Two names come to mind, John Denver (possibly a contender for the title) and Jackson Browne.
Browne can pen a fairly derisive song like “The Pretender,” but his delivery is still so earnest and unthreatening that the satire gets considerably undercut (imo). Whereas, say, a guy like Donald Fagen just has a voice suited for wry, sarcastic commentary.
Thoughts, Dopers?
The first person to come to mind for me was Joni Mitchell.
My first thought was John Denver. My second was Jewel, or, as I like to call her, “f#@&in’ Jewel.”
Twiiiick!
I just put an old, old one of Joni’s on an acoustic mix- “Morning Morgantown.” Beautiful song- and yeah, about as steeped in irony as a serving of lemon Jell-o.
F**king Jewel indeed.
I second Joni Mitchell.
Nobody’s made a crack about Alanis Morisette?
Yeah, isn’t it ironic? (Oh wait, it really is – never mind! :smack: )
There’re a tonne…great new musicians.
Try a guy called Richard Shindell…Jesus, what a writer. Or, Fred Eaglesmith… or just turn off the radio top 40, try local NPR, or find it here online.
How about Jonathan Richman (and the Modern Lovers)?
Isn’t Joni Mitchell immediately disqualified for “Big Yellow Taxi,” though?
ahhhh, but can you disqualify a wonderful songwriter for the fact that their song has been thrust into the bullshit dominion? Joni is one of our best. Her, Neil, and I…we write from the heart…or so we think
Gordon Lightfoot.
Anyone who can deliver a line like “the minstrel of the dawn is here” with a straight face is way too sincere for his own good.
Al Stewart, maybe.
Carpenters.
Did they write their own material, though?
Another great one: Joan Armatrading.
I don’t think Janis Ian would know irony if it bit her in the butt.
I’m rembering a song from Between the Lines, “From Me to You,” that’s relatively acidic. . . can’t remember the lyric quite enough to place it under use of irony, tho.
Hippie Chick Melanie Safka. She’s like a real-life version of Marzipan.
Bwah ha ha! I have no idea who Melanie Safka is, but that description says it all! Thanks for a good laugh.
The brother, whose name I can’t remember, wrote the songs.
Jeff Buckley seems pretty sincere when he sings…though he didn’t write all of his own material…
Um. What?
I just meant that “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell is a fairly ironic song, as far as these things go. It’s about the destruction of the environment, but is pretty flippant and upbeat. As it’s also one of her most well-known songs, that would disqualify her for being the “most irony-free.”