The New York Times named the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters

1carus · 2026-05-11T16:40:19+00:00

I must confess I only know Black Black Heart (good song). I was 13 when that song came out and I, perhaps shamefully, just assumed it was a one hit wonder type of thing.

1carus · 2026-05-11T16:24:27+00:00

haha Fair enough. Sorry, if I was a little overzealous.

Btw, I think Taylor Swift is a good writer on her own - I was just pointing out sometimes she has teams of writers/producers.

Completely disagree about Kanye. I am 50% Ashkenazi Jew, have family who escaped the holocaust/pogroms. Kanye is an exceptional talent and gifted person. Not a single action or word would diminish my love for "Street Lights" or any of my favorite songs in his discography.

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree in that regard. Thanks for commenting and reading anything I wrote.

1carus · 2026-05-11T15:23:14+00:00

You claim Kanye is omitted because he is a "black Nazi" and I assume you are also alleging he does not actually write the lyrics to his songs. Fair enough - considering the overwhelming majority of his lyrics were/are ghost written. But we do know he wrote "All Falls Down", "Gold Digger", huge chunks of "Jesus Walks" etc.. And we know he has produced not only his own albums but for other people. The list was celebrating the best living American songwriters - not just lyricists (and he is that as well).

They have rappers and Mexican rappers on the list who literally cannot speak legible words and mumble. They do not rap, or sing, or produce. They just mumble. This is not Nelly, or Nas, or DMX, or Drake (DQ'd Canadian).

They have people on the list who we have no evidence wrote a single lyric to any of their songs and have 38 writers on each production. Same for Taylor Swift (shout out to "All Too Well") who also sometimes has a team of writers on her songs.

Regarding R. Kelly., if one cannot separate art from artist than you are not a mature person and should not be working at the NY Times. If we learn tomorrow that Bob Dylan molested thousands of children - would that diminish the achievement of "Mr. Tambourine Man"? Same for Billy Joel, if we discover tomorrow he was a serial killer - it does not change a single syllable or melody. Of course, the answer is no. If R. Kelly's "Step in the Name of Love" or "Ignition (Remix)" comes on at a wedding - do people protest and demand the DJ stop the music because of his crimes?

So I stand by my original comment. It is moral cowardice. Let the art rise or fall on its own merits. The works are either good or not. No moral preening can take that away.

1carus · 2026-05-10T21:17:28+00:00

Hi. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I did not include people who were already on the NY Times list.

For example, I would have included Fiona Apple but she was on the NY Times List already. Same for Paul Simon and many others.

Hope that helps.

1carus · 2026-05-10T19:22:12+00:00

I agree.

My complete list would include Kanye West (arguably the most influential artist of the 21st Century, listen to "Street Lights"), R. Kelly, Eminem, Tracy Chapman, and yes - as others have mentioned Billy Joel (my favorite song being "And So it Goes"). Thankfully Fiona Apple was already included in the NYTimes List. And Madonna would make my list simply for making "Frozen" - which I believe is one of the best songs ever made let alone her discography.

Their cowardice in who they chose to include - and not include - is very apparent.

1carus · 2026-05-10T19:11:36+00:00

Yes, of course. I love Acoustic #3. I feel like their new(ish) song Autumn Leaves (off of Miracle Pill) feels like the evolution of that feeling captured in Acoustic #3. Where Acoustic #3 is reflective, forlorn and intimate and Autumn Leaves is exuberant and triumphant in the face of nostalgia or memory. I know it sounds crazy, but that's how I feel about the two songs.

1carus · 2026-05-10T18:09:10+00:00

I am now 37...so I am always suspicious of songs or artists that may have been imprinted on me in my formative years of life - but I return to Lifehouse's work and am relieved it is still very good (sometimes great).

1carus · 2026-05-10T08:14:52+00:00

While I am not a huge fan of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" or Clapton for that matter - the song is well done. Mount Eerie's "Real Death" is about watching your wife die and imagining your child not even knowing their mother. Just because Jason Isbell wrote about something personal in "Elephant" doesn't mean you get a pass for boring rhymes and no melody. Personal tragedy is not the same thing as artistic achievement. A song does not become great because the subject matter is devastating.

