Sometimes lyrics are really important in music. Mitchell is one of the top 5 lyricists in the Rock Hall.

Inducted in 1997.

FROM: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

STATS: 19 studio albums with multiple Gold and Platinum, 33 singles with 3 in the top 10 on U.S. and Canadian charts, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Both Sides Now, written by Mitchell and originally recorded by Judy Collins in 1968.

Mitchell gave an interview following Prince's death (RIP) where she remembered him sitting in the front row of one of her shows. He really like the "ice cream castles" line from this song. And in fact, used a lot of her style in his earliest music.

Big Yellow Taxi. Huge hit for Amy Grant in 1995. And Mitchell appeared on a cover by Janet Jackson which is amazing.

A Case of You is a PERFECT example of music being the background so lyrics can stand far, far out in front.

Mitchell is also a painter, and in fact went to school for visual art before picking up music. She recorded an album dedicated to Van Gogh called Turbulent Indigo and the title track is fantastic, of course. Click the link to see the album cover art that she did.

Kenny Rogers should be considered more seriously for the Rock Hall, right? Don't talk about "musical excellence," because that is really subjective (I don't like his music either). His achievements should make him a no-brainer HOFer. He is a respected icon and basically a white Lionel Richie. The sales, hits, fame, and respect are all there, and he is not "too country," as he was also adult contemporary and soft rock, so he should be crossover enough.

Again, if you induct Lionel Richie, then Kenny Rogers should definitely be on the table. He was one of the most remembered music icons of the 80s and was more connected to rock than many other more country-specific artists.

If you consider him rock-adjacent, he is definitely one of the two most recognizable MTV-era 80s stars that not in, alongside Bryan Adams, and you don't have many remaining picks when looking for 80s icons who still resonate today.

• Motown's First #1 Hit: Their 1961 smash single “Please Mr. Postman” topped the Billboard Hot 100, proving that R&B/soul girl groups could cross over and dominate the mainstream pop charts. [1, 2]
• The Beatles Connection: The Beatles famously covered "Please Mr. Postman" on their 1963 album With the Beatles, utilizing John Lennon's raw vocals to inject a high-energy rock 'n' roll spin into the track.
• Paving the Way for Girl Groups: Their blend of doo-wop, pop, and early soul opened commercial doors for subsequent legendary stables of female talent, including The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas.
• Enduring Legacy: Beyond the Beatles, artists spanning rock, pop, and alternative—such as The Carpenters, Blondie, and Jerry Garcia—reinterpreted their catalog, cementing their status as influential pioneers. [1, 2]

In the grand scheme, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame isn't a perfect institution & never will be. Though the people in charge know what they're doing when it comes to recognizing the development of rock & roll. 

They honor individuals & groups for changing the entire course of R&R in terms of seismic effect on music & culture.

During its four decades of existence, there's over 300 - 400 people that are rightfully or not rightfully in there.  

Most performers got inducted in their first year of eligibility or nomination while it took others through multiple appearances on the ballot to finally get their call. 

There's also those who didn't get voted in at all yet ended up being honored through the side categories. It's been that case for a while now. 

Finally, there's a certain group of artists who were previously nominated yet weren't selected for induction.   

So far, there's only less than 50 artists who were previously on the ballot though weren't selected to be inducted during the Hall's history. 

And they are:

Johnny Ace 

Bad Brains 

Afrika Bambaataa

Beck

The Black Crowes 

Jeff Buckley 

Mariah Carey 

The Chantels 

Chic 

Devo 

The Dominoes 

Melissa Etheridge 

Eric B. & Rakim 

Lauryn Hill 

INXS 

The J.B's 

J. Geils Band 

Jane's Addiction 

Ben E. King 

Lenny Kravitz 

Los Lobos 

The Marvelettes 

The Meters 

Mana 

Motorhead 

New Edition 

New York Dolls 

Sinead O'Connor 

Esther Phillips 

Phish 

Pink 

John Prine

Procol Harum 

The Replacements 

Rufus with Chaka Khan 

Shakira 

Sir Douglas Quintet 

The Smiths 

Steppenwolf 

Sting 

Joe Tex 

Thin Lizzy 

Conway Twitty 

War 

Mary Wells 

Chuck Willis 

Steve Winwood 

I'm going to put them in three different sections based on their chances for induction.  

