The greatest songwriters of the last 60 years.

[scawsby steve]

I'll go first seeing as it's my idea.

Burt Bacharach, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb, Lennon & McCartney.

[Superspy]

Jim Steinman for me.

[Mike_F]

Albert Hammond.

[Bentley Bullet]

Ray Davies.

[ravenrover]

You just knew I'd be in on this one.
Just stop at your 2nd choice SS no more to be said other than it's cost me the best part of £400 to see His Bobness in Nottingham and Royal Albert Hall in Nov
Close the thread now

[knockers]

Otis Gibbs

[Darren]

 Paul Heaton

[Filo]

Bernie Taupin

[Nudga]

Joe Strummer

[tyke1962]

Nile Rodgers

[Glyn_Wigley]

Ian Dury was the maestro of the list song.

[Pancho Regan]

Carole King

[turnbull for england]

Nigel Blackwell

[rtid88]

Frank Turner, Nick Parker and Gaz Brookfield

[Dutch Uncle]

Can't believe no-one has mentioned Barry Gibb yet

[welloffside]

Shel Silverstein,

 Sylvia's Mother, and countless others for Dr Hook. (I was stoned and I missed it,Freaking at the Freaker's Ball & the wonderful 'Don't give a dose to the one you love most' and some beautiful love songs.

 A Boy named Sue for Johnny Cash

 One's on the way (Loretta Lynn) I'm checking out ( film: postcards from the edge)

He was a cartoonist for playboy and wrote several books that are American best sellers. He lived for a while with Hugh Heffner in the playboy mansion, and by all accounts took full advantage

My music hero, lived on a house boat, and by all accounts had country singers begging him for songs.

No one has ever heard of him.   Look him up

 

[Bentley Bullet]

Can't believe no-one has mentioned Barry Gibb yet

I forgot to remember him.

[scawsby steve]

Bernie Taupin

Good call, Filo, but he was mainly a lyricist. Elton John wrote most of the music.

[Ldr]

Shaun ryder

[Bentley Bullet]

Paul Simon.

[belton rover]

Billy Joel

[Draytonian III]

Billy Joel






Totally agree on that one, I’ve seen him live half a dozen times, absolutely brilliant

[belton rover]

Billy Joel






Totally agree on that one, I’ve seen him live half a dozen times, absolutely brilliant

He’s an incredible songwriter. I feel he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves in this country because most people’s go to is ‘Uptown Girl’. There is so much more than that. I’ve been lucky enough to see him many times since my first concert in 1985. The last being the best, at Hyde Park last year. I’ve even had a trip to Madison Square Gardens during his record breaking residency there.
I was 13 when I first saw him on TOTP in 1983 (funnily enough, the Uptown Girl video), then I slowly discovered his back catalogue.
The man’s a genius.

Edit: have you ever seen Elio Pace perform the Billy Joel Songbook? Or even better, his Album shows?

[IDM]

Prince.?

Elvis Costello was great but niche? 

If I had to pick one it’s McCartney.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Shaun ryder

As the great Tony Wilson said, he was Madchester's WB Yeats.

Very deep observational stuff behind a veneer of careless hedonism.

"Dennis & Lois" sounds like a bit of drug-addled psychodelic rave fluff with random lyrics. Took me years to realise it was about domestic abuse.

"Honey how's your breathing

If it stops for good we'll be leaving

And honey how's your daughter

Did you teach her what he's taught yer (or is it "what is torture"?)

And if you didn't well you ought to do it now."

Some skill to marry that to an E'd-up dance track.

[SydneyRover]

Phil Spectre, he produced a mountain of music as well as writing it,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_written_by_Phil_Spector

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Spector#Personal_life

[i_ateallthepies]

Can't believe no-one has mentioned Barry Gibb yet

Agreed, Dutch.  Doesn't compete with the best lyrically but knows how to create popular music.  You only have to look at the list of greats who have covered his work to see his talent.

I'll add Benny and Bjorn.

[Dutch Uncle]

If we restrict the subject to lyrics only, i.e. the whole different question of who is the best ever lyricist, then of course there are Bernie Taupin, Billy Joel, Tim Rice and even W.S. Gilbert, but to me there are only two real candidates - Leonard Cohen and Tom Lehrer (you may need to look him up, just brilliant with lyrics, less so with music)

Edit: And for a part-timer Ben Elton also does very well

2nd Edit Forgot Dylan - he deserves to be up there with Cohen and Lehrer

[Bentley Bullet]

Willie Nelson

[DN8ROVER]

Mark Edward Smith