Nile Rodgers
Lucinda Williams
Stevie Wonder
Jay-Z
Paul Simon
Taylor Swift
Brian & Eddie Holland
Missy Elliott
Lionel Richie
Dolly Parton
Young Thug
Diane Warren
Josh Osborne, Brandy Clark, Shane Mcanally
Fiona Apple
Babyface
Stephin Merritt
Romeo Santos
Carole King
OutKast
Mariah Carey
Willie Nelson
Kendrick Lamar
Valerie Simpson
Bob Dylan
Lana Del Rey
The-Dream
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Bad Bunny
Bruce Springsteen
Smokey Robinson
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
New York Times' 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters: Ready? GO!
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46 comments:
Read this this morning. I might agree with about 1/4 of the list.
I'll go on record and say I agree with exactly 7 out of 30.
Lucinda Williams, Stevie Wonder, Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson- that's my seven.
Fiona Apple over Paul Simon? Interesting.
bring the cartoon back please !
lists are just pointless click bait imo.....
Agree with 9 of the 30. Am I old (62) or does this list suck? Both
The cartoon is still there. And a list by a somewhat reputable rag on songwriters being posted on a blog where people discuss music isn't click bait.
30 American Living Songwriters With The Smallest Penises is click bait.
Is that our only difference? I vacillated on Simon, but I haven't kept up with him recently.
Fione Apple wins that one too.
I would think what Paul Simon wrote from the first S&G album through "Graceland" would be enough.
My seven:
Stevie Wonder
Paul Simon
Brian & Eddie Holland
Carole King
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Smokey Robinson
I think my definition of "songwriter" might be different from the creator of this list. I'd say many of the artists on the list "make records" which to me isn't the same thing as being a songwriter. Like, say, Steve Earle? or John Hiatt? or Alejandro Escovedo? or Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal?
Valerie but no Sturgill says it all
OK I'm up to ten. I missed the Holland Brothers (!), I'll agree with your defense of Simon, and Carole King wrote so many great singles in the sixties (I'd rather go for Goffin/King), I'll take her too.
Hot Off The Press:
A NYT Follow-up- 11 Songwriters That Did Not Make The List
Becker/Fagen
Paul Westerberg
Gamble & Huff
Neko Case
Frank Ocean
Jeff Tweedy
Billy Joel
Tom Waits
Alynda Segarra
John Darnelle
Randy Newman
That original 30 looks worse now after seeing some of these omissions.
Wait, what? NO Randy Newman on the list? What about Billy Joel? Love him or hate him he is still alive. What, No Jeff Tweedy?
See above
But Gerry Goffin is no longer living.
That list is mostly ridiculous. Where's Neil Diamond?
Also missing: Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt (each of them has written more & better songs than half the original list).
that runner-up list, holy cow
excluding Randy Newman, Billy Joel, Bhaisvecker Fagen (argument would be Walter passed) .
what about Neil Young,Joni Mitchell - Bad Bunny, Young Thug, Jay Z ,you have to be kidding me.
This mans ceiling is another critics floor
Neil and Joni are Canadian.
In addition to those previously mentioned, Dewey "Spooner" Lindon Oldham Jr., Dan Penn, Jimmy Webb are all still breathing
Beyes asked up top, "Am I old (62) or does this list suck? Both."
I read a review of the new Ringo album and the 40- something "journalist" said, "Ringo warbled his way through such Beatles' tracks as Octopus Garden, Don't Pass Me By and This Boy."
A quick Wikipedia or Google search would have shown this putz that Lennon sang "This Boy" not Ringo. But more to the point, we might be getting older, but these so-called writers are getting younger and it feels like they care about history less and less. My guess is this moron had never heard "This Boy" in his life, and that the majority of those who put the NYT list together have no clue who Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham or Jimmy Webb are. And for the elder statesmen on that NYT staff who do know music history, well they're too busy trying to keep up with the "cool" kids instead of taking responsibility for the legends.
Must add William Bell, David Porter, John Fogerty, "Cowboy" Jack Clement, Booker T. Jones, Sam "The Sham" Samudio, Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart -- all still with us. Not mentioning so many more contemporary writers in soul, r&b, hiphop and pop egregiously overlooked. All of this proving "greatest" lists are ridiculous.
Randy Newman missing in this list is unforgiveable! In my opinion Neil Diamond should be on that list too!
My goodness, the existence of Wichita Lineman puts most of that list to shame.
also...i missed the news that Paul was dead
British
John Fogerty? John Sebastian? Jackson Browne? Jimmy Webb? John Hiatt? Perhaps there was a moratorium on the letter J!!
So...6 NYT Magazine critics who assembled the list and reached out.
3 were 50/60 over in years
3 were 47 under.
This is not a Robert Christgau list nor even a Lester Bangs.
Young Thug...? Bad Bunny...?
they are not standing on the shoulders of musical giants
Without Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Jimmy Webb, Todd Rundgren? It's an insult to say the least.
We, outside the US, usually put the NYT and RS in the same basket. But good to see that they did not put Lin Manuel Miranda in the list, over Bad Bunny.
R
Diane fucking Warren? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe when I complained yesterday that I forgot about Fogerty and Jackson Browne and if he's not doing much now, still Mike Stoller had a pretty good career as a songwriter; and James Taylor has written a few greaties.
Saddest aspect of the list: can't include Adam Schlesinger.
Are you sure this wasn't The Onion? Laughable.
Diane Warren is hilarious and absurd. Why 30? Instead of 50 or 10 or whatever. Thirty seems an odd number to me. But as with the Oscar nominees--why didn't they nominate TK!!??-- you have to make room. So who is definitely NOT one of the 30 greatest living American songwriters? I'd def take off in order of the list: Lucinda Williams, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Lionel Richie, Young Thug, DIANE WARREN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, Babyface, Mariah Carey (though she's a better songwriter than singer), Lana Del Ray (maybe makes some good records, but not a songwriter others cover). That gives me nine spaces for starters.
I would include Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Paul Westerberg, Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Webb, and Lyle Lovett.
If giving a nod to contemporary writers was an important objective for the Times, I'd submit that Finneas (O'Connell) is the best current candidate. He's proving himself to be a preternaturally gifted composer.
The list was created just to piss everyone off. Quite successfully I’d say.
Captain Al
Sal: This list ignores jazz to its detriment. Also, no Patti Smith(?) seems like an omission. I like the Lucinda Williams nod; I would argue for her one-time bandmate Gurf Morlix as well (he has a solid catalog of solo work worth discovery). I think Freedy Johnston deserves some favor, as does Grant Lee Phillips and Marshall Crenshaw. Michael D.
I disagree with more than a few of the Times’ choices, but I admit that I’m unfamiliar with several of the honorees’ songs. I decided to do a little research to be properly informed before criticizing anyone. I chose the songwriter known as “Young Thug”.
After reading the lyrics from several of his songs, my conclusion, without researching the other songwriters that I’m unfamiliar with is:
WORST “Best Songwriter’s List” EVER.
I like having hip hop artists in there, even if it's not what I'm listening to.
No Paul McCartney? That's a fool's errand, come on.
That was me commenting above about the lack of Macca. Didn't realize I wasn't logged in.
Paul is British. Miss him, miss him.
Have to agree with your list, Sal. I wish I had seen Stevie Wonder live, but I am excited to see Remember Jones perform "Songs in the Key of Life" in its entirety. Guess that will have to do!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr2nuKFM33s
exactly. i'm less upset by the list than most of the commentators, nor because i agree with it, but because lists striving to be cross-generational are always going to result in strong disagreements.
but Diane Warren comes close to invalidating the entire attempt.
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