100 Greatest Living Songwriters

From Paste Magazine:

100 T-Bone Burnett
99 Outkast
98 Jay Farrar
97 Josh Ritter
96 Jimmy Cliff
95 Patti Smith
94 Sam Phillips
93 Joseph Arthur
92 Alejandro Escovedo
91 Drive-By Truckers
90 Nick Cave
89 Victoria Williams
88 Parliment
87 Lyle Lovett
86 Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
85 David bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones)
84 They Might Be Giants
83 Fleetwood Mac (Buckingham, Nicks, McVie)
82 John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats)
81 The Flaming Lips
80 Pink Floyd
79 Stephen Malkmus (Pavement, Silver Jews)
78 Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices)
77 Bruce Cockburn
76 Will Oldham aka Bonnie "Prine" Billy
75 Ron Sexsmith
74 Over the Rhine
73 Julie Miller
72 Michael Jackson
71 Vic Chestnut
70 Alex Chilton (Big Star, The Box Tops)
69 Merle Haggard
68 Allen Toussaint
67 Connor Oberst
66 Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black) (Pixies, The Catholics)
65 Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love)
64 Andy Partridge (XTC)
63 Richard Thompson
62 Sting
61 John Hiatt
60 Jimmy Webb
59 Jack White
58 Sly Stone
57 Morrissey
56 James Brown
55 Dolly Parton
54 Aimee Mann
53 James Taylor
52 Paul Westerberg
51 Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham
50 Public Enemy
49 Cat Stevens
48 Gillian Welch / David Rawlings
47 Sufjan Stevens
46 David Byrne
45 Jackson Browne
44 Al Green
43 Ryan Adams
42 Loretta Lynn
41 Ray Davies
40 Burt Bacharach & Hal David
39 Led Zeppelin
38 Kris Kristofferson
37 Smokey Robinson
36 Beck
35 Steve Earle
34 John Forgarty
33 Pete Townshend
32 Lieber & Stoller
31 Carole King
30 John Prine
29 Tom Petty
28 Robbie Robertson
27 Radiohead
26 REM
25 Chuck Berry
24 Jeff Tweedy
23 Elton John / Bernie Taupin
22 Lucinda Williams
21 Lou Reed
20 Van Morrison
19 Patty Griffin
18 U2
17 Holland - Dozier- Holland
16 David Bowie
15 Willie Nelson
14 Stevie Wonder
13 Paul Simon
12 The Rolling Stones
11 Randy Newman
10 Prince
9 Joni Mitchell
8 Elvis Costello
7 Brian Wilson
6 Leonard Cohen
5 Paul McCartney
4 Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan
3 Bruce Springsteen
2 Neil Young
1 Bob Dylan

how can they honestly come to terms with a list like that?

I have music by 55 of them. Do I get a prize?

I have music by 35.
Good choices (even though pretty boring and obvious ones)I think for #'s 1 2 and 3, but after that it's pretty much a blur and who really cares anyway.

Noel Gallagher? Anyone?

Originally posted by beedubyah:
Noel Gallagher? Anyone?

there aren't enough brits on there, but at least they didn't do something stupid and put bright eyes in the top 10

big omissions: any of the three singer/songwriters in teenage fanclub (it seems like they're just putting band names up there) …. and paul weller really needs to be on there somewhere, even if a lot of his solo stuff blows, the jam is just too monumental to leave off

Apparently, Pete Townsend is the better songwriter but Jack White is the better guitarist.

Richard Thompson should be much higher on the list.

no Billy Bragg??
no Matt Johnson??

these lists are obviously very silly, but i was very surprised that PASTE wouldn't have stephin merritt on its list. seems to be right up their alley.

oops

These sort of lists are generally just plain rediculous. I love Sufjan, but does he really belong up that high? I'll second the notion that all three Teenage Fanclub (Blake, Love, McGinley) are easily better than half of what is listed, and Stephen Merritt has to be on that list.

What? Walter Becker & Donald Fagan rate lower than Drive-By Truckers? WTF?

I don't have a problem with that.

Even my Steely Dan (the group) loving wife said the new Fagan album sucks.

Originally posted by The Jesus Nut:
What? Walter Becker & Donald Fagan rate lower than Drive-By Truckers? WTF?

Originally posted by Chaz Nakatestes, Breaststroking Guy:
my Steely Dan (the group) loving wife said the new Fagan album sucks.

Does not.

BTW, I didn't realize that your Mrs. was a "group lover". When are we all invited?
<img src="http://www.emotihost.com/glass/9.gif" alt=" - " />

Bob Mould is a huge omission as well.

yeah, i got that and i think it's not a terrible list but i still think they left out plenty and were wrong in plenty of places…

i don't really know why these magazines put out stuff like this in the first place.

Who's Connor Oberst?

Why do I always forget that Leonard Cohen is still alive?

Originally posted by mrpee:
Who's Connor Oberst?

He was TV's MacGyver's second banana.