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Who Would You Say Are The Top 5 Greatest Lyric Writers?


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Once again, Country Music is left way behind...

 

Dean Dillon

Jimmy Webb

Willie Nelson

 

and just so it's not ALL Country...

 

Hal David

Carole King

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So many to choose from but for my top specifically lyric writers I would have to go with:

 

Paul McCartney

John Lennon

Chris Difford

Bernie Taupin

Andrew Gold

 

:heartpump:

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Could have just gone with the orginal list.  Pretty much anyone else I'd add have been covered too.

 

Dylan, Springsteen, Lennon, Waters/Gilmour, Taupin

 

Townshend, Earle, N. Young, R. Adams

 

I also like Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo) and Alejandro Escovedo, Warren Zevon

 

Best newer artist - Jason Isbell.  Check him out.  His songs on Southeastern and Here We Rest are briliant. 

Edited by TomWard
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The fact is that many writers had their "gems" as well as their "dogs". There are a thousand best songs ever written, by a thousand different writers. It is how the song hits YOU. I think "The House That Built Me" is a top 5 song, because I relate so much to IT. I don't relate to Bruce Springsteen, so therefore I don't put him in MY top 5 of songwriters, even though I appreciate his talent.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Noob

I'm VERY late to the party...but my top 5 are:

 

1) John Mayer

2) Paul McCartney-John Lennon

3) George Harrison

4) Rob Thomas

5) James Taylor/Chris Martin/Paul Simon

 

This is not a definitive ranking, btw.

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  • 7 months later...

If you are going to have anyone from the country genre, you have to include van zandt. He was considered the songwriter's songwriter by most of the country greats (songwriters and artists).

 

Edit: I should have said Townes, didn' t think about the other van zandt. Bob Dylan wanted to co-write with Townes also. That has to say something about him, I guess. But, like many other 'greats', he lived hard and fast.

Edited by Danidog
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what do we mean by song writers ? Harry Chapin who wrote amazing songs Lennon and McCartney  who wrote really great 3 minute pop songs Ray Davis- who wrote great British songs any of the great writers of musicals   .  or Robert Burns . who wrote amazing folk songs ?

everyone will have a top five but that is only  there opinion .  every day it can change as some great songs are still being written

 

john

Edited by scotsman89
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I can't say who's best... and I think one song alone can get you into the top 5 so I'm going by songs... and there are too many too close... but 5 I can think of right now at the top of my lyrics charts -

 

My Death - Jacques Brel

The Bewlay Brothers - David Bowie

Song To The Siren - Tim Buckley

Kathy's Song - Paul Simon

Lover You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckey

Edited by MonoStone
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  • 2 months later...

Maybe not in any particular order other than Bob Dylan at the top... I can't decide on just five. These are just some of my favorites.

 

Bob Dylan

Randy Newman

Tom Waits

Carole King

Steve Goodman

John Prine 

John Lennon

Nick Drake

Paul Simon

Joni Mitchell

Elliott Smith

Kurt Cobain

 

(Thom Yorke and Neil Young should be on there too ...and Bruce Springsteen) (Oh crap and Stevie Wonder.. How could I forget Stevie!) 

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  • 8 months later...

All these mentions are great. Everyone is limiting themselves to pop/rock. There's so much more out there.

 

Sorry everyone, Stephen Sondheim is the best lyricist of all time. Not even close.

Oscar Hammerstein

Frank Loesser

Cole Porter

Yip Harburg

 

And no, I'm not 90 years old. With the exception of late Sondheim, all these writers are way before my time. But their meticulous craft is like no others. Although musical theatre is crummy is a great many ways, it brought us an astounding body of song masterpieces. 

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Some of my favorite lyricists in no particular order:

 

Elliott Smith

Robert Pollard

Nas

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Tom Waits

Black Francis

Shane MacGowan

 

Up until a month or so ago, I didn't know who Lin-Manuel Miranda was, but since then I have been completely obsessed with Hamilton and reading and understanding the multiple layers of meaning in his lyrics on genius.com.

 

Edit: How could I forget Shane MacGowan!?

 

Edited by chumpy
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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Of course, these are my personal tops.

 

  • Leonard Cohen
  • Damien Rice
  • John Mayer
  • Bob Dylan
  • Paul McCartney / John Lennon
  • Bob Marley

 

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