Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

News about Leonard Cohen and his work, press, radio & TV programs etc.
Squidgy
Posts: 267
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:25 pm

Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Squidgy »

Leonard is number 16.
Joni Mitchell is number 9.
Dylan number 1.
Discuss amongs yourselves, class.
Vicomte
Posts: 844
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:49 am
Location: Saint Malo Bretagne

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Vicomte »

Well I personally believe they have number one correct but Joni Mitchel above Leonard, I don't think so. LC in top 4 or 5 for sure
I guess it all started for me sometime around Christmas 1967 and now, goodness me, it's.........2018 and over fifty years later.
No one ever listens to me. I might as well be a Leonard Cohen record.
Neil from The Young Ones
User avatar
Yorkshire Lad
Posts: 817
Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 11:28 pm
Location: yorkshire

Rolling stone 100 greatest songwriters

Post by Yorkshire Lad »

I haven't been on the forum for a long time so if this topic has been discussed then I apologies but I just happen to see a list of the rolling stone list of songwriters and to my disbelief Leonard came in at an unbelievable sixteen . Here are a list of those who rolling stone deem to be better ;
1 Bob Dylan
2 Paul Mcartney
3 John Lennon
4 chuck Berry
5 smokey Robinson
6 M Jagger/K Richards
7 Carol King/ Gerry golfing
8 Paul Simon
9 Joni Mitchell
10 Stevie Wonder
11 Bob Marley
12 Brian Wilson
13 Hank Williams
14 Bruce Springstein
15 Eddie and Brian Holland
I don't know what anybody else thinks but personally I think the rolling stone have seriously lost the plot
manchester, london,manchester , a mountain in Wales ,hills in Haiger
Be content with a mistake or two. Perfection holds no compromise. It's a prison for perfect people .Where the flag of insanity flies
User avatar
Abter1
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:41 pm

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Abter1 »

Extra Credit Class: The Top 20: compare and contrast
1: Dylan
2. McCartney
3. Lennon
4. Chuck Berry
5. Smokey Robinson
6. Jagger/Richards
7. Carole King, King/Goffin
8. Paul Simon
9. Joni Mitchell
10. Stevie Wonder
11. Bob Marley
12. Brian Wilson
13. Hank Willliams
14. Springsteen
15. Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland (Motown's golden age)
16. Leonard
17. Neil Young
18. Prince
19. Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry (Brill Building '62 - '65)
20. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (LA 50's writing machine: Jailhouse Rock, Yakety Yak, Kansas City, On Broadway, Ruby Baby, Riot in Cell Block #9

The whole list is interesting and fun...and of course just one subjective list. List and blurb on each is available at
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists ... ongwriters

My picks for down-listers who need a recount:
37 Garcia/Hunter
43 Johnny Cash
48 Elton John/Taupin
Taylor Swift: at 97, but why so high? Missing a digit or 2 on this one. :shock:
User avatar
Joe Way
Posts: 1216
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2002 5:50 pm
Location: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Rolling stone 100 greatest songwriters

Post by Joe Way »

Philip, you've written what we all feel. There are so many misplaced songwriters that it is hard to know where to start. But Leonard at 16-no way. Also note that Tom Russell didn't even make the top 100. Tom Waits is way, way, too low. As they say, these rankings are subjective and personal likes, dislikes etc. weigh too heavy.
"Say a prayer for the cowboy..."
alb123
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:04 pm

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by alb123 »

Roger Waters didn't make the Rolling Stone magazine list of Greatest Songwriters? But Taylor Swift did... That is laughable. :roll:
Waterbury, CT - May 14, 2009
Las Vegas, NV - Dec 11, 2010 (Final Show of Leonard's 3 year World Tour) INCREDIBLE!
Boston, MA - Dec 15, 2012 (Best L.C. concert I've been to!)
User avatar
Yorkshire Lad
Posts: 817
Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 11:28 pm
Location: yorkshire

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Yorkshire Lad »

I also noted that Abba just scraped in at 100 which is a little perplexing
manchester, london,manchester , a mountain in Wales ,hills in Haiger
Be content with a mistake or two. Perfection holds no compromise. It's a prison for perfect people .Where the flag of insanity flies
User avatar
Kush
Posts: 3166
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2002 1:21 am
Location: USA

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Kush »

I also noted that Abba just scraped in at 100 which is a little perplexing
Benny & Bjorn are right up there with the very best. they are like the Rodgers & Hammerstein of the 70s.
User avatar
Geoffrey
Posts: 3780
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:11 am

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Geoffrey »

well, what does 'greatest' mean? the 'biggest'? the most popular is not necessarily the most skilled, and very often has little to do with quality. i suspect lists such as this one are purposely designed to provoke indignation and controversy. journalists learned long ago that all publicity is good publicity. so don't worry, most people will know that leonard cohen is a far more talented songwriter than many of those placed above him on this list.
rmorgan
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:01 pm

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by rmorgan »

Sorry, but RS is taking a short term and linguistically insular approach here. None of the great pre-WW2 songcrafters feature, as far I could see (the list got rather tedious after about 1 - 40). Where is Gershwin, Berlin, Porter? What are Brecht/Weill? (Read Dylan in "Chronicles 1" on 'Pirate Jenny', why don't you, RS?!). And then all non-English-language singers appear to be excluded! What nonsense is this? RS needs to find room in the top 5 for Jacques Brel, for a start, and Milton Nascimento in the top 20. Seriously.

As for Leonard. He is not great musically, we all know that. Most of the time, his music simply serves his towering poetry and vocal delivery. His recordings are great in a lyrical, poetical and transcendent-voice-of-intimacy-and-truth kind of way. I'd place him on another list entirely, that spoke not to 'greatness' in (post-1940s Anglophone) songwriting, but to greatness in Recorded Poetic Lyricism. And there, Leonard's is a work supreme.

And then, of course, there's the book, Beautiful Losers. They haven't invented a category for it, yet ... :)
beto
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:16 pm

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by beto »

As usual as every "Rolling Stone's List of Greatest... (whaterever)"
User avatar
Geoffrey
Posts: 3780
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:11 am

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Geoffrey »

rmorgan wrote:As for Leonard. He is not great musically, we all know that.
i didn't know it :-(
Judy
Posts: 768
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:22 am
Location: France

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by Judy »

Geoffrey wrote:
rmorgan wrote:As for Leonard. He is not great musically, we all know that.
i didn't know it :-(
.. neither did I.
holydove
Posts: 1579
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:38 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by holydove »

Geoffrey wrote:
rmorgan wrote:As for Leonard. He is not great musically, we all know that.
i didn't know it :-(
I was going to post those very same words (the ones that Geoffrey posted - thank you), then thought maybe I'll just let that one go, but now I must say: I didn't know it either! (And I suspect there might be a few others who are quite ignorant of that "fact".)
rmorgan
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:01 pm

Re: Leonard on Rolling Stone's List of Greatest Songwriters

Post by rmorgan »

Well, I won't argue, for I'm sure we all love Leonard's work immeasurably! (But if even I can play most of his first four albums on the guitar ...well, NeverMind!).

I would however be interested in your thoughts on my paragraph as a whole, wherein I suggest a different, more transcendent form of Greatness, far beyond any category dreamed up by Rolling Stone ..

Peace to all :)
Post Reply

Return to “News”