Top 10 Lyricist in any genre

C-BoysFaninMIA

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Here is mines:
1. Bob Marley
2. Andre 3000
3. 2-Pac
4. Biggie Smalls
5. Billy Joel (yep!)
6. Canibus
7. Jay-Z
8. Kanye West
9. Marvin Gaye
10. K-Os (search for him)
Not exactly in this order though, but still is great.
 

Faerluna

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John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Billy Joel
Jeff Buckley
Pete Townsend
Roger Waters
Ben Folds
Amy Ray/Emily Saliers
Prince
Ira Gershwin
Cole Porter
 

jksmith269

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C-BoysFaninMIA said:
Here is mines:
1. Bob Marley
2. Andre 3000
3. 2-Pac
4. Biggie Smalls
5. Billy Joel (yep!)
6. Canibus
7. Jay-Z
8. Kanye West
9. Marvin Gaye
10. K-Os (search for him)
Not exactly in this order though, but still is great.
2-pac and biggie aren't what I'd call great lyrics writers but to each their own. Now bob Marvin and Billy I can agree with. Lionel Richie was another good one.
 

BrAinPaiNt

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Well I can go along with many named already.

And although I am not his biggest fan I really think Elton John is a good writer. Most of his songs are a little too mellow, musically wise, for me but some songs are just great.

I also have a special place for Ronnie James Dio...not sure if his lyrics themselves are great I just like the way he writes, how he structures his lyrics.

Many of the great blues artists...especially when they sing of the mythic bad arse type of guy.

Jim Croce

I have always enjoyed Steve Miller band.
 

jem88

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It goes like this:

Pete Townshend
John Lennon
Paul McCartney (although I despise him now)
David Bowie
Elvis Costello
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Roger Waters
Bob Dylan
Kurt Cobain (based on potential more than anything else)
Jeff Buckley (same as Cobain)
Thom Yorke
Bono (although I really, really, really despise him now)
Angus Young (Flea once said that every one says AC/DC is simplistic, but it's near impossible to recreate their sound. I agree.)
John Frusciante
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Strummer
Ric Ocasek
Jim Morrison
Jimmy Page
Dean & Gene Ween
Mick & Keith
 

Hostile

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In no particular order. Whether you like their voices or not, their lyrics rule.

Johnny Cash

Bob Dylan

Jim Croce

Roger Waters

Paul Simon

Buddy Holly

Hank Williams

John Lennon

Willie Nelson

Jim Morrison
 

jem88

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Hostile said:
In no particular order. Whether you like their voices or not, their lyrics rule.

Johnny Cash

Bob Dylan

Jim Croce

Roger Waters

Paul Simon

Buddy Holly

Hank Williams

John Lennon

Willie Nelson

Jim Morrison
Hard to argue with that although I'm not familiar with Hank Williams or Jim Croce. Leaving Paul Simon off my list was a serious ommission.

For lyrical genius, Elvis Costello is pretty hard to beat. Few artists depict the emotional warfare in relationships as succinctly as he does.
 

Faerluna

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jem88 said:
It goes like this:

Pete Townshend
John Lennon
Paul McCartney (although I despise him now)
David Bowie
Elvis Costello
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Roger Waters
Bob Dylan
Kurt Cobain (based on potential more than anything else)
Jeff Buckley (same as Cobain)
Thom Yorke
Bono (although I really, really, really despise him now)
Angus Young (Flea once said that every one says AC/DC is simplistic, but it's near impossible to recreate their sound. I agree.)
John Frusciante
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Strummer
Ric Ocasek
Jim Morrison
Jimmy Page
Dean & Gene Ween
Mick & Keith

How could I forget Joni and Jim?!?!

 

Juke99

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Here's a dark horse....

J.D. Souther....

especially when he wrote with the Eagles...
 

Yeagermeister

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:money:

What's up man! Hey yo what's up!
Yeah what's goin' on here.
Sick an' tired of five-oh runnin' up on the block here.
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yo Snow, they came around here lookin' for you the other day.
Word? Word! Bust it!

CHORUS
Informer, you no say Daddy me Snow me I'll go blame,
A licky Boom Boom Down.
Detective mon said Daddy me Snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky Boom Boom Down.
Informer, you no say Daddy me Snow me I'll go blame,
A licky Boom Boom Down.
Detective mon said Daddy me Snow me stab someone down the lane,
A licky Boom Boom Down.

Police them come an' now they blow down me door,
One him come crawl through, through my window,
So then they put me in the back the car at the station,
From that point on me reach my destination,
When the destination reached, it was the east detention, where them
Whipped down me pants, looked up me bottom, so

CHORUS

Bigger they are they think they have more power,
They're on the phone me say that on (every) hour,
Me for want to use it once an' now me call me lover,
Lover who I'll be callin is the one Tammy,
an' me love her in me heart down to my belly,
Yes me Daddy me Snow me I feel cool an' deadly,
As the one MC Shan an' the one Daddy Snow,
Together we-a love'em as a Tor-Na-Do.

