Astonishing Songwriters

[Lovecraft]

I'm drunk and going through my music "library"

 

Currently listening to George Michael, one of my Favorite songwriters ever.

 

The man just wrote so many amazing songs.

 

Lennon

 

Dylan

 

Gibb

 

ABBA

 

What's yours?

 

 

Any hidden gems?

 

[Auld Reekin']

Give Ron Sexsmith a listen. Justin Currie also writes a great melody, lyric, and hook. 

 

And then, of course, there's Neil Young.

 

And - if you want to go back a good while (and to a different genre altogether) - no-one came close to Hank Williams.

[Boof]

Neil Peart 

[frankblack]

I'm off to my kip but here's some for starters:

 

Bowie

Robert Plant

Nick Cave

Robert Smith

Prince

Tom Petty 

 

Lesser known:

Frank Black/Black Francis/Charles Thompson

Mark Lanegan

[Plank]

Roger Waters.

[Fitzroy Pointon]

Paul Weller 

[¼½¾]

Paul Simon

[Roxy Hearts]

Jagger and Richards

[Victorian]

Ure / Currie

Vince Clarke

John / Taupin 

Buckingham / Nicks / McVie

Brian James

 

To name a few.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Victorian

[Tazio]

Joni Mitchell. 

Beautiful songs that are very musically intricate. 

[been here before]

Nile Rodgers has written a huge amount of songs for others that you pribably didnt know were his.

[Tazio]

Also all the amazing writers that wrote for other people. From genius like Cole Porter through to people like Carole King and Gerry Goffin . Then the staff writers at Motown like Holland/Dozier/Holland. Jimmy Webb wrote a few crackers as did Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. 

[Statts1976uk]

A very underrated modern songwriter is Mark Morriss from the Bluetones, probably the best from the Britpop era.

[FWJ]

Smokey Robinson.

[neilnunb]

Paul Heaton

 

Paddy McAloon

 

 

[Victorian]

Stevie Wonder

[¼½¾]

Strummer/Jones

[Les Izemore]

7 minutes ago, Lemongrab said:

Strummer/Jones

 

Nope. 

 

As as much as I like The Clash I always thought they yearned for 50’s rock ‘n’ roll and borrowed too heavily from it. 

 

It’s one one thing to have influences but when you end up just a retread you’ve lost it. 

 

Their whole ‘Last Gang in Town’ schtick was laughable.

 

JS, the son of a British diplomat as the rebel outsider. Please.

 

See also ‘The Modfather’ Paul Weller’. Twunt.  

[Roxy Hearts]

27 minutes ago, Victorian said:

Stevie Wonder

Good call. 

[Roxy Hearts]

Bryan Ferry on the early Roxy Music albums is brilliant. 

[micole]

For me it has to be Dylan , he has penned so many great songs  no one comes close IMO. Other favs are

 

Lennon and McCartney.

Luke Morley 

Neil Young

Jagger/ Richard's

 

There are many many more, I would be here all day...😀😀

 

[AJAMBO]

10 hours ago, Lovecraft said:

I'm drunk and going through my music "library"

 

Currently listening to George Michael, one of my Favorite songwriters ever.

 

The man just wrote so many amazing songs.

 

Lennon

 

Dylan

 

Gibb

 

ABBA

 

What's yours?

 

 

Any hidden gems?

 

Agree

 

I'm missing .

 

I often wondered who came up with the re written songs we've sung apart from the Hearts song is original to a music hall tune. If I'm wrong on that help me out I'm not going to Google it

 

Hearts hearts glorious hearts is another original not sure of the tune's origins. The Europe song. Hmmmm I'm creating a list

Edited September 21, 2019 by AJAMBO

[Cade]

Prince. The number of songs he wrote and gave to other people to perform is truly vast. 

[Lovecraft]

10 hours ago, Boof said:

Neil Peart 

  

I haven't really done Rush yet.  Been too scared.

 

Aren't they like a religion?

 

 

[Lovecraft]

10 hours ago, frankblack said:

I'm off to my kip but here's some for starters:

 

Bowie

Robert Plant

Nick Cave

Robert Smith

Prince

Tom Petty 

 

Lesser known:

Frank Black/Black Francis/Charles Thompson

Mark Lanegan

Going by the cracking top list, I will give the lesser known ones a go.

 

Cheers.

 

 

[Lovecraft]

8 hours ago, Plank said:

Roger Waters.

 Probably my favourite songwriter ever.

 

 

[N Lincs Jambo]

George Harrison wrote a few crackers too. David Gates (Bread)

Goffin/King

Nicky Wire (Manics)

[frankblack]

11 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

Going by the cracking top list, I will give the lesser known ones a go.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

Cheers.  Mark Lanegan is a personal favourite from his days in Screaming Trees.  People into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds may like his solo material and he has done interesting collaborations.

 

Pixies are the starting point for Frank Black who uses aliases here and there. They play the Usher Hall on Monday.

Edited September 21, 2019 by frankblack

[Morgan]

I’ll probably get slated for my choices but....

 

Bernie Taupin and George Michael.

[leginten]

2 hours ago, Tazio said:

Joni Mitchell. 

Beautiful songs that are very musically intricate. 

 

Incredible songwriter. On a different planet from the rest.

 

Richard Thompson is, for me, the greatest British songwriter of the last few decades. Countless songs of genius and lyrically the sharpest tool in the box. Elvis Costello is up there too.

