Music lists to fight about, part 2: 100 greatest living songwriters Updated June 4, 2006: Drake of Thus Spake Drake points out that he scooped stereogum, where I found this list, by more than a week and points out that Paste also had a nice sidebar, "Wish You Were Here," that lists 15 great dead songwriters. Drake has compiled Rhapsody playlists for both lists here.
1. Bob Dylan 2. Neil Young 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. Waits/Brennan 5. Paul McCartney 6. Leonard Cohen 7. Brian Wilson 8. Elvis Costello 9. Joni Mitchell 10. Prince 11. Randy Newman 12. Jagger/Richards 13. Paul Simon 14. Stevie Wonder 15. Willie Nelson 16. David Bowie 17. Holland/Dozier/Holland 18. U2 19. Patty Griffin 20. Van Morrison 21. Lou Reed 22. Lucinda Williams 23. John/Taupin 24. Jeff Tweedy 25. Chuck Berry 26. R.E.M. 27. Radiohead 28. Robbie Robertson 29. Tom Petty 30. John Prine 31. Carole King 32. Leiber/Stoller 33. Pete Townshend 34. John Fogerty 35. Steve Earle 36. Beck 37. Smokey Robinson 38. Kris Kristofferson 39. Led Zeppelin 40. Bacharach/David 41. Ray Davies 42. Loretta Lynn 43. Ryan Adams 44. Al Green 45. Jackson Browne 46. David Byrne 47. Sufjan Stevens 48. Welch/Rawlings 49. Cat Stevens 50. Public Enemy 51. Penn/Oldham 52. Paul Westerberg 53. James Taylor 54. Aimee Mann 55. Dolly Parton 56. James Brown 57. Morrissey 58. Sly Stone 59. Jack White 60. Jimmy Webb 61. John Hiatt 62. Sting 63. Richard Thompson 64. Andy Partridge 65. Bill Mallonee 66. Charles Thompson 67. Conor Oberst 68. Allen Toussaint 69. Merle Haggard 70. Alex Chilton 71. Vic Chesnutt 72. Michael Jackson 73. Julie Miller 74. Over the Rhine 75. Ron Sexsmith 76. Will Oldham 77. Bruce Cockburn 78. Robert Pollard 79. Stephen Malkmus 80. Pink Floyd 81. The Flaming Lips 82. John Darnielle 83. Fleetwood Mac 84. They Might Be Giants 85. David Bazan 86. Sam Beam 87. Lyle Lovett 88. Parliament 89. Victoria Williams 90. Nick Cave 91. Drive-By Truckers 92. Alejandro Escovedo 93. Joseph Arthur 94. Sam Phillips 95. Patti Smith 96. Jimmy Cliff 97. Josh Ritter 98. Jay Farrar 99. Outkast 100. T. Bone Burnett