greatest songwriter?

[flex229]

who do you guys and gals think is the greatest songwriter?

i think Robert Smith of The Cure is one of the best...(no, im not gay or depressed.)...just seems that whenever i listen to certain songs, his lyrics actually carry me to a certain time and place and invoke certain feelings..."Pictures of You" is a good example of this...very poetic song.

how bout everyone else? who do yall think is the greatest songwriter?

 

[sparky_d2]

might be cliche'.... but im gonna have to go with Bob Dylan

 

[theoak01]

Fred eaglesmith,the guy ius a genius ,most people havent heard of him,but he wont let his videos be played on cmt because he doesnt want all the attention of big time fame,however he travels more the 90% of the artists out there and makes great cash

 

[sigweed]

i find myself agreeing with spanky on a lot of stuff, and yet again, I'll put in a second vote for Dylan

 

[flex229]

agreed,,dylan is a great songwriter...

 

[perkele]

I'll have to say 2 because they write together. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker from Steely Dan.

 

[Breeze]

might be cliche'.... but im gonna have to go with Bob Dylan

Dylan is definitely one of the top 5 songwriters of all time. I also like Billie Joe Shaver and Kris Kristofferson.

 

[flex229]

great responses..

van morisson was a good songwriter too, IMO.

 

[sigweed]

great responses..

van morisson was a good songwriter too, IMO.

very true

van the man is pretty key

 

[marshallmadman]

It really kind of depends on what you consider "good" songwriting to be. Is it a formulated piece of crap that's guaranteed to be worn out on the radio, or is it a song that you really find to be interesting and thought provoking? I think the team of Lennon and McCartney were very good songwriters. Mutt Lange continues to churn out formulated garbage by the bucket full.

 

[jcp2]

Dylan was phenomenal, Greg Graffen from Bad Religion has to be one the greatest, I always liked nirvanas lyrics, although i am not sure they always made sense.

 

[flex229]

tell you what's a well-written song: "The Weight" by the Band...you know, the song that goes "take a load off fannie,take a load for free"

if you listen closely, its a story about Jesus and certain biblical figures.

 

[eat big]

Springsteen, Lennon, whoever writes songs for U2 (Bono?).

Bob Dylan, Spingsteen and Lennon incorporated new ways of using different instruments such as a harmonica and it sounded great.

 

[Saint V]

Layne Staley or Zakk Wylde or Jerry Cantrel

 

[Saint V]

Fred eaglesmith,the guy ius a genius ,most people havent heard of him,but he wont let his videos be played on cmt because he doesnt want all the attention of big time fame,however he travels more the 90% of the artists out there and makes great cash

WTF???? Fred Eaglesmith SUCKS! He sings about chicken dung. I threw him outta my bar lol guy is a first class asshole

 

[theoak01]

WTF???? Fred Eaglesmith SUCKS! He sings about chicken dung. I threw him outta my bar lol guy is a first class asshole

you must be very proud of yourself ,your lucky hank didnt fucking wipe the floor with you,and it seems like you deserved it, as for him being a asshole you have no idea,I grew up with his son and he has always been a first class gentleman

 

[perkele]

Layne Staley or Zakk Wylde or Jerry Cantrel

Right there with Lennon/McCartney and Dylan?

 

[flex229]

lol

Right there with Lennon/McCartney and Dylan?

 

[preemo]

roger waters , david gilmore ,robert plant ,

 

[Saint V]

Right there with Lennon/McCartney and Dylan?

Absolutely. Matthew Good is another very talented songwriter.

 

[Saint V]

you must be very proud of yourself ,your lucky hank didnt fucking wipe the floor with you,and it seems like you deserved it, as for him being a asshole you have no idea,I grew up with his son and he has always been a first class gentleman

Maybe I was wrong about him being an asshole. Thats just the way he came across to me. Very disrespectful. As for him wiping the floor with my ass

 

[theoak01]

Maybe I was wrong about him being an asshole. Thats just the way he came across to me. Very disrespectful. As for him wiping the floor with my ass

no him dude,his bodyguard,the guy is nuts,just be careful if you ever encounter that man,he is a animal

 

[sigmund]

For me Lennon is numero uno, he also knew how to get the most from single chords in terms of vocal melody, timing and hooks. He also had a great timbre and emotion to his voice, irionically he was frequently quoted saying that he thought his voice was shit. In terms of pure songwriting quality and quantity of material he is top drawer, there would have been so much more too if he wasn't for Mark Chapman. Lyrically he was above average but not as poetic as Dylan or Leonard Cohen.