Who are the 30 best living American songwriters?
The New York Times has chosen the 30 best living American songwriters. We know that lists attract attention and leave the time they find, but this one is interesting both because it focuses not on songs, albums, solos and so on, but on who writes the songs, before even singing them: so on the list there are some names that you can imagine, but others traditionally are a little less in the spotlight, such as Diane Warren (known for her songs for the cinema and also for the long sequence of Oscar nominations, which however she only won for her career) or Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields)
Also interesting is the fact that the NY Times dedicated a long methodological explanation to the choice and the process, something that does not always happen in the lists. The result is not a ranking but a list, created by collecting the votes of over 250 professionals in the music world: musicians, critics, historians, industry executives, DJs, music supervisors and choreographers. To these “nominations” was then added the final work of six critics of the magazine. Over 700 names emerged from the initial reports, which were then reduced to the 30 names on the list after several comparison sessions.
According to the newspaper, the aim was to photograph “the present state of the art of song”, focusing only on living authors and figures active in different genres and creative models, from classic songwriters to contemporary beatmakers.
Names on the list include Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Nile Rodgers, Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift. The list includes artists of different generations and styles, from Willie Nelson, born in 1933, to Bad Bunny, 32 years old and the youngest of those selected.
Here is the complete list:
- Nile Rodgers
- Lucinda Williams
- Stevie Wonder
- Jay-Z
- Paul Simon
- Taylor Swift
- Brian & Eddie Holland
- Missy Elliot
- Lionel Ritchie
- Dolly Parton
- Young Thug
- Diane Warren
- Josh Osborne, Brandy Clark, & Shane McAnally
- Fiona Apple
- Babyface
- Stephin Merritt
- Romeo Santos
- Carole King
- OutKast
- Mariah Carey
- Willie Nelson
- Bob Dylan
- Lana Del Ray
- TheDream
- Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
- Bad Bunny
- Bruce Springsteen
- Smokey Robinson