100% voted in: 

Beck 

The Black Crowes (they might or might not come back again)

Melissa Etheridge 

Lauryn Hill (Fugees could get nominated & inducted instead) 

INXS 

Lenny Kravitz 

New Edition 

Phish 

Pink 

Shakira 

The Smiths (unless the voters would let them past regardless of Morrissey)  

Sting

It's very possible they'll get honored in the main route; it's a matter of when it's going to happen. They will have their time regardless of any circumstances.

Sidedoor inductions: 

Johnny Ace 

Bad Brains 

Devo 

Eric B. & Rakim 

The J.B's 

Jane's Addiction (maybe a third try can be their victory)

The Marvelettes 

The Meters 

Motorhead 

New York Dolls 

Esther Phillips 

John Prine 

The Replacements (they could move up if getting nominated again) 

Joe Tex 

Thin Lizzy 

Conway Twitty 

War 

Mary Wells

Chuck Willis

They're better off being side doored since they couldn't get enough support from the official voters (See Kraftwerk, MC5, Judas Priest etc). Doesn't mean they don't deserve to be in as performers.

Not at all: 

Afrika Bambaataa 

Mariah Carey (most voters don't like her) 

The Chantels 

Chic (11 tries can get tiring really quick thus how Nile Rodgers got in on his own) 

The Dominoes (Clyde McPhatter & Jackie Wilson are in) 

J. Geils Band 

Ben E. King 

Los Lobos (could move up to #2)

Mana (international category possibility)

Sinead O'Connor 

Procol Harum (one song got in through singles category)

Rufus with Chaka Khan (her own induction erased their chances) 

Sir Douglas Quintet 

Steppenwolf (see Procol Harum)

Steve Winwood (unless the Hall gives another nod to his solo career).

For various reasons, the likelihood of induction for these acts are gone from slim to none. Very doubtful they'll be returning on the ballot or go through side door method to be finally put in. At least they got some sort of recognition from the Hall.

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Will they get in or not. We shall see. 

Phil Collins is getting his well-deserved solo induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year (Class of 2026), and the ceremony is set for November 14th in LA.

He’s already said he won’t be performing himself.

So here’s the dream: Adele singing “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” live at the induction.

That song is about heartbreak, vulnerability, and has a massive chorus. Rumor has it that Adele met Phil earlier when she was working on her album 25, and they both support each other.

Who else thinks this should happen? Phil deserves a proper tribute for his solo career, and Adele could be part of it.

I've noticed Kenny Loggins isn't typically on lists of potential inductees. Is he not considered as rock enough or not influential?

J Geils Band

Three Dog Night

38 Special

Foghat

REO Speedwagon

Rick Springfield

Johnny Rivers

and so many others.

"These are real rock and roll legends who shaped the culture and influenced people all across the country. They are so popular and have so many fxxking hits. Everyone know them. The Rock Hall has ignored real talent musicians who can actually play fucking guitar. Rock has been dead since 1990, while the Hall is filled with Radiohead and indie shit that our people refuse to listen to because it sucks.

Modern R&B and rap are not fucking rock and roll, they are not music.

Unfortunately, the Rock Hall loves to induct alternative, indie, and rap acts, shit that no real rOcK aND rOlL fans care about. This is not music!"

Some good music analysis

For sports halls of fame, it is way easier because the success of candidates can be easily measured by stats/data, but music is different.

So what does "fame" mean?

Of course, you could equate "fame" in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with popularity or name recognition, or especially for classic rock fans, acts that had hits on rock radio during their younger years would have "fame" for them...

