Some Thoughts on the Rock Hall’s Problematic Singles Category

At this past April’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, nominating committee member and 2014 inductee Steven Van Zandt introduced a brand new category: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Singles (which I will refer to as HOF Singles for the rest of this blog). He described the new category as “a recognition of the excellence of the singles that shaped rock 'n' roll, kind of a rock 'n' roll jukebox, records by artists not in the Rock Hall -- which is not to say these artists will never be in the Rock Hall. They just are not in the Rock Hall at the moment.” The six inaugural songs included Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats’ “Rocket 88” (1951), Link Wray & His Ray Men’s “Rumble” (1958), Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” (1960), The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” (1963), Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967), and Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” (1968). While all six songs are important in their own right, the new category presents more problems than solutions. While I applaud the Rock Hall for trying something different, the HOF Singles category is a step in the wrong direction for the institution.

A few months ago, Alex Voltaire observed the HOF Singles category “does have some of the makings of a ‘back-door induction” and he is absolutely correct. Three of the artists—Link Wray, Procol Harum, and Steppenwolf—have appeared on earlier Performers ballots in recent years and failed to receive enough votes for induction (via the old-fashioned way). But the newly created category is just one instance in a long line of accusations of back-door inductions and scandals for the Rock Hall. Remember the infamous Dave Five Clark-Grandmaster Flash vote count controversy in late 2006 (which lead to the latter becoming the Rock Hall’s first-ever hip-hop inductee)? Or Wanda Jackson’s bizarre placement in the Early Influence category despite receiving three prior nominations in the Performers category and the fact she started her career after the inital rock explosion in the mid-1950s? Or, akin to Wanda Jackson, the Rock Hall’s wrongful decision to place the great bluesmen Freddie King as an Early Influence in 2012? Or Nile Rodgers’ 2017 induction in the Musical Excellence category despite Chic’s record-setting 11 failed nominations? Even this past year’s ballot featured the pre-Rock gospel icon Sister Rosetta Tharpe on the Performers ballot and she was destined to receive induction in the Early Influence category (which she did). Why waste space for a coveted space for a performer if they are going to receive induction in a category determined by a special committee? A lot of things about the Rock Hall make hardly any sense and the new HOF Singles category continues this questionable trend.

There are a few reasons why I think the HOF Singles category was created, most of which involves direct involvement from Steven Van Zandt. When he’s not advocating the legitimacy of The J. Geils Band (nominated five times for induction and not inducted yet), two of Van Zandt’s HOF pet projects are Procol Harum and Link Wray. Van Zandt expressed his support for both artists on his Twitter page and he’s been especially vocal about Wray in the aftermath of last year’s documentary Rumble. Let’s face it, Van Zandt’s artists have not made the cut in recent years and he’s probably upset. Usually whatever Little Steven wants, he gets. Many of his favorites have gotten inducted in the past—The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, The Small Faces/Faces, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Cheap Trick—and he has a pretty good track record of getting who he wants inducted. Maybe it’s luck of the draw, maybe it’s nepotism. Who knows? So maybe this newly established category is a way for the Rock Hall to appease Little Steven and spotlight his favorites who cannot get enough votes for induction and settle for this category as a consolation prize. Hopefully a worthy band like The Zombies, one of Van Zandt’s favorites from the British Invasion era, does not see the same fate as Wray and Procol Harum (but who knows at this point).

Future Rock Legends, an excellent resource for all things Rock Hall, also posted an insightful article about the new category and its many problems. They offer a series of excellent questions about the new category: the lack of promotion for the new category before the ceremony, how often the category would occur at future ceremonies (annual, semi-annual, or a one-time thing?), if a special committee decided the chosen songs, whether a shortlist of nominees was composed, etc. A major source of controversy involves whether the Rock Hall notified the HOF Singles honorees in-advance. Maybe if they did, perhaps Steppenwolf’s John Kay or Chubby Checker could’ve attended the ceremony and maybe even performed for the live audience. The fact that the Rock Hall did not tell these living artists and their families ahead of time equates the award to a consolation prize and rather the award serves as a contradictory disservice to the people the Rock Hall wants to honor.

Some Rock Hall writers and bloggers have also noted how some previously nominated artists could benefit from an induction in the HOF Singles category (e.g., Ben E. King, Chic, MC5, Mary Wells). But at the same time, however, there are some artists with many important and/or influential songs in their careers and cannot be pinned down to a single song. Chuck Willis, as an example, is one of Rock’s earliest pioneers and nominated on six different occasions (most recently on the 2011 ballot). But he had over a dozen top 20 hits in his short career and none of them can stand-out as a contender for a HOF single. Sure, “C.C. Rider” (1957), “Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes” (1958) and “What Am I Living For” (1958) are classics, but can he really be pinned down to a single song? I don’t think so (although he will probably get an induction in the Early Influence category someday). The same can be said for The Zombies, nominated three times in the last five years. They have three huge hits—“She’s Not There” (1964), “Tell Her No” (1965), and “Time of the Season” (1968)—but which one could be chosen as a standout as a HOF single? This is preciously the problem with HOF Singles: it discounts an artist’s overture and reduces their legacy to a single song, even if they had other memorable or influential songs. See how the HOF Singles is highly problematic in this regard.

