# Who is the best singer and songwriter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469 "2014-01-10T20:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/21 "2014-01-11T10:46:21Z")
Does Sting write his own songs? What about Peter Gabriel? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/22 "2014-01-11T16:10:28Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Does Sting write his own songs? What about Peter Gabriel? Sting writes almost all of his own material, and most of the Police’ material, too. Gabriel writes almost all his solo material, and a large portion of the older Genesis songs, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/23 "2014-01-11T17:00:03Z")
Considering Paul Simon having gone through bouts of being accused of plagiarism, his inclusion here is kinda funny. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/24 "2014-01-11T17:19:35Z")
Townes Van Zandt. Great voice, great songs. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/25 "2014-01-11T17:29:26Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Considering Paul Simon having gone through bouts of being accused of plagiarism, his inclusion here is kinda funny. What - with Graceland? Nah. I _do_ remember reading an interview of Simon - I think it was from an old Playboy (but I got it for the writing, I swear! ;)). He commented that he thought Billy Joel had “too good of a voice” - meaning, he was so unlimited as a singer that it someone hampered his songwriting - he didn’t have to write to him limitations, which apparently Simon felt he (Simon) needed to do. He (Simon) clearly has a competent voice and is great with harmony work, but his vocal instrument is clearly limited. I’m not a big fan of Billy Joel, but his vocal instrument is really great. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/26 "2014-01-11T17:37:44Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I _do_ remember reading an interview of Simon - I think it was from an old Playboy (but I got it for the writing, I swear! ;)). He commented that he thought Billy Joel had “too good of a voice” - meaning, he was so unlimited as a singer that it someone hampered his songwriting - he didn’t have to write to him limitations, which apparently Simon felt he (Simon) needed to do. He (Simon) clearly has a competent voice and is great with harmony work, but his vocal instrument is clearly limited. I’m not a big fan of Billy Joel, but his vocal instrument is really great. Interesting POV, but I’d have thought more or less the opposite: that being able to write for a “great instrument” in a way that takes full advantage of it is a point in a songwriter’s favor. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/27 "2014-01-11T17:56:01Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Carole King Absolutely! ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/28 "2014-01-11T18:19:54Z")
Neil Sedaka - Has written for pretty much everyone, and a noted singer in his own right Barry Manilow - even though he isn’t my sort of music, he was a very good singer he is a tremendous songwriter, and also a fantastic arranger-one of the best in the business Paul Anka - good singer, has written some classic material Louis Prima - much better known for his vocals, but he did write one or two hits for others, and of course he had his own band, so he had to get involved in the arrangements. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/29 "2014-01-11T18:24:04Z")
A couple more to add to the list: Pete Townshend and Ray Davies. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/30 "2014-01-11T18:44:51Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > What - with Graceland? Nah. > > I _do_ remember reading an interview of Simon - I think it was from an old Playboy (but I got it for the writing, I swear! ;)). He commented that he thought Billy Joel had “too good of a voice” - meaning, he was so unlimited as a singer that it someone hampered his songwriting - he didn’t have to write to him limitations, which apparently Simon felt he (Simon) needed to do. He (Simon) clearly has a competent voice and is great with harmony work, but his vocal instrument is clearly limited. I’m not a big fan of Billy Joel, but his vocal instrument is really great. Billy Joel’s song “River of Dreams” sounds like it could have come from Simon’s “Graceland” album. I’m gonna go against the OP. I think Bruce Springsteen is both a great songwriter _and_ singer. Some of my favorite songs of his come off his album “The Rising,” especially the title track, “You’re Missing,” and “Lonesome Day”. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/31 "2014-01-11T18:59:38Z")
I’ll add Richard Thompson, Guy Clark, David Hidalgo, and Gram Parsons. > [@WordMan](#): > > Elton John. Doesn’t Bernie Taupin write most of his lyrics? John’s a great musician and performer, but I think it’s hard, particularly with the “singer-singwriter” designation, to exclude the lyrics from the music. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/32 "2014-01-11T19:24:44Z")
John writes no lyrics. So, he’s a composer, not a songwriter? Hmm, not sure. His creative gifts - instant hit songwriting - are profound. ETA: having said that, I see the logic of your statement. Lyrics matter. Stevie Wonder vs Marvin Gaye. Smokey was “America’s Poet Laureate”… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/33 "2014-01-11T19:37:46Z")
I would mention Steve Winwood. Singer, composer, piano man. Could play pop or jazz with equal ease. Roy Orbison would definitely fall into the ‘best’ category. He wasn’t that prolific a song writer, but the ones he wrote are now classics (Blue Bayou, Only The Lonely, Pretty Woman, etc.). He also had a 3-4 octave voice range. Robert Plant wrote or co-wrote a huge number of songs and had a tremendous voice. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/34 "2014-01-11T19:54:56Z")
Wait…do we mean greatest singer, or singer whose voice fits their style of music the best? I mean, Kurt Cobain wasn’t a great singer, but his voice was perfect for the songs he wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/35 "2014-01-11T20:02:52Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > John writes no lyrics. So, he’s a composer, not a songwriter? Hmm, not sure. His creative gifts - instant hit songwriting - are profound. He’s absolutely a songwriter, with every imaginable distinction. I’d argue with “singer-songwriter,” though - that implies that the artist is the lyricist as well as the composer. And now I notice that the op and thread title specify “singer and songwriter” rather than singer-songwriter. So maybe I’m adding additional criteria that weren’t intended. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/36 "2014-01-11T21:28:52Z")
Jimmy Buffett is another example of a Paul Simon, maybe more so - the guy can write fabulous songs all day but his own range and capabilities are very limited. I guess that’s why he’s only worth $4-500 million. Just think if he’d been able to really sing… ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/37 "2014-01-11T22:29:17Z")
John Prine - I don’t think there is any better lyricist - breaks your heart [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gr1E3GEODvA/hqdefault.jpg "John Prine - Hello In There (Souvenirs Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr1E3GEODvA) You just know what song that links to, and if you don’t then you really need to hear it. Smokey Robinson - Where would Motown be without him? Isleys - you would have to put them somewhere up the high end, but I don’t think you can realistically separate one of them out. Bobby Womack - has written for just about everyone, has at least 20 albums to his name, performer since the 1960’s - got to be right near the very top singer/songwriter Sam Cooke - Now this really is one of the most influential vocalists of all time, the list of others who cite him as an inspiration is almost endless, and I’d challenge anyone not to know a song he has written. Just listen to that voice [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbO2_077ixs) Michael Jackson - This often comes as a bit of a surprise to a lot of folk because his stage shows and vocals tend to overshadow everything, but he really has written some great stuff. Bill Withers - Great singer, some wonderful songwriting ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/38 "2014-01-11T22:46:50Z")
A few years ago, Paste Magazine put together a [list of 100 best songwriters](http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2006/06/pastes-100-best-living-songwriters-the-list.html) who were living at the time (2006). I have some issues with the list (e.g. I’m not sure it’s fair to count a whole band as a songwriter), and inevitably some of my personal favorites aren’t on the list (e.g. Terry Scott Taylor); but it’s a halfway decent list, and many of the people on the list are great singers as well, and a lot of their names have already come up in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/39 "2014-01-11T22:52:13Z")
They always zero-in somewhere in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469/40 "2014-01-12T00:18:09Z")
Many good one mentioned. Let me add a few: Willie Nelson Peggy Lee > [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > I am shocked that Freddie Mercury hasn’t been mentioned. OK, Freddie Mercury [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-singer-and-songwriter/678469.md?page=3)