Paste's 100 Best Living Songwriters: The Readers' Poll

(Above: Bruce Springsteen)

For this special reader's poll, we had over 18,000 responses at pastemagazine.com and in the mail. Thanks to everyone who voted. Here are your favorites...

(If a band/artist appears on both the reader's poll and Paste's list, the number in parenthesis is its position on Paste's list.)

100. (91) Drive-By Truckers (Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Jason Isbell)
99. Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart (The Eurythmics)
98. Chris Martin (Coldplay)
97. Lauryn Hill (The Fugees)
96. P.J. Harvey
95. Madonna
94. (40) Burt Bacharach & Hal David
93. (84) John Linnell & John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants)
92. (81) Wayne Coyne & Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips)
91. (90) Nick Cave
90. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)

89. Damien Rice
88. Gordon Lightfoot
87. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie)
86. Billy Bragg
85. Ben Harper
84. Eddie Vedder & Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)
83. Neil Diamond
82. (83) Fleetwood Mac (Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks,Christine McVie)
81. Donald Fagen & Walter Becker (Steely Dan)
80. Neil Finn (Crowded House)

79. Robert Smith (The Cure)
78. Guy Clark
77. (28) Robbie Robertson (The Band)
76. (77) Bruce Cockburn
75. (66) Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black, Black Francis) (Pixies)
74. (48) Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
73. (25) Chuck Berry
72. Tracy Chapman
71. Alison Krauss
70. Don Henley (The Eagles)

69. (98) Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo)
68. Björk
67. Todd Snider
66. Rufus Wainwright
65. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
64. John Mellencamp
63. Dave Matthews
62. Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)
61. (59) Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs)
60. (80) Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason)

59. (63) Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention)
58. (19) Patty Griffin
57. (55) Dolly Parton
56. (39) Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham)
55. Fiona Apple
54. Tori Amos
53. (57) Morrissey (The Smiths)
52. Peter Gabriel (Genesis)
51. (67) Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
50. (87) Lyle Lovett

49. Crosby, Stills & Nash (David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash)
48. (38) Kris Kristofferson
47. (41) Ray Davies (The Kinks)
46. (47) Sufjan Stevens
45. Ben Folds
44. (11) Randy Newman
43. (46) David Byrne (Talking Heads)
42. (21) Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)
41. (62) Sting (The Police)
40. (52) Paul Westerberg (The Replacements)

39. (61) John Hiatt
38. Eric Clapton (Cream, Derek & The Dominoes, Blind Faith)
37. (27) Radiohead (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway)
36. (45) Jackson Browne
35. Amy Ray & Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls)
34. Ani Difranco
33. (54) Aimee Mann
32. (34) John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
31. (49) Cat Stevens
30. Billy Joel

29. (10) Prince
28. (14) Stevie Wonder
27. (33) Pete Townshend (The Who)
26. (36) Beck Hansen
25. (35) Steve Earle
24. (29) Tom Petty
23. (22) Lucinda Williams
22. (6) Leonard Cohen
21. (23) Elton John & Bernie Taupin
20. (31) Carole King

19. (43) Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown)
18. (53) James Taylor
17. (30) John Prine
16. (15) Willie Nelson
15. (16) David Bowie
14. (12) Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
13. (7) Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
12. (26) R.E.M. (Peter Buck, Bill Berry, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)
11. (24) Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Golden Smog, Loose Fur, etc.)

Paste Readers' Top 10