Five Reasons I Still Adore Calvin & Hobbes
Susan Tedeschi - "Talking About"
Erin McCarley - "Pitter-Pat"
Nothing But the Truth
Live at Paste: Jolie Holland
(Above: Neil Young)
100. T Bone Burnett
99. Andre Benjamin & Antwan Patton (Outkast)
98. Jay Farrar (Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo)
97. Josh Ritter
96. Jimmy Cliff
95. Patti Smith
94. Sam Phillips
93. Joseph Arthur
92. Alejandro Escovedo
91. Drive By Truckers (Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Jason Isbell)
90. Nick Cave
89. Victoria Williams
88. Parliament (George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell)
87. Lyle Lovett
86. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
85. David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones)
84. John Linnel & John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants)
83. Fleetwood Mac (Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie)
82. John Darnielle (Mountain Goats)
81. Wayne Coyne & Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips)
80. Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason)
79. Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, Silver Jews)
78. Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices)
77. Bruce Cockburn
76. Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Palace Music, etc.)
75. Ron Sexsmith
74. Linford Detweiler & Karin Bergquist (Over the Rhine)
73. Julie Miller
72. Michael Jackson
71. Vic Chesnutt
70. Alex Chilton (Big Star, The Box Tops)
69. Merle Haggard
68. Allen Tousaint
67. Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
66. Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black, Black Francis) (Pixies)
65. Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love)
64. Andy Partridge (XTC, Dukes of Stratosphear)
63. Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention)
62. Sting (The Police)
61. John Hiatt
60. Jimmy Webb
59. Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs)
58. Sly Stone (Sly & the Family Stone)
57. Morrissey (The Smiths)
56. James Brown
55. Dolly Parton
54. Aimee Mann
53. James Taylor
52. Paul Westerberg (The Replacements)
51. Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham
50. Public Enemy (Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, et al)
49. Cat Stevens
48. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
47. Sufjan Stevens
46. David Byrne (Talking Heads)
45. Jackson Browne
44. Al Green
43. Ryan Adams (Whiskeytown)
42. Loretta Lynn
41. Ray Davies (The Kinks)
40. Burt Bacharach & Hal David
39. Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham)
38. Kris Kristofferson
37. Smokey Robinson
36. Beck Hansen
35. Steve Earle
34. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
33. Pete Townshend (The Who)
32. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
31. Carole King
30. John Prine
29. Tom Petty
28. Robbie Robertson (The Band)
27. Radiohead (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway)
26. R.E.M. (Peter Buck, Bill Berry, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)
25. Chuck Berry
24. Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Golden Smog, Loose Fur, etc.)
23. Elton John & Bernie Taupin
22. Lucinda Williams
21. Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)
20. Van Morrison
19. Patty Griffin
18. U2 (Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton)
17. Holland-Dozier-Holland
16. David Bowie
15. Willie Nelson
14. Stevie Wonder
13. Paul Simon
12. Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
11. Randy Newman
The Top 10
10. Prince
9. Joni Mitchell
8. Elvis Costello
7. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
6. Leonard Cohen
5. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)
4. Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan
3. Bruce Springsteen
2. Neil Young (Buffalo Sprinfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
1. Bob Dylan
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Where's Mark Eitzel? He ought to be on this list somewhere.
Don Henley? Surely one of the best!
Jack Johnson? Chris Martin (Coldplay)?
Matthew Ryan is easily in the top 100.
John Frusciante NEEDS to be on this list although most people don't know his solo stuff even though its amazing and lots of people don't even know hes the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who should also be on the list)
this is a terrible list.
Where is Dianne Warren? Desmond Child? Richard Leigh? Skip Ewing? Jeff Steele? Craig Wiseman? Bob Dipiero? Etc...
This is a list of Artists who may have also written some songs and had popular success, but fails to get into the professional songwriters who put them on the map.
Are you kidding me? No Bob Marley?
I suggest Todd Snider for your consideration.
no Robyn Hitchcock? appalling!
Good list but definitely out of order in some places and missing some important names such as John Lennon, Bob Marley (be ashamed of yourselves), Elliot Smith, Allman Bros.,...and more.
Pink Floyd at 80 and James Brown (who couldn't even read) in the 50's? Talking about songwriters right? Joni Mitchell and Costello in the top ten is pure insanity. Should have gone a little more like this if lyrics are rendered:
1) Bob Dylan, 2) Lennon and Mcartney, 3) Bob Marley, 4) Neil Young, 5) Jagger and Richards, 6) Page and Plant, 7) Tom Waits, 8) Hank Williams, 9) David Bowie, 10) Pink Floyd.
1)Bob Dylan
2)Lennon - Mcartney
3)dunno but i think that Arthur Lee from Love should be in top 10 definitly, his masterpiece "Forever Changes" has amazing lyrics.
Give me a break. How could you not have John Lennon or Leonard Cohen. I do agree Dylan is the greatest songwriter who ever live.
Hmmm... John Lennons not alive so you can escape peoples wrath on that.
But McCartney should've been on there.
Nick Cave shouldve been MUCH higher.
And you totally missed out on Will Sheff from Okkervil River - who right now I firmly believe is standing side by side with Conor Oberst for best young songwriter.
Best Young Songwriter: Jesse Lacey of Brand New who also should be on this list.
Where the hell is Noel Gallagher???
