View List of Award Winning Songs

BMI held its 56th Annual Pop Awards tonight, May 20, honoring Daryl Hall and John Oates as BMI Icons. Famed songwriter and producer Polow Da Don earned the coveted Songwriter of the Year crown, Hinder's ubiquitous "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year honors and Publisher of the Year went to EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. Held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, the invitation-only ceremony was hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Vice President/General Manager, Los Angeles, Barbara Cane and also recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most-performed pop songs from BMI's extensive catalog of more than 6.5 million compositions.

The evening's capstone took the form of a musical tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, who were named BMI Icons in recognition of their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." With this award, they join an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

The effervescent popularity of Daryl Hall and John Oates's magical collaborations springs from the duo's devout passion for Philly soul and buoyant pop harmonies. Warmly accessible and expertly polished, Daryl Hall and John Oates's smooth production utilizes undeniable hooks and innate contemporary lyrical sensibility. The resulting eight no. 1 singles, three double-platinum and two platinum albums catapulted the pair into pop superstardom; in 1987, Daryl Hall and John Oates became the best-selling rock duo of all time. Skilled songwriters, they are both members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, together boasting 24 BMI Pop Awards and a catalog studded with 14 BMI Million-Air award songs, including "She's Gone," "Everytime You Go Away," "Kiss On My List," "Maneater" and "Sara Smile." They have prompted a surge of interest and homage from a diverse bevy of new artists, who cite the pair as definitive influences. Restless creators, Daryl Hall and John Oates have spent much of the last decade touring throughout the world.

Polow Da Don's resounding claim to the BMI Songwriter of the Year title stems from penning four songs among the year's top 50: the Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons," featuring Snoop Dogg; Fergie's "London Bridge" and "Glamorous," featuring Ludacris; and "Runaway Love," recorded by Ludacris and featuring Mary J. Blige. Fergie's emphatic shout, "Polow!" in "London Bridge" embedded Da Don's first name in the pop culture psyche, while his hit-making expertise catapulted him to behind-the-scenes impresario. Polow Da Don's first BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year win arrives on the shoulders of his first four BMI Awards, underscoring his unparalleled breakout success in 2007.

Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year bragging rights thanks to generating the most airplay of any tune on BMI's most-performed pop song list during the designated award period. Co-written and recorded by BMI songwriters and Hinder band members Blower, Cody Hanson, Mark King, Michael Rodden and Austin Winkler, along with producer Brian Howes (SOCAN), the wistful tune climbed to the no. 1 slot of Billboard's Pop 100, Hot Digital Songs and Top 40 Mainstream charts, achieving broad crossover success. Country artist Jack Ingram's recording of the song also resonated, reaching the top 20 tier of Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. and Hinder Music Co., "Lips of an Angel" also earned the Internet Song of the Year win as the most performed song on the Internet during the award period.

EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. claimed its BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crown with a staggering 14 award songs and highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year's top 50. In addition to publishing Song of the Year "Lips of an Angel," EMI-Blackwood's catalog includes award-winners "Money Maker" (Ludacris feat. Pharrell), "Break It Off" (Rihanna feat. Sean Paul), "Glamorous" (Fergie feat. Ludacris), "Hurt" (Christina Aguilera), "Nothing Left to Lose" (Mat Kearney), "The Riddle" (Five for Fighting) and "U + Ur Hand" (Pink).

Nickelback also enjoyed a big night as members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Dan Adair (all SOCAN) each took home three BMI Pop Awards; songwriters earning two awards each included Christina Aguilera; Hinder's Blower, Cody Hanson, Michael Rodden, Mark King and Austin Winkler; Snoop Dogg, Chris Daughtry; Sean Garrett; Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier, Barry Stock, Brad Walst and Neil Sanderson (all SOCAN); Brian Howes (SOCAN); Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman and Andrew Hurley; Ne-Yo; Pink; and will.i.am.

Publishing companies Universal Music Publishing Group (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc./Universal Music-Careers/Universal Music-Z Songs), Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Warner/Chappell Music Group (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Unichappell Music, Inc.), Songs of Windswept Pacific, Cherry River Music Co., Chicago X Softcore Songs, Hinder Music Co., Hitco Music, My Own Chit Publishing, Pink Inside Publishing, Super Sayin' Publishing, Surface Pretty Deep Ugly Music, Team S Dot Publishing, will.i.am music, inc. and Xtina Music each garnered multiple awards.