CHORUS

Listen for me, you better listen for me now.
Listen for me, you better listen for me now.
When me rockin' the microphone me rock it steady,
Yes sir, Daddy me Snow me are the article done.
But in the in an' the out of a dance them they say where you come from,
People them say you come from Jamaica,
But me born an' raised in the ghetto that's the one I want you to know,
Pure black people mon that's all I mon know.
Yeah me shoes are tear up an' me toes used to show,
Where me born in on the one Toronto, so

CHORUS

Come with a nice young lady. Intelligent,
Yes she's gentle an' irie.
Everywhere me go, me never left her at all.
Yes, its Daddy Snow me are the roam dance mon.
Roam between a dancin' in a in a nation-a.
You never know say Daddy me Snow me are the Boom Shakata.
Me never lay-a down flat in that one cardboard box.
Yes say me Daddy me Snow me I'll go reachin' at the top, so...

CHORUS

Why would he?

Me sittin' 'round cool with my dibbie dibbie girl,
Police knock my door,
Lick up my pal,
Rough me up an' I can't do a thing
Pick up my line, when my telephone ring.
Take me to the station,
Black up my hands.
Trail me down, 'cuz I'm hangin' with the Snowman,
What I'm gonna do,
I'm backed an' I'm trapped,
Slap me in the face an' took all o' my gap.
They have no clues an' they wanna get warmer,
But Shan won't turn Informer!

CHORUS
 

WoodysGirl

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Yeagermeister said:
Yeag, you are so wrong for that... He actually did a show at UH and got beat up for his troubles. Don't know what happened, but he pulled off the stage and that was all she wrote...

From an R&B angle, cuz I'm smoothed out like that sometimes...plus u guys got a good mix of stuff covered, tho I do like Alanis Morrissette

Luther Vandross - my fav song is Amazing
Stevie Wonder - A legend
Isley Brothers
Babyface
Can't think of their names, but the guys who did all the Motown stuff...
Diane Warren - She's the writer for alot of power ballads. Whitney, Mariah, Celine (Titanic theme was written by her if I'm not mistaken)
David Foster - Behind people like Whitney in her younger days.

I'll think of others and add later..
 

Nors

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Santana
Lennon
Morrison
Morisette
Don Henley - BEST
Neil Young
Jack Blades
Roger Waters
Rik Emmitt
Billy Joel
 

C-BoysFaninMIA

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WoodysGirl said:
Yeag, you are so wrong for that... He actually did a show at UH and got beat up for his troubles. Don't know what happened, but he pulled off the stage and that was all she wrote...

From an R&B angle, cuz I'm smoothed out like that sometimes...plus u guys got a good mix of stuff covered, tho I do like Alanis Morrissette

Luther Vandross - my fav song is Amazing
Stevie Wonder - A legend
Isley Brothers
Babyface
Can't think of their names, but the guys who did all the Motown stuff...
Diane Warren - She's the writer for alot of power ballads. Whitney, Mariah, Celine (Titanic theme was written by her if I'm not mistaken)
David Foster - Behind people like Whitney in her younger days.

I'll think of others and add later..

man, u r so right about those people. i completely fogot about stevie and luther and the others
 

jem88

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Nors said:
Santana
Lennon
Morrison
Morisette
Don Henley - BEST
Neil Young
Jack Blades
Roger Waters
Rik Emmitt
Billy Joel
Rik Emmitt and Neil Young in the same breath? The complexities of Nors are becoming clearer.

As for Stevie Wonder, I haven't listened to enough, but what I do have by him is unreal. Definately a legend.
 

MapleLeaf

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Leonard Cohen
Neil Young
Gordon Lightfoot
Cole Porter
Ira Gershwin
Tom Waits
Oscar Hammerstein
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Marianne Faithfull
Bernie Taupin
Brian and Ed Holland/Leonard Dozier

Sorry that's 12.
 

DLK150

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Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire is one who slips through the cracks sometimes. He did most of the writing for the group along with his brother Verdine and Phillip Bailey, and handled almost all the producing.
 

jem88

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davidyee said:
Leonard Cohen
Neil Young
Gordon Lightfoot
Cole Porter
Ira Gershwin
Tom Waits
Oscar Hammerstein
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Marianne Faithfull
Bernie Taupin
Brian and Ed Holland/Leonard Dozier

Sorry that's 12.
Excellent list. Particularly appreciate the Canadian content at the top.
 

BrAinPaiNt

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WoodysGirl said:
Yeag, you are so wrong for that... He actually did a show at UH and got beat up for his troubles. Don't know what happened, but he pulled off the stage and that was all she wrote...

From an R&B angle, cuz I'm smoothed out like that sometimes...plus u guys got a good mix of stuff covered, tho I do like Alanis Morrissette

Luther Vandross - my fav song is Amazing
Stevie Wonder - A legend
Isley Brothers
Babyface
Can't think of their names, but the guys who did all the Motown stuff...
Diane Warren - She's the writer for alot of power ballads. Whitney, Mariah, Celine (Titanic theme was written by her if I'm not mistaken)
David Foster - Behind people like Whitney in her younger days.

I'll think of others and add later..


Can Not believe I forgot Steve Wonder.
 
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