Paste Magazine's 100 Best Living Song Writers

[caudio51]

1. Bob Dylan
2. Neil Young
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Waits/Brennan
5. Paul McCartney
6. Leonard Cohen
7. Brian Wilson
8. Elvis Costello
9. Joni Mitchell
10. Prince
11. Randy Newman
12. Jagger/Richards
13. Paul Simon
14. Stevie Wonder
15. Willie Nelson
16. David Bowie
17. Holland/Dozier/Holland
18. U2
19. Patty Griffin
20. Van Morrison
21. Lou Reed
22. Lucinda Williams
23. John/Taupin
24. Jeff Tweedy
25. Chuck Berry
26. R.E.M.
27. Radiohead
28. Robbie Robertson
29. Tom Petty
30. John Prine
31. Carole King
32. Leiber/Stoller
33. Pete Townshend
34. John Fogerty
35. Steve Earle
36. Beck
37. Smokey Robinson
38. Kris Kristofferson
39. Led Zeppelin
40. Bacharach/David
41. Ray Davies
42. Loretta Lynn
43. Ryan Adams
44. Al Green
45. Jackson Browne
46. David Byrne
47. Sufjan Stevens
48. Welch/Rawlings
49. Cat Stevens
50. Public Enemy
51. Penn/Oldham
52. Paul Westerberg
53. James Taylor
54. Aimee Mann
55. Dolly Parton
56. James Brown
57. Morrissey
58. Sly Stone
59. Jack White
60. Jimmy Webb
61. John Hiatt
62. Sting
63. Richard Thompson
64. Andy Partridge
65. Bill Mallonee
66. Charles Thompson
67. Conor Oberst
68. Allen Toussaint
69. Merle Haggard
70. Alex Chilton
71. Vic Chesnutt
72. Michael Jackson
73. Julie Miller
74. Over the Rhine
75. Ron Sexsmith
76. Will Oldham
77. Bruce Cockburn
78. Robert Pollard
79. Stephen Malkmus
80. Pink Floyd
81. The Flaming Lips
82. John Darnielle
83. Fleetwood Mac
84. They Might Be Giants
85. David Bazan
86. Sam Beam
87. Lyle Lovett
88. Parliament
89. Victoria Williams
90. Nick Cave
91. Drive-By Truckers
92. Alejandro Escovedo
93. Joseph Arthur
94. Sam Phillips
95. Patti Smith
96. Jimmy Cliff
97. Josh Ritter
98. Jay Farrar
99. Outkast
100. T. Bone Burnett

 

[DocLogic77]

What a load of crock...where is Ashley Simpson? :scratchhe :grin:

 

[geoffrie]

Cannot find Warren Zeveon?
Cannot find Bob Marley?

Thank goodness they remembered Bruce Cockburn

And I like Drive BY Truckers alot (really) but top 100? Might as well add Old Crow Medicine Show?

 

[Greg]

Cannot find Warren Zeveon?
Cannot find Bob Marley?

No Bob Marley, but Jimmy Cliff???

Warren Zevon was an excellent songwriter.

ooops.....the list was for greatest songwriters that are currently LIVING.

But I'd add Lou Reed and Elton John.

 

[caudio51]

Yea, pretty weak list. Outkast is good, but not that good.

 

[kirscovitch]

john prine made #30. thats pretty cool :glassesgr

 

[geoffrie]

ooops.....the list was for greatest songwriters that are currently LIVING.

Are you sure?

They have Keith Richards and Brain Wilson on the list.

 

[pharmgator]

Where is metallica?

 

[DocLogic77]

Yea, pretty weak list. Outkast is good, but not that good.

In that genre Andre of Outkast was a genius. From the rap world I would have also like to have seen NAS up there.

 

[geoffrie]

In that genre Andre of Outkast was a genius. From the rap world I would have also like to have seen NAS up there.

or Chuck D
or Dre

 

[tobby4]

if we see NAS then we have to see Jay-Z imo...

decent list, these list are impossible to come up with though so they did a good job comparatively speaking i guess.

 

[Kurtdesign1]

If you would get 100 people to write their top 100, I'd bet 1/2 the people on this list above would be mentioned 5% of the time by those 100 people.

Right, like Carol King deserves to be below...

2. Neil Young
4. Waits/Brennan
9. Joni Mitchell
10. Prince
16. David Bowie
21. Lou Reed
22. Lucinda Williams
25. Chuck Berry
26. R.E.M.



I guess these songs aren't really that good after all:

I Feel the Earth Move
So Far Away
It's Too Late
Home Again
Beautiful
Way Over Yonder
You've Got a Friend
Where You Lead
Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Smackwater Jack
Tapestry
(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman



I guess Dave Matthews doesn't fit enough, either. Yeah, if kids like em, they can't be good...

 

[Poni]

Pink Floyd @ 80?

 

[Kurtdesign1]

Pink Floyd @ 80?

My point exactly.
It's not like Dark Side of the Moon took very much thought, right?!

 

[geoffrie]

At the time, Tapestry was the largest selling album later to be bumped by Fleetwood Mac.

And she's still good.

But I would put her after Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Lou Reed.

 

[Kurtdesign1]

At the time, Tapestry was the largest selling album later to be bumped by Fleetwood Mac.

And she's still good.

But I would put her after Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Lou Reed.

If memory serves, I believe she was bumped by Michael Jackson's Thriller & later Titanic soundtrack. Though, I have already forgotten what we're speaking to so I wouldn't hold much stock in what I say.

 

[geoffrie]

If memory serves, I believe she was bumped by Michael Jackson's Thriller & later Titanic soundtrack. Though, I have already forgotten what we're speaking to so I wouldn't hold much stock in what I say.

Fleetwood Mac Rumors was the late 70s.

Thriller was definately 80s.

 

[Kurtdesign1]

Oh, I wasn't questioning Rumors/Thrillers release, rather how succesful Rumors was. I didn't think it outsold CK