The BMI Foundation's 11th Annual John Lennon Scholarship was presented to burgeoning jazz/pop songwriter Travis Knapp for his song "Before You Go."  A recent graduate of Ithaca College where he studied music and anthropology, Knapp is currently recording his sophomore collection of original music. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by generous donations from Gibson Musical Instruments, the prestigious John Lennon Scholarship program recognizes and fosters auspicious young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24.

But don’t mistake the young group with two platinum albums to their credit for an act that just expresses their angst. “Though we have some dark topics as to what's going on with life,” explains guitarist Barry Stock, “I think with Three Days Grace we always have that little twist of hope at the end. ‘Yeah, this is where I am and this sucks, but I'm getting out of it. I've found a better way.’ We've heard numerous times people say to us, believe it or not, ‘You saved my life.’ Especially with teenagers.”

And it was as teenagers that the core of Three Days Grace — singer/guitarist Adam Gontier, bassist Brad Walst and drummer Neil Sanderson — came together in the tiny Ontario town of Norwood, playing their first gigs in high school. Eventually shifting their base to Toronto, they joined forces with producer Gavin Brown and, thanks to a demo that included “I Hate (Everything About You),” won deals with EMI Music Publishing Canada and Jive Records.

By the time their self-titled debut was released in the summer of 2003, “I Hate…” was riding the top of the Canadian alternative rock radio charts. But the band wasn’t just going to rely on their immediate appeal on record, and set out on an extensive round of touring that linked their airplay with hard-won grassroots live rocking that pushed the album past the million mark.

“We've been doing this band since we were 17,” Sanderson says, “and we've realized there are no shortcuts. We know that you have to build it from the ground up.”

The years of steady road work did take their toll on singer Gontier, who put what he was feeling into the next batch of songs that Three Days Grace recorded for One-X, their second album. “From front to back, the lyrics of ‘One-X’ explore the different problems I had,” he explains. “I felt singled out. I wanted to be normal and I just wanted someone, anyone to help me. At a point, I finally came to realize that no matter how singled out I felt, there were so many others out there like me. I realized, ‘Okay, I'm not alone’.”

Especially when millions also bought their 2006 sophomore disc and continued to flock to the band’s shows. And as they ready a third album for release, Three Days Grace continue to give their music their all. “We just keep coming back and putting everything into it,” Sanderson concludes. “And it's paying off for us.”

Amazingly, the angst is always set against a backdrop of instantly catchy rock.

Three Days Grace formed in 1997 from the remnants of an earlier group called Groundswell in the act’s native Norwood, Ontario. In 2003, 3DG released its self-titled debut on Jive Records in the U.S. Although the album only reached No. 69 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, it sold steadily and strongly, ultimately reaching platinum certification for sales of more than one million copies.

The album was bolstered by the group’s almost instant arrival as a staple at modern rock radio. First single, “(I Hate) Everything About You,” the ultimate “can’t live with you/can’t live without you” anthem, reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart. It only took one more song for the group to land its first chart-topper with “Just Like You,” a biting, stinging ode to the end of a bitter relationship.

When it came time to work on the follow-up, One-X, the band drew on the experiences of isolation that come from constant touring and losing all comforts of home. Nowhere is that anguish clearer than on first single, “Animal I Have Become.”

“The road definitely got the better of us at times,” says drummer Neil Sanderson on the band’s website. “I know from my own point of view that you can kind of lose yourself out there and get caught up in the moment. It’s just the lifestyle. We were on a bit of a downward spiral out there, but we pulled out of it.”

Indeed, not only did the band—which also includes bassist Brad Walst and guitarist Barry Stock—“pull out it,” it thrived. Roadwork and radio play paid off in a major way: One-X entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5 this past summer.

And the good times kept coming. As if opening two dates for the Rolling Stones in Regina, Saskatchewan, in October weren’t enough of a thrill, the group ended 2006 on a high note, with “Animal I Have Become” claiming rock single of the year honors at the Billboard Music Awards.

The ride continues going into 2007. Three Days Grace is on tour with Flyleaf and current single “Pain” is its latest chart-topper. Even Three Days Grace would have to admit that hurts so good.