MSN just had a pole and these were the winners

Bob Dylan (not to be confused with the lovely Sara Dylan)
Brian Wilson
Lennon and Mccartney
Jagger and Richards
Elton John
Neil Young
Bruce Springsteen
Neil Diamond
Dolly Parton
Stevie Wonder
Bono and the boys
Randy Newman
Carole King
Jackson Browne
Barry Manilow
Public Enemy
Lou Reed
BabyFace
James Taylor
Fleetwood Mac
Beck Hansen( Not to be confused with the group Hansen)
Jay Z
Thorn Yorke


Who on this list was left out that SHOULD have been on the list, and why is this person/group so great?

Lets hear em'.

The guy who does this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA

THis is not a Rickroll!

Excuse me, but Babyface? Beck? Jay Z? Huh?

Beck makes good records, but as a songwriter? Name two GREAT songs he's written.

No Willie Nelson? No Carly Simon? No Paul Simon for God's sake? Heck, I could pull some others out if I wasn't so rattled.

Name two GREAT songs he's written.

"Loser" and "Devils Haircut"

Name two GREAT songs he's written.

He's written some songs that have moved me. ( Lost Cause and Nobody's Fault But My Own are at the top for me ). Can't help it that I respond to them. But hey, I was just as stunned as you are, Warner.

Elton John / Bernie Taupin tied for 1st with Lennon / McCartney for me.

I agree with Elton John/Bernie Taupin. I think They are the best soung writers EVER!!! Yes, Even better than Lennon/Mccartney.
Elton john has written a lot of songs or co-written a lot of songs for other artists.

Yeah, any list without Paul Simon on it is probably not a very complete list. I'd also make a case for Pete Townshend...

Andrew

You forgot Robert Hunter - Grateful Dead.

Plus, it's very difficult to take out of the equation : " I like WHAT they write about lyrically."

Bernie Taupin's work on Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, lyrically speaking, it about as good as it gets for me. I love those bitter, melancholy lyrics. Even though I don't know what is being referenced in all of them ( Someone saved my life tonight ) I get the picture and there is just enough space left for some imagination - no mater how specific his lyrics are. ( Paying your h.p. demands forever ) made me feel like I could be more literate as a 6 year old. It made me feel smart to understand SO much of those lyrics, yet just not enough, to be grateful for being led somewhere unknown about. Couple that with the gifted music writing from John and you have what could possibly be the best songwriting team ever assembled. I don't know what force it was that led them together- but it formed me in a time in my life that songwriting was shown to have power though quiet moments as much as the bombastic tracks deeper in the album. The sheer patience of Funeral for a friend / love lies bledding shows great confidence to me. They are STRONG songs sung with a relative whisper.

Lennon and MCartney did it with a different world view, And while it was tops in executiion * to say nothing of the sheer influence it borned * they did it in a manner that screamed to be heard, Taupin and John did it because if they didn't get it out, in their serperate space they wrote and compsed, it very well hay have killed them. And in some of the songs, it sounded like it may have done that very thing; Kill them

Plus, they are from Canada, I you all know how much I dig Canadian bands.

We'll speak of Rufus Waiwright later.

Just like his stickwork, Neil Peart stands out. Not only for the complexity of the lyrics/themes, but the evolution of his songwriting.

Neil *swoon*

KISS by far the best lyrics.

"Lets put the X in sex" Best Kiss song, not to mention they lyrically most stimulating song of all time

Lieber & Stoller

Laura Nyro

The (incomplete) lists of their hits speak for themselves.

Steve Earle,Holland,dozier and Holland,paul Simon,,Chuck Berry,Buddy Holly,Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman,Jeff barry & ellie greenwich ,Don henley & glen frey,Barry Mann & cynthia Weil, Issac Hayes & david Porter <Barry ,robin and Maurice Gibb, billy joel

Willie Dixon

("Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", and "Bring It on Home") just to name a few.

The Dude has a better list than the MSN one.

Here's more: Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and John Fogerty.

When Smokey Robinson was in Motown he did not write a lot of his own songs, actually most of the motown greats did not write their own songs. Berry Gordy hired professional songwriters for his artists to sing.

Now I'm not saying that Smokey Robinson is a bad song writer because I'm sure he is awesome, Im just saying that that during the Motown years which I believe was 1960-78, Smokey Robinson didn't write a lot of his songs.

Another Motown fact is that Berry Gordy Sold Motown to MCA for 61 million dollars on June 29th 1988.

"When Smokey Robinson was in Motown he did not write a lot of his own songs, actually most of the motown greats did not write their own songs. Berry Gordy hired professional songwriters for his artists to sing.

