Your favorite songwriter ever?
 

Does anyone have a definite all-time favorite songwriter? Or maybe a top 5? I'm always curious to read about others' musical inclinations and who they are most touched by. Or is it too difficult a feat to even go there? ;)

1. Van Morrison
2. Brian Wilson
3. Stevie Nicks
4. Paul Simon
5. Laura Nyro


Also:

Kate Bush, Carole King/Gerry Goffin, Billy Joel, Cat Stevens

Yes, tough question... I quite like the guy in your avatar though. :thumbsup:



Some others:

Townes Van Zandt
Neil Young
Kate Bush
Brian Wilson with Van Dyke Parks (does a collaboration count?)
Joni Mitchell

Some members of FM are in my top 5, but we talk about them enough, huh? :rolleyes:

Actually, I can't decide who my favorite songwriter of the band is, so I chickened out and skipped 'em.

Of all the artists I love, I think Joseph Arthur is probably the best songwriter. But Stevie Nicks is easily my favorite.

My favorite songwriters are all women. Don't know why. Don't care.

I'd say Stevie Nicks was in my top five...she knows how to write a melody and her lyrics are very poetic and deep and....speak the truth, really. I won't include a video for her since...well, she's pretty well-known around these parts. :) But a favorite would be "Garbo" -- all versions.

Kate Bush is my favorite songwriter of all time. She seems to be, in some ways, the opposite of Stevie -- more cerebral and inventive than emotional and reactive, but she has that side of her as well. The recommended song for Stevie fans: Under The Ivy


I also love Carly Simon. She's more of a sensible songwriter -- very adept at a melody and very canny with a wry comment or a devastatingly wistful reflection. She doesn't get enough credit for her abilities. She's among the best!


Also among my favorites is Tori Amos, though sometimes I fault her for trying too hard and pushing the crazy to the point where it seems...actually...crazy. But her melodies are infallible. She does a cover of that Carly Simon song (above), but for now, I'll go with this song, which I recorded of her live at the Greek:


Finally a relatively new singer/songwriter, who often shares songwriting duties with her husband Keir Nuttall. Her name is Kate Miller-Heidke and she's as good as anyone at delivering a chillingly deep, heartbreaking song. But one thing she does better than anyone is...the song that speaks so well to situations we all face, that you can't help but laugh your ass off. This one I filmed at The Hotel Cafe and is NSFW:

These selections are all so fantastic. I don't know much about Joseph Arthur, Louie, but I'm intrigued to say the least. I checked out his albums on Amazon and they all seem so highly rated. Is there one you could recommend?

LOVE that someone picked Kate Bush as their favorite songwriter. My dad would approve.:nod:

And Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell...:xoxo:

His albums are all so varied in style and content. His newer ones tend to be much more progressive and experimental, and probably not as easily accessible. The best diving off point in my opinion is either Redemption's Son or Nuclear Daydream. I think Redemption's Son is his consummate work, his Tusk, if you will. Here are a couple of Joseph's more accessible songs:







And yes, he definitely has more hard rock songs. I chose these because they're easily accessible to most listeners. He also has dabbled a bit into country and electronica. He' all about experimenting and mixing it up. He reminds me a lot of Lindsey Buckingham in his kinda manic approach to sonic experimentation. Except Joseph's a THOUSAND times more prolific :).

This will probably change by tomorrow. I'm not thinking too clearly right now.

Stevie Nicks
Lucinda Williams
Carole King
Carly Simon
Joni Mitchell
Roseanne Cash
Dolly Parton
Bruce Springsteen
Nick Cave
Roger Waters/David Gilmour
Lennon/McCartney
Neil Young

Seems we have very similar music taste! I love that you've included Dolly here. So often all the image that goes with her means that her talent as a connsumate songwriter is overlooked.

Here's a list of my favourites, no real order (other than probably the first few on the list):

Jackson Browne
Adam Duritz
Jani Mitchell
Stevie Nicks
Suzanne Vega
Neil Young
Carole King
James Taylor
Dolly Parton
Alison Moyet
John Hiatt

So many more....

Lindsey Buckingham - no-one else comes close, or ever will :D

Like so many people I guess, I only knew this song for ages because of The O.C. Sorry if that hurts your everything Louie but I loved the first 2 seasons of that show! Always loved that track and so did investigate the album a while ago. I like it and have been meaning to pick it up. I also need to get Come To Where I'm From - In The Sun was in The O.C. too!

You snared me, louielouie2K...I've never heard of Joseph Arthur (I've never once watched the OC, either) and just nabbed two of his albums on ebay. I don't know why I'm not a big follower of many male performers. Sufjan Stevens has come the closest, but I find that while I appreciate his stuff, I don't listen to it often enough to make me a "fan." Thanks for posting the JA videos...can't wait to have the CDs in my hands...
:blob2:

I love Marc Bolan, Jack Johnson, Fish, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, and the Hanson guys.

