteen on the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards on Thursday. The legendary Beatle took the stage to current Bruce with the largest honor of the evening—the Fellowship of the Songwriting Academy.
Sir Paul warmly however teasingly praised Springsteen as an ideal match, then advised a number of different names. “I can't consider a extra excellent particular person,” he mentioned with a twinkle in his eye. “Besides possibly Bob Dylan. Or Paul Simon, or Billy Joel, or Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift. The listing is lengthy.”
Sir Paul, recognized for his fast wit, added: “He's referred to as the American working man, however he admits he's by no means labored a day in his life.” Imagining Springsteen as a member of the Beatles, he joked: “With regards to expertise, he'd positively be within the prime 5.”
Bruce was in good spirits and hugged Sir Paul as he got here on stage, his voice significantly hoarse after a three-hour, rain-soaked live performance in Sunderland the earlier evening.
© Getty PhotosRegardless of the difficult situations, he by no means considered canceling the present. “We got here out final evening, and I used to be considering, 'What sort of climate is that this? Heavy rain, heavy wind,'” he mentioned. “However standing in entrance of me within the rain, I spotted: These are my individuals.”
Recalling his early days within the UK, Bruce shared a humorous reminiscence of his first go to to London in 1975.
© Bruce Glikas“The airplane meals wasn't that nice, and once we landed at Heathrow my first thought was, 'The place are all of the cheeseburgers?' The cheeseburgers had both been hidden or changed with one thing referred to as fish and chips. It was a bit disturbing.”
He added, “Then our subsequent cease was the Hammersmith Odeon, the place I used to be greeted by an enormous signal that learn: 'London is lastly prepared for Bruce Springsteen.' And I simply thought, 'If London isn't prepared for a cheeseburger, it won’t be prepared for me!'”
© GettyBruce was warmly acquired by the group on the Ivor Novello Awards and cheered when he carried out a soulful, albeit raspy, rendition of “Thunder Highway”.
He’s solely the twenty seventh particular person to obtain a Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, becoming a member of a prestigious group that features Sir Elton John, Joan Armatrading, John Barry, Kate Bush and Sir Paul himself.
This honor celebrates Bruce's huge affect on tradition. With greater than 140 million information offered and quite a few awards together with an Oscar, Tony and 20 Grammy Awards, his music has deeply linked with working class America. From the uncooked vitality of his early hits to the business success of Born within the USA and the introspective, political themes of his more moderen work, Springsteen's anthems have turn out to be the voice of a era.
© Getty PhotosThe viewers included Elbow's Man Garvey, a faithful fan. “He's carrying the torch for people music within the rock world,” he informed the BBC. “His energy is unbelievable. He solely has one boss.”
Sir Paul ended his speech on a fond notice, recalling Springsteen's promise to affix him on stage at Glastonbury – a promise he saved regardless of the delay brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. “He's a beautiful man,” Sir Paul added with a smile, reflecting the camaraderie and mutual respect between the 2 icons.
