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From Brill Building tunesmiths to punk poets, from Woody Guthrie to Max Martin, the visionaries who defined music history.
The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" is a feature published by the American magazine Rolling Stone in August 2015. The list presented was compiled based on the magazine's music critics , and unlike previous lists the votes came entirely from the magazine's staff.
RankImageNameLifetime1May 24, 1941 – present"Mixed-Up Confusion" (1962), performed by ...2June 18, 1942 – present"Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You" (1962), ...3October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980"Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You" (1962), ...4October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017"Maybellene" (1955), performed by ...- Neil Diamond. Top Songs: "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rose," "Forever In Blue Jeans" In a career that spans nearly five decades and countless adoring fans, Neil Diamond is one of the most acclaimed songwriters of all time.
- John Lennon (The Beatles) Top Songs: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," "Imagine," "Woman" John Lennon was an iconic figure in the music world, with his incredible songwriting ability and unique sound.
- Jackson Browne. Top Songs: "Running On Empty," "Doctor My Eyes," "Stay" When it comes to songwriting, few can rival the creativity and musical genius of Jackson Browne.
- Johnny Cash. Top Songs: "Hurt," "Ring of Fire," "Highwayman" Country music fans around the world still marvel at the timeless songs created by Johnny Cash.
- Paul McCartney. Pop music, Rock music, Experimental rock. 5,259 votes. Master of melody and lyrical perfection, Sir Paul McCartney has earned his place among the greats with an astonishing career spanning over six decades.
- John Lennon & Paul McCartney. 12,591 votes. The dynamic duo of Lennon-McCartney revolutionized popular music in the 1960s, their creative partnership ushering in the golden age of rock 'n' roll.
- John Lennon. Blues-rock, Pop music, Rock music. 6,063 votes. As an integral part of the most influential band in history and a successful solo artist, John Lennon's lasting impact on the musical landscape is immeasurable.
- Bob Dylan. Blues-rock, Rock music, Folk music. 11,894 votes. It's rare to find an artist who can single-handedly reshape the art of songwriting, but Bob Dylan's poetic prowess and literary mastery have made him just that.
- Jim Beviglia
- 11 min
- Contributor
- Bob Dylan. Dylan gets the nod as top overall because he essentially opened up the doors to what a popular song could be. It didn’t have to be just trite observations about young love.
- John Lennon/Paul McCartney. You can make a case for either on their own, of course. Still, it’s fair to say that their finest moments came as architects of the towering Beatles songbook, burnishing each other’s ideas, finishing each other’s musical sentences.
- Holland-Dozier-Holland. Smokey Robinson should also be mentioned here as the other driving force behind the Motown sound. But it was Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland writing the music, and Eddie Holland taking care of the lyrics, who made Motown what it became more than any other songwriting force.
- Joni Mitchell. Mitchell arrived amidst the singer/songwriter movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, but she largely left that scene behind in terms of her refusal to settle for anything bordering on easy or trite.
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Jul 26, 2013 · We asked MusicRadar users to nominate the greatest rock and pop songwriters of all time and then put these nominations to the vote. The result is the massive gallery of great songwriters that follows - let’s dive in.
Mar 21, 2024 · 21 March 2024. It helps all great pop and rock acts to have a unique sound and a memorable image, but ultimately it’s the quality of their songs that rewards them with longevity. Here we pay tribute to those who have flipped music’s script, and countdown the 50 best songwriters of all time.