Ms. Nicks, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Davies, Dolly Parton, Cole Porter, Harlan Howard, Johnny Mercer, Holland/Dozier/Holland, Lee Hazelwood.

Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Lucinda Willams, Leanard Cohen, Johnette Napolatin, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, dolly parton, fiona apple...

Hm, this may be a tricky one.

Stevie Nicks
Karen O / The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus
Holland-Dozier-Holland (Mainly for their work with The Supremes)
Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri (I'm actually finding lately that I'm loving Jimmy's songs the most from the majority of Blondie's albums)
Dolly Parton
Tom Petty
Kate Bush
Gwen Stefani

I concur! Jimmy is a very very very very talented writer and I miss his presence on Blondie albums so much. It's a shame all that **** went down :/

As well as those same three,
Patti Smith
Christine McVie
David Bowie

Awwww, no-one else loving Adam Duritz??

Stevie Nicks
Billy Joel
Kenny Loggins
Taylor Hanson
Dolly Parton

Good choice. He's pretty brilliant. :thumbsup:

Besides Stevie/Lindsey/Christine:

Carole King
Joni Mitchell
Bob Dylan
Dolly Parton
Loretta Lynn
John Fogerty
Bernie Taupin/Elton John
Patty Griffin
Neil Young

Billy Joel
Leonard Cohen
Lennon/Mccartney
Roger Waters
Lindsey Buckingham
Peter Gabriel
Robbie Robertson/Richard Manuel
Carole King
James Taylor
Mark Knopfler
Don Henley


Bold are the ones I really like......So most:nod:

Mick

Finally...I was wondering when His Bobness would get a mention. He's the best damn songwriter ever. He can create pictures in your head with his words and I've never heard anyone who even comes close.

Springsteen
Nicks
Mitchell
Amos
Simon
Cohen
Dylan
Love
Feist

Brian Molko.

Let me through in a couple of expert word-wielders: Elvis Costello & Rickie Lee Jones.

Also, don't forget a very clever & satiric writer, who was a friend of the FM people: Warren Zevon.

We must have been seperated @ birth because this is my list!! I would like to add Baez as well. Plus Plant and both Carly and Paul Simon.

I MEANT TO ADD BAEZ. I love you. That is all.

Good choice!

Well my heart pounds for you and your refined taste! Love you too :xoxo:

I forgot to add my metal/hard rock guys:

Ronnie James Dio
Geezer Butler/Tony Iommi
Steve Harris/Adrian Smith/Bruce Dickinson
Jimmy Page/Robert Plant
Maynard James Keenan
Mike Akerfeldt
Trent Reznor
Amy Lee
James Hetfield/Cliff Burton/Lars Ulrich -not so much Ulrich and Hetfield's recent material.

Ok, I love you for putting this flawless woman in your top 5. Not only is she one of the coolest women to ever put voice to record, but her songwriting is just stunning. I have been a Laura Stan for years. Her and Ricki Lee Jones own my playlist when I have to soar away into a land of greatness. Good taste you have.

Hard to say. Joni Mitchell would be close to the top, even though she's crazy now. :lol:

Laura Nyro would be up there, too. Jackson Browne is a good one, but his songs depress me more often than not - he's hard for me to listen to. Dolly Parton doesn't get enough credit as a songwriter, but she's another great one. I wouldn't put Stevie in the upper echelons of singer-songwriters, but when she's good, she's really good. :)

When I was 11 I discovered Jackson Browne through one of my dad's many great albums. I believe it was a soundtrack to a film, can't remember which one, but I fell in love. I developed some sort of crush on him as well because he was sorta hot for a long time. Anyway, fast-forward to now and I believe he is one of the best songwriters to emerge in the late-60s/early 70s and definitely a legend.

Obviously, he wrote some fantastic stuff for other people- one fierce female in particular, Nico, is one of my all-time favorite musical artists. Her cover of his song These Days is one of the most gorgeous things you'll ever hear. He has his depressing moments, but I can't listen to For A Dancer without marveling at the beauty of his words and the way his singing wraps around the melody.

Jackson Browne is a great songwriter and I agree with your mention. :nod:

Yay! Nice to see Adam getting another mention. Good choice on Annie Lennox too. I've been a fan of hers for years, although her recent solo work has been a bit ignored, which is a shame. Se was born just up the road from me actually. Some of Sarah's stuff is also absolutely beautiful.

I completely agree.

When I said his songs were depressing, For a Dancer is the main one I had in mind. It's a beautiful song, but if I'm not in the right mood, it makes me want to slit my wrists. :lol:

Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris did a gorgeous cover of it on their Western Wall album.

tom petty
john mellencamp
bono
don henley
annie lennox
john rzeznik
ryan adams

I love their cover. They sort of made it poppy. But the original is my song. I can't replace it. It is rather depressing though...but there's parts of it that make me smile.

I sometimes think he gets overlooked in the "great songwriters" lists and I'm not sure why. He definitely belongs right up there somewhere because the man is brilliant.