Genius songwriters.
 

Who are your favourites?

I think that Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy is a brilliant songwriter, if you listen to any of their albums you can see why I say that.

Brandon Flowers (the frontman of The Killers).

I think you can guess the list of names I'd throw out :tongue:

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, David Bowie, Noel Gallagher, Kate Bush, Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Mick Jagger/Keith Richards, Joe Strummer (The Clash), Ray Davies (The Kinks), Neil Tenant/Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys).

Still writing....Brandon Flowers, Chris Martin, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams.

Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen

Morrissey.

Brian Wilson
Lennon/McCartney
John Cale
Nick Drake
Jarvis Cocker

Oh yeah, can't forget Morrissey. :tongue:

Plus, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno and Frank Zappa

Richard Ashcroft

Leona Lewis :)

The Rev.
Without a fucking doubt.

This song is crazy, but a masterpiece with godly lyrics. If you don't think this is a good song, I feel sorry for you. :L



RIP Rev, foREVer.

she doesn't write. she can't with those ****ing hooves.

amazing.

Madonna has written alot of tracks.

Oh please, get the **** out isn't a insult.

Kurt Kobain, Bob Marley, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Stevie Wonder, Nick Cave

Gershwin was more of a composer than a songwriter. I suppose he did write some musicals though... sort of like Bernstein.

Some more...

Tom Waits
Mark E. Smith
Thurston Moore
Quincey Jones
Phil Spector

I was thinking of Bernstein and Rodgers and Hammerstein. I included Gershwin just for Summertime from Porgy and Bess

Cant believe no one mentioned Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.

I listened to Springsteen non-stop a few years back, but have grown cold towards him more recently. His style of music is too earnest and bombastic for my liking.

Neil Young I really respect and you can really tell the influence he had on the likes of Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips, but I simply haven't heard enough of his stuff.

I see your point. Springsteens rock and roll songs can be a bit much but I'd hardly call Nebraska bombastic.

Of all the people mentioned in this thread I think Neil Young should have been one of the first. Frankly I think its a joke that anyone would cal Robbie Williams or Leona Lewis a 'genius' songwriter. Neil Young has been writing songs since the 60's and can still show these young 'uns how its done.

Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift.

Perhaps not, but it has a certain rugged seriousness to it which is not for everyone, me included.

I'm sure accusations of musical snobbery will come rolling in if I said Robbie Williams is a mediocre songwriter (which he is) so I'll just say each to their own, but I think people have to be careful about using the word 'genius' too lightly. He owes most of his biggest chart successes to Guy Chambers and even those songs left a lot to be desired. In fact, songs like "Rudebox" could make Williams a candidate for one of the all time worst songwriters.

MJ
GaGa
Lily Allen (Probably not a 'genius' as such but still a talented writer)

Beat me to it.

Sorry Smithy, but GaGa isn't a genius songwriter.

Pete Wentz writes the majority of FOB songs :)
Those that haven't been mentioned, Alex Turner, Kanye West, Drake, Eminem (his older stuff), Amy Winehouse.

seriously? i always thought it was a joint effort but patrick wrote more. wow.

And Eminem is a great songwriter in my opinion, I love his lyrics, especially in the song "Lose Yourself".

but Leona Lewis is D:

Anyway, if you look at it as her only just starting out in her career writing all her own music similar to the way the Beatles did, she has so much room to improve, and just get better and better.

A comparison between GaGa and The Beatles..........?????? moving on........

Eminems earlier stuff was gold.
Jim Morrison


and most of whats been said already

She is no genius. Accept it.

Early GaGa and early Beatles, they wrote songs about holding hands and kissing, she's doing the same, sort of :p

Smithy. Shut the **** up.

Lennon
Mccartney
Harrison

/thread

Diane Warren, Curtis Mayfield, Hal David, Otis Redding and Steve Cropper, Elton John, Lord Webber, Ashford and Simpson, Bobby Womack, Paul Simon, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, Queen, Billy Joe, Elvis Costello, Trent Reznor, Berry Gordy, Lionel Richie, Thom yorke and Johny Greenwood, Prince, Bono and The Edge, Chuck D, sly Stone, George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, James Taylor, Jackson Browne

Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Robert Smith, Billy Corgan >

Pete only writes the lyrics, Patrick does the instrumentation.

Burt Bacarach

Are you in Germany yet?