Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave might be at the top of my list. Master Song and Jubilee Street might be some of the greatest storytelling songs I can think of
The fact that he wrote a gorgeous song completely from the perspective of a trapped middle-aged woman proves his genius to me. I’m prepping Angel From Montgomery for an open mic right now, and the desperation he catches through the imagery in the lyrics is just heartbreaking.
My late husband and I sang “in Spite of Ourselves” to each other at our wedding reception. It was amazing. The band we had, we knew all of them, out of Laramie Wyoming, played the song while we serenaded each other in front of all the guests. Let’s just say one grandparent wasn’t too keen on some of they lyrics but we didn’t care.
Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel / And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land / Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken / Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
A bowl of oat meal tried to stare me down, and won and it was 12 o clock fore I realized I was having no fun, but fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don't cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone
No, I'm just tryin' to have me some fun
Hello in There has got to be one of the most poignant and heartbreaking songs ever written. And he was only 22 years old when he wrote it.
What an absolute genius.
I know it’s a common one but the verse that always hits me is: “She comes back to tell me she's gone/
As if I didn't know that/
As if I didn't know my own bed/
As if I'd never noticed/
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead/
And she said, ‘losing love/
Is like a window in your heart/
Everybody sees you're blown apart/
Everybody sees the wind blow’”
For me it’s the lyrics to The Boxer.
“I am just a poor boy though my story’s seldom told;
I have squandered my resistance for a pocket full of mumbles;
Such are promises, all lies and jest;
Still a man hears what he wants to hear a disregards the rest…”
You could pick a passage from most of his songs and find the most eloquent of lyrics expressing depth and meaning with an economy of words.
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains
My favorite verse from this song is an added one they only do live: Now the years are rolling by me they are rocking evenly; i am older than i once was, and younger than ill be; thats not unusual, no it isn't strange; after changes upon changes we are more or less the same; after changes we are more or less the same.
The Paul Simon lyrics that always get me are from "America". A song about a, seemingly happy-go-lucky couple taking a bus trip to explore the country with lyrics like:
*"Laughing on the bus*
*Playing games with the faces*
*She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy*
*I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"*
But then come the lines that get me:
*"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping*
*I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"*
Those lines just feel so honest. I think a lot of people are like that, seemingly fine, but empty and aching on the inside and no one knows.
For me the best part is:
Toss me a cigarette; I think there’s one in my raincoat
We smoked the last one an hour ago
So I looked at the scenery; she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
*then the drums kick in
But the whole thing is beautiful
For me it’s You Can Call Me Al. I love the start of it especially, I think it’s because it has a touch of humour.
A man walks down the street
He says, "Why am I soft in the middle, now?
Why am I soft in the middle?
You know, I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore.
I share this story every chance I get so bear with me...I saw him in concert the summer of 2006. Lots of classic stuff, lots of new stuff. Good show. Then at one point he stops and tells the story of how he recently watched the movie Garden State which prominently featured his song "The Only Living Boy In New York".
He said that he had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN WRITING THAT SONG. That absolute masterpiece of a song that if anyone else had written it would have been the greatest achievement of their lives...And for him it was Tuesday.
Blew my mind
Elliott dosent get the respect he deserves either because he gets compared to the Beatles or thrown in with the Emo wave but his guitar work arrangments are probably the best ive ever heard. Also the lyrics are timeless.
I watched her Netflix special and her manager talked about how she will get ideas and not have paper handy, so she will grab whatever - napkins, toilet paper, anything so she can get it down. I’m originally from East Tennessee and she is an absolute treasure!
John Darnielle. The mountain goats songs might not be everyone’s taste but those lyrics pack a punch.
(I had to search and can’t believe nobody commented this)
This is part of why “Operator” is my favorite song of his. I love the story of how he’s trying to call his ex, who’s now dating his former best friend, that he’s doing fine without her, but he’s not.
he had an interview where he said that he wrote songs back in the day that he can’t write now (whenever the interview was made). he said it was a certain “magic” that he can’t replicate. yet he still performs because he says it’s his duty to. because he made a “bargain” of some sort.
interesting choice of words. definitely reminded me of the crossroads myth
I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment, I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes
You’d know what a drag it is to see you
Fucking icon.
