# Best songwriters/teams of the 20th century? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603 "2001-04-19T23:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/1 "2001-04-19T23:22:25Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/2 "2001-04-20T00:23:20Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/3 "2001-04-20T00:45:47Z")
Oops. Forgot Noel Coward. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalMuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@DigitalMuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalMuse)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/4 "2001-04-20T01:49:30Z")
Elton John/Bernie Taupin Maynard James Keenen Trent Reznor Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice (pretty sure about that) Daniel Johns ---
**Author:** ![xekul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/838e76/32.png) [@xekul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xekul)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/5 "2001-04-20T03:09:03Z")
Tom Waits, with or without Kathleen Brennan. Roger Waters. Leonard Cohen. Lou Reed. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/6 "2001-04-20T03:34:43Z")
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) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/7 "2001-04-20T03:40:08Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![exchicagoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@exchicagoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exchicagoan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/8 "2001-04-20T05:44:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*I can’t believe that no one mentioned Lieber and Stoller, who wrote a gazillion hit songs. > \*\* 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 ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/9 "2001-04-20T22:48:51Z")
Don’t forget Burt Bacharach and Hal David. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/10 "2001-04-20T22:52:40Z")
Simon and Garfunkel, even if it WAS mostly Simon. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/11 "2001-04-20T23:04:55Z")
may I humbly add _Carole King_? (most of my other favs are already listed) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/12 "2001-04-21T00:00:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/13 "2001-04-21T00:11:05Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/14 "2001-04-21T01:00:23Z")
From the pop/rock file I’ll add Brian Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/15 "2001-04-21T01:24:47Z")
Pete Townshend Page/Plant ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/16 "2001-04-21T01:27:49Z")
Janis Ian, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, three more ladies who should be included in such a list. ---
**Author:** ![sliv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/17 "2001-04-21T03:34:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/18 "2001-04-21T04:32:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/19 "2001-04-21T12:55:02Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603/20 "2001-04-21T16:25:07Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-songwriters-teams-of-the-20th-century/62603.md?page=2)