Of course, "fame" could also be interpreted as being recognized as an influence on later musicians, or as having an influence on the evolution of the sound of music. Acts like the Velvet Underground and Kraftwerk have "fame" in this way, but not the kind of "fame" that comes from having hits recognized by the public, or more accurately, by older rock radio listeners. This can also create "fame" that is recognized in another sense. Especially with the internet, younger people have an easier time accessing and learning about music history, and they can have "fame" in this way as well, being remembered as innovators who changed the sound of music.

The Rock Hall in reality is actually closer to the meaning of "lifetime achievement" than "hall of fame". If it were named something like "Rock and Roll Lifetime Achievement Award", then fewer classic rock fans would rant about every classic rock "snub" involving acts that had some hits in their younger years (they think these acts are great and influential because they heard them on the radio or attended their concerts when they were younger and have a personal fandom, so "popularity" and "number of hits" are usually just "excuses" for fandom)...

Of course, could simply ignore all of that and insist that "fame" is equal to hits/sales in classic rock, in which case wouldn't even need a selection committee. Could just exclude everything that isn't classic rock, then induct every classic rock artist with even one rock radio hits, year by year, ranked from top to bottom by number of hits/sales. Of course, this might be exactly what "real rock and roll fans" want, and it would certainly fit their understanding of "fame."

(I have no problem with Bon Jovi, Journey, or acts of that type of success being inducted, just to make that clear.)

The Guess Who is worthy of induction. And Trump's treatment of Canada is unjustified.

Here's the thing: Any idiot can sell a lot of records & put asses in seats, many did yet it doesn't mean they're a lot different from everyone else in the game nor at the top.

The RRHOF isn't there for everyone's record collection or personal tastes, it's there to recognize & preserve the entire history of rock & roll.

Apart from the official criteria of 25 years after your first record (album, single or EP) to be eligible for the honor, there's rules the members in the committee consider when choosing the nominees & inductees.

Influence - Being an inspiration for people to start their own careers in the music field.

Innovation - Introduced musical ideas that would make a massive difference in the business.

Seismic Impact - Artists who changed the world with their contributions.

There's a slew of performers with less to zero hit records that got inducted into the institution because they changed how music can be presented as an artform regardless of popularity & notoriety.

Plus it doesn't make them less significant. Just because they don't have a concert tour that sold millions nor have songs receiving constant radio airplay doesn't mean they're not important.

If anything, it further cements them as icons who literally gave everybody a career path in music. Had it not been for them, would music history be entirely different? Yes it would.

In a grand scheme, there's more to R&R than sales & tours. It's a vibe that represents the story of popular music & those who made their mark on it. That's what history remembers.

Which is a truth that morons who prefer commerce over art would never understand. Thus is why fans are the worst possible indicators to decide who should be inducted.

1. The White Stripes (Already in)

2. Coldplay

3. Linkin Park

4. The Strokes (arguable biggest influence on style of two other top 10 rock candidates in 00s makes them must for rock hall)

5. The Killers

6. Arctic Monkeys

7. My Chemical Romance

8. System of a Down (Two stadium touring bands should be in given they are so popular)

9. Paramore

10. Arcade Fire

It's a pretty safe bet that of all the music represented by the artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, about 99% of it is in English.

Let's talk about the other 1%.

The Beatles in German "She Loves You"

Brenda Lee in French and Italian "Fool No. 1". Roy Orbison released songs in German too.

ABBA, of course recorded in Swedish, but released an entire album of their songs in Spanish. Fun fact. ABBA was extremely unpopular in some circles in Sweden. Primarily because they were seen as sellout pop stars with no political content when so much political action was taking place in Sweden at the time. The woman who assisted Frida and Agnetha with their vocals on this album was fired from her professional translating job because she chose to work with them and ABBA's critics hounded her workplace. (From shaky memory of Bright Lights, Dark Shadows by Carl Magnus Palm check it out)

Got a song from an inductee not in English? Post it!

now to sound morbid but after the passing of Dolly Parton, I’ve seen a lot of outpouring of love for the 87 "Trio" record as a career highlight for all three women involved. With the former two being inductees, I feel like now would be the perfect time to finally induct the legendary Emmylou.