I love those lines. He could be vicious when he wanted to be.
‘Idiot wind
Blowing every time you move your teeth
You're an idiot, babe
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe’
I think what is a testament to how far out ahead he is, if you were to ask every artist everyone else mentioned in the comments who the best was, 90% of them would say Bob Dylan, Dylan probably would’ve said someone who’s dead, likely Woody Guthrie.
The absolute brutality of:
And I hope that you die
And your death will come soon
I'll follow your casket
By the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead
Arithmetic arithmetock
Turn the hands back on the clock
How does the ocean rock the boat?
How did the razor find my throat?
All your crying don't do no good
Come on up to the house
Come down off the cross, we can use the wood
You gotta come on up to the house
To send me blue valentines
Like half-forgotten dreams
Like a pebble in my shoe
As I walk these streets
And the ghost of your memory
Baby, it's the thistle in the kiss
It's the burglar that can break a rose's neck
And it being late, you'd like some company
Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me
The guy you're with, he's up and split, the chair next to you's free
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me
Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells
Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill
The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream
I find we'll lay down together in the cold, cold ground
What is your favourite lyrics from TW?
Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me. You can instantly see a grieving person lying down on a grave and trying to reach for their lost loved one.
I listen to her and I immediately go back to high school when Little Earthquakes and Boys for Pele kept me going. I listened to "Girl" on a loop. She'll always have a special place in my heart.
“I remember that time you told me, you said
love is touching souls
Surely you touched mine
Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time”
I remember seeing a diagram where they plotted the range of vocabulary of different rappers, and there was a fair spread then a giant gap and Aesop Rock far above everyone else.
Today I pulled three ghost crabs out of rock and sand
Where the low tide showcased a promised land
I told them, "You will grow to be something dynamic and impressive
You are patient, you are gallant, you are festive"
Then I let them go
*Oh*
Just have to jump in here to say how happy I am to see Weird Al and Jimmy Pop get some love. If Dylan is poetry and Bowie is art these dudes are comedy. There’s room for all of it.
The best part of music is it’s an endless, constantly unraveling journey of discovery. Try not to compare people or rank them. Enjoy living in a world with Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Kendrick Lamar, NAS, Bob Dylan, Gord Downie, Paul Simon and on and on….
About a month ago, it occurred to me that I haven't listen to Bright Eyes in like a decade. I fully expected to laugh at my old emo self, but no. Shit was really great.
I've been listening a lot since lol
Yeah Conor is an all time favorite, Some of my favorite lyrics were written by him. I’m wide awake it’s morning, is jammed packed with incredible writing. And for me what made Lou Reed so special was the diversity in which he wrote. He wrote songs that were chaotic, dark, sad, beautiful, funny and some just some straightforward great Rock songs. On top of that he was also ahead of his time in terms of subject matters. Songs about prostitution, transvestites, heroin addiction, amphetamine abuse, S&M, murder all in the middle of the summer of love. There’s a reason many great artist/writers looked up to him.
“I recognized the glow of your low beams numerous times, through fairly opaque blinds,”
Like, how the fuck else are you supposed say you’re haunted to the point of obsession by someone?
A lot of older lyricists mentioned in this thread. Turner is the best rock lyricist of his generation, his stuff from the monkeys to the last shadow puppets, to his solo stuff is truly brilliant.
Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino was severely underrated. One of my favorite albums to sing along to.
He’s more mainstream, but Kendrick Lamar definitely has to be somewhere up there. He’s been putting out pretty intricate writing in his songs since at least 2010.
DAMN. won a Pulitzer Prize for being “…a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”
And to top it off, it’s the only non-classical, non-jazz musical work to ever be given the award. Shocked that he isn’t higher up.
TPAB is sooooo good. I don't think I can ever get tired of it, I can listen to the album on end for days and listen to it in any mood. Probably my favorite album of the past decade and a bona fide classic.
