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Great lyricists.


Tazio

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I saw a debate online tonight by someone claiming Noel Gallagher is a better songwriter than Paul Weller. As I was reading this song came on. Gallagher couldn’t write this verse if you gave him 100 years. I’m not saying he’s not written a few good songs but there are different levels. 
 

 

Rows and rows of disused milk floats stand dying in the dairy yard
And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It's enough to make you stop believing when tears come fast and furious
In a town called malice

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4 hours ago, Tazio said:

I saw a debate online tonight by someone claiming Noel Gallagher is a better songwriter than Paul Weller. As I was reading this song came on. Gallagher couldn’t write this verse if you gave him 100 years. I’m not saying he’s not written a few good songs but there are different levels. 
 

 

Rows and rows of disused milk floats stand dying in the dairy yard
And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It's enough to make you stop believing when tears come fast and furious
In a town called malice

 

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21 minutes ago, Smithee said:

Ray Davies

Whit!? Paul didnae write this

 

Edited by ri Alban
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Sup up your beer and collect your fags,

There’s a row going on, down near Slough.

 

Greatest lyricist?  Surely Smokey Robinson must be up there.

 

”My smile is my make-up,

I wear since my break-up

with you”

 

And anyone that can effortlessly get Pagliacci  into a pop song lyric deserves a medal.

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Unknown user
37 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

Whit!? Paul didnae write this

 

That was an ongoing argument in our house for years - fa fa fa fa or ba ba ba ba.

She's an idiot, clearly fa fa fa fa.

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2 minutes ago, Smithee said:

That was an ongoing argument in our house for years - fa fa fa fa or ba ba ba ba.

She's an idiot, clearly fa fa fa fa.

Both great. 

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frankblack
2 hours ago, ri Alban said:

 

I once saw the pair of them perform at T in the Park when he did an acoustic set.  NG strolled on towards the end with a litte bottle of JD and did That’s Entertainment and another song IIRC.

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Governor Tarkin

Some good shouts so far.

Chuck in Mark Knopfler. Great storyteller.

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Carl Fredrickson

39 years ago this month I got my First Bruce Springsteen album. His stories have been a crutch to me through the highs and lows of life

 

 

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All inspired by each other.

 

So many others you can throw on to the mix.

 

Paul Weller

Paul Simon

Neil Sedaka

Smokey Robinson

James Taylor

Carol King

Kate Bush

Ray Davies

 

List is endless

 

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Robbo-Jambo
1 hour ago, Boris said:

but sticking with Weller, this is genius imo.

 

Setting Sons and All Mod Cons are brilliant albums and considering Paul Weller was only 19 years old when he wrote AMC makes it even more impressive. 

 

Number one albums in each of the last 5 decades shows some staying power and no little talent. 

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Unknown user
1 hour ago, Byyy The Light said:

In recent times Alex Turner is up there

I have to agree actually, he's developed his style a lot but I'm particularly fond of his say-what-you-see approach in the first couple of albums, he's really clever with it.

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Robbo-Jambo
3 hours ago, ri Alban said:

The whole song. 

The whole of Quadrophenia is absolutely superb. 

 

One of my all time favourite albums 👍

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Robbo-Jambo
2 hours ago, frankblack said:

I once saw the pair of them perform at T in the Park when he did an acoustic set.  NG strolled on towards the end with a litte bottle of JD and did That’s Entertainment and another song IIRC.

Town called Malice was the other song. 

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Byyy The Light
8 minutes ago, Smithee said:

I have to agree actually, he's developed his style a lot but I'm particularly fond of his say-what-you-see approach in the first couple of albums, he's really clever with it.


For someone so far up his own arse he manages to relate to the everyday occurrences pretty well

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Unknown user
Just now, Byyy The Light said:


For someone so far up his own arse he manages to relate to the everyday occurrences pretty well

:laugh2: pretty much where I am too

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JimKongUno
2 hours ago, Governor Tarkin said:

Some good shouts so far.

Chuck in Mark Knopfler. Great storyteller.

 

For sure, a ****ing legend on the guitar too. 

 

Il throw in 

Syd Barrett

David Bowie

Freddie Mercury

Michael Stipe

Tupac Shakur

 

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scott herbertson

Pete Sinfield wrote some good lyrics for King Crimson and PFM

 

The Court of the Crimson King

The rusted chains of prison moons
Are shattered by the sun.
I walk a road, horizons change
The tournament's begun.
The purple piper plays his tune,
The choir softly sing;
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue,
For the court of the crimson king.
 
The keeper of the city keys
Puts shutters on the dreams.
I wait outside the pilgrim's door
With insufficient schemes.
The black queen chants the funeral march,
The cracked brass bells will ring;
To summon back the fire witch
To the court of the crimson king.
 
The gardener plants an evergreen
Whilst trampling on a flower.
I chase the wind of a prism ship
To taste the sweet and sour.
The pattern juggler lifts his hand;
The orchestra begin;
As slowly turns the grinding wheel
In the court of the crimson king.
 
