As he picked up his Ivor Novello Award in London Thursday, Bruce Springsteen told a story about the first time he came to the U.K.’s capitol city.
In 1975, Springsteen and his band arrived at Heathrow Airport famished, and went in search of a cheeseburger — only to find that such exotic cuisine had yet to make it to that side of the pond, with only fish ‘n’ chips available. Not knowing what “chips” were (the greasier, chunkier, far superior British take on fries, for anyone still wondering), the Boss spurned the local delicacy and took his hungry heart off to his first ever U.K.
gig at the Hammersmith Odeon. There, he was greeted by a giant sign announcing: “London is finally ready for Bruce Springsteen!” “And,” mused Springsteen, “all I thought was, ‘If London isn’t ready for cheeseburgers, they may not be ready for me’.” Nearly 50 years on, U.
K. tastes have changed – and so have the Ivors, now officially known as the Ivors with Amazon Music. So, while Thursday’s ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel was the 69th Ivors, it was the very first to reward an international songwriter with its highest honor, making Springsteen a Fellow of its Academy.
(Side note: Springsteen’s culinary preferences may also have moved on, if the très European charcuterie-and-cheese-board specially requested for his table, while everyone else dined on guinea fowl, was anything to go by.) Springsteen’s Fellowship means he joined an elite club alongside t.