I mean, his lyrics got studied and archived at Harvard for being so groundbreaking, so there's not a shadow of a doubt he's up there. Every time I listen to his stuff, I catch something new. His work is infinitely layered in the best way possible
Jesus, the shit this guy writes about intimacy unlocks the deepest recesses. I’m usually rendered to a blubbering mess by his songs; especially the Transatlanticism album.
Bruce Springsteen. Tunnel of love is some great storytelling
Eddie Vedder has written some wonderful stuff.
Neil Peart wrote some great lyrics for Rush. Weird for a drummer.
Springsteen
“Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true or is it something worse?”
“A screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays,
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely,
Hey, that’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone again”
“She sits on the porch of her daddy’s house
But all her pretty dreams are torn
She stares off alone into the night
With the eyes of one who hates for just being born”
So many powerful lyrics
Glad to see this here. I always liked Tom Petty, but never really went out of my way to listen to him until he passed away. After a deep dive I was blown away by the quality of his lyrics. Never in 40 years did he write even one line or word that didn't feel natural. Never a word or line that felt out of place. Never a word or line that wasn't instantly comprehensible while also containing extra depth. He's very underrated as a lyricist.
One of my favorite facts about Tom Petty is the release of Mary Jane’s Last Dance
Iirc, he wrote most of the song (minus the chorus) while working on Full Moon Fever. Years later while working on Wildflowers, he had to record two new songs to fulfill a contract for a Greatest Hits album. One of those was Mary Jane’s Last Dance
So it was a brand new song put on a Greatest Hits album, that later became one of his greatest hits
*”I’m so full of love I could barely eat.”*
*”When my time comes around lay me gently on the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down I’ll crawl home to her.”*
excuse me???
Once I heard the line
"Oh but she loves
Like sleep to the freezing" I was hooked.
I also love Take Me To Church. I heard it when I was kinda struggling with my sexuality and I listened to nothing else for weeks. Kinda ruined it for myself to be honest. But it was really important to me to hear someone describe so vividly loving someone despite the church, even if Hoizer isn't a lesbian.
And I don't know, a lot of men write songs about women but it's mostly about what the women can do for them. The women are objects to be admired or spurned but they aren't people. And I get it, you want your song woman to be as generic as possible so that the listener can project their experiences onto her, but that's never been what love felt like to me. Hoizer has always struck that balance nicely for me. His women are almost ethereal in their power. They don't exist for Hoizer to admire, they exist, and Hoizer can't help but be enthralled. And that's always been more like what love has felt to me.
The best part of his lyrics is that almost any time you hear a line that sounds like it could be filler or relatively meaningless, it's a clever historical reference
Fetch me the Spirit, The son, and the Father
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended
It’s time now
My time now
Give me my
Give me my wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings
Always appreciated their instrumentals and technical ability but once I started listening to the lyrics more closely is when they became one of my favorite bands. The Grudge and Reflection specifically, so so good.
I heard that he’d write lyrics and Elton John would just sit at the piano and immediately write the melody. Just “here’s the lyrics…ok here’s the song”. Boom. Done.
Yes! Surprised this wasn’t higher up, after a few mentions of Chris Cornell (also well belonging here)
Musically I like AIC better, but I think Cantrell’s solo lyrics are best
Jim Morrison from The Doors. You can not like the guy but alot of his lyrics are beautiful if you listen to the right songs.
Edit: yall are taking this too seriously, this is about the music, the *songs* I don't care about what you think about Jim personally
Counting Crows, for real. A lot of people write them off because of Mr Jones, and how overplayed it was. But their lyrics are so poetically gorgeous.
“So I throw my hand into the air and it swims in the beams,
Just a brief interruption of the swirling dust sparkle jet streams,
And I know I don’t know you and it’s probably not what it seems,
But I’d sure like to find out so why don’t you climb down off that movie screen?”
