Top Ten Living Songwriters

A few months ago Paste Magazine released an issue listing the 100 greatest living songwriters. Of course, this got me thinking, so here, for your reading pleasure, are my top 10 greatest living songwriters, right now (it’s always best to add the “right now” in there, because “best of” lists are always subject to change). Please feel free to add your own list, mention those I forgot, call me an idiot for including/excluding someone, or whatever else comes to your mind in the comments.

1. Bob Dylan
Favorite Album: Blood on the Tracks
Favorite Songs: “Tangled up in Blue”, “Shelter from the Storm”, “Visions of Johanna”
Comments: What is there to say? Dylan is the iconic songwriter. He has so many high points throughout this career it’s impossible to narrow it down. From the absurd to the poignant, his lyrics always make you think and his composition is always perfect. I had the chance to see him live a few years ago and it was an incredible experience. Listening to him play “Like a Rolling Stone” gave me an amazing feeling of connection with all the people over the years that have heard that song and identified with it. The man is a legend.

2. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings, Solo)
Favorite Album: Let it Be
Favorite Songs: “Let it Be”, “In My Life”, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)”
Comments: Again, how do you narrow down a career like McCartney’s? My focus with him is mostly on his time with The Beatles, but he has been a prolific songwriter since then as well. McCartney, as well as Dylan, is responsible for so much of our shared culture and our understanding of pop music. There couldn’t be a list like this without his inclusion.

3. Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel, Solo)
Favorite Album: Graceland
Favorite Songs: “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, “American Tune”, “Slip Slidin’ Away”
Comments: While all of the songwriters on this list are unique and have constantly sought to expand their musical styles, none have delved into world music or sought connections with genres outside their own as much as Paul Simon. A perfectionist, his lyrics are always insightful, brimming with humor and heartache, and his music always manages to be complex and challenging and yet remain at its heart pop music.

4. John Prine
Favorite Album: Sweet Revenge
Favorite Songs: “Souvenirs”, “That’s the Way that the World Goes ‘Round”, “All the Best”
Comments: Picking a favorite album is hard with Prine. He’s the type that you really need a good best of CD to really understand. He’s been writing great music since the early ‘70’s. His wit and humor shed a new light on difficult times and laughter in better ones. The previous 3 mentioned on this list seem untouchable because they’re such celebrity, but Prine, even though he’s been recording great music for 30 years, is more down to earth. He’s the poet for the common man.

5. Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco)
Favorite Album: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Favorite Songs: “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”, “Jesus, etc”, “The Late Greats”
Comments: Jeff Tweedy has become a golden boy of modern rock music. After his work in Uncle Tupelo, often considered the driving force behind the Alt-country movement, he formed the band Wilco and has evolved his musical style with each album. He has moved right near the top of the list of artists who can experiment with feedback and even noise and still turn it into great rock songs.

6. Tom Waits
Favorite Album: Rain Dogs
Favorite Songs: “Come on up to the House”, “Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)”, “Time”
Comments: If you sat down and listened to everyone on this list you would probably come away saying that Tom Waits was the strangest, and you’d probably be right. No one else on this list has experimented the way that Waits has over his long career. His style ranges from folk to polka, from gospel to piano bar lounge music. His lyrics often tell sordid tales of people on the wrong side of the tracks. He is the musical equivalent to Charles Bukowski or straight whiskey. He is an acquired taste but one that is well worth the time.

7. Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Solo)
Favorite Album: Straightaways
Favorite Songs: “Windfall”, “Caryatideasy”, “Gramophone”
Comments: The other big name from Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar has not reached the pinnacle his counterpart did. Most thought Farrar would be the golden boy to save rock music, and while I tend to identify with him more, Tweedy won the badge in the critic’s eyes. Ever since his Uncle Tupelo days as a teenager he has always sung and written as a man far older than his age. His songs sing of blue collar heartache and carry the feeling of sitting alone at closing time at the local bar. He captures this mood better than just about anyone.

8. Sufjan Stevens
Favorite Album: Illinois
Favorite Songs: “In the Devil’s Territory”, “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is out to Get us”, “Decatur, or, Round of Applause for your Stepmother”
Comments: In a very short time Sufjan has released several albums. Among them are Michigan and Illinois, two releases in his plan to release one album for each of the 50 states. His musical style ranges from lush instrumentation to a simple banjo strum and voice. His lyrics touch on faith, loss, joy, and everything in between. He is one of the most talented musicians I’ve seen in a long time and I’m looking forward to what I hope is a long career.

9. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
Favorite Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
Favorite Songs: “Passing Afternoon”, “Muddy Hymnal”, “Naked as we Came”
Comments: Beam is a born songwriter. His first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was recorded on a 4-track in his home. It is a soft recording with hushed vocals accompanied by guitar, banjo, and mandolin, but it speaks volumes. This style continues on his later releases, but he turns it up a bit on a few songs and it creates a wonderful mix. His music is the type that fills the room you are playing it in and it is hard to do anything else but listen.

10. Ben Harper
Favorite Album: Fight for your Mind
Favorite Songs: “Pleasure and Pain”, “By my Side”, “Ground on Down”
Comments: While he can border on cliché at times, especially with his political themed songs, Ben Harper has a knack for writing accessible songs about everyday life and events. His music is dynamic, as shown especially on his newest album Both Sides of the Gun: one song is funk the next folk and the last all out rock. He may not be the headiest songwriter around, but he’s always one I enjoy listening to.

So, that’s that. I realize now that I’ve finished with the list that, aside from the length (sorry about that), there are no female artists on it. I thought of including Gillian Welch, Ani DiFranco, and Emmylou Harris, all of whom I’ve enjoyed in the past, but I don’t know enough about them to make an intelligent entry. So…please leave me some artists/albums that I should check out in the comments. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the list.