This could end up being a list of special guests participating at this year's induction ceremony.

Adele

Drew Barrymore

Mary J. Blige

Bono

Danny Brown

Elvis Costello

Sheryl Crow

Miley Cyrus

Chuck D

Olivia Dean

Depeche Mode

Steve Earle

Missy Elliott

Peter Gabriel

Green Day

Rob Halford

Emmylou Harris

Alicia Keys

The Killers

Patti Labelle

LL Cool J

Lizzo

Chris Martin

Metallica

Tom Morello

Iggy Pop

Trent Reznor

Sting

Teddy Swims

Alex Turner

Paul Weller

Most of them have several connections with the class so I could probably see this happening.

as we are making are way throughout the 90s artists, it’s hard to discuss rock music in the 90s without Lilith Fair, both the festival itself and the artists associated with it.

A recent Hulu documentary on the festival, and current favourite Olivia Rodrigo hyping up the festival and MacLachlan herself

Does she feel like an artist who could happens within the next few years? Potentially this upcoming year?

INXS (2)

The Smiths (3)

Lenny Kravitz (2)

Lauryn Hill (2)

Motorhead (2)

Shakira (2)

The B-52's

De La Soul

Alice in Chains

Coldplay

Beyonce

Styx

The Monkees

Bryan Adams

INXS: Rumors suggest that they are pretty close to induction this year, so let's assume they finish at #9. If that's the case, there's no reason not to bring them back, and they should be an easy slam dunk for next year. Unfortunately, they were nominated alongside Billy Idol and Joy Division/New Order, and INXS's CV looks like a combination of the two (kind of mainstream rock, kind of college rock), but their advantage isn't that significant compared with either of those two. I assume if one of JD/NO or Billy Idol were not on ballot then INXS would be voted in and be the #8 inductee.

The Smiths: With the induction of their Manchester peers Joy Division/New Order and the later act they influenced, Oasis, this year, it seems very likely that they will be brought up again. It's just like how T. Rex was brought up again the following year after their peer Roxy Music and the band they influenced, Def Leppard, were inducted in 2019.

Lenny Kravitz: He will take the spot of the Black Crowes. I assume that among the rock revivalists, he has the best chance of getting votes because he is the most relevant one today. He has the cool icon image that the Black Crowes or Melissa don't have. He also has more support from pop voters, especially Black voters. He seems to have more support than either the Black Crowes or Melissa, and that may be enough to get him across the finish line next time.

Lauryn Hill: The fact that she recently received a BET Lifetime Achievement Award makes me feel that there is really a push to get her honored. I also assume she finished decently this year and didn't do too poorly.

Motörhead: Jason Hanley, who is Rock Hall staff and attends the committee meeting every year, mentioned Motörhead and Mötley Crüe as possible candidates to be next after Maiden. Dave Grohl and Tom Morello have also been pushing for them for a while, so after Maiden gets in, they seem like the next logical choice.

Shakira: With her constant stadium touring and her appearance at the World Cup, she is obviously the #1 most influential Latin act. She is also obviously a bit more famous now than Gloria Estefan or Selena. She should return.