Now I'm not saying that Smokey Robinson is a bad song writer because I'm sure he is awesome, Im just saying that that during the Motown years which I believe was 1960-78, Smokey Robinson didn't write a lot of his songs. "

The above is horribly inaccurate

The 1960 single "Shop Around" was Motown's first number one hit on the R&B singles chart, and the first big hit for The Miracles.The song was also Motown's first million-selling hit single. They scored many more hits over the years, including the much-covered "Who's Loving You" (1960), "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "What's So Good About Goodbye" (1962),"I'll Try Something New" (1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (1963), "Ooo Baby Baby (1965), "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965), "Going to a Go-Go" (1965),"My Girl Has Gone", (Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need" (1966), "More Love" (1967), "I Second That Emotion" (1967), "If You Can Want" (1968}, "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" (1969), and the international # 1 smash, "The Tears of a Clown" (1970).
Besides penning hits for his own group, Robinson also wrote and produced hits and album tracks for other Motown artists. Mary Wells had a big hit with the Robinson-penned "My Guy" (1964), and Robinson served as The Temptations' primary songwriter and producer from 1963 to 1966, penning hits such as "The Way You Do the Things You Do", "My Girl", "Since I Lost My Baby", and "Get Ready". Among Robinson's numerous other Motown compositions are "Still Water (Love)" by The Four Tops, "Don't Mess With Bill" and "My Baby Must Be a Magician" by The Marvelettes, "When I'm Gone" by Brenda Holloway, "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye, and "First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours.
His hit ballads also earned him the title "America's poet laureate of love". During the course of his 50-year career in music, Robinson has accumulated more than 4,000 songs to his credit. John Lennon of The Beatles made countless remarks regarding Robinson's influence on his music. In a 1969 interview, Lennon stated that one of his favorite songs was The Miracles' "I've Been Good To You", which has similar lyrics to Lennon's "Sexy Sadie". George Harrison also greatly admired Robinson and paid tribute to him in his 1976 song "Pure Smokey". (The Beatles had recorded Robinson and The Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" in 1963.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Robinson

If you go to the wikipedia link above and click on the songs (which are linked to their own page) you can confirm they were all written by Robinson.

GD'it Andy Brown, you just rock! Thanks for doing that.

Justin, dude, do your homework. Yes, many Motown artists did not write thier own songs, and the writers have been noted in this very thread. But many of them DID; Robinson, Gaye, Wonder to name three.

Okay, here's yet another one that I think should or at least could have been on the list:

Elvis Costello.

Discuss.

How about "Prince"??

"Nothing compares 2 U" and "Manic Monday" great Prince penned songs for other artists and can't forget "Sugar walls" by Sheena Easton....I also liked "P---y control"..hmmm wonder what the inspiration was 4 that song??

Robert Plant/ Jimmy Page are not on the list.

"Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, cant keep away."

"EXCUSE ME WHILE I KISS THE SKY"


No Hendrix on the list either. That is a sin of all sins.

No offense Radiohead fans but Thorn Yorke over Jimmi Hendrix. I don't f'ing think so

Having married a woman who loves old musicals, and having 30 years of exposure, if you're going to use the term "of all time"

You'll need to include:

Irving Berlin
George Gershwin
Rodgers and Hammerstein

Also submitted, but not ranked:

Hoyt Axton
Jerry Jeff Walker
Boyce & Hart

What no Freddie Mercury?

What, no Michael Nesmith?

Yes, Amus, you showtune guy you, those guys are way up in the songwriter hall of fame. But really, are they better than Jay Z? I mean, really now.

Sly, I love Prince, but really, if your 3rd best song is "Sugar Walls", it probably isn't songwriting that makes you famous.

Here's one to disuss: Eric Clapton.
"Layla", "Wonderful Tonight", "Tears In Heaven", "Bell Bottom Blues", etc. Not a bad resume.

Michael Nesmith wrote "Some of Shelly's Blues" the single that started a "30something" year following of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for me.

Warner I'll go along with you on "Layla", "Tears In Heaven" and "Bell Bottom Blues".

But I think "Wonderful Tonight" ranks up there with "I Shot the Sheriff" in the "Eric needed some quick cash" catagory.

"I shot the sheriff" was originally a Bob Marley song, was it not?? I like the Bob Marley version much better.

That's right!
Sorry Eric!
But Bob did do it better.

Substitute "Lay Down Sally"

If the question is "best songwriters of ALL TIME," how come only composers active within the last 40 years or so made the original list? I wouldn't even attempt this question because I don't have the breadth of musical history knowledge to answer this question fairly. Anybody who has ever written music with lyrics and signed their name to the composition would be a contender for this title--even opera composers!!

I'm not a big fan of "Wonderful Tonight", but many others are.

"Tears in heaven"- AWFUL! Eric Clapton put out a fair share of CRAP. While he did write some great stuff, He diluted his image by writing some mediocre Crap, especially in the 90's. Remember the song "Change the world" co-written by Babyface.-AWFUL! Major Sellout, I hate it when artists sell out and drop their musical integrity to make a quick buck.
Sorry but Clapton is OVER-RATED and I don't think he deserves to be on the list.

Again, Justin, you are way out of line. Whether it's because you are simply trying to tread water in a lake way too deep for your legs or just uninformed, I suggest some remedial action. You shovel a lot of questionable information around and while you are not always called to task about it, you have little credibility at this point.

