Consider the fact that Whitney Houston and The Notorious BIG were put into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame this year. You heard that right, Whitney Houston and The Notorious BIG. These are not the first pop star and rapper acts to get in, and they won't be the last. Good rock and roll bands will probably be ignored again next year while other artists who don't fit the genre will get in. That's what it has become. Once you understand that, it's not even worth getting upset when they ignore more deserving bands.
Judas Priest has been ignored this year. Iron Maiden has been ignored. Whitney Houston is going in. There's something wrong with that, in my opinion. Whitney Houston certainly belongs in the Pop Music Hall of Fame. I won't argue that she had some really good songs through the years. I like How Will I Know. I like I Want To Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me. I like Saving All My Love For You. These are three good examples, and there are many more. She's still not a rock and roll artist in my mind. The Notorious BIG shouldn't even be in the discussion. I wouldn't dispute him getting into the Rap Music Hall of Fame, but I question the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
Pat Benatar was being considered. She was in the fan vote, and I believe she finished second to Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews was one of those non-threatening rock acts from the 1990s during a time when so much of the music being made then was doom and gloom. They were more upbeat, but I don't remember anything special about them. I wouldn't have a problem with the fan vote being honored here, but the fan vote was not honored either. Dave Matthews did not get in. Go figure.
Pat Benatar finished second in the vote, and it really shouldn't have come down to that. Anybody who was paying attention in the late 1970s and throughout most of the 1980s will remember her. She wasn't necessarily the best vocalist, but she had attitude and she was all over the airwaves and the charts. She was pleasant to look at and she had some very catchy songs. Everything from Hit Me With Your Best Shot to You Better Run to Love Is A Battlefield to We Belong. She should be in the Hall of Fame, and it should have happened before Stevie Nicks was put in. It's not that Stevie doesn't belong, but Stevie's solo career was fueled by the success she had with Fleetwood Mac. Benatar earned every bit of her success as a solo artist.
The real problem with the Hall of Fame snobs is that they tend to overlook bands that were widely popular, sold out arenas and sold millions of records. They had problems with all of them. They used terms like pretentious, "arena rock" and whatever else to dismiss them. You're not likely to see Kansas, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Foreigner, 38 Special and so on being inducted because they were popular. You couldn't turn on a radio during their time in the spotlight and not hear one of their songs. Most of these bands still tour today in one form or another because of the popularity of songs that they recorded over 30 years ago.
It's subjective. Who votes to put these artists into the Hall of Fame every year? What sort of process do they go through? If the leader of the Hall of Fame wants something a certain way, that's how it's going to be. It's all about who they like, not who the fans like. I'm happy that The Doobie Brothers are getting their long-overdue respect this year, but I really couldn't be bothered to care about the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. As screwed up as the music industry is in 2020, the Hall of Fame is the least of my worries when it comes to the creation of good music.
