Paul McCartney took great joy in roasting his friend Bruce Springsteen at an awards ceremony in London Thursday night.
Springsteen became the first non-British recipient of an Ivor Novello Award, which honors quality singing and songwriting work.
McCartney was on hand to give the Boss his Ivor – but before that he had a few words to say (via the BBC). He told the audience that he “couldn’t think of a more fitting” winner, before adding: “Except maybe Bob Dylan. Or Paul Simon, or Billy Joel, or Beyonce, or Taylor Swift. The list goes on!”
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He went on to remark that Springsteen was “known as the American working man… but he admits he’s never worked a day in his life.” Thinking about how he might have fitted into the Beatles, McCartney said: “When it comes to talent, he’d definitely be in the top five.”
After being presented with his Ivor, Springsteen explained that his voice was a little raw because he’d performed during red-alert weather conditions in the north of England the previous night. “We came out… and I was like, ‘What is this weather? Driving rain, wind roaring,’” the Boss said. “But standing in front of me, in the rain, I realized: These are my people.”
Bruce Springsteen Recalls Bewildering First U.K. Visit
He went on to recall his bewildering first visit to the U.K. in 1975, saying: “The airplane food was not so great, and my first thought when we landed at Heathrow was, ‘Where’s all the cheeseburgers?’ The cheeseburgers had either been hidden or replaced by something called fish and chips. It was a little disconcerting.
“Then our next stop was the Hammersmith Odeon, where I was greeted by a huge sign announcing: ‘London is finally ready for Bruce Springsteen.’ And all I thought was, ‘If London isn’t ready for a cheeseburger, they may not be ready for me!’”
The Ivor winners are decided by members of the Ivors Academy, formerly known as the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Springsteen received the Academy Fellowship Award, while Bernie Taupin was honored for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
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