But part of the fun when the nominations are announced is the left-field choices lacking name recognition and discovering their undiscovered body of music. When the 2016 ballot was released I wrote off Los Lobos as a one-hit wonder for their hit remake of the Richie Valens’ anthem “La Bamba.” But the more I listened to their other works, I realized how strong their records were and how I was wrong to initially dismiss them. In fact, I firmly believe Will the Wolf Survive? is one of the strongest and most underrated records of the 1980s. I like when the nominating committee throws a curveball every once in a while. It helps broaden my musical horizon and explore music more unfamiliar music. I had the same epiphany for The Marvelettes and I believe they should one of the last Motown legends to get a Rock Hall induction.

One of the most puzzling mysteries about the HOF Singles is the fact the Rock Hall has not mentioned the existence of the new category on their website. If this new award is important, why not highlight it? HBO’s telecast dedicated nearly 10 minutes of airtime for the new category (ironically, this is almost the same amount of time devoted to Dire Straits) and we know how the channel edits those ceremonies down to three hours (ceremonies are on average 4-6 hours). Heck, it’s been almost five months after the ceremony and yet the Rock Hall cannot be bothered to recognize its existence? Something’s just not adding up here.

Another major problem would be the potential awkwardness of the honored artists appearing at a future ceremony. I’m sure Chubby Checker (who has advocated his induction to the Rock Hall for decades) and Link Wray’s daughter would have loved to appear onstage. Maybe they would have loved to receive a proper form of induction, but it’s still something.  Again, why couldn’t the Rock Hall let them know in advance and at least give them the option to appear in Cleveland? It’s like the Rock Hall does not take those things into consideration and this is both frustrating and unacceptable.

Unlike an induction in another category, the Rock Hall is only honoring one song in an artist’s discography as opposed to an entire career in the music industry. The speeches, if any, would be short and only focus on that one song. Unlike other Rock Hall categories, I do not believe a physical award or statue was made for the HOF Singles category. Maybe a performance by the band and that’s if any of the members are still alive. Another possibility for the Rock Hall could be providing a melody of the honored songs by artists inducted in other categories. The condensed 3-hour HBO telecast functions on some level as a grandiose concert, so maybe if some of the inductees or guests sang some of these songs it would give the award more credibility and meaning.

Another major problem is the honored artists in the Singles category are technically not Rock Hall inductees and do not receive ballots to vote in future years. Why would these artists want to show up in the first place if only the songs (and not the artists themselves) are inducted? The artists are not getting anything out of this. If anything, it’s a slap in the face to these artists and they deserve better.

Here’s my proposal in lieu of the Singles category: The Rock Hall should update their list of the “Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” Originally created by the museum’s staff in 2004 and revised in 2011, the list selects songs they consider the most important and influential in the history and development of rock and roll. Personally, the Rock Hall’s “Songs That Shaped Rock” list served as one of my main inspirations for broadening my musical interests and opened my ears to music from yesteryear.

Maybe the Rock Hall can announce a batch of new songs for the “Songs That Shaped Rock” list every year. Perhaps a dozen or so new songs added every year. The Rock Hall could announce the newly added songs during the dreadful “dead period” from mid-April (when the ceremonies take place) to early October (when the nominees for next year’s class are announced). This way it gives Rock Hall followers and writers something to expect.

It’s also about time the Rock Hall updates their list. Modern artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Arcade Fire, Rihanna, Daft Punk, White Stripes, Kayne West, and Beyonce should have some representation on the list too. Finally, I would not let the nominating committee decide which songs can to add. Rather, I would prefer the museum’s staff and a select number of writers, historians, and journalists for their input on the list. Besides the permanent Rock Hall staff, I would keep a revolving door of industry people to keep the list diverse. But this is just a thought for something the Rock Hall could do. And it’s been nearly 7 years since the last update.

Again, I do applaud the Rock Hall for introducing a new category and helping to honor neglected artists at their ceremonies. In hindsight, the HOF Singles is not an entirely bad idea and, if done correctly, can honor artists who probably have little-to-no chance against modern heavyweights (e.g., Radiohead, Soundgarden). But the convoluted explanations of the category’s parameters, the institution’s dirty behind closed-door politics, and the questionable tactics/motives behind the chosen songs make this an unsuitable award for potential HOF candidates.