Best American Songwriter?

[G650 14263]

2 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

On the song Southern Accents, Petty said that when he was in Europe (France or Italy...can't remember) a fan told him how much that song meant to him.  Petty asked if the guy had lived in the US.  He said no....lived her all my life.  The people in the northern part of the country thing all of the people in the southern part or stupid, backwards trash.    

 

It's almost universal.

[hullabelew 3724]

This song from Mojo.......when I heard it live, I thought it was some lost Zeppelin song.  Campbell played a Les Paul and it fucking ROCKED.

 

 

[stc 1462]

1 hour ago, hullabelew said:

Oh, Mojo is also an incredibly underrated album

agreed. something good coming is a fantastic song. 

[Paul Wesley 3278]

"High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everyone likes water."  

--Attributed to Mark Twain, though as I get older I trust these attributions less and less and always think things might be apocryphal.  

Anyway, maybe there's a Petty/Springsteen analogy in there.  It would be an imperfect analogy, because Springsteen definitely wrote stuff that's immediately accessible just like Petty wrote stuff that's layered.  

Edited February 15, 2023 by Paul Wesley
That was supposed to be a reply to Hulla

[G650 14263]

3 minutes ago, Paul Wesley said:

"High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everyone likes water."  

--Attributed to Mark Twain, though as I get older I trust these attributions less and less and always think things might be apocryphal.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet - Abraham Lincoln

[Rimbo 25941]

On 2/12/2023 at 5:20 PM, GhostOfTomJoad said:

No need to make it a Springsteen v Petty argument. They're both masters of their craft & we're lucky to have both of their catalogs to enjoy.

No need to argue because Randy Newman is the correct answer.

After a while of reading this thread and thinking about it, that's the hill I'll die on.

[G650 14263]

Well it was nice knowing you my friend

[Napoleon 8682]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:31 AM, hullabelew said:

This song from Mojo.......when I heard it live, I thought it was some lost Zeppelin song.  Campbell played a Les Paul and it fucking ROCKED.

 

Unless Campbell’s SG was made between late 1960 and late 1963, it is a “Gibson SG”.

Even if it is from that time period, most people would call it an @SG” rather than a “Les Paul”.

[dcbc 14487]

13 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

Unless Campbell’s SG was made between late 1960 and late 1963, it is a “Gibson SG”.

Even if it is from that time period, most people would call it an @SG” rather than a “Les Paul”.

I get that he's playing an SG in the video, but the "Mojo" guitar that was the centerpiece of the album is a 1959 Burst.

 

And based on the rest of his collection, I'd bet that guitar in the video is a 1961 SG Les Paul Special. 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by dcbc

[VABuckeye 2472]

On 2/9/2023 at 10:08 AM, Underdog said:

Burt Bacharach passed away at 94, pretty good songwriter himself. 

Honestly, I'd put him at the top of the list of great American songwriters and was surprised he wasn't mentioned until your post.

[jimmyjazz 45963]

1 hour ago, VABuckeye said:

Honestly, I'd put him at the top of the list of great American songwriters and was surprised he wasn't mentioned until your post.

Gotta wrap in Hal David on that team.

[Not that Bob 738]

Does Mancini make the list? 

[Capt. Squints 176]

I might have missed it, but I saw no mention of Motown's Holland-Dozier-Holland.

 

[G650 14263]

On 2/9/2023 at 12:22 PM, G650 said:

I didn't see them mentioned, and it's multiple people, but Holland Dozier Holland are basically 1B to Dylan.

 

[Underdog 28686]

22 hours ago, Not that Bob said:

Does Mancini make the list? 

Belongs on the list for the Pink Panther theme alone.

[Napoleon 8682]

2 hours ago, Underdog said:

Belongs on the list for the Pink Panther theme alone.

If film themes are to be included…

John Williams, Kenny Loggins, and Randy Newman would all be Top 5.

[jimmyjazz 45963]

I'd count out John Williams -- he's a composer, not a songwriter.

I was thinking about Henry Mancini and "Baby Elephant Walk".  Cool tune, no lyric.  Not a song.

[Not that Bob 738]

Johnny Mercer wrote many lyrics to Mancini’s music. Days of Wine and Roses. Moon River. I guess we can’t really call a “team” a writer. Some fantastic songs, none the less. One of the first riffs I learned on guitar was the Peter Gunn riff. I thought I was a badass. 

[TwiceHorn 31488]

16 minutes ago, Not that Bob said:

Johnny Mercer wrote many lyrics to Mancini’s music. Days of Wine and Roses. Moon River. I guess we can’t really call a “team” a writer. Some fantastic songs, none the less. One of the first riffs I learned on guitar was the Peter Gunn riff. I thought I was a badass. 

I'm kind of a sucker for big band and post-big band and Johnny Mercer was the king.

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by TwiceHorn

[jimmyjazz 45963]

I think the "team" approach works (Holland/Dozier/Holland, Goffin/King, John/Taupin (not US)).

[tbone_ 14127]

Did Garfunkel contribute to the writing or was it all Simon?

[jimmyjazz 45963]

18 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

Did Garfunkel contribute to the writing or was it all Simon?

Not much, by most accounts.  I think he considered himself a "poet" but Simon wrote most of the lyrics (and pretty much all the music).  I think Garfunkel did some arranging for the duo, but that would fall more under a producer/arranger role.