The New York Times just dropped an unranked list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters… which is basically a polite way of saying, “Don’t yell at us, we didn’t put them in order.”
They pulled in over 250 music insiders and a handful of critics to figure out who defines the “new American songbook”… which sounds fancy, but really just means, “Who’s been living in your head rent-free for decades?”
The names? Exactly who you’d argue about with your friends.
Icons like Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, … basically a playlist that could carry you from a road trip to a midlife crisis without skipping a beat.
Then you’ve got Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Bad Bunny representing the newer wave… while legends like Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, and Carole King remind everyone who built the house in the first place.
Also on the list: Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Fiona Apple, Lana Del Rey, Willie Nelson, Outkast, Babyface… and yes, Young Thug, just to keep things interesting.
Bottom line: it’s less of a ranking and more of a “don’t forget these people wrote your life soundtrack” list.
Check out the list HERE!
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash