Best Lyricists Ever

[Greg_L]

Greg_L...ftw

 

[hfd]

Kris Kristofferson...

 

[icystorm]

This is one of those types of questions where if you ask 100 people, you'll probably get 95 different answers. I suppose it depends on how the term "best" is defined, as well as the genre.

I can't argue against most of the names mentioned in the thread. Some of my favorites include Barry Gibb (solo, and also with his brothers) and Diane Warren. Barry Gibb is listed as the second most prolific songwriter (behind McCartney/Lennon) in the Guinness Book of World Records. Since I prefer abstract lyrics rather than literal, Gibb's lyrics are the best to my ears.

Some others that are probably under-rated include Gordon Lightfoot, James Hetfield, Simon LeBon, Robert Plant, and Dan Fogleberg.

Cheers,
Joseph

 

[grimtraveller]

Neil Fallon of Clutch.
thread closed

Them is fightin' words !

I'm only replying because Sting is a favorite of mine. Yes he writes his own lyrics.

Sting was a deep lyricist, both with the Police and on his own. But so was Stewart Copeland, in the Police. "Does everyone stare ?" and "Bombs away" are good examples of Copeland's mode d'emploi. But Sting could be really funny too. I still think "Can't stand losing you" is hilarious. If I had a mate talking like that, I'd want to slap him !
"She's too good for me" is a cracker. Probably the three of his I like most are "They dance alone", "The Lazurus heart" and "St Augustine in hell";
"Blessed St Thereasa, whore of babylon
Madonna and my mother all rolled into one
You've got to understand me, I'm not a piece of wood
St Francis of Assissi would never be this good...."
I don't know what it means but it sounds fantastic to sing !

Styx? Lot of good lyrics over a couple albums

They came up with one of the best love lyrics I ever heard,
"All I need is just one hit to get me by
coz baby, when you're here I'm halfway high......".
For some reason, Dennis DeYoung reminds me of Miroslav. He, Tommy Shaw and James Young were damn good lyricists. Few albums have an overall better set of lyrics than "The grand illusion", the lyrics of which still hold up as true now, probably even more so.

Kansas

On "Masque" and "Point of know return" Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren between them came up with among the most deep, searching, hopeless, depressing, miserable, poetic words one will find on a record. Man, was that band on a quest. Completely serious and humourless, but wonderful within the context of the music. No smiles, but great stuff.

"wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door!!!!
Why didn't he just say makeup???

...because he didn't mean makeup.

Funnilly enough, even as a kid I always took it to be make up. What a great way to describe make up. I have a friend that used to kind of describe make up as her 'face to the world'.

RE: Thread title, I have no idea who would win the crown of Best Lyricist Ever

Even God couldn't win it. It's a daft title. But it leads to good discussion.
I guess every lyricist has at least one good lyric in them.

The most frequently posted sentence in the history of HR..........

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to moresound again."

I thought it was "Is your room treated ?".

Casey {Supercreep} in Little purple circles is a really good lyricist. Most of the lyrics on "Cloud" are pregnant with feeling, moods and meaning.

 

[triquee]

Ray Lamontagne is a favorite of mine

"She lifts her skirt up to her knees,
walks through the garden rows with her bare feet, laughing.
I never learned to count my blessings,
I choose instead to dwell in my disasters.
I walk on down the hill,
through grass, grown tall and brown
and still its hard somehow to let go of my pain.
On past the busted back of that old and rusted Cadillac
that sinks into this field, collecting rain."

Imagery, melody and arrangement just spot on.