Bands / Musicians Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?  

Mick Jacobs
90.2k votes 4.8k voters 22.5k views 452 items

List Rules Vote up the artists you would love to see do one final song.

Many of the world's greatest musicians remain highly respected even in death. The world often mourns the loss of the artist and the songs that the artist never got to write. If you go looking through your iTunes or Spotify libraries, you will likely find dozens of those dead musicians. You'll probably want to bring back more than a few, even if it's just so that they can write one more song.

In the whirlwind world of music, numerous rock stars die before their prime. Their untimely demises pose a difficult question, one that needs an answer.

We asked you, our audience, "Which artist would you bring back from the dead to write one more song?" And your answers have been both surprising and satisfying. Artists who died before ever reaching thirty, from Kurt Cobain to Aaliyah, are among your choices but a few prolific artists who had time on their side, such as Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, also showed up in your responses. Some people believed that these legends were still capable of genius even in their old age.

While no one determined for certain which dead artist needs to make one more song, each answer still reminds us of how much these musicians continue to impact the world.

list ordered by

1
1,853 614
Freddie Mercury is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
The Solo Collection, Barcelona, Mr. Bad Guy Freddie Mercury was a British singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona ...more

2
1,529 680
John Lennon is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Imagine, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Double Fantasy John Winston Ono Lennon MBE was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of ...more

3
1,401 659
Michael Jackson is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal ...more

4
1,380 650
David Bowie is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs David Bowie is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, and actor. He is also a painter and collector of fine art. Bowie has been a major figure in the ...more

5
1,247 576
Jimi Hendrix is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
First Rays of the New Rising Sun, Band of Gypsys, Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...more

6
1,383 656
Kurt Cobain is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
1993-09-08: Rock Against Rape Benefit, Club Lingerie, Hollywood Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in ...more

7
1,102 505
Bob Marley is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Sun Is Shining, One Love, Rainbow Country Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley OM was a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. Starting out in 1963 with the group the ...more

8
1,181 558
Johnny Cash is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
American V: A Hundred Highways, American IV: The Man Comes Around, At Folsom Prison John R. "Johnny" Cash was a singer-songwriter, actor, and author, widely considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. Although primarily remembered as ...more

9
1,244 623
Prince is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Purple Rain, Sign 'O' the Times, 1999 Prince Roger Nelson, known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. A major figure in popular music for over three decades, Prince is renowned ...more

10
1,044 506
Elvis Presley is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added Jailhouse Rock, The Sun Sessions, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and ...more

11
929 562
Ludwig van Beethoven is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Symphony Edition, Classical Anthology, Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (feat. piano: Cyprien Katsaris) Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and ...more

12
1,037 646
Tupac Shakur is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
All Eyez on Me, Me Against the World, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and briefly as Makaveli, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him one ...more

13
796 510
Tom Petty is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers, Highway Companion Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Tom Petty and the ...more

14
813 527
Jim Morrison is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Paris Jim, Dionysus James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, poet and songwriter best remembered as the lead vocalist of the Doors. Due to his songwriting, baritone voice, wild personality and ...more

15
745 503
Marvin Gaye is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
What's Going On, Here, My Dear Marvin Gaye was an American singer, songwriter and musician. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown Records, first as an in house session player in the 1960s and later as a solo artist with a ...more

16
698 494
George Harrison is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dimos Dicoudis added All Things Must Pass, Cloud Nine, Living in the Material World George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter and music and film producer who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. ...more

17
655 479
Ray Charles is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
The Birth of Soul, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, The Spirit of Christmas Ray Charles Robinson, professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and composer, who is sometimes referred to as "The Genius". He pioneered the ...more

18
693 519
Whitney Houston is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, Whitney Houston, My Love Is