Where is Dave Matthews? Missed that one big time.
so def. Jesse Lacey (Brand New), Aaron weiss (mewithoutYou), Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Ace Enders (the Early November), Nate Ruess (The Format)
Sufjan Stevens should be so much higher on the list he is amazing.
and John Lennon isn't going to be on it since it is 100 best "Living" Songwriters
Lists are inherently ridiculous, but it drives up the hits. My missing favorites:
- Stew (solo, The Negro Problem, and the Tony-winning rock play "Passing Strange")
- Stephen Merritt (The Magnetic Fields)
Morrissey only 57?
Surely a mistake!
you didn't even state what this list was based on. what, to you guys, constitutes a great songwriter? making a list like this is just a ridiculous idea. you can't RATE the greatest novelists or the greatest film makers, especially not song writers, because they are always changing and evolving, writing better music or maybe writing some really shitty stuff too. maybe you could rate the greatest albums, or songs. but rating humans is just too subjective.
Kristyn osborn.
FAIL!!! Where on earth is Donald Fagan on your list? Fagan/Becker are easily top ten.Also to those lamenting that there is no Lennon or Marley the header says LIVING songwriters....
ummm....
where are the following?
~John Lennon
~Kurt Cobain
~Bob Marley
Wth?!?!?!
those guys are legends, and you put retards that don't belong in the top....
omg
What about Lenon-MaCartney?????
a lot of you don't realize that it's the
100 Best LIVING songwriters.
meaning still alive today.
where the fuck is noel gallagher man?
The fact that Noel Gallagher isnt in it is a travesty!! Noel Gallagher is far better then Radiohead ffs
I don't see why you put entire groups on this list instead of the songwriters in the groups. I can't believe this list doesn't include Ani Difranco, Clarence Greenwood, and Brandi Carlile. Leonard Cohen should've been higher up also, and where is Eddie Vedder?
Well, what can I expect from a best songwriters list that puts Prince in the top 10 and Stevie Nicks on the same line as Lindsey Buckingham? Songwriters like Jackson Browne and Don Henley should be rounding out the top 10, not Prince. And Lindsey Buckingham isn't even in the same league as Stevie Nicks, same group yes, same level - he wishes.
This is why I don't like music critics. This list has nothing to do with actual record sales, it's just some dude's opinion. Smokey Robinson is one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of all time(he's written more motown hits than I can count), yet he's at #37. And... you've got to be kidding. No Diane Warren? She's written 80 top 10 hits!!! Who wrote this list?
Dude... HARRY NILSSON.
Oh wait he died... Stillson ya gotta mention the Nilsson.
Half of the people you guys are complaining about are dead, ya goons! Top 100 LIVING Songwriters.
Umm... did you miss Eliza Gilkyson on that list or did I?
Gary Louris/Mark Olson, Grant Hart/Bob Mould, Craig Finn, Hank Williams, Neko Case, Shane MacGowan, almost said Townes van Zandt but, oh yeah, he's dead, one last awesome songwriter.....me..
and how about Lee Mavers (the La's) ?
Buck Williams, It's a list of songwriters that are living. so i don't think elliott and lennon really qualify.
this is for everyone alive, you idiots! John Lennon, Elliott Smith, Hank Williams and Bob Marley would not be on this list!
great list, though I could see both Mac McCaughan and Stephen Merritt somewhere in the 71-80 range. glad to see alex chilton and conor oberst represented, but no Paul Westerberg?
WHAT...RAY DAVIES..AT 41??? HE WISHES HE WAS THAT OLD IM SURE...HE SHOULD BE IN THE TOP TEN...AND THE KINKS ARE RETURNING AGAIN...WHY NOT?..JUST LISTEN TOO SOME OF THE PATHETIC STUFF OUT THERE THAT THINKS ITS ROCK MUSIC...PRINCE AT #10???? SOMEBODY HERE HAS TAKEN SOME PURPLE HAZE ALRIGHT...NO WAY THE PURPLE TWERP CAN BE AT THAT #..THE REST OF THE LIST..NOT BAD.
nm. i didn't see Westerberg. and ray davies should have been higher.
Oh the joys of music.
Like film, like novels, it's all objective people. Most of these artists have been around for a while, have a large catalog to pull from, and definitely have put their time in. But it doesn't matter cause it all comes down to opinion vs. opinion.
I'm though I must admit that the fact that William Sheff isn't on here slightly confuses me.
It continues to astound me that Matthew Ryan doesn't get the attention he deserves. His songs are beautifully crafted: stunning moments of pain, hope, humor and grace. While casting a wavering light on the dark corners and crevices of Ryan's complex soul--the songs, like all the best songs--speak to the human yearning for love and understanding.
How can you possibly overlook Neil Finn??????
c'mon man, get with it!
Todd Snider???? like really...this list is pretty much crap
I went over this list of greatest song writers of all time. there is one name that should be one more name in there. and the name is roy orbison, orbisons songs were a work of art, and he perfected them with his magnificent
voice. he should be in the top 10. and another thing. how can you put bob
dylans voice in the top 10 instead of
roy orbison? no offense to bob, i am a
fan of his songs, but he sounds like a
dang on sick bull frog. roy could sing
circles around dylan,mccartney, lennon and franklin. I like them all,but i do not think your so called list is too
accurate. I am sorry if i offended anyone, but that is just the way i feel
about the matter. thank you for your
time.