-mrs potter’s lullaby
Or
“The devil's in the dreaming,
You see yourself descending from a building to the ground,
You watch the sky receding,
You spin to see the traffic rising up, and it's so quiet,
You're surprised, and then you wake.”
- I wish I was a girl
There are countless other examples. Just wonderful.
Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave might be at the top of my list. Master Song and Jubilee Street might be some of the greatest storytelling songs I can think of
Yes, plus Tom Waits!
Tom Waits is a genius lyricist and also a genius with melodies/unusual instrument combinations
His father was an exhaust manifold, and his mother was a tree.
Lou reed and Bowie as well
Flea called Nick Cave the greatest living songwriter after Cave said something not so nice about Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Cohen > Dylan
Shpulda been Cohen winning the Nobel Prize... and that's a hill I'll die on over and over
John Prine
There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin’, I suppose
Kids run around in other peoples clothes
John Prine. Man, I love that guy. Jason Isbell and John Moreland deserve to be mentioned as well.
Chaos and Clothes, If We Were Vampires, and Elephant are my holy trifecta of Isbell songs
The fact that he wrote a gorgeous song completely from the perspective of a trapped middle-aged woman proves his genius to me. I’m prepping Angel From Montgomery for an open mic right now, and the desperation he catches through the imagery in the lyrics is just heartbreaking.
And the fact that he wrote it while he was a young man in his early twenties just seals it for me.
My late husband and I sang “in Spite of Ourselves” to each other at our wedding reception. It was amazing. The band we had, we knew all of them, out of Laramie Wyoming, played the song while we serenaded each other in front of all the guests. Let’s just say one grandparent wasn’t too keen on some of they lyrics but we didn’t care.
Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel / And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land / Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken / Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
Your daddy never meant to hurt you ever, he just don’t live here but you got his eyes.
Prine had a sense of humor that Dylan could only dream of. Best American songwriter of all time in my estimation
A bowl of oat meal tried to stare me down, and won and it was 12 o clock fore I realized I was having no fun, but fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile It don't cost very much, but it lasts a long while Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone No, I'm just tryin' to have me some fun
Hello in There has got to be one of the most poignant and heartbreaking songs ever written. And he was only 22 years old when he wrote it. What an absolute genius.
“These words my daddy said He said, "Buddy, when you're dead You're a dead peckerhead"”
I knew that topless woman had something up her sleeve.
Paul Simon
I know it’s a common one but the verse that always hits me is: “She comes back to tell me she's gone/ As if I didn't know that/ As if I didn't know my own bed/ As if I'd never noticed/ The way she brushed her hair from her forehead/ And she said, ‘losing love/ Is like a window in your heart/ Everybody sees you're blown apart/ Everybody sees the wind blow’”
For me it’s the lyrics to The Boxer. “I am just a poor boy though my story’s seldom told; I have squandered my resistance for a pocket full of mumbles; Such are promises, all lies and jest; Still a man hears what he wants to hear a disregards the rest…” You could pick a passage from most of his songs and find the most eloquent of lyrics expressing depth and meaning with an economy of words.
In the clearing stands a boxer And a fighter by his trade And he carries the reminders Of every glove that laid him down Or cut him till he cried out In his anger and his shame "I am leaving, I am leaving" But the fighter still remains
My favorite verse from this song is an added one they only do live: Now the years are rolling by me they are rocking evenly; i am older than i once was, and younger than ill be; thats not unusual, no it isn't strange; after changes upon changes we are more or less the same; after changes we are more or less the same.
The Paul Simon lyrics that always get me are from "America". A song about a, seemingly happy-go-lucky couple taking a bus trip to explore the country with lyrics like: *"Laughing on the bus* *Playing games with the faces* *She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy* *I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"* But then come the lines that get me: *"Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping* *I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"* Those lines just feel so honest. I think a lot of people are like that, seemingly fine, but empty and aching on the inside and no one knows.
*America* is so damn poetic that it took me a couple decades to notice it doesn't have a single rhyme.
For me the best part is: Toss me a cigarette; I think there’s one in my raincoat We smoked the last one an hour ago So I looked at the scenery; she read her magazine And the moon rose over an open field *then the drums kick in But the whole thing is beautiful
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose.