On soft grey mornings widows cry,
The wise men share a joke.
I run to grasp divining signs
To satisfy the hoax.
The yellow jester does not play
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as the puppets dance
In the court of the crimson king.
 
Grace Slick also wrote some good stuff

White Rabbit

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small,
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all.
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall.

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall,
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call.
Call Alice
When she was just small.

When the men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow.
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know.

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead,
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said:

"Feed your head. Feed your head. Feed your head"
 
 
 
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JudyJudyJudy
1 hour ago, Carl Fredrickson said:

39 years ago this month I got my First Bruce Springsteen album. His stories have been a crutch to me through the highs and lows of life

 

 

Yes he’s not called the Boss for nothing . I find “ The River “ album deeply moving . Some beautiful songs on it . Actually most of his  music is of a high standard 

28 minutes ago, JimKongUno said:

 

For sure, a ****ing legend on the guitar too. 

 

Il throw in 

Syd Barrett

David Bowie

Freddie Mercury

Michael Stipe

Tupac Shakur

 

Tupac was amazing . I like Eminem too. But then I have such a diverse musical taste I can listen to Tupac one minute then it’s Judy at Carnegie Hall ! 

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JudyJudyJudy

George and Ira Gershwin so many to chose from but this song lyrics are particularly clever and witty and is just a classic . 

 

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JudyJudyJudy
11 minutes ago, weehammy said:

The peerless Cole Porter.

 

‘When love congeals it soon reveals the faint aroma of performing seals’

 

Yes he was an incredible songwriter . 

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Des'ree 

 

Swept the Ivor Novellos with this gem.

 

I don't want to see a ghost,
It's a sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast
And watch the evening news 

 

 

 

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Francis Albert
59 minutes ago, weehammy said:

The peerless Cole Porter.

 

‘When love congeals it soon reveals the faint aroma of performing seals’

 

Thanks for introducing one of the best of the many great American Songbook lyricists of the 30's and 40's to the thread. There are a dozen other greats - Gershwin, Hart and so on and on.

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scott herbertson

I love Noel Coward's stuff

 

Most witty lyricist I'd say

The Stately Homes of England

 

Lord Elderly, Lord Borrowmere,
Lord Sickert and Lord Camp.
With every virtue, every grace,
Ah, what avails the sceptred race.
Here you see the four of us,
And there are so many more of us-
Eldest sons
That must succeed.

We know how Caesar conquered Gaul,
And how to whack a cricket ball;
Apart from this, our education
Lacks co-ordination.
Though we're young,
And tentative,
And rather representative
Scions of a noble breed,

We are the products of those homes,
Serene and stately,
That only lately,
Seem to have run to seed.
The stately homes of England
How beautiful they stand,
To prove the upper classes
Have still the upper hand.

Though the fact that they have to be rebuilt,
And frequently mortgaged to the hilt
Is inclined to take the gilt
Off the gingerbread,
And certainly damps the fun
Of the eldest son-

But still, we won't be beaten,
We'll scrimp and scrape and save.
The playing fields of Eton
Have made us frightfully brave.
And though if the Van Dycks have to go
And we pawn the Bechstein Grand,
We'll stand
By the stately homes of England.
 
Here you see
The pick of us.
You may be heartily sick of us.
Still, with sense
We're all imbued.
Our homes command extensive views,
And with assistance from the Jews,
We have been able to dispose of
Rows and rows and rows of
Gainsboroughs and Lawrences,
Some sporting prints of Aunt Florence's,
Some of which were rather rude.

Although we sometimes flaunt our family conventions,
Our good intentions
Mustn't be misconstrued.
The stately homes of England,
We proudly represent.
We only keep them up
For Americans to rent.
Though the pipes that supply the bathroom burst,
And the lavatory makes you fear the worst,
It was used by Charles the First
(Quite informally),
And later by George the Fourth
On a journey north.

The state departments keep their
Historical renown.
It's wiser not to sleep there,
In case they tumble down.
But still, if they ever catch on fire,
Which, with any luck, they might,
We'll fight
For the stately homes of England.
 
The stately homes of England,
Though rather in the lurch,
Provide a lot of chances
For psychical research.
There's the ghost of a crazy younger son,
Who murdered in 1351
An extremely rowdy nun,
Who resented it,
And people who come to call
Meet her in the hall.

The baby in the guest wing
Who crouches by the grate,
Was walled up in the west wing,
In 1428.
If anyone spots
The Queen of Scots
In a hand-embroidered shroud,
We're proud
Of the stately homes of England
 
 
Edited by scott herbertson
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Unknown user
1 hour ago, Bunny Munro said:

Nick Cave is an outstanding lyricist.

 

This is very true. I remember getting Let Love In when it came out and bring pretty blown away, it's great that he's getting more appreciation these days.

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Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ray Davies, Nick Cave, Kate Bush, David Bowie, Prince, Elvis Costello. All fantastic songwriters. 

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7 minutes ago, Zico said:

Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ray Davies, Nick Cave, Kate Bush, David Bowie, Prince, Elvis Costello. All fantastic songwriters. 

All great songwriters. And of course the one who is worshipped by a huge amount of great songwriters, Joni Mitchell. 

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