Favorite (song)writers

The lyricist who wrote this has been dead for 81 years, but his "collaboration" with Wilco is one of the most perfect songs there is.

He was roaming in the gloaming where the roses were in bloom
A soldier, with his sweetheart, brave and true.
And their hearts were filled with sorrow, for their thoughts were of tomorrow,
As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue.
"Do not ask me love to linger, for you know not what to say,
Before duty calls your sweetheart's name again.
But your heart need not be sighing; if I be among the dying
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again."

When the roses bloom again beside the river
And the mocking bird has sung her sweet refrain,
In the days of Auld Lang Syne, I'll be with you sweetheart mine,
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again.

In the rattle of the battle came a whisper soft and low
>From a soldier who had fallen in the fray,
"I am dying, I am dying and I know that I must go,
But I want to tell you before I pass away -
There's a far and distant river where the roses are in bloom,
And a sweetheart who is waitng there for me.
It is there I pray you take me. I've been faithful, don't forsake me -
I'll be with her when the roses bloom again."

When the roses bloom again

 

There is no artist I would rather see make a solo album than Cooley. Southern storytelling at its best, decorated with humor and down-home philosophy.


Baby every bone in my body’s gone to jumping
like they're gonna come through my skin
If they could get along without the rest of me, it wouldn’t matter if they did
But skeletons ain’t got nowhere to stick they're money
nobody makes britches that size
and besides you're a ghost to most before they notice
that you ever had a hair or a hide

 

I enjoy lots of those already mentioned so I'll try to name ones that haven't (and go in some different musical directions as well):

Regina Spektor
Ingrid Michaelson
Tori Amos
The Avett Brothers
Colin Meloy (The Decemberists)
Conor Oberst (solo and with Bright Eyes)
Jeff Buckley
Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem)
Josh Ritter
Damien Rice
2Pac
Eminem
Talib Kweli
Mos Def

 

McCartney

 

Lennon/McCartney
Bob Dylan
Ray Davies
Brian Wilson
Gram Parsons
Arthur Lee
Lou Reed

 

Lots I agree with, but no Leonard Cohen yet?

"But I know what is wrong,
and I know what is right,
and I'd die for the truth,
in my secret life."

"Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing
but there's nothing really happening
and the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night.
And my very close companion
gets me fumbling gets me laughing
she's a hundred
but she's wearing something tight."

"Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in."

et cetera

 

Cohen, absolutely. Parts of "Hallelujah" can knock you to your knees.

 

I've shied away from performers (hell, Billy Joel, Vince Gill, James Taylor) but I did want to mention Freddy Mercury if just for the way he could go from writing Bohemian Rhapsody to Crazy Little Thing Called Love to We Are the Champions and Somebody to Love.
And I won't even mention various Broadway songwriters like Kander and Ebb, Sondheim, Alan Menken or Marc Shaiman.

 

Two others I forgot earlier:

Difford & Tilbrook
Rhett Miller

 

Carole King
Holland–Dozier–Holland (Motown)
Smokey Robinson
Marvin Gaye
John Lennon

 

many, many, MANY of the folks already mentioned, including springsteen, obviously. not mentioned yet, i do not believe, is my fave w/bruce, jackson browne, who some may find too 'depressing' to acknowledge.

 

While I think Freddy was brilliant I always preferred Brian May's songs.

Underrated writer- Ian Hunter.