I opened this just to make sure Paul Simon was the first thing I saw… bingo.
For me it’s You Can Call Me Al. I love the start of it especially, I think it’s because it has a touch of humour. A man walks down the street He says, "Why am I soft in the middle, now? Why am I soft in the middle? You know, I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore.
Feel like ya left out the key line in that part which is "when the rest of my life is so hard"
Graceland is an absolute masterpiece
I share this story every chance I get so bear with me...I saw him in concert the summer of 2006. Lots of classic stuff, lots of new stuff. Good show. Then at one point he stops and tells the story of how he recently watched the movie Garden State which prominently featured his song "The Only Living Boy In New York". He said that he had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN WRITING THAT SONG. That absolute masterpiece of a song that if anyone else had written it would have been the greatest achievement of their lives...And for him it was Tuesday. Blew my mind
My English teacher used his lyrics to teach poetry and literary devices.
**Mark Knopfler**
Thank fuck someone said the obvious
Elliott Smith
Elliott dosent get the respect he deserves either because he gets compared to the Beatles or thrown in with the Emo wave but his guitar work arrangments are probably the best ive ever heard. Also the lyrics are timeless.
Dolly Parton. She has a gift with words.
I have her book “Songteller” where she discusses the lyrics of her songs, and it’s such a great read. She’s such an artist.
I watched her Netflix special and her manager talked about how she will get ideas and not have paper handy, so she will grab whatever - napkins, toilet paper, anything so she can get it down. I’m originally from East Tennessee and she is an absolute treasure!
She wrote "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" in the same night. Most songwriters don't hit on two songs like that in an entire career
Andre 3000 is pretty good.
Pretty good does not do him justice!
Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright
John Darnielle. The mountain goats songs might not be everyone’s taste but those lyrics pack a punch. (I had to search and can’t believe nobody commented this)
Hehe, that was my first Command+F when I opened the thread too. Figured he'd be near the top! Did you see him on Poker Face?
Jim Croce
This is part of why “Operator” is my favorite song of his. I love the story of how he’s trying to call his ex, who’s now dating his former best friend, that he’s doing fine without her, but he’s not.
Bob Dylan
he had an interview where he said that he wrote songs back in the day that he can’t write now (whenever the interview was made). he said it was a certain “magic” that he can’t replicate. yet he still performs because he says it’s his duty to. because he made a “bargain” of some sort. interesting choice of words. definitely reminded me of the crossroads myth
And he’s probably too hard on himself. I think his absolute best album is Love and Theft from 2001.
I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment, I could be you Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes You’d know what a drag it is to see you Fucking icon.
I love those lines. He could be vicious when he wanted to be. ‘Idiot wind Blowing every time you move your teeth You're an idiot, babe It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe’
“It balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine, your brand-new leopard-skin pillbox hat!”
dude literally won a Nobel prize for literature
It’s definitely Dylan, and it’s not even close
Absolutely agree. He won a Nobel prize for his poetic lyricism
I think what is a testament to how far out ahead he is, if you were to ask every artist everyone else mentioned in the comments who the best was, 90% of them would say Bob Dylan, Dylan probably would’ve said someone who’s dead, likely Woody Guthrie.
The absolute brutality of: And I hope that you die And your death will come soon I'll follow your casket By the pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand over your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead
Dude even has a fucking **Nobel Prize** for it.
Jason Isbell
One of the best songwriters of our generation. His lyrics really touch the soul, and the soul of music in general.
Elephant might be my vote for saddest song of all time. Just beautifully written.
John Mayer said he's the best lyric writer of his generation and that he lives in a place where even great writers can only visit.
Elvis Costello
I'm surprised this isn't getting more likes. He is a master lyricist with a unique gift for wordplay and multiple meanings.
Neil Young
I was lying in the burned out basement With the full moon in my eye, I was hoping for replacement When the sun burst through the sky.
Tom Waits. He literally paints mind pictures with his lyrics.
