Who's the greatest songwriter of all time?

Question

You can answer with a songwriting duo if you like.

Answer 1

Mozart, Bach, G. & I. Gershwin, C. Porter, Lennon & McCartney, Bacharach & David, Hank Williams, Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, Brian Wilson

Answer 2

Carole King

Her music has launched careers.

She attended Queens College, where she was a classmate of Neil Sedaka, who dedicated "Oh, Carol", his first big hit, to her. She in turn wrote an answer song called "Oh Neil". While attending Queens College, King befriended Paul Simon and Gerry Goffin.

Goffin and King soon formed a songwriting partnership, eventually marrying. Working in the famous Brill Building, where chart-topping hits were churned out during the 1960s, the Goffin-King partnership first hit it big with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Recorded by The Shirelles, the song topped the charts in 1961; it was later covered by Dusty Springfield, Laura Branigan, Little Eva, Roberta Flack, and King herself. Further hits written by the pair include "Take Good Care of My Baby" (Bobby Vee and later Dion, Bobby Vinton, Stephen Collins, and Smokie) "The Loco-Motion" (Little Eva, and later Grand Funk Railroad, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue, and Dwight Yoakam), "One Fine Day" (The Chiffons and later Aaron Neville, Rita Coolidge, and Natalie Merchant as well as King herself, in 1980), "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees), "Some Kind of Wonderful" (The Drifters version is not the same song as the Grand Funk Rairoad version), "Up on the Roof" (The Drifters, Laura Nyro, Billy Joe Royal, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Peter Cincotti, and later King herself), "Chains" (The Cookies, and later The Beatles), "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby" (Cookies), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin, and later Mary J. Blige, Laura Nyro, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, and King herself), "Don't Bring Me Down" (The Animals),"Hi De Ho" (Blood, Sweat and Tears), "Wasn't Born to Follow" (The Byrds), "Hey Girl" (Freddie Scott, and Donny Osmond), "I'm into Something Good" (Ethel "Earl-Jean" McCrea of The Cookies, and then Herman's Hermits), "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence, and then Donny Osmond), and "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" (The Crystals). She had a modest hit singing one of her own songs in 1962 with "It Might As Well Rain Until September." The pair had two daughters, Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor who also became singers. In 1965, Goffin and King wrote a spec theme to Sidney Sheldon's new television series, I Dream of Jeannie, but the song was rejected in favor of an instrumental theme by Hugo Montenegro. "I Feel The Earth Move" later also charted for Martika in 1989.

King also wrote the song "It's Going to Take Some Time This Time" (recorded by the Carpenters.)

Answer 3

Depending on what type of answer you expect, in my personal opinion, Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter. Why? No matter how old you are, you identify with his lyrics. He's a legend.

Answer 4

duos: Bernie Taupin / Elton John
John Lennon/ Paul McCartney

Single: Paul Simon, Kris Kristopherson, Carole King, Dolly Parton, Neil Young

Answer 5

Stevie Wonder
Carole King

Answer 6

Pete Townshend of The Who. A special mention to John Lennon too.

Answer 7

I'll choose a duo..
John Lennon
Paul McCartney

Answer 8

Tom Petty.


Maybe Matt Skiba.

Answer 9

Neil Peart, if you want intelligent dialogue

or

Roger Waters and David Gilmour if you want beautiful imagery

Answer 10

That's the most difficult one, there are choices:
Ira and Irving Berling
Barry Manilow
Linda Perry