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From Brill Building tunesmiths to punk poets, from Woody Guthrie to Max Martin, the visionaries who defined music history.
- 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.
- Alan York
- John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Showing that they were more than aware of the potentially illusory nature of Beatlemania, John Lennon said in 1963 that he hoped he and Paul McCartney might become “the Goffin-King of England”, by which he meant that the Liverpudlian duo could perhaps supply hit songs for other stars when The Beatles’ hits dried up.
- Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are the studious songwriting team behind Swedish superstars ABBA, one of most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music, whose records topped charts all over the world from 1974 to 1983, yielding 48 hit singles in the process.
- Gerry Goffin and Carole King. A truly dynamic husband-and-wife songwriting team, New York-based Gerry Goffin and Carole King co-wrote a slew of the most popular pop hits of the 60s.
- Joni Mitchell. No less a publication than Rolling Stone has dubbed Joni Mitchell “one of the greatest songwriters ever”, and we can only concur with their verdict, for the Canadian-born songsmith is responsible for one of the late-20th-century’s truly great bodies of work.
- 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.
- How Is Success Defined in Music?
- Analog to Digital to Subscription-Based Streaming Services
- The Times, They Have A-Changed
- Influence
- Longevity
- Popularity
- Hit Songs
- The Most Succesful Songwriter of All Time
- Final Thoughts
You might be scratching your head at some of the names on the list above. No slight on Madonna, but is she really a more successful songwriter than Bob Dylan ($500 million)? In terms of net worth, apparently yes. But, lists like the one above are hugely problematic and often inaccuratee.g. they may be incredibly wealthy, but this doesn’t mean they ...
Not only that, if comparing songwriters purely on the numbers, it’s hardly a level playing field when comparing eras. Few industries have been disrupted to the same extent by the internet as the music business. As a result, the music industry has undergone significant, and at times tumultuous change from the analog era (the 60s – 80s) through the d...
Speaking of earnings, it’s also true that album sales are no longer how a commercially successful songwriter or artist makes the majority of their income. Not so long ago an artist would release an album and then tour to promote the album. Nowadays, the wealthiest artists make the majority of their money from ticket salesand merchandise. In fact, r...
Success may also be defined in terms of influence. While Taylor Swift may have earned more than Kurt Cobain as a songwriter, and has no doubt inspired thousands of aspiring musicians to pick up the guitar it’s unlikely she has been responsible for changing the musical landscape to the same extent. After all, Cobain was a game-changer, almost single...
Something also has to be said about a songwriter’s longevity and ability to write “timeless music”. The music industry has had its share of one-hit wonders. The songwriters who have been successful over long periods of time e.g. the partnership of Elton John/Bernie Taupin have had hits spanning decades. Rocket Man was released in 1972, and Elton Jo...
A Rolling Stone Pollconducted way back in 2011 had the following songwriters (ranked in order of popularity) as voted for by Rolling Stone readers. 1. Bob Dylan 2. John Lennon/Paul McCartney 3. John Lennon 4. Bruce Springsteen 5. Paul McCartney 6. Neil Young 7. Mick Jagger/Keith Richards 8. Paul Simon 9. Joni Mitchell 10. Elton John/Bernie Taupin A...
Perhaps another method of calculating the success of a songwriter is to count the number of hits a songwriter has had. According to wikipedia.com, Paul McCartney with 31 and John Lennon with 25 have had the most no. 1 songs. When it comes to Lennon/McCartney perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that they wrote 12 no. 1 songs between 1964 and 19...
Taking all of the above into account, it’s difficult to go past Sir Paul McCartney as the most successful songwriter of all time. He is the equal highest earner of all time in music (level with Andrew Lloyd Webber), has the most no. 1 hits on the Billboard charts, and along with John Lennon has had more of an influence over the next generation of s...
While songwriting is a business, it’s also an art, and any ranking of artists in any capacity perhaps misses the entire point, to begin with. It feels grubby, leaving one feeling in need of a shower. While I have listed who I consider the most successful songwriter of all time above, the truth is the real value of a songwriter is their ability to m...
Dec 19, 2023 · No matter the genre, great songwriters tend to weave personal experience into their tracks, and they’re usually also some of the most successful recording artists out there. In this article, we’ll go over 35 of the best songwriters of all time. 1. Paul McCartney
Oct 30, 2023 · 1. 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.