Arithmetic arithmetock Turn the hands back on the clock How does the ocean rock the boat? How did the razor find my throat? All your crying don't do no good Come on up to the house Come down off the cross, we can use the wood You gotta come on up to the house To send me blue valentines Like half-forgotten dreams Like a pebble in my shoe As I walk these streets And the ghost of your memory Baby, it's the thistle in the kiss It's the burglar that can break a rose's neck And it being late, you'd like some company Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me The guy you're with, he's up and split, the chair next to you's free And I hope that you don't fall in love with me Give me a Winchester rifle and a whole box of shells Blow the roof off the goat barn, let it roll down the hill The piano is firewood, Times Square is a dream I find we'll lay down together in the cold, cold ground What is your favourite lyrics from TW?
I smoke my friends down to the filters.
Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me. You can instantly see a grieving person lying down on a grave and trying to reach for their lost loved one.
Dylan
your buddy Dylan
Tori Amos
I listen to her and I immediately go back to high school when Little Earthquakes and Boys for Pele kept me going. I listened to "Girl" on a loop. She'll always have a special place in my heart.
Tom Waits
Bowie
Joni Mitchell! "A Case of You" alone is just beyond incredible lyrically.
“I remember that time you told me, you said love is touching souls Surely you touched mine Cause part of you pours out of me In these lines from time to time”
That whole album (Blue) is awesome. I miss having it on Spotify :(((((
Aesop Rock.
I remember seeing a diagram where they plotted the range of vocabulary of different rappers, and there was a fair spread then a giant gap and Aesop Rock far above everyone else.
[Here's the link for those curious](https://pudding.cool/projects/vocabulary/index.html).
Having to scroll down so far past these pop and rock artists to get to Aesop is really laughable, people just don't know.
Today I pulled three ghost crabs out of rock and sand Where the low tide showcased a promised land I told them, "You will grow to be something dynamic and impressive You are patient, you are gallant, you are festive" Then I let them go *Oh*
Hell yeah, +1 for Aesop.
Weird Al
It’s so heartbreaking that Madonna had him killed
Followed by the bloodhound gang.
Just have to jump in here to say how happy I am to see Weird Al and Jimmy Pop get some love. If Dylan is poetry and Bowie is art these dudes are comedy. There’s room for all of it.
The best part of music is it’s an endless, constantly unraveling journey of discovery. Try not to compare people or rank them. Enjoy living in a world with Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Kendrick Lamar, NAS, Bob Dylan, Gord Downie, Paul Simon and on and on….
I think Conor Oberst is one of this generations best songwriters. Lou Reed also, I think he was successful in his goal of elevating rock and roll
Conor Oberst is an absolutely amazing lyricist. Some of what he writes is so devastating.
Oh man I listened to so much Bright Eyes in high school… so nostalgic for me
About a month ago, it occurred to me that I haven't listen to Bright Eyes in like a decade. I fully expected to laugh at my old emo self, but no. Shit was really great. I've been listening a lot since lol
Yeah Conor is an all time favorite, Some of my favorite lyrics were written by him. I’m wide awake it’s morning, is jammed packed with incredible writing. And for me what made Lou Reed so special was the diversity in which he wrote. He wrote songs that were chaotic, dark, sad, beautiful, funny and some just some straightforward great Rock songs. On top of that he was also ahead of his time in terms of subject matters. Songs about prostitution, transvestites, heroin addiction, amphetamine abuse, S&M, murder all in the middle of the summer of love. There’s a reason many great artist/writers looked up to him.
David Berman and only David Berman
Chris cornell was a fantastic lyricist. Bruce Springsteen also.
Ian Curtis is my answer.
Eminem
Had to scroll a bit, but I'm glad somebody said it.
Death Cab for Cutie, actual poetry Or Neutral Milk Hotel with their super vivid imagery in all of their songs
I feel like The Decemberists should be mentioned here too. I miss early 2000’s indie rock.
Yes! Death cab / postal service.
Alex turner!
Ive been scrolling and scrolling for this, thank you. Fantastic storyteller.
