# What two British songwriters together could have competed with The Beatles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668 "2017-06-11T04:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/21 "2017-06-13T16:28:13Z")
> [@igor\_frankensteen](#): > > Even with this, I’m not sure what your goal is, exactly. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that it isn’t possible to have any real answers, because every situation was entirely unique. > > The closest I can think of to anyone being similar enough to what Lennon and McCartney were TRYING to be, is who they WERE trying to be, which was Goffin-King. The thing is, you need to define your terms a bit more specifically, if you want a serious discussion. Some writers are inherently not good team mates for anyone, because they are intent on expressing only very individually personal thoughts, for example. > > Lennon-McCartney were spectacularly successful as a songwriting TEAM, for only a few years. As the band became more successful, they grew apart, and the Lennon-McCartney label was applied more and more as a pure business tag, while the songs themselves weren’t true collaborations. > > If all you are looking for, are writers who were equally successful in the marketplace monetarily or in number of top 100 songs of their era, you’d get a different answer. Matching up writing styles and goals would be very difficult. And do they have to be performer-writer teams? John-Taupin were very successful for a while back then, but we never saw Taupin on stage, that I know of. I’m not sure how to clarify this further. Who could have been in that great team? It’s a fantasy exercise. There’s a lot of freedom in it. To me the Fabs exceeded Goffin and King by miles. I think they were a partnership that went on even though the journalistic custom is to point out their differences. The success they had at all eras says they didn’t “fall apart” as a partnership. It took different forms. Their brand never lost quality even though the songs diverged. It just emphasized the complementary qualities of the two. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/22 "2017-06-13T16:32:01Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > With the OP’s clarification…I wonder if Jimmy Page had left session work earlier for a band where he w joyed a strong songwriting partnership, that could have been something, maybe. Who would have provided the chemistry and balance (lyrics, mainly), circa 1965? Not sure. Was Roy Harper old enough yet? Maddy Prior was only 19, but maybe… This is a great one: Jimmy Page and Roy Harper. I just heard Sophisticated Beggar on the radio yesterday. (Title of his first LP from 1966 btw) It’s credible, they are complementary, we know they were mutual fans, and both did great work. I love Maddy as a folk singer but I can’t abide steeleye span. It just seems like a mistake to me. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/23 "2017-06-13T16:37:06Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The most successful American songwriting team of the rock era had three members: Holland, Dozier and Holland. They didn’t make LPs really. They were hitmakers and didn’t compete in the fabs arena. Maybe if you take one or two of them and put them together with someone else. I’m talking about: 1. Great talent 2. The ability to add to each others work 3. the ability to make great LPs with deep cuts as well as hits. I’m not talking about just aggregating two writers chart totals. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/24 "2017-06-13T16:43:29Z")
Carole King and James Taylor Both excellent songwriters. Taylor played on several of Carole’s albums. They’ve been friends for decades. I don’t think he ever wrote any songs with her. I think it would have been magic if they did. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/25 "2017-06-13T16:44:10Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The most successful American songwriting team of the rock era had three members: Holland, Dozier and Holland. The UK equivalent would be Stock, Aitken and Waterman but, as with their US counterparts, they were hitmakers rather than performers. US audiences might be familiar with [one of their songs in particular](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ). ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/26 "2017-06-13T16:49:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Carole King and James Taylor > > Both excellent songwriters. Taylor played on several of Carole’s albums. They’ve been friends for decades. > > I don’t think he ever wrote any songs with her. > I think it would have been magic if they did. Maybe…but Joni and Neil as a combo would completely kick our butts from the North. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/27 "2017-06-13T17:24:16Z")
Ohhh, I think you people are selling Holland-Dozier-Holland short. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/28 "2017-06-14T13:02:27Z")
American and modern. Jerry Cantrell teamed up with Eddie Vedder(or whoever writes most of Pearl Jam songs). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/29 "2017-06-14T13:34:09Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > American and modern. > > Jerry Cantrell teamed up with Eddie Vedder(or whoever writes most of Pearl Jam songs). Whoever writes the guitar for them, (plus soundgarden) would do great writing with whoever writes the guitar for Coheed because more hooks are always good and they can all throw in some soloes when needed, and the genres are not dissimilar. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/30 "2017-06-14T13:41:13Z")
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668/31 "2017-06-14T15:29:03Z")
The writers don’t have to have worked together before. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-two-british-songwriters-together-could-have-competed-with-the-beatles/788668.md?page=1)