Favorite Song-Writers?

[KloD]

I was going to start a new thread for this, but found this thread. Thinking about my top 10 fav singers, I started thinking about song writers. Some of the ones listed here were lyricists, not actual song writers. Anyway.. here's mine.

Neil Diamond
Bob Dylan
Buckingham/Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)
McCartney/Lennon
Elton John/Bernie Taupin
Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb & Maurice Gibb
Paul Simon
Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright & Nick Mason
John Fogerty
Sting

How in the world did I forget Donald Fagen???

 

[mojorizen7]

Lennon/McCartney
Waters/Gilmour
Daniel Lanois
Bono/Edge
Page/Plant

That guy that writes for Elton John.

 

[O]

Page/Plant

With all due respect; You really need to research the blues.

 

[KloD]

Lennon/McCartney
Waters/Gilmour
Daniel Lanois
Bono/Edge
Page/Plant

That guy that writes for Elton John.

Elton writes the music, Bernie writes the lyrics. So they're a songwriting team.

 

[scXfreakX]

Pete Townshend (The Who), Roger Waters and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Jimi Hendrix, Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian (System of A Down), James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich (Metallica)

 

[Gaddabout]

OK, my favorites ...

The pop stars:
- Sting, when he's not being extraordinarily self-righteous
- Lennon/McCartney
- Brian Wilson
- Bob Dylan
- Stevie Wonder
- Elton John/Bernie Taupin
- Paul Simon
- Van Morrison
- Bob Marley
- Sly Stone
- Kurt Cobain
- Jimi Hendrix
- Billy Joel
- Al Green
- Bill Withers
- Donald Fagen and Walter Becker

The people who we turn our noses up at but deserve our respect for churning out so many hits:

- Dianne Warren
- Lionel Ritchie
- The Gibbs
- Burt Bacharach
- Paul Anka
- Neil Diamond

 

[mojorizen7]

With all due respect; You really need to research the blues.

I hope thats a joke. I think i know what you're alluding to with that comment and it's bologna.
If thats the case then lets just wipe out the rest of it...you know....Black Sabbath,Aerosmith,Bad Company,the majority of 70's rock and beyond.
With all due respect to you; Claiming that Plant/Page/Jones simply ripped off delta blues,12 bar-blues etc and simply turned up the volume is ignorance.
The range between "Bring it on Home" and say..."All of my Love" is vast.
If i misinterpreted you then i apologize.

 

[KloD]

OK, my favorites ...

The pop stars:
- Sting, when he's not being extraordinarily self-righteous
- Lennon/McCartney
- Brian Wilson
- Bob Dylan
- Stevie Wonder
- Elton John/Bernie Taupin
- Paul Simon
- Van Morrison
- Bob Marley
- Sly Stone
- Kurt Cobain
- Jimi Hendrix
- Billy Joel
- Al Green
- Bill Withers
- Donald Fagen and Walter Becker

The people who we turn our noses up at but deserve our respect for churning out so many hits:

- Dianne Warren
- Lionel Ritchie
- The Gibbs
- Burt Bacharach
- Paul Anka
- Neil Diamond

I can't imagine ANYONE who has a clue turning their nose to Neil Diamond or the Gibbs as songwriters? Besides the number of hits they produced themselves, they wrote more hits for other people than some of those others wrote for themselves. Along w/ Dylan and McCartney/Lennon, they were/are at the top. I guess folks may not like their music, but they should never be denied their due respect. I know you didn't say that, I'm just trying to imagine someone clueless enough who would.

I can't believe I forget Neil Young on my list! For that matter, Tom Waits deserves mention. Maybe even Prince and Tom Petty should be included.

 

[ozzfloyd]

Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright & Nick Mason

^ That. Big time.

 

[AZZenny]

Finn brothers (Crowded House)

 

[Dr. Jones]

Tom Petty once said that Brian Wilson is "America's Mozart".

That's the only second opinion I have ever needed.

 

[schutd]

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Amazing songs since the 80s. One of the only songwriters to GET BETTER after coming off the heroin. Unbelievable wickedly dark storytelling. The new Bad Seeds record Dig Lazarus Dig is phenomenal. Just got my tix to see him for the first time in Oct. Cant friggin wait.

Current bands with brilliant songwriting/lyricists?

The Decemberists - Very literary prose style writing. Music covers a lot of territory. Indie rock at its finest.

The Hold Steady - Hipster Bruce Springsteen and E St Band, for sure. Originally from the Twin Cities, the songs are about hope, and drugs and booze and the good ole days of growing up punk in MN. Hilarious stuff, thought provoking stuff, its all there. now residing in Brooklyn, their new album Stay Positive embodies the feel of a band growing up, but still able to channel the energy of their rawer earlier, more booze filled work. Check em out, and if you dont like it the first time, dont fret. I didnt either. It took awhile to appreciate them, and now I love em.