Forget The New York Times, Here’s the REAL List of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters

Last week The New York Times published a list of who they considered to be the 30 greatest living American songwriters, and boy did it spark some conversation.

Why were certain artists on the list, while others – such as Billy Joel, Patti Smith, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Al Green, and John Fogerty – omitted?

Apparently they weren’t in a “New York State of Mind”

The Times had their process, which involved having a panel of experts submit lists, which were then culled down by six music critics from the paper, who ultimately decided on the final 30 who would make the list, with artists who were willing to do an interview for the series reportedly given added weight.

Hey, I get it, if you want to hype something up, you’re going to want as many features surrounding it as possible.

Most people who saw the list, however, felt the Times got it wrong, including me.

Being that I was not one of the experts asked to submit a list, I’ve spent the past week going through the rigorous process of creating my own list.

After painstakingly double checking every entry, and re-listening to numerous songs, my list is finally ready.

The 30 greatest living American songwriters are …

1. Any songwriter who makes you feel a genuine human emotion.

End of list.

If a song gives you a feeling of joy, the songwriter is great.

If a song hits you directly in the heart, the songwriter is great.

If a song calms your anxiety, the songwriter is great.

If a song makes you feel strong enough to face a difficult day, the songwriter is great.

If a song creates a feeling of love … or lust, the songwriter is great.

If a song provides a relatable feeling of grief, the songwriter is great.

If a song makes you feel invincible, the songwriter is great.

If a song makes you want to take a stand for, or against, something, the songwriter is great.

The most important aspect of any song is how it makes YOU feel.

I’ve been writing about music for 25 years, and for as nice as it is to be considered an expert in some circles, the real expert when it comes to this is you, because music is about a connection with a listener. If the listener is you, no one else’s list matters.

You don’t have to accept a critic’s opinion, or even a famous artist’s opinion. You could love James Taylor, Taylor Swift, or Taylor Momsen – if they’re making you feel something, they qualify as great.

Momsen is my personal favorite Taylor

You could love Steven Tyler, or Tyler, the Creator – once again, if they tap into your emotions in some way, that makes them great.

The desire for publications to create a universal “greatest” list, whether it’s of artists, albums, or songs, always fails to recognize that while music connects us all, it’s the diversity in music that makes each of us, as listeners, unique. We all love music, but we all love different artists, albums, and songs.

So putting all ego aside (which isn’t easy for a critic to do!), the only list that matters is yours, and if a songwriter makes you feel a genuine human emotion, then they are, in fact, one of the greatest.