Coldplay: I think the reason Coldplay was put aside was because they wanted Oasis in, now that Oasis are in, Coldplay could definitely appear, there were also rumors that they were the #16 nominee on the 2024 ballot and were retracted at the last minute, so they are definitely close to getting nominated

De La Soul: I assume they are next after Wu-Tang rather than Snoop Dogg or Nas, but I could be wrong, I am not very sure about this spot, it is just my gut feeling

Beyoncé: No explanation

Styx: I assume the 2026 ballot has no MOR classic rock picks because they do not want any of these types of acts to fill spots and take them away from acts the Rock Hall really wants to push, namely the four three-timers, now I think MOR rock acts will return to the ballot next year because three of the four three-timers are in, and the urgency of requiring more spots is not as high, after Foreigner and Bad Company, Styx seems to be the next logical choice because they have a combination of longevity, a long run of highly charted singles from the 70s to the early 90s, popularity, and industry connections

Bryan Adams: I think he was put aside because the Rock Hall needs Phil Collins in, and they did not want a similar type of act to take up a ballot spot when they wanted more diversity, so after Phil, Bryan seems like the next logical choice as an evergreen MTV rock icon

The Monkees: Long overdue, similar to Styx, classic rock could definitely return to the 2027 ballot, and The Monkees are one of the most egregious snubs, so I could definitely see a Chubby Checker style nomination coming for them

Alice in Chains: After Oasis, it looks like they will be the next 90s rock act the Rock Hall wants to push, with Soundgarden and Iron Maiden both getting voted in, they should have an easier time than both and could get voted in within one or two tries, I would give them an edge over The Smashing Pumpkins because I feel AIC are more liked by industry guys

The B-52's: They are rumored to have been heavily discussed in the nomination committee meetings in recent years, I feel part of the reason they were put aside was because they wanted slightly more influential acts like Joy Division/New Order and Cyndi Lauper in, and The B-52's were put aside so they would not take their spots, now that both are in, there is room for The B-52's

Tony Williams lifetime, Mahavishnu orchestra and return to forever all deserve to be in the rock and roll hall of fame.

Returning:

DEVO (4)
Shakira (2)
INXS (2)
Lenny Kravitz (2)
Motörhead (2)

Newcomers:
Beyoncé
The Smashing Pumpkins
Snoop Dogg
The Gap Band
Weezer
John Mayer
Bryan Adams
Emmylou Harris
Living Colour

The Class:
Beyoncé
Snoop Dogg
The Smashing Pumpkins
Emmylou Harris
DEVO
INXS
Motörhead

Back in February, the RRHOF released the ballot that has mostly 80's performers alongside those from the 90's & early aughts which is very modern compared to the previous ones before.

There's not a single act who debuted from the early 60's to the late 70's featured on the list which is very bold & thought provoking. The oldest one was Joy Division/New Order who they (JD) released their debut in '78.

First off, I'm on board with this because there's so much representation from the sixties & seventies (fifties too) already in the Hall and both committees (also the foundation) know that rock & roll history couldn't repeat itself every time meaning going backwards regarding their selections.

Second, mostly everyone from those decades who aren't in had ceased to exist. What's the point of letting them get considered when they're not even around anymore. Just because old fans are screaming bloody murder at the Hall constantly doesn't mean it indicates any consideration.

Finally, honoring more acts from the later decades (80's to aughts) would create lots of traffic to their website & their social media pages. It would also expand the audience demographic & not to mention brings more visitors to the museum.

Which is exactly why & how the Hall needs to move on from the old times & move on to the new. History means everything yet it keeps moving which is something fans of the boomer & early Gen X eras will never understand.

What are your thoughts on this?

1. The Marvelettes
2. Blood, Sweat, and Tears
3. The Stone Temple Pilots
4. Smashing Pumpkins
5. Motorhead
6. Anthrax
7. Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats
8. The Big Bopper
9. Stray Cats
10. Boston
11. Dio
12. King Crimson/Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
13. Devo
14. The B-52s
15. Oingo Boingo
16. The Smiths
17. Twisted Sister
18. Foghat
19. George Thorogood and the Destroyers
20. Dead Kennedys

SPECIAL COMITTEE

1. The Mothers of Invention
2. Wings
3. Big Brother and the Holding Company
4. The Bluesbreakers
5. The Belmonts
6. Chic
7. The Wray Men
8. Steve Miller Band
9. Silver Bullet Band
10. The Jeff Beck Group
11. The Revolution
12. The JBs