The New York Times recently published a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. Then, just as the founding fathers felt the need to issue the Bill of Rights immediately after ratifying the Constitution, one of the Times' writers published an addendum. Lindsay Zoladz’s 11 additional songwriters appeared one day after the first list.
I’m all for addenda. I write plenty of them myself. Every time someone puts out a list like this, I jump in to add my two cents. And whenever I write my own original list, I hear from plenty of friends and strangers alike about what I got right and what I got wrong. Mostly – what I got wrong.
I am not going to say that the Times – or Zoladz – got anything wrong. I’ll just agree with Zoladz’s general opinion that creating such a list is virtually impossible.
But it’s fun to talk about.
Another dozen songwriters for the New York Times’ list
The original Times’ list is very good. They went to a lot of trouble, surveying a wide range of musical scholars and historians. Their mission was to essentially update the great American songbook by identifying the artists who are building it as we speak.
Some are indeed legends. Others are newer voices. They did a nice job of broadening the spectrum of genres, acknowledging the fact that hip hop is a vital part of America’s living songbook. That is often overlooked on these types of lists.
So they had some obvious all-timers – Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and Carole King, Willie Nelson and Smokey Robinson. Of course they had Dylan.
They also had Jay-Z and Young Thug, Missy Elliott, and Kendrick Lamar. They had Babyface. They had Taylor. They had Bad Bunny. I won’t list them all. You can read them for yourself here.
Zoladz then cleaned up some loose ends by adding the likes of Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Paul Westerberg among her eleven. And I will do the same.
I should note that these are American songwriters who are still alive. I missed that “American” part at first and assumed this was just a list of English-language songwriters. But there was no McCartney. No Joni Mitchell. Where was Chris Hannah? (In Canada, as it turns out.)
Anyway, I think I still have eleven (plus one) pretty solid additions to add. In no particular order…
James McMurtry
If you’re creating an American songbook, McMurtry has to be one of your main contributors. His father, Larry, is one of the great American novelists of the 20th century, and James has inherited his dad’s skill at telling stories, only through a different medium.
Zoladz offered a representative song for each of her selections, so I will do the same. For McMurtry, check out “Sons of the Second Sons,” a fabulous American ethnography.
Annie Clark
Performing as St. Vincent, Annie Clark has been amongst the best rock and roll writers and performers of the current decade. From the dreamier pop rock of her early days to the harder edges of her later work, Clark is continuing a fascinating evolution.
Must-listen: “Broken Man”
Doechii
It might be too early to put Doechii on this list. I mean, she’s only 27 and has only released a couple of albums. But she has enough songs out there to establish her as one of the most important new voices in hip hop, a position she is likely to hold for decades to come.
Must-listen: “Denial is a River”
MJ Lenderman
Here’s another 27-year-old whom I feel pretty comfortable dropping in. Lenderman has already penned about a million songs, and pretty much all of them are really good. He can go hard rock or drift into folkier territory. I’m fairly certain he can write good songs in any genre.
Must-listen: “Wristwatch”
Patti Smith
I’m not sure how Patti Smith was skipped over on the original list, much less the supplement. I suppose the fact that two of her best-known songs – “Gloria” and “Because the Night” – are credited to more famous writers could have people thinking she isn’t a brilliant writer on her own. Nonsense. She finished the latter tune for Bruce and has written or co-written more than her fair share of classics.
Must-listen: “Dancing Barefoot”
Blake Schwarzenbach
As frontman of Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach had as much to do with the merging of punk rock with a more sophisticated, introspective style that opened the door for emo and pop punk in the ‘90s.
Must-listen: “Chesterfield King”
Victoria Monét
Monét had been writing songs for music’s royalty for about fifteen years before releasing her first feature-length album in 2023 and claiming the Grammy for Best New Artist. She was best known for her work with Ariana Grande, but her collaborator list is a real who’s who of modern pop.
Must-listen: “Dive”
Steve Earle
Earle follows in the tradition of populist icons like Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams. His 1997 album El Corazon opens with a plea for Guthrie’s return and closes with a heartfelt tribute to Townes Van Zandt. He deals with more uniquely American subjects than any songwriter I know of.
Must-listen: “It’s About Blood”
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Diane Warren, the grand dame of movie soundtrack songs, appears on the Times list. I figure that opens the door for Miranda, perhaps the best-known Broadway songwriter at work today. Had he done nothing beyond Hamilton, he would deserve a spot on this type of list. And he has done far more.
Must-listen: “My Shot”
Iris Dement
Everything I said about Steve Earle above applies to Iris Dement. She handles both the personal and the political with a deft openness that shines a light on the complexities of country music.
Must-listen: “Sweet is the Melody”
billy woods
woods (stylized) is among the most interesting hip hop artists at work today. Both lyrically and sonically, he goes to new places while not losing sight of what made the genre so vital. His album Maps is one of the most innovative hip hop experiments of the 2020s.
Must-listen: “Soundcheck”
Neil Young
Zoladz said in her addendum that she was going to have just ten artists, but couldn’t help but add an eleventh. I started with eleven, but have to add Young, who, to the best of my knowledge, has yet to renounce his American citizenship. I do fear that at any moment, he will be taking off for his native Canada.
Must-listen: “After the Gold Rush”
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