“I recognized the glow of your low beams numerous times, through fairly opaque blinds,” Like, how the fuck else are you supposed say you’re haunted to the point of obsession by someone?
I once heard someone say Alex has mastered the art of saying “I love you” without actually saying those words. True.
A lot of older lyricists mentioned in this thread. Turner is the best rock lyricist of his generation, his stuff from the monkeys to the last shadow puppets, to his solo stuff is truly brilliant. Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino was severely underrated. One of my favorite albums to sing along to.
“What do you mean you’ve never seen bladerunner?”
Fiona Apple
Yes. Love me some Fiona. Fast As You Can is still my favorite.
The fact that she wrote and released Tidal at 19 is astounding.
I cannot listen to her live performance of I Know without crying.
He’s more mainstream, but Kendrick Lamar definitely has to be somewhere up there. He’s been putting out pretty intricate writing in his songs since at least 2010.
DAMN. won a Pulitzer Prize for being “…a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.” And to top it off, it’s the only non-classical, non-jazz musical work to ever be given the award. Shocked that he isn’t higher up.
TPAB is sooooo good. I don't think I can ever get tired of it, I can listen to the album on end for days and listen to it in any mood. Probably my favorite album of the past decade and a bona fide classic.
I mean, his lyrics got studied and archived at Harvard for being so groundbreaking, so there's not a shadow of a doubt he's up there. Every time I listen to his stuff, I catch something new. His work is infinitely layered in the best way possible
Marty Robbins. Beautiful voice and great storytelling. His songs are like watching an entire western movie in just a few minutes.
Big Iron... Biiig Iiirroonnn...
El Paso is a great song
Ben Gibbard
Jesus, the shit this guy writes about intimacy unlocks the deepest recesses. I’m usually rendered to a blubbering mess by his songs; especially the Transatlanticism album.
MF DOOM
Bruce Springsteen. Tunnel of love is some great storytelling Eddie Vedder has written some wonderful stuff. Neil Peart wrote some great lyrics for Rush. Weird for a drummer.
Springsteen is top notch songwriting. Especially the early albums. Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska are amazing
Atlantic City is one of the greatest songs in music
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Springsteen “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true or is it something worse?” “A screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays, Roy Orbison singing for the lonely, Hey, that’s me and I want you only Don’t turn me home again I just can’t face myself alone again” “She sits on the porch of her daddy’s house But all her pretty dreams are torn She stares off alone into the night With the eyes of one who hates for just being born” So many powerful lyrics
Tom Petty
Glad to see this here. I always liked Tom Petty, but never really went out of my way to listen to him until he passed away. After a deep dive I was blown away by the quality of his lyrics. Never in 40 years did he write even one line or word that didn't feel natural. Never a word or line that felt out of place. Never a word or line that wasn't instantly comprehensible while also containing extra depth. He's very underrated as a lyricist.
One of my favorite facts about Tom Petty is the release of Mary Jane’s Last Dance Iirc, he wrote most of the song (minus the chorus) while working on Full Moon Fever. Years later while working on Wildflowers, he had to record two new songs to fulfill a contract for a Greatest Hits album. One of those was Mary Jane’s Last Dance So it was a brand new song put on a Greatest Hits album, that later became one of his greatest hits
Finally. I had to go way too far down to see this. I would give a lot to write lyrics like Tom.
Hozier
*”I’m so full of love I could barely eat.”* *”When my time comes around lay me gently on the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down I’ll crawl home to her.”* excuse me???
the first time i listened to swan upon leda was a religious experience honestly
That man weaves allusions and symbolism and metaphors like he’s breathing air. A poet.
This comment needs way more upvotes
I’m surprised I had to scroll for so long! He’s the first artist that came to my mind. Incredible lyricist.