First, I suggest you read Clapton's autobiography.
Second, I suggest you listen to more than "hits" at least if you want to hold court with those of us that clearly have 40 fold the knowledge you do about music. Sure, taste is subjective, but some of the statements you make are so out of line it's a joke.

First off, NOTHING Clapton wrote diluted his image. And he certainly didn't cut a track with Babyface for money. When you make such baseless claims you look like the rookie you are.

It's pretty evident you care more about making posts than being accurate. Had you been even the least bit familiar with the legacy of Clapton, his experiences with John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie, Derek & The Dominoes and The Beatles you just might be embarrassed about how much YOU DON'T KNOW.
******************************

Some of Clapton's best authoring are indeed his collaborative work. Take Badge for instance. George Harrison played rhythm guitar on that track in thanks for Eric playing the lead on While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The entire studio sessions for Derek & The Dominoes were driven by the presence of Duane Allman, whose contemporaneous slide work drove those sessions to a level few bands have ever reached in the quest to combine melody, rhythm and texture.

Just to name a few who beat the heck out of ANYONE in the rock era...

Cole Porter
Desylva, Brown & Henderson
Harold Arlen
Clarence Williams
Scott Joplin
Stephen Foster
Leroy Anderson
Leonard Bernstein
Sammy Cahn
Noel Coward
Johnny Mercer
Andy Razaf
Fats Waller/Andy Razaf
Jelly Roll Morton
Richard Rodgers
Henry Mancini
Hoagy Carmichael
Dike Ellington
W. C. Handy
Jerome Kern
Frank Loesser
Alan Jay Lerner
Harry Von Tilzer
Kurt Weill
Billy Strayhorn
John Phillip Sousa

Oh, and one more recent team, NOT rock...

Richard Carpenter and John Bettis

Since Justin did not provide a link to the poll that initiated this thread, and because I was curious to the actual name of the poll or poll title or question, I googled MSN Songwriter poll and came up with nothing. Maybe the less than reliable Justin can provide the link.

Rack_me notes some legendary writers (along with some very old ones) but I must add that some of his mentions could be considered part of the "rock" era depending on whether you consider rock to just be part of the blues, as is jazz. American blues gave birth to these other genres. Still the point is well taken with regard to classical era composers, etc. which is why I am curious as to the poll title in reality, or if like much of what Justin posts, is just a figment of an overactive imagination.

Hey Andy, Ok I take that back Clapton Should be on the list because of his work with the Yardbirds, Cream, ect, that was great work. But I don't take back the fact that he sold out in the 90's. It seemed like EVERY top 40 artist in the 90's was working with Babyface-ie Madonna, Even The Rolling Stones. I think he hopped on the train wagon of Success(what was hot at the time)
I don't blame him for doing it because he had a HUGE top 40 hit with the song BUT I think he did compromise his musical integrity with that song, and most of his top 40 stuff in the 90's. Its just like Aerosmith recording "I don't wanna miss a thing", what a complete piece of CRAP that song was, it was a TOTAL sellout to get Top 40 airplay, yet the song was a #1 hit. Yes the song was huge, but Aerosmith did compromise their musical integrity and pissed off a lot of Loyal fans.

Andy- Again, I do take that back about Clapton, he should be on the list, the Yardbirds and Cream were excellent. I admit I spoke way too soon.

"Tears In Heaven" was written about the death of Connor, Eric Clapton's four-year-old son. This song took on a whole new level of depth when I heard the story of the event that inspired it.

According to Clapton "tears in heaven" was a song written specifically for himself to help aid in the healing process due to the death of his son conor, and when accepting a Grammy award for said song said {paraphrasing here} a song i wrote to help my own healing and it never occured to me you woud enjoy it also.Having children of my own this song while not anywhere near his best definitly touched a nerve ,and millions of others also.

Justin, learn to do some research.

"Change The World" was commissioned by the producers of the movie Phenomenon.

Clapton neither wrote nor produced this duet with Babyface.
The song was authored by Gordon Kennedy, Tommy Sims & Wayne Kirkpatrick.

Your mischaracterization of Clapton doing this song to have a "hit" is misguided.

Now that we've said all that, and remember I love Clapton, even I am not sure he should be in the Top 20 SONGWRITERS OF ALL TIME. That list should be pretty special.

He of course would be in the Top 5 GUITAR PLAYERS list.

There's a name that no one has mentioned, without whom, country music may not even have survived on a national scale: Hank Williams

Top 40 radio wouldn't have been the same in the 60's and 70's without Burt Bacharach.

OMG! You both are right! Wow, who could miss those?

Nice catch you two.

Woody Guthrie knew how to write a song or two.

I was also gonna say Burt Bacharach and Hal David, but Bookemdano beat me to the punch. Certainly not rockers, but instrumental (sorry for the pun) in 60's/70's pop.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Eddie Vedder.