Diane Warren to Receive Johnny Mercer Award at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala

The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced today that Diane Warren will be the 2024 recipient of the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala slated for Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. 

The Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. Diane Warren was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. 

SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said, “The songwriting community is filled with many special people who have delivered incomparable songs that have made the world go round. Within that special group of people, Diane Warren is unique; she is a force of nature that, despite her enormous success from “Rhythm Of The Night” to “I Don't Want To Miss A Thing” and at least 100 (15!) Academy Award nominations, she shows up to write songs every morning at 8 am! I am delighted to see her receive the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is the gold bar standard. Diane is that and more!”

Diane Warren said, “I'm beyond honored to receive the Johnny Mercer Award, especially looking at the names of the other songwriters who have gotten this great honor. When I was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, my mom was there and finally understood that I could make a living and life being what I was born to be and wake up every day loving to be… a songwriter. Now, both she and my dad will be looking down on me with big smiles on their faces. Thank you, Songwriters Hall of Fame."

One of modern music's most celebrated songwriters, Diane Warren, has penned nine #1 and thirty-three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and is tied for having written the most #1 songs as a sole writer in Billboard history. Her distinguished catalogue features beloved songs including “Only Love Can Hurt Like This,” “Un-Break My Heart,” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

She has received 15 Academy Award nominations, is a GRAMMY winner with 15 nominations, an EMMY winner, and a two-time Golden Globe winner whose songs have been featured in more than 150 films, including chart-topping hits “Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now” (Mannequin, 1987) “Because You Loved Me” (Up Close and Personal, 1996) “How Do I Live” ( Con Air, 1997) “I Don't Want To Miss A Thing” (Armageddon, 1998 ) and “Til It Happens To You” (The Hunting Ground, 2015).

In November 2022, Warren became the first songwriter in history to receive an Honorary Oscar, as voted on by the Academy's Board of Governors. Most recently, she wrote the original song "The Fire Inside," performed by Becky G for the film Flamin' Hot, directed by Eva Longoria, which marked her 15th Oscar nomination. 

The sole owner of Realsongs, her publishing company and the most successful female-owned and operated business in the music industry, Diane Warren is a recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a nod to her legendary career, having worked with many of today's most popular artists, including Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, H.E.R., Snoop Dogg, Paloma Faith, Jon Batiste, Maren Morris, and Justin Bieber, in addition to having written songs for the world's most iconic artist such as Whitney Houston, Cher, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Reba McEntire, and many more.  

Inductees at this year's event include Hillary Lindsey, Timothy Mosley p/k/a Timbaland, Dean Pitchford, Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe p/k/a R.E.M., and Donald Fagen and Walter Becker p/k/a Steely Dan.

About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:

The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases, scholarships and Master Sessions at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, University of North Carolina and at Stuyvesant High School. West Coast educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at the University of Southern California.

Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. 

The list of inductees include Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Diane Warren, Carole Bayer Sager, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Mac Davis, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Cyndi Lauper,  Desmond Child, Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Jay Z, Tom Petty, Toby Keith, Max Martin, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Berry Gordy, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Robert Lamm & James Pankow, Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, Kool & The Gang, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis, Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Chris Jasper, Steve Miller, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Rick Nowels, William “Mickey” Stevenson, among many others. Joining Songwriters Hall of Fame online is quick and easy: https://www.songhall.org/join.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $2,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000 and SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.  Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization.  The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $215. Contributions, for which no goods or services are received in exchange, are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.

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