For me the best songwriters I know are the the bands Marillion and Cherry Ghost. They are wordsmiths of a sort that is not common in todays musical mayhem. I would highly recommend youtubing Jigsaw by Marillion and Dead Man's Suit by Cherry Ghost!
Joni Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . Indigo Girls Tori Amos Rubén Blades Ani Difranco Mumford & Sons The amount of space between Joni and the rest is indicative of the fact that though I find all these artists to be profoundly talented writers, Joni is on another level.
He is my favorite singer/songwriter. My favorite song lyrics of all time is Darkness on the Edge of Town. The most talented songwriter I know of is probably Bob Dylan. Some of my favorite lyrics by him are Like a Rolling Stone, I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, and Black Diamond Bay.
daemon, I love that song (whole album, really). For a more optimistic take on the whole thing, how about, "Some guys they just give up living, and start dying little by little, piece by piece. Some guys come home from work and wash off the dirt and go racing in the streets." For melodrama, I love Backstreets - I mean, "One soft, infested summer me and Terry became friends; trying in vain to breath the fire we was born in." And the rest of the song keeps it up. And Jungleland, of course. Can't ever forget Jungleland. For romance? How about: "Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend. I wanna guard your dreams and visions." For sadness? "Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse. Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?" Just for singing-along, fighting to find joy in a hard life awesomness? Thunder Road, pretty much from start to finish, but also "Badlands, you got to live it everyday, let the broken hearts stand as the price you've got to pay." Social activism? I generally prefer his pre-Born in the USA stuff, but Ghost of Tom Joad is STRONG, just from a story-telling perspective. The whole album, but especially the title track. All the right details included, all the unimportant stuff boiled away. Damn, I could go on for a while. Probably not quite what the thread is for, though...
Thea Gilmore. I defy anyone to listen to Songs From The Gutter and not be amazed at her way with a lyric.
Echoes for Joni Mitchell. I'd like to mention Leonard Cohen. Also Paul Simon. Both great lyricists. If we're talking music as well as lyrics, Pete Townshend of the Who is way up there. Listen to Tommy or Quadrophenia from end to end. The guy isn't a miniaturist, he's a muralist. Loves the big scale work, and excels at it. I'd like to give a shout-out to Archie Fisher, a Scottish folksinger who has written some absolute gems. Bruce Springsteen, of course. The man has a gift. Lou Reed. Someone has to mention him. Tom Waits. I know some people don't like the way he sings (croaks?), but DAMN. Listen to some of his early albums - I recommend Small Change. The song Invitation to the Blues is a masterpiece. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd is a brilliant lyricist, but he needs the musical contributions of David Gilmour to make things really memorable. Too bad they can't put their egos aside and work together again. Robbie Robertson of The Band. Come on, people! "The Weight"? "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"? "Up On Cripple Creek"? "The Shape I'm In"? (That song has one of my favorite lyrics: "I just spent sixty days in the jail house / For the crime of having no dough / Now here I am back out on the streets / For the crime of having nowhere to go!") John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. "Proud Mary." "Fortunate Son." "Green River." Even obscure little gems like "It Came Out of the Sky." I'll think of more, I'm sure.
I agree with Marillion if it is Fish-era Marillion. Also agree re: Ani DiFranco, Bjork, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, and Tom Waits. I'll throw out Bob Dylan, Elliot Smith, and Michael Akerfeldt.
Roy Khan of Kamelot Dream Theater in general Symphony X is pretty beast (Incantations of the Apprentice, Eyes of Medusa, Through the Looking Glass, etc.) There's a band called The Unravelling on Bandcamp that was pretty awesome (2 man band) And lastly, amnaeon. He's on YouTube and Bandcamp and is a metal/non-metal god in my honest opinion. He has a unique voice and his music is amazing. If you like music with a story, listen to his stuff. He's eventually putting out the books. They're part of a series called "The Mourn". Note: The books have fricking 7 foot-tall alligator/turtle hybrids called Proamates. What's not to love about that? Songs to look at: Kamelot-The Human Stain off of Ghost Opera Dream Theater- The Glass Prison off of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Symphony X- Through the Looking Glass off of Twilight in Olympus and the whole V:The New Mythology Suite album amnaeon (don't capitalize the a)- Haslna off of General Reem II (II is the album number chronologically) or The Temple of Knowledge off of The Proamates III
I like Bob Dylan, even if his lyrics are sometimes a bit strange. Hell, I like strange lyrics generally.
I actually bought a book about the Jonestown Flood, just because it was mentioned (sort of) in that song. Now, I haven't actually READ the book, but still. Nothing feels better than blood on blood. Still, I don't know that it's the saddest Springsteen song. A good one, for sure, but kind of neutral on the sadness scale, for me.
John Darnielle was, until recent years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats and should be regarded as one of the greatest lyricists of all time. His characters are incredible and his capacity for compassion and empathy seems boundless. He has also just had his debut novel, Wolf in a White Van, published to some pretty strong reviews. For anyone who is interested I would recommend his album 'The Sunset Tree' as a starting place.
Not previously mentioned but include: Neil Young, Tom Waits (not a fan but give him his dues) Willie Dixon (blues legend)
Leonard Cohen John Prine Phil Ochs John Lennon Paul Simon Carol King Pete Seeger There are just too many to pick one.
A shoutout for Ralph McTell. He's written some gems ("Streets of London", "Mr. Connaughton", etc.). Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Maybe a little acerbic for some, but he's got some amazing melodies and powerful lyrics. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Not just a great guitarist, but a songwriter of depth. His "Romeo and Juliet" moves me. "Single Handed Sailor" and "Telegraph Road" are other favorites. Van Morrison. All of Astral Weeks should dominate this thread. Besides, he also did "Into The Mystic", "Wild Night", "And It Stoned Me", and too many others to name. The Canadian folksinger Stan Rogers wrote some gems, too. "The Mary Ellen Carter" is a favorite of mine, but many of his other songs ("Northwest Passage" for example) are powerful as well. Nobody has mentioned Gordon Lightfoot. "If You Could Read My Mind" should get him on this list all by itself. "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" should anchor him here. Indigo Girls! Which of them wrote "Hammer and a Nail"? It's a damn good song.
