The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters According to the New York Times

Who are the greatest names in American songwriting today? The New York Times set out to answer that question with an ambitious and complex undertaking: over 700 initial names, more than 250 industry professionals involved — musicians, critics, executives, DJs and other figures from the business — and a final selection entrusted to six of the paper's own writers. The result isn't a ranking, but a considered snapshot of the current state of songwriting in the United States. The focus shifts from performers to the people behind the songs: those who build them, before they ever reach an audience. What emerges is a wide-ranging landscape, where veteran writers sit alongside more low-profile figures, global pop stars alongside specialists who write for others.

 

 

 

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Among the best-known names are Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen, alongside figures who proved decisive for pop and soul such as Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson. With them stand songwriters central to the very form of the song, like Carole King and Dolly Parton, right up to more recent protagonists such as Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey.

The selection also includes names with less media exposure but fundamental to the craft of writing, such as Diane Warren or Stephin Merritt, and extends into different territories: from the hip-hop of Jay-Z and Missy Elliott to country, from the Latin pop of Bad Bunny to collectives and writing factories.

The generational range is wide: from Willie Nelson, born in 1933, to the youngest songwriters on the contemporary scene. Rather than establishing hierarchies, the list attempts to put different approaches to songwriting into dialogue, between tradition and the global industry.

Below is the complete list of the greatest living American songwriters, according to the New York Times:

• Nile Rodgers
• Lucinda Williams
• Stevie Wonder
• Jay-Z
• Paul Simon
• Taylor Swift
• Brian & Eddie Holland
• Missy Elliott
• Lionel Richie
• 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 Rey
• The-Dream
• Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
• Bad Bunny
• Bruce Springsteen
• Smokey Robinson

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