Here’s my list (not necessarily in this order):
Duke Ellington
George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin
Mick Jagger/Keith Richard
Cole Porter
John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Stevie Wonder
Who’s your favorite?
Good start (especially the Gershwins, Porter, and Lennon/McCartney). I’d add:
Irving Berlin
Harry Warren/Al Dubin
Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II
Frank Loesser
Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Lowe
Richard Adler/Jerry Ross
John Kander/Fred Ebb
Bob Dylan
Pete Townsend
Ray Davies
Jim Steinman (even if a lot of his songs sound the same)
Jerome Kern/(with various lyricists)
Paul Simon
Fats Waller
Oops. Forgot Noel Coward.
Elton John/Bernie Taupin
Maynard James Keenen
Trent Reznor
Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice (pretty sure about that)
Daniel Johns
Tom Waits, with or without Kathleen Brennan. Roger Waters. Leonard Cohen. Lou Reed.
My first thought when I read this thread was "they left out Hoagy Carmichael." So I went to look up some of his music to list, and then I realized that the lyrics for most of his more memorable songs were actually written by somebody else.
But I’m putting his name up anyway.
[ul]
Georgia on My Mind (with Stuart Gorrell)
Heart and Soul (with Frank Loesser)
I get along without you very well (with Mrs. Jane Brown Thompson)
In the still of the night (with Jo Trent)
Nearness of you (with Ned Washington)
Rockin’ Chair
Skylark (with Johnny Mercer)
Stardust (with Mitchell Parish)
Two sleepy people (with Frank Loesser)
You Got Me Under Your Thumb [/ul]
and who can forget He’s dead but he won’t lie down
(lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
I can’t believe that no one mentioned Lieber and Stoller, who wrote a gazillion hit songs.
I agree with most of the other choices here, and let me add Warren Zevon and John Prine.
For women, how about Carole King and Joni Mitchell?
I second the above.
ROGERS & HART
ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
COLE PORTER
ENNIO MORRICONE (does it need WORDS to be a SONG?
NINO ROTA
HANK WILLIAMS–I’m not a C&W fan, but HE wrote some great songs.
GEO. & IRA GERSHWIN
LEONARD BERSTEIN
ELMER BERNSTEIN
SCOTT JOPLIN
DANNY ELFMAN
Don’t forget Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Simon and Garfunkel, even if it WAS mostly Simon.
may I humbly add Carole King? (most of my other favs are already listed)
Bob Dylan, of course.
Haj - Glad to see that someone put Leonard Cohen’s name up. I’ve never met an uncool person who likes him.
Most of my picks have already been mentioned, but I want to throw in:
- Leadbelly
- Smokey Robinson
- Barry/Greenwich
and reiterate:
- Irving Berlin
- Lennon/McCartney
- Cole Porter
- Hank Williams (Sr. of course :p)
- Gershwin
From the pop/rock file I’ll add Brian Wilson.
Pete Townshend
Page/Plant
Janis Ian, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, three more ladies who should be included in such a list.
Gotta add my personal favorite, Andy Partridge of XTC. Amazing lyricist and musician.
Also, Paul Heaton of The Beautiful south, Elvis Costello, and John Wesley Harding all deserve mention.
Dylan, of course. A thousand times over. Bloody hell, even the Christian stuff (which I’m listening to right now) is damned good.
As for folks who haven’t been mentioned – Woodie Guthrie, for sure, and Gram Parsons.
I second Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita are great.
I’m going to be ducking some tomatoes, but I’d also say Tim Rice, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (yes, the male Abba’s) for CHESS. I love that musical, and I’m overjoyed at the revival plans!
How could anyone miss,
Holland, Dozier, Holland.
Another honourable mention goes to Donald Fagan/Walter Becker for their song ‘Home at last’ that managed to infuse a completely new meaning to the ancient story of Jason being tied to the mast of the Argonaut.
A Homeric homecoming indeed.