After getting snubbed seven times, The Stooges finally scored an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Swedish rock group ABBA, avant-garde rockers Genesis, British Invasion act The Hollies, and reggae musician Jimmy Cliff will join the group as the Hall’s 2010 class.

Led by the Iggy Pop, The Stooges came sneering out of Ann Arbor, Mich., in the late ’60s with a primal, growling sound that paved the way for punk, new wave, grunge and other, edgier music genres.

The Rock Hall also announced that its Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers would go to music industry executive David Geffen, the songwriting teams of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and individual songwriters Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.

Ertegun, the founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, died in 2006.

Iggy Pop had this to say to Rolling Stone:

“We’ve been rejected seven times, and we would have set a record, I think, if it happened again. It started to feel like Charlie Brown and the football. I had about two hours of a strong emotional reaction after hearing the news. It felt like vindication. Then I kind of scratched my head and thought, ‘Am I still cool? Or is that over now?'”

The ceremony goes down on March 15 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. FUSE will broadcast the event live, which is actually pretty cool.

On Thursday and Friday of last week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrated their 25th anniversary of honoring some good bands but forgetting many others. HBO will air the event on November 29th, featuring performances from John Fogerty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, and many others.

Nevertheless, I know I’m going to forget about it. Thankfully, Sterogum has already posted some footage from both nights. In the video above, U2, the Black Eyed Peas, Mick Jagger, and a string section come together to perform the Rolling Stones classic “Gimme Shelter.” Who’s terrible idea was this?

I’m having a hard time pinning down how this collection of musicians could defile this song. Maybe I’m just put off by Bono’s singing in the second verse. Fergie surprised me, though. Girl can wail.