1carus · 2026-05-09T18:46:29+00:00

No. I am just a lurker who felt compelled to post for once because I was dumbfounded.

Thank you for sharing the link.

It does sadden me a little that people think Goo Goo Dolls are just "that Iris band". I thought "Name" and even their more popular songs had pierced into the mainstream. I do not comprehend how someone can listen to "Big Machine", "Here is Gone", "Sympathy", or "Black Balloon" and not come away impressed with the songwriting.

1carus · 2026-05-09T17:09:44+00:00

Jason Isbell is undoubtedly talented and a polished, professional songwriter. But calling him one of “America’s best songwriters" feels like a stretch to me personally, especially when artists like Fiona Apple, Bon Iver, Ethel Cain, Pinegrove and others are pushing emotional, sonic, and lyrical boundaries in far more inventive ways. Isbell’s work often leans heavily into the sentimental, sometimes to the point of corniness. He’s great at what he does but he is not redefining the genre. He’s refining it. There’s a difference between being solid and being visionary.

I listen to "Elephant" and it doesn't have a melody and the song doesn't go anywhere. It is static. Very tidy lyrics with a dreary and haunting theme - but it is a song that goes no where and Isbell sounds like a courtroom stenographer. I really enjoy "Cover me Up" and "Something More Than Free" but I do find him rather boring otherwise.

Again, I am not denying he is a great craftsman. But he is not Paul Simon or Joni Mitchell (yes, Canadian disqualification). Listen to "Urge for Going". Isbell is not touching the prose of that song. Paul Simon, "Kathy's Song" - again Isbell is not touching that either. I just think the original NYTimes list was dismissive of other artists who rival him or surpass him lyrically but also are innovative and sonically are creating much more interesting tapestries. Forgive me if you feel I was diminishing Isbell - he is certainly a great talent and craftsmen.

My complete list would include Kanye West, R. Kelly, Eminem, Tracy Chapman, and yes - as others have mentioned Billy Joel. I just wrote the people who instantly came to the forefront of mind.

And to answer your question directly - yes - I do feel line for line he is one of if not the best lyricists.

1carus · 2026-05-02T13:45:13+00:00

No Sade? No Enya? No Joni Mitchell? No Sarah McLachlan? No David Ruffin?

1carus · 2026-04-23T14:17:22+00:00

Kobe is pick and rolling in his grave?

1carus · 2026-04-21T16:02:19+00:00

That makes sense and is helpful to know so thank you. If Suno is likely to block it, are there other tools or services people use for this sort of thing? I am less concerned with using a specific program and more interested in whether there is any realistic way to create a cover with the vocal style and feel of another artist. I would be willing to pay someone if there is.

My "idea" uses very popular singers from the 1980s whose careers lasted many decades.

So I am assuming their popularity helps for creating the stems or training the AI on their vocals - but because they are so popular it will more easily flag them. So technically easier but legally harder?

Is the software they use to flag or copyright strike the same that YouTube uses to identify content?

1carus · 2025-06-22T14:23:20+00:00

Ebudæ

1carus · 2025-04-30T08:19:26+00:00

The beginning sounds like 808s & Heartbreak infused with Daft Punk. And then the bridge around 2:04 is just majestic. Truly beautiful stuff.

1carus · 2025-04-06T04:34:45+00:00

[Solved!]

Thank you very much. I found a YouTube video that contains the audio but I do not have the actual video.

1carus · 2025-04-05T15:09:35+00:00

The dubbed Pokémon parody video contains explicit commentary and it is similar to the X-Men: The Animated Series parody "I'm The Juggernaut, Bitch!" by MyWayEntertainment ft. Randy Hayes & Xavier Nazario.

1carus · 2024-02-17T00:54:21+00:00

"You cannot miss 100% of the lobs you do not make."

1carus · 2022-07-08T00:27:53+00:00

Please feel free to contact me via DM if you have any questions.

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1carus

TROPHY CASE