Let's Start an Argument! RS's 100 Greatest Songwriters

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:04 am

Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest songwriters.

I'll start and this should egg enough of you on to check the list out.

John Prine is 94th. Kanye West is 84th.

Go.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:05 am

Fuck pop culture listicles.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:06 am

These kinds of lists get my blood pressure up to uncomfortable levels...

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:14 am

Because Rolling Stone: Kurt Cobain at 54.

And Jackson Browne is criminally underrated.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:24 am

Jimmy Buffett #11???????

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:27 am

Saw what you want about Kurt Cobain but if Jimmy Buffett is number 11 then Cobain better fucking be in the top 10.

(But yeah, I'm not even looking at it -- I'm sure the whole list is wack.)

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:30 am

JImmy Buffet is not on the list. Cobain is 54.

It's got a lot of duos that weren't performers at all, which is probably deserved, but it is also a pretty hit and miss list.

Dylan is #1.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:33 am

Steve Earle was widely quoted twenty years or so ago as saying, "Townes Van Zant is the best living songwriter, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table and say it."

Of course, Townes Van Zant doesn't make this list, and neither does Steve Earle. (But, many idiot fuckwits do make the list.)

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:33 am

I don't know nearly as much a some of you guys, so just have a couple quick takes:

-Good to see the "cool" critics finally coming around on McCartney. Because Paul was seen as a sell-out while Lennon remained a counterculture icon (and especially because died early), the popular view retroactively made John the preeminent Beatle--but really, Paul was really the group's primary creative force for most of their mid/late periods while John would occasionally emerge from his drugged-out, p-whipped haze to write a good song.

-I can't wrap my mind around Chuck Berry at #4. I mean, he was without question extraordinarily influential in shaping the style and sound of rock, but his songs themselves were basically written at a nursery-rhyme level.

-There needs to be a Top 100 list of worst individual rankings from Rolling Stone Top 100 lists.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:34 am

Well, Chuck Berry basically invented rock and roll, so there's that...

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:39 am

Jewish Elvis and Willie are both way too low. And these lists always overrate those who died prematurely. Sorry, Buddy Holly and Hank Williams should be nowhere near the top.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:44 am

Who would win the Jewish-singer-songwriter-everybody-pretends-not-to-like-but-secretly-does Olympics? Neil Diamond or Billy Joel?

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:47 am

Johnny Carwash wrote:I can't wrap my mind around Chuck Berry at #4. I mean, he was without question extraordinarily influential in shaping the style and sound of rock, but his songs themselves were basically written at a nursery-rhyme level

Not to argue with this opinion, but I'm not sure that songwriter and lyricist mean the same thing here.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:49 am

sancarlos wrote:Well, Chuck Berry basically invented rock and roll, so there's that...

Does this include the music, or just the lyrics? How are Tom Marshall and Trey Anastacio not on the list?

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:57 am

This is a veritable Stuff White People Like list.

HDO45331 · Post by **HDO45331** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:51 pm

No Guy Clark? Huh?

No Stephen Stills, or David Crosby?

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:52 pm

Why are Jagger and Richards together but Lennon and McCartney not?

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 12:59 pm

Jerloma wrote:Why are Jagger and Richards together but Lennon and McCartney not?

Guessing it's because both of them had much more substantial solo careers than Jagger/Richards did.

Also, even though their Beatles songs were joint-credited, most of them were written by one or the other individually (usually identifiable by whichever one was the lead singer).

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:01 pm

Jerloma wrote:Why are Jagger and Richards together but Lennon and McCartney not?

Both Lennon and McCartney have stated that they generally wrote their songs by themselves, but officially gave dual credit. Jagger and Richards actually did co-write.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:06 pm

I've heard recently that a lot of what the beatles did was separate writing but shared credit.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:12 pm

Well there you go.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:12 pm

Shortly before he was killed, John Lennon did a great interview with Playboy in which he ticked off a number of them, song-by-song, which were "John" songs, and which were "Paul" songs. He said they had quite a rivalry, so as example, he said after John wrote "Day Tripper", Paul wanted to write a hit that was in a similar vein, and came up with "Paperback Writer".

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:22 pm

Now I know where to go for my Lennon/McCartney questions.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:29 pm

(For the record, I was being a total troll)

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:30 pm

All us Swampers are fountains of useless information. We just have different areas of strength.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:33 pm

sancarlos wrote:All us Swampers are fountains of useless information. We just have different areas of strength.

Sig'ed.

SportsDoc · Post by **SportsDoc** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:41 pm

Over rated: Bjork and Lou Reed.

Under rated: Billy Joel and Jackson Browne.

Moreta · Post by **Moreta** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:08 pm

I only looked at the link to make sure Carole King and Paul Simon were ranked highly enough.

Tom 1860 · Post by **Tom 1860** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:29 pm

Odd that Benny and Bjorn are at 100... Like ABBA or not, they knew how to write songs that millions and millions of people still love.

I'll get my coat!

Tom 1860 · Post by **Tom 1860** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:34 pm

Also Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters seem to be missing, which is odd...

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 4:38 pm

Peter Gabriel wasn't in there was he?

(the current trend of "lists" that you have to click through every selection one at a time rankles me)

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 6:13 am

Got as far as Bjork ahead of Marvin Gaye.

Life is too short for this.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:42 pm

I'd put Stan Ridgway somewhere on my list were I to make one.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:48 pm

Gunpowder wrote:I'd put Stan Ridgway somewhere on my list were I to make one.

Mexican Radio had a great video.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:54 pm

sancarlos wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:I'd put Stan Ridgway somewhere on my list were I to make one.
Mexican Radio had a great video.

He's like the Gerry Rafferty of the 80s!

howard · Post by **howard** » Mon Aug 24, 2015 6:03 pm

I wish I was in Tiajuana
Smoking barbecued iguana

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:21 am

Stan Ridgway released a couple of really good albums way back when. Love this tune...

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:27 am

I like that whole album. Mission in Life is pretty bomb as well. My dad used to have that on cassette and Goin' Southbound was one of the few songs that both he and we (me and my brother) liked, so that tape got some heavy rotation. We liked the song Pruitt posted because he said "ass".

So did a cassette single for Just Another Day by Jon Secada. Just blastin' that shit in the Crown Vic yo.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:30 am

Gunpowder wrote:I like that whole album. Mission in Life is pretty bomb as well. My dad used to have that on cassette and Goin' Southbound was one of the few songs that both he and we (me and my brother) liked, so that tape got some heavy rotation. We liked the song Pruitt posted because he said "ass".

So did a cassette single for Just Another Day by Jon Secada. Just blastin' that shit in the Crown Vic yo.

I fear that your father and I are contemporaries which makes me feel very old...

Ridgway put out a few solid albums and then seemed to get a bit too weird. But I would put him on that abysmal Rolling Stone list ahead of Bjork.

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:28 am

Gunpowder wrote:I like that whole album. Mission in Life is pretty bomb as well. My dad used to have that on cassette and Goin' Southbound was one of the few songs that both he and we (me and my brother) liked, so that tape got some heavy rotation. We liked the song Pruitt posted because he said "ass".

So did a cassette single for Just Another Day by Jon Secada. Just blastin' that shit in the Crown Vic yo.

I was wondering how in the hell you came up with that name. Not really your typical style (rap and yacht rock).