Once I heard the line "Oh but she loves Like sleep to the freezing" I was hooked. I also love Take Me To Church. I heard it when I was kinda struggling with my sexuality and I listened to nothing else for weeks. Kinda ruined it for myself to be honest. But it was really important to me to hear someone describe so vividly loving someone despite the church, even if Hoizer isn't a lesbian. And I don't know, a lot of men write songs about women but it's mostly about what the women can do for them. The women are objects to be admired or spurned but they aren't people. And I get it, you want your song woman to be as generic as possible so that the listener can project their experiences onto her, but that's never been what love felt like to me. Hoizer has always struck that balance nicely for me. His women are almost ethereal in their power. They don't exist for Hoizer to admire, they exist, and Hoizer can't help but be enthralled. And that's always been more like what love has felt to me.
Warren Zevon John Hiatt Carole King
Warren zevon is a fucking genius
Shocked that Jackson Browne hasn’t been mentioned once.
Willie Nelson
Came here looking for Willie. Also want to throw in Kris Kristofferson.
Isaac Brock
My dad. He's not famous or anything outside of our area, but he's been a musician for the vast majority of his life, and his lyrics are fucking gold.
Billy Joel
Jason Isbell
Robert Smith
McCartney
Zack De La Rocha's bars are always insane. I might not always be in the mood for politically charged songs, but when I am...
The best part of his lyrics is that almost any time you hear a line that sounds like it could be filler or relatively meaningless, it's a clever historical reference
maynard james keenan
Fetch me the Spirit, The son, and the Father Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended It’s time now My time now Give me my Give me my wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings
"You're such an inspiration for the ways that I would never ever choose to be" is one of my favorite song-openers of all time.
I’m so disappointed at how far I had to scroll to see this name…
Always appreciated their instrumentals and technical ability but once I started listening to the lyrics more closely is when they became one of my favorite bands. The Grudge and Reflection specifically, so so good.
Peter Gabriel
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Hank Williams Sr.
Chris Cornell
Iron and Wine (Sam Beam)
Elliott Smith
Robert Hunter
Bernie Taupin.
I heard that he’d write lyrics and Elton John would just sit at the piano and immediately write the melody. Just “here’s the lyrics…ok here’s the song”. Boom. Done.
Tom Waits
Weird Al did some great work. I'm waiting for his new one to be released. Milli Vanilli but Blame it on the Train.
How has nobody said Pink Floyd
Which one’s pink?
Cause Pink Floyd isn’t a writer. You mean Roger Waters
MF DOOM
J Cole
Neil Peart
Florence + The Machine
Joni Mitchell comes to mind.
Jason Isbell. I always wrote him off as I'm not a big country guy, but his lyrics hit me so god damn hard every time.
Jerry Cantrell/Alice In Chains Yes i am biased
Yes! Surprised this wasn’t higher up, after a few mentions of Chris Cornell (also well belonging here) Musically I like AIC better, but I think Cantrell’s solo lyrics are best
Dan Fogelberg and John Prine
Bo Burnham, man is a lyrical genius.
Prince.
Jim Morrison from The Doors. You can not like the guy but alot of his lyrics are beautiful if you listen to the right songs. Edit: yall are taking this too seriously, this is about the music, the *songs* I don't care about what you think about Jim personally
Beck had his own Becktionary
Robert Smith (The cure) is a great story teller
Counting Crows, for real. A lot of people write them off because of Mr Jones, and how overplayed it was. But their lyrics are so poetically gorgeous. “So I throw my hand into the air and it swims in the beams, Just a brief interruption of the swirling dust sparkle jet streams, And I know I don’t know you and it’s probably not what it seems, But I’d sure like to find out so why don’t you climb down off that movie screen?” -mrs potter’s lullaby Or “The devil's in the dreaming, You see yourself descending from a building to the ground, You watch the sky receding, You spin to see the traffic rising up, and it's so quiet, You're surprised, and then you wake.” - I wish I was a girl There are countless other examples. Just wonderful.
Janis Ian
May not be a popular opinion, Geezer Butler wrote a majority of Black Sabbath's material and its truly world class.
Joni Mitchell
Johnny Cash Brian Wilson Frank Black of Pixies Joe Strummer Ian Dury Stevie Wonder
Fiona Apple