BMI held their annual awards in London on Tuesday night to salute the songwriters, composers and music publishes whose songs received the most plays over the last year. All winners are members of European or Asian performing rights societies and are represented in the U.S. by BMI.

The Keith Urban hit Only You Can Love Me This Way, written by Steve McEwan and John Reid, won the BMI Robert S. Musel Award for Song of the Year. College Song of the Year went to Down, recorded by Jay Sean and written by Sean, Jared Cotter and Lil Wayne. Dance Song of the Year was Evacuate the Dance Floor as recorded by Cascada and written by Allan Eshuijs.

Individual songs that were either written by or recorded by a veteran artist who received Pop Awards were:

• 21 Guns - David Bowie, John E.A. Phillips (Green Day)
• Hotel Room Service - Luther Campbell, Bernard Edwards, David Hobbs, Jim Johsin, Pitbull, John Reid, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ross, Graham Wilson (Pitbull)
• Just Go - Giorgio Tuinfort (Lionel Richie)
• Magnificent - Brian Eno (U2)

Note that not all writers are listed for the songs (for example, 21 Guns) if they are affiliated with ASCAP.

Three TV Music Awards went to Pete Townshend for the three Who songs used as themes for CSI, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.

The following songs by veteran artists won multi-million performance awards:

• 10 Million
• Every Breath You Take - Sting
• 9 Million
• Yesterday - John Lennon
• 8 Million
• Your Song - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• 7 Million
• Save the Last Dance For Me - Doc Pomus & Mort Schuman
• 6 Million
• Crocodile Rock - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• Don't Stop - Christine McVie
• Time of the Season - Rod Argent
• 5 Million
• Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
• Born Free - John Barry, Don Black
• Build Me Up Buttercup - Michael D'Abo
• Candle in the Wind - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• Come Together - John Lennon
• Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Roland Orzabel, Ian Stanley
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• 4 Million
• All Right Now - Andy Fraser & Paul Rodgers
• Another Brick in the Wall - Roger Waters
• Bennie & the Jets - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying - Les Chadwick, Leo Maguire, Fred Marsden, Gerry Marsden
• Emotion - Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb
• Fields of Gold - Sting
• Get Off My Cloud - Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
• A Hard Day's Night - John Lennon
• Rocket Man - Elton John & Bernie Taupin
• Roxanne - Sting
• Smooth Operator - Sade, Raymond St. John
• Stuck in the Middle With You - Gerry Rafferty
• Take Me Home Tonight - Mike Leeson & Peter Vale
• To Sir With Love - Don Black
• While You See a Chance - Will Jennings & Steve Winwood
• Wild Night - Van Morrison
• 3 Million
• Bend Me, Shape Me - Scott English
• Domino - Van Morrison
• For Your Eyes Only - Mike Leeson
• Gloria - Van Morrison
• Hello, Goodbye - John Lennon
• I Believe in You - Roger Cook
• Lola - Ray Davies
• Love Me Do - John Lennon & Paul McCartney
• Sunshine Superman - Donovan

Finally, Don Black was awarded the prestigious BMI Icon Award. Black is the first winner of the award who is also not a performer (earlier winners include Donovan, Peter Gabriel and Ray Davies) and the writer recognized the fact when, after given a lengthy introduction, he quipped "at least you won't need to Google me now."

Black started his career as an office boy for a music publisher and moved up to song-plugger. He also worked as a stand-up comedian ("I wrote my first song during a stand up gig in Darlington, while I was waiting for a laugh") before finally finding his expertise in writing lyrics. He also was the personal manager for singer Matt Munro.

Black has written lyrics for over one hundred movies and musicals including Tell Me On Sunday, Song & Dance, Aspects of Love, Starlight Express, Whistle Down the Wind and Sunset Boulevard, all with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

A list of some of Black's best known songs:

• As If We Never Said Goodbye (Barbra Streisand)
• Ben (Michael Jackson)
• Born Free (Andy Williams)
• Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey)
• For Mama (Connie Francis)
• The Man With the Golden Gun (Lulu)
• On Days Like These (Matt Munro)
• Sam (Olivia Newton-John)
• Thunderball (Tom Jones)
• To Sir With Love (Lulu)
• True Grit (Glen Campbell)
• The World is Not Enough (Garbage)
• Walk Away (Matt Munro)