Best lyricist

A leftfield suggestion, if not for the 'best' but one that is perhaps unfairly ignored-Billy Bragg. His words are direct, sharp and when he chosses the personal over the political can be poignant and sad too.

In a similar style Kirsty Macoll had a very clear 'voice' in her lyrics, again they can be read as stories and poems without the music.

I like the plain, honest and human warmth of these two.

Bruce

For me, it is Bruce Springsteen. Paul Simon is high up my personal list as well.

Mike

Bob Dylan

Nigel Blackwell is my choice - inimitable songs on the minutiae of life, football and TV - here are some samples.

I also like Tom Leher a lot.

Rotf

For modern songwriters, say the last 40 years, Bob Dylan is very hard to beat.

Morrisey always sets up a beautiful balance between comedy and desperation which is totally English in character in the best possible way.

Becker and Fagan provide brilliantly obscure and ambiguous descriptions of dubious but endearing characters. They avoid anything obvious and always leave room for personal interpretation which is where imagination is given room to roam.

Ian Dury and Shaun Rider have a brilliantly honest , comic and saucy approcah which I never tire of.

Tom waits cinematically captures lives at the fringes of society in his own uniquue and off kilter way.

I cant leave out Rickee Lee Jones and Kate Bush. Jones has a more poetic cadance to her lyrics but both women are equally capable at laying bear emotion in a lump in the neck sort of way which is priceless.

A good topic, I'll stop there before another 1/2 dozen spring to mind.

Opps - too late - Jackson Browne - never has being depressed been so much fun!!!!

Victoria Beckham.

Brian Wilson.

Richard Thompson a real "wordsmith". After hearing "Hots for the Smarts" last night a gem of a lyric.

Howard

Male - Nick Cave

Female - Ani DiFranco or Natalie Merchant

Male - Bob Dylan and Nick Cave.

Female is more difficult, maybe Patti Smith.

quote:

Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
Victoria Beckham.

lists without explanations are not very illuminating if you don't know a particular artist.

Female - I'd go for Joni Mitchell - very good songwriter.

Rotf, I agree with a lot you say but Joni Mitchell bores me to death .

Zimmie, no contest.

Second Paul Simon. Also, Leonard Cohen (more a poet than a singer anyway).


regards,

Tam

Certainly I would like to second Simon to whom Kate Bush springs to mind. I would like to mention Eric Wolfson´s absurd lyrics, from the time of the Alan Parsons Project. If anyone crinkle up his nose, he hasn´t listened to it properly.

.

How could there possible be a single best? How is this measured?

That said, here's just a very small handful of great lyricists:

Bob Dylan
Joni Mitchell
Leonard Cohen
Lorenz Hart
John Lennon
Cole Porter
Paul Simon
Shawn Colvin
Ira Gershwin
Dorothy Fields
James Taylor
Irving Berlin
Tom Waits
Oscar Hammerstein

.

Bjorne - you don't like Joni then (not even Ladies of the Canyon).

What about Carol King {The album Tapestry has some fine lyrics}, Melanie (Safka) {The Good Book elpee is her at her best lyrically} or Mary-Chapin Carpenter {This Shirt has great words and all of C'mon C'mon is impressive); if not then perhaps Polly Jane (PJ) Harvey.

Anybody else like to nominate some female lyricists (other than Kate Bush who I think everybody, including me, seems to like).

Rotf

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[QUOTE]Originally posted by ROTF:
Anybody else like to nominate some female lyricists (other than Kate Bush who I think everybody, including me, seems to like).
___________________________________________________
Laura Nyro and Sandy Denny.

I'm going to have to come out of retirement on this one...

There is only one lyricist in 'popular music' worthy of mention..

Peter Hammill

Simon - Thanks for putting it into words. Well said - Becker/Fagan, Jackson Browne, Morrissey, Ian Dury. Yes!

I agree with Fred - there can't possibly be a "best". But I'll add Bruce Cockburn into the mix:

After the Rain
After the rain in the streets light flows like blood
I can just taste salt on the humid wind

Here comes that gasoline
Spreading hungry rainbow over shiny black tar

I'm blown like smoke and blind as wind
Except for when your love breaks in

Maybe to those who love is given sight
To pierce the wall of seeming night
And know it pure beyond all imagining

David Sylvian takes some beating, too. As for les femmes, I like Rickie Lee Jones and Lucinda Williams.

Malky, Seagull

You both have exemplary taste

• (Laura) Eli's Coming is one of my favourite albums
  
• (Sandy) Who knows where the time goes is one of my favorite songs
  
• (PH) People You Were Going To - it is just brilliant (some of the best lyrics ever)
  

Rotf

Dylan and Kate Bush.