Rolling Stone names Bob Dylan Greatest Songwriter

[GameBoy27]

I don't know if I'd put Bob Dylan at #1 but I sure as hell would have put Pete Townshend in the top 10, not way down in 29th.

It turns out Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time, at least according to Rolling Stone magazine.

The magazine recently released its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, and put Dylan at number one, referring to his "vision" of American popular music as "transformative."

Musicians close to the top of the list include Paul McCartney in the number two spot, followed by John Lennon. Rounding out the top five are Chuck Berry and Smokey Robinson.

A few Canadians cracked the top 20 — Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young — taking 9th, 16th and 17th place, respectively.

"She unfurled starkly personal lyrics that pushed beyond 'confessional' songwriting towards an almost confrontational intimacy and rawness," the magazine wrote about Mitchell.

"At 80, he's still our greatest living late-night poet," the magazine wrote about Cohen.

Rolling Stone praised Young's "creakingly lovely acoustic ballads and torrential rockers."

In picking Dylan as the top songwriter, Rolling Stone said, "No one set the bar higher, or had greater impact."

Dylan wrote such classics as Blowin' in the Wind, Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin' on Heaven's Door and The Times They are A-Changin'.

His most recently released album is this year's Sinatra-inspired Shadows in the Night.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/rolling-stone-names-bob-dylan-greatest-songwriter-1.3193497

 

[oil&gas]

I gave up reading their list of top 100 songwriters
after picking up a few familiar names. I wish they could
provide a name list separately.

 

[shack]

I don't know if I'd put Bob Dylan at #1 but I sure as hell would have put Pete Townshend in the top 10, not way down in 29th.

I'm a huge Pete fan but I agree Dylan is #1 and way ahead of Pete.

 

[DB123]

Really!? I beg to differ. Dylan is so very poetic. He has a way with words! <3

Here is one of my favourite romantic songs:
http://www.jukebo.com/bob-dylan/music-clip,wedding-song,x3qrz5.html

Here's one of mine, and you want to talk about a poet?!?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axWb92M438s

 

[MissCroft]

A couple of commenters in that link mentioned Woody Guthrie and I was thinking the exact same thing. I love Bob Dylan but Dylan was enormously influenced by Woody Guthrie and tried more than once to purchase hundreds of pages of Guthrie's lyrics. He even went to his house (after he died) but Woody's daughter Nora wasn't home. (Nora Guthrie later sold many of the lyrics to Billy Bragg).


http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/song-woody

 

[shack]

A couple of commenters in that link mentioned Woody Guthrie and I was thinking the exact same thing. I love Bob Dylan but Dylan was enormously influenced by Woody Guthrie and tried more than once to purchase hundreds of pages of Guthrie's lyrics. He even went to his house (after he died) but Woody's daughter Nora wasn't home. (Nora Guthrie later sold many of the lyrics to Billy Bragg).


http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/song-woody

Woody's work can be seen much more in Dylan's earlier songwriting.

But Bob Dylan has a much, much wider array of songwriting styles than Woody ever had.

 

[MissCroft]

Woody's work can be seen much more in Dylan's earlier songwriting.

But Bob Dylan has a much, much wider array of songwriting styles than Woody ever had.

Don't get me wrong - I love Bob Dylan. I just feel that Woody Guthrie was shunned and Dylan would probably feel the same way. Guthrie had hundreds and hundreds of pages of lyrics that never got put to music. Bob Dylan wanted to do so and tried but sadly didn't get the chance. Who knows what could have happened!?!?!!

 

[GPIDEAL]

@ Chloe, What do you mean by 'shunned'? Ignored by Rolling Stone magazine? Aren't they referring to rock 'n roll writers? I know that Dylan is folk music but he's crossed into the rock zone.

 

[MissCroft]

@ Chloe, What do you mean by 'shunned'? Ignored by Rolling Stone magazine? Aren't they referring to rock 'n roll writers? I know that Dylan is folk music but he's crossed into the rock zone.

I don't know, maybe they were focusing more on 'rock' artists from the 60's and on.... But I wouldn't consider Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, or Smokey Robinson to be rock.

Anyway, it is a great list! I guess I'm just a big Woody fan. lol

 

[red]

While I grew up in the sixties myself I think its pathetic that rolling stone continues to keep its head in the sixties. They need to broaden their horizons

 

[mandrill]

I would have rated Elvis Costello in the top 5 and far higher than #24. And I gave up trying to even locate Tom Waits. Both of them are equal to or better than Dylan as lyricists.

If there are worthwhile songwriters and lyricists in the last 15 years, pls tell me about them. Because I haven't spotted anyone who could hold a candle to my favorite classic rock and classic alternative song writers.

 

[MissCroft]

And I gave up trying to even locate Tom Waits.

Tom Waits should've definitely been on the list. I like Taylor Swift but she's on the list and Tom Waits isn't?!?

 

[Bluebeam22]

Roger Waters was probably the best lyricist of all-time but can't deny Bob Dylan being best songwriter. George Harrison was probably the most underrated songwriter ever....of course IMHO

 

[b4u]

Tom Waits should've definitely been on the list. I like Taylor Swift but she's on the list and Tom Waits isn't?!?

Tom Waits is number 55,well ahead of Taylor. just as it should be

 

[MissCroft]

Tom Waits is number 55,well ahead of Taylor. just as it should be

Oops. Didn't see that.

 

[shack]

If there are worthwhile songwriters and lyricists in the last 15 years, pls tell me about them.

Ryan Adams and Nick Cave.

 

[GameBoy27]

Tom Waits is number 55,well ahead of Taylor. just as it should be

Phew!

 

[red]

I would have rated Elvis Costello in the top 5 and far higher than #24. And I gave up trying to even locate Tom Waits. Both of them are equal to or better than Dylan as lyricists.

If there are worthwhile songwriters and lyricists in the last 15 years, pls tell me about them. Because I haven't spotted anyone who could hold a candle to my favorite classic rock and classic alternative song writers.

How much new music do you listen to?

 

[onthebottom]

Glad to see Brian Wilson up high on the list....

 

[Yoga Face]

Dylan introduced me to poetic music, Cobain is amazing as is Waits, but Leonard Cohen strikes the heart without abstractions

One should give honorable mention to Jagger and Captain Beefheart