[Boof]

42 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

  

I haven't really done Rush yet.  Been too scared.

 

Aren't they like a religion?

 

 

 

Never thought of them like that before

 

I'm sure some Rush fans will get defensive of any criticism. There's a funny series of YouTube videos of a guy hearing bands for the first time - his Rush ones are fecking hilarious to me.

[Robbo-Jambo]

Paul Weller 

 

Tilbrook/Difford 

 

Pete Townshend. 

[ƒιѕнρℓαρѕ]

2 hours ago, Cade said:

Prince. The number of songs he wrote and gave to other people to perform is truly vast. 

 

 

Obviously Lennon and McCartney, Ray Davies (Dave too, but I just love Ray's style so much), Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon. 

[¼½¾]

3 hours ago, Les Izemore said:

 

Nope. 

 

As as much as I like The Clash I always thought they yearned for 50’s rock ‘n’ roll and borrowed too heavily from it. 

 

It’s one one thing to have influences but when you end up just a retread you’ve lost it. 

 

Their whole ‘Last Gang in Town’ schtick was laughable.

 

JS, the son of a British diplomat as the rebel outsider. Please.

 

See also ‘The Modfather’ Paul Weller’. Twunt.  

I just like a lot of their songs, I wasn't expecting someone to go all NME on me.

 

[been here before]

13 hours ago, Lovecraft said:

 George Michael

 

 

1 hour ago, Morgan said:

George Michael

 

Whilst Im not a fan by any stretch of the late Georgios I've got to admit I was quite amazed when he died at the amount of stuff he had churned out over the years and Im saying that as someone who can clearly remember his days with Wham.

 

I was even more amazed at how much of it I knew the words too 😂

 

Mind you I do quite like the sentiment behind Outside and the get it right up ye (as it were) video.

 

I think Im done with the sofa...  

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by been here before

[Auld Reekin']

5 hours ago, leginten said:

 

Incredible songwriter. On a different planet from the rest.

 

Richard Thompson is, for me, the greatest British songwriter of the last few decades. Countless songs of genius and lyrically the sharpest tool in the box. Elvis Costello is up there too.

 

Good shout. The late Alan Hull of Lindisfarne was also a great songwriter from the folk/rock genre and same generation as Richard Thomson. Rod Clement, from the same band, could write a song or two an' all.

 

4 hours ago, Smithee said:

 

 

Obviously Lennon and McCartney, Ray Davies (Dave too, but I just love Ray's style so much), Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon. 

 

Brilliant shouts for these guys...

[Dagger Is Back]

Agree with so many of the above.

 

Showing my age but Chinn and Chapman need added IMHO

[been here before]

Noddy Holder wrote some real bollock rocking tunes.

 

And Shane MacGowan can pen a tune thatll rip your heart out.

[Cruyff Turn]

 

That band. 

[Cruyff Turn]

 

 

[Cruyff Turn]

Jackson Browne

 

Darrell Scott

 

John Martyn

[benny]

Ryan Adams.

Lucinda Williams.

Jeff Tweedy.

Paterson Hood and Mike Cooley.

Elvis Costello.

Paul Weller 

[Bozi]

Top of the head but

 

Nick cave 

Polly Jean Harvey 

Lennon, McCartney, Harrison 

Weller

Ray Davies 

Dan Auerbach 

Stevie Wonder

Otis Redding 

Jack White 

Jagger, Richards 

Neil Young

 

I am sure I could add and add to this but this lot have written some of my favourite ever songs 

[redjambo]

Jacques Brel.

[Les Izemore]

17 hours ago, Lemongrab said:

I just like a lot of their songs, I wasn't expecting someone to go all NME on me.

 

 

Guilty as charged. 😀

 

I do tend to get a bit wound up about the deification of Strummer and Weller, both mediocre songwriters and musicians that have been placed on too high a pedestal by cloth-eared chumps. 

[scott herbertson]

Jimmy Webb as has been said - Macarthur park, Galveston, Withita lineman

 

Randy Newman (anyone who has the range to right "You got a friend in me" "Short people" and "Mama told me not to come" is a bit special)

 

A shout out for Graham Gouldman (of 10 CC) as well as the 10cc stuff like I'm not in Love he also wrote for the Hollies (the magnificent Bus Stop and even better Stop, Stop, Stop) and the Yardbirds (Heartful of soul)

 

But my favourite,  who would be far better known if he hadn't been committed to a political path is Ewan MacColl - "Dirty old town" "First time everI i saw your face" would be ones nearly everyone knows but there are many many others. An example of his marvellous lyrics is the Father's Song

 

 

[Pans Jambo]

Cant believe nobody has mentioned Bruce Springsteen. 

[ToadKiller Dog]

2 hours ago, Pans Jambo said:

Cant believe nobody has mentioned Bruce Springsteen. 

Was going to put him in the list and he should be near the top 

I would add Paul Simon .

Elvis Costello 

 

 

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

On 21/09/2019 at 04:44, Tazio said:

 Holland/Dozier/Holland.

 

Absolutely incredible output

 

I agree with lots of names already on the list. Lennon and McCartney are obvious but it still needs to be said. In addition...

 

Brian Wilson.

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda.

 

Gruff Rhys (often in collaboration with the rest of the Super Furry Animals).

 

 

 

[ri Alban]

Noel Coward