2022 Class - Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame

A hearty congratulations to ALL the nominees and inductees this year!

This piece will explore the music (with song charts) of only a handful of the inductees, but they (and all the nominees) are worthy of your ear! I've chosen a handful based on a guitar-centric approach, but we could easily explore the rhythmic vocal approach or lyrical approach of Eminem or the layered production of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, for two examples.

First, our list of the entire Class of 2022 (performer section in bold):

Pat Benatar

Eminem

Duran Duran

Eurythmics

Dolly Parton

Lionel Richie

Carly Simon

Harry Belafonte (early influence)

Elizabeth Cotton (early influence)

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (musical excellence award)

Judas Priest (musical excellence award)

Allen Grubman (AE Award)

Jimmy Iovine (AE Award)

Sylvia Robinson (AE Award)

Now let's check out a few artists and songs!

1) Pat Benatar

Pat, along with husband/guitarist/producer/co-writer Neil Giraldo, helped shape both the sound and look of the 1980s and '80s arena rock. Pat's classical voice background gave her amazing vocal chops that she fused seamlessly with an incredible rock aesthetic. Add to this Neil's searing electric guitar work (also heard on songs by Rick Springfield, Tom Waits, Rick Derringer, and others) and their ability to write hard rocking riffs with extremely catchy melodies, and you get a deadly musical combo!

It was tempting to go with standards like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" or "Promises in the Dark", but I thought we'd go to a straight ahead, acoustic guitar based strum song...which will shed light on just how good this duo really is. The chords are very basic, but what they do with this song is unbelievable.

"We Belong"

capo @3

D......

verse

D - - - /D - - - /G - - - /G - - - /

D - - - /D - - - /G - - - /G - - - /

Em - - - /Em - - - /D - - - /G - - - /

Em - - - /Em - - - /A - - - /A - - - /

chorus

D - - - /G - - - /A - - - /A - - - /

D - - - /G - - - /A - - - /A - - - /

D - - - /G - - - /A - - - /A - - - /

D - - - /G - - - /A - - - /A - - - /

2) Duran Duran

Part of the "Second British Invasion", this amazing group has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling artists of all time. Add to that their multiple number one hits, various awards, and even a much coveted James Bond Franchise song, and their inclusion in the Hall of Fame was inevitable!

"A View to a Kill"

verse
Cm - - - /Eb - - - /Bb - - - /F - - - /
Cm - - - /Eb - - - /Bb - - - /F - - - /
Cm - - - /Gm - - - /Bb - - - /F - - - /
Cm - - - /Gm - - - /Bb - - - /F - - - /
B - - - /C# - - - /G# - - - /D#m - - - /
B - - - /C# - - - /

chorus
E - - - /G#m - - - /C#m - - - /D#m - - - /
E - - - /G#m - - - /C#m - - - /D#m - - - /
E - - - /G#m - - - /C#m - - - /D#m - - - /
E - - - /G#m - - - /C#m - - - /D#m - - - /

3) Eurythmics

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart exploded onto the '80s pop scene with the title track of their second album, "Sweet Dreams" (charted below). They went on to sell over 75 million records and pull in MTV Music Awards, Grammy Awards, and just about every other accolade imaginable, including a 2020 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

"Sweet Dreams"

capo @ fret 3

verse

Am - - - /F - E - /Am - - - /F - E - /

Am - - - /F - E - /Am - - - /F - E - /

break

F - - - /F - - E /Am - - - /Am - G - /

F - - - /F - - E /Am - - - /Am - G - /

4) Lionel Richie

As a member of the Commodores, Richie pulled in 9 Grammy nominations, wrote & performed some of the biggest & most defining dance hits of the 1970s, and sold over 70 million records...and then embarked on a solo career! As a solo artist, he has won 4 Grammys, multiple other awards, sold over 100 million records, and co-wrote the song "We Are the World" with Michael Jackson, which kicked off a movement and is the 8th best selling single in history.

"Hello"

verse

Am - Am7/G - /Fmj7 - Am7/G - /Am - Am7 - /Fmj7 - Am7/G - /

Am - Am7/G - /Fmj7 - Am7/G - /Am - Am7 - /F -A7 - /

chorus

Dm7 - G7 - /Cmj7 - Fmj7 - /Bbmj7 - E7 - /Am - - - /

Dm7 - G7 - /Cmj7 - Fmj7 - /Bbmj7 - E7 - - - /Am - - - /

5) Carly Simon

Over a dozen Top 40 hits, 22 studio albums, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and 2 Grammy Awards (of 14 nominations)....and a song that has probably spawned more speculation than any other in history: "You're So Vain" (a song that was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004). Simon's career has spanned 50+ years and her influence extends to performers from Tori Amos to Taylor Swift.

"Nobody Does It Better"

capo @ fret 1
A - Am - / E - E7 - / A - Am - / E - E7 - /
A - Am - / G#m - C#m - / F#m - B7 - / E - E7 - /


E - E7 - / A - Am - / E - E7 - / A - Am - /
E - E7 - / A - Am - / G#m C#m F#m B7 / E - E7 - /

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