If you ask anyone who has ever tried, it's tough to write one song, nevertheless a batch to be considered a songwriter. Add to the mix that the song actually getting recorded and becoming a hit, it's pretty hard to be a great songwriter. Yet that's what make the greatest songwriters different from Average Joe who has tried to pen a song. The best songwriters usually have written multiple hits that not only their most ardent fans know, but also casual listeners.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney are considered two the best songwriters. The Beatles were fueled by this legendary duo's prowess and are debatably the greatest band because these two outstanding songwriters.
Similarly to Lennon and McCartney, Bob Dylan is another songwriter who can be considered one of the greatest of all time. Dylan's songwriting introduced powerful imagery and themes that were deeply layered within the context of his writing. His songwriting influenced an entire generation of bands, songwriters and fans, including another member of this list, Bruce Springsteen.
This is the Ultimate List of the greatest songwriters of all time. Everyone on this list is considered one of the best at his or her craft. Vote for the songwriter who you think is the greatest, which shouldn't be too easy with a list like this one.1
5,9624,082Lennon–McCartney (sometimes McCartney–Lennon) was the songwriting partnership between English... more
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3,4842,811Paul Simon
Rock music, Folk musicNationality: United States of America
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and actor.... more3
5,1744,262Bob Dylan
Blues-rock, Rock musicNationality: United States of America
Bob Dylan (born May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, poet, and visual... more4
2,6052,021Paul McCartney
Pop music, Rock musicNationality: England
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, musician,... more5
2,8592,426John Lennon
Blues-rock, Pop musicNationality: United Kingdom
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon, 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an... more6
423288Richard Thompson
Rock music, Folk musicNationality: United Kingdom, England
Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist.He made... more7
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1,7831,481Freddie Mercury
Rock music, Pop musicNationality: Zanzibar
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British... more9
3,8753,746Brian Wilson
Pop music, Rock musicNationality: United States of America
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and... more10
1,605915Simon and Garfunkel
Pop music, WorldbeatSimon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon... more11
1,6721,328Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Opera, BalletNationality: Holy Roman Empire
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus... more12
1,1201,092Tom Petty
Blues-rock, Heartland rockNationality: United States of America
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter,... more13
543487Page & Plant
Blues-rock, Folk rockJimmy Page and Robert Plant, both formerly of the English hard rock band Led Zeppelin,... more14
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1,2031,252Roger Waters
Folk rock, Progressive rockNationality: England
George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English songwriter, singer, bassist, and... more16
1,2721,136Ludwig van Beethoven
Opera, Classical musicNationality: Austrian Empire, Germany
Ludwig van Beethoven ( (listen); German: [ˈluːtvɪç fan ˈbeːthoːfn̩] (listen); baptised 17... more17
2,9093,182George Harrison
Pop music, Rock musicNationality: United Kingdom, England
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician,... more18
587547Barry Gibb
Adult contemporary music, Blue-eyed soulNationality: United States of America, United Kingdom
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, (born 1 September 1946) is a British-American singer,... more19
487475Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were an influential, innovative and successful... more20
4,2094,397Prince
Hip hop music, SynthpopNationality: United States of America
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter,... more21
403417Don Henley
Pop music, Rock musicNationality: United States of America
Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record... more22
604548Dolly Parton
Ballad, Country popNationality: United States of America
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter,... more23
440470Mark Knopfler
Celtic rock, Blues-rockNationality: United Kingdom
Mark Freuder Knopfler ( NOP-flər; born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter,... more24
9811,061Buddy Holly
Lubbock sound, Rock musicNationality: United States of America
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy... more25
961867Johann Sebastian Bach
Classical musicNationality: Holy Roman Empire
Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and... more
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