100 Greatest Songwriters
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Paul #2, John #3, George #65. (Dylan was #1!)
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Nice to see that Paul was rated so high (#2) especially from such a prestigious Site like RollingStone. I will have to see the whole article and their rundown of greatest songwriters. Like many of our polls here (e.g. Paul's greatest albums, songs etc) it is so subjective and difficult to choose when you consider how many great songwriters there have been. I would be interested to see how far back they go. For instance, do they go back to the 20's like Irvin Berlin or a country giant like Hank Williams. It would also be interesting to see the various music genre's they cover.
At first glance I have no problem with Bob Dylan being ranked as #1. Dylan is not only a great lyricist but a great melody maker as well. I'm biased towards Paul of course but I think Paul deserves such a high ranking because he has such a "diverse" musical Catalog and he's a consummate all-around musician.
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After looking at the 100 songwriters in the list, it only covers the rock 'n roll era onwards. Several of them I've never heard of (perhaps you have to subscribe to Rolling Stone). Burt Bacharach and Hal David would be near the top for people like me aged 66 who have listened a lot to popular music over the last 60 years, so to see them at only number 32 is frankly ridiculous. Music is so subjective anyway, so no two people anywhere will agree. I feel that if you're talking about great songwriters, you must include those whose songs have really lasted and continue to be sung - I'm talking about Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers, Arlen, Berlin and all the writers in the Great American Songbook.
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B J Conlee wrote:
Nice to see that Paul was rated so high (#2) especially from such a prestigious Site like RollingStone. I will have to see the whole article and their rundown of greatest songwriters. Like many of our polls here (e.g. Paul's greatest albums, songs etc) it is so subjective and difficult to choose when you consider how many great songwriters there have been. I would be interested to see how far back they go. For instance, do they go back to the 20's like Irvin Berlin or a country giant like Hank Williams. It would also be interesting to see the various music genre's they cover.
At first glance I have no problem with Bob Dylan being ranked as #1. Dylan is not only a great lyricist but a great melody maker as well. I'm biased towards Paul of course but I think Paul deserves such a high ranking because he has such a "diverse" musical Catalog and he's a consummate all-around musician.
Here's the full list BJ:
https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/
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Nancy R wrote:
B J Conlee wrote:
Nice to see that Paul was rated so high (#2) especially from such a prestigious Site like RollingStone. I will have to see the whole article and their rundown of greatest songwriters. Like many of our polls here (e.g. Paul's greatest albums, songs etc) it is so subjective and difficult to choose when you consider how many great songwriters there have been. I would be interested to see how far back they go. For instance, do they go back to the 20's like Irvin Berlin or a country giant like Hank Williams. It would also be interesting to see the various music genre's they cover.
At first glance I have no problem with Bob Dylan being ranked as #1. Dylan is not only a great lyricist but a great melody maker as well. I'm biased towards Paul of course but I think Paul deserves such a high ranking because he has such a "diverse" musical Catalog and he's a consummate all-around musician.
Here's the full list BJ:
https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/
Thanks Nancy. It will take me a while to digest this list but the first glaring mistake I see is having "Elton John and Bernie Taupin" way down at #48. When they only cover songwriters from the "Rock and Roll" era till today (e.g. Taylor Swift) Elton and Bernie deserve a much higher ranking in my opinion.
I was also very surprised based on Rollingstone's time table that Burt Bacharach and Hal David were way down at #32. Again, in my opinion, they would have to be ranked much higher.
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Really enjoyed the article. Personally for me, I would put Paul as #1. Just not the greatest Dylan fan. Really enjoyed the choices the closer you got to the top. Some of my favorite writers, for sure. Going to have to get that issue of Rolling Stone! Was Jeff Lynne in there and Hayward and Lodge? Totally agree with you BJ about Paul..." I'm biased towards Paul of course but I think Paul deserves such a high ranking because he has such a "diverse" musical Catalog and he's a consummate all-around musician." My feelings exactly.
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Okay, my two cents. IMO, the Bee Gees, John Prine, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and especially George Harrison should have been ranked MUCH higher. All were ranked BEHIND Madonna? And Elton John and Bernie Taupin at #48?? Easily Top Ten at the least. Would have placed Brian Wilson in the Top 5. And yep, McCartney should be #1, with Lennon #2 and Dylan #3.
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Just thinking more about this list, it appears as though RollingStone detracted some points from the Bacharach-David and John-Taupin teams because the individuals themselves did not write "both" lyrics and music. While RollingStone listed the Paul McCartney and John Lennon songwriting team separately, I think this was done for good reason because Paul and John wrote so many of their songs separately. In the case of Bacharach-David and John-Taupin I don't think it is fair to diminish their ranking because of the way they wrote their songs. It is the final product that should be the final verdict.
Because Bacharach-David and John-Taupin wrote so many great, great songs together I think they should much higher than #32 and #48 respectively. In my opinion, both of these teams as "units" should be in the Top 10. It is based on the "quantity" and "quality" of true "signature" songs that are known universally throughout the world. Just my opinion.
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Okay, my two cents. IMO, the Bee Gees, John Prine, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and especially George Harrison should have been ranked MUCH higher. All were ranked BEHIND Madonna? And Elton John and Bernie Taupin at #48?? Easily Top Ten at the least. Would have placed Brian Wilson in the Top 5. And yep, McCartney should be #1, with Lennon #2 and Dylan #3.
Great points Wingsoverkc.
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love2travel wrote:
Really enjoyed the article. Personally for me, I would put Paul as #1. Just not the greatest Dylan fan. Really enjoyed the choices the closer you got to the top. Some of my favorite writers, for sure. Going to have to get that issue of Rolling Stone! Was Jeff Lynne in there and Hayward and Lodge? Totally agree with you BJ about Paul..." I'm biased towards Paul of course but I think Paul deserves such a high ranking because he has such a "diverse" musical Catalog and he's a consummate all-around musician." My feelings exactly.
Agree with you about everything including Dylan.
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Okay, my two cents. IMO, the Bee Gees, John Prine, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and especially George Harrison should have been ranked MUCH higher. All were ranked BEHIND Madonna? And Elton John and Bernie Taupin at #48?? Easily Top Ten at the least. Would have placed Brian Wilson in the Top 5. And yep, McCartney should be #1, with Lennon #2 and Dylan #3.
Agree!
