Taylor Swift, David Byrne and More Among 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Nominees

The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its slate of nominees to be voted upon for induction at its 2026 Induction & Awards Gala in New York City.

The organization is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the exceptional work and lives of composers and lyricists who make an indelible impact creating music around the world. A songwriter with a catalog of notable songs qualifies for induction 20 years after their first commercial release of a song. Eligible voting members will have until midnight EST on December 4, 2025 to turn in ballots, with their choices of up to three nominees in each of the songwriter and performing songwriter categories.

Songwriters Hall of Fame 2026 Nominees for Induction

(After each nominee name below, the five songs listed in italics are representative samples of their extensive catalogs.)

Songwriters

Walter Afanasieff – All I Want For Christmas Is You, My All, Hero, Love Will Survive, One Sweet Day
Pete Bellotte – Hot Stuff, I Feel Love, Love To Love You Baby, Heaven Knows, Push It To The Limit
Andreas Carlsson – I Want It That Way, Bye Bye Bye, It's Gonna Be Me, That's The Way It Is, Waking Up In Vegas
Steve Kipner – Physical, Hard Habit To Break, Genie In A Bottle, These Words, Breakeven
Jeffrey LeVasseur p/k/a Jeffrey Steele – What Hurts The Most, My Wish, Knee Deep, The Cowboy In Me, I'd Give Anything / She'd Give Anything
Patrick Leonard – Like A Prayer, Live To Tell, Nevermind, You Want It Darker, Yet Another Movie
Terry Britten and Graham Lyle – What's Love Got To Do With It, We Don't Need Another Hero, Typical Male, Devil Woman, I Should Have Known Better
Bob McDill – Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold, Good Ole Boys Like Me, Gone Country, Don't Close Your Eyes, Song Of The South
Kenny Nolan – Lady Marmalade, My Eyes Adored You, I Like Dreamin', Masterpiece, Get Dancin'
Martin Page – We Built This City, These Dreams, King Of Wishful Thinking, Faithful, Fallen Angel
Vini Poncia – Do I Love You, I Was Made For Lovin’ You, Oh My My, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, Just Too Many People
Tom Snow – He's So Shy, Let's Hear It for the Boy, Dreaming of You, Don't Know Much, After All
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – Umbrella, Single Ladies, Obsessed, Just Fine, Break My Soul
Larry Weiss – Rhinestone Cowboy, Bend Me Shape Me, Hi Ho Silver Lining, Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore, Darling Take Me Back

Performing Songwriters

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America – A Horse with No Name, Ventura Highway, Sister Golden Hair, I Need You, Tin Man
David Byrne – Once In A Lifetime, Psycho Killer, Burning Down The House, Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place), Strange Overtones
Richard Carpenter – Goodbye To Love, Top Of The World, Yesterday Once More, Only Yesterday, Merry Christmas Darling
Harry Wayne Casey – Rock Your Baby, Get Down Tonight, That's The Way (I Like It), (Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty, Please Don't Go
Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of The Guess Who – These Eyes, Laughing, No Time, American Woman, No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS – Rock and Roll All Nite, I Love It Loud, Calling Dr. Love, Shout It Out Loud, Christine 16
Kenny Loggins – Danny's Song, Footloose, Celebrate Me Home, Return to Pooh Corner, What A Fool Believes
Sarah McLachlan – Angel, Sweet Surrender, I Will Remember You, Building A Mystery, Adia
Alecia B. Moore p/k/a P!nk – Glitter in the Air, Just Like A Pill, Raise Your Glass, So What, What About Us
Boz Scaggs – Lido Shuffle, Lowdown, We're All Alone, Thanks To You, Look What You've Done To Me
James Todd Smith p/k/a LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out, I Need Love, Around The Way Girl, Going Back To Cali, Illegal Search
Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version), Blank Space, Anti-Hero, Love Story, The Last Great American Dynasty
Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane M. Wiedlin of The Go-Go's – We Got The Beat, Our Lips Are Sealed, Vacation, Head Over Heels, This Town

About Songwriters Hall of Fame

Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates and honors the contributions of songwriters across all genres, educates the public about their achievements, and produces programs dedicated to developing new songwriting talent. These include songwriting craft forums, scholarships, digital initiatives, and Master Sessions on both coasts. Educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, with additional events presented in partnership with institutions such as the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, NYU’s Steinhardt School, and NYC’s Stuyvesant High School and All-City Modern Music Project.

Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, approximately 400 inductees make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame.