Music Banter - Top 100 Living Songwriters

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Top 100 Living Songwriters

This was presented by Paste Magazine, in my opinion the only music magazine that is worth its salt. Hopefully this sits better with the populace than the RS list, or The indie rock album list. Enjoy!

Quote:

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)

Read 91-100

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 ****burn
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

I think Morrissey behind U2 is bullshit, but it's actually a fairly solid list.

No Indigo Girls? They have always been really good in the songwriting department...

~ josh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowquill (Post 418097)

I think Morrissey behind U2 is bullshit, but it's actually a fairly solid list.

thats because given the chance you'd eat Morrisseys ****, and Urban rubbed off on you.

Willie Nelson beats David Bowie?

I'd say it's a fairly predictable list, though I'm glad that they did include more modern/contemporary ones such as Sufjan and Connor. To be honest, there are quite a few that I haven't heard of, pretty much once it gets to 60 is where they start to become unrecognizable with me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog (Post 418102)

thats because given the chance you'd eat Morrisseys ****, and Urban rubbed off on you.

The Smiths are one of the most important bands of the 80s and the Queen is Dead kicks the shit out of Joshua Tree even on its weakest track. Morrissey is in his 40s and still kicking ass. What are U2 doing? Oh right, swinging to the music with jesus 'round their necks and still sucking at counting in Spanish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dave (Post 418103)

ack.

Can we go over this. Its predictable but you don't recognize a lot of them? And if its predictable doesn't that mean it might be on target. And I wish it was predictable because they gave credit to people who deserve it but never get it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crowquill (Post 418105)

Ok Listen MisfitsPunk, I don't wanna hear it. When this movement is dead someone else "in no way should be behind U2."

I don't think they write brilliant lyrics either but I'm not going ape **** Waits came in 4th, but be thankful paste actually thought this list was right and weren't making an issue to sell copies or appease their corporate paymasters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog (Post 418108)

Yes, they broke up over 20 years ago obviously it's just a movement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog (Post 418107)

I more so meant the higher ranked ones when I said the predictable comment, I know I didn't put that in my post, but I meant to. But yes, I'd say the entire top 10 is predictable and I'd almost expect Rolling Stone to make the same list, though they may have put U2 in place of Joni Mitchell.

But it is fairly dead on, though I think Patti Smith deserves to be a bit higher, Sufjan needs to be lower, and I would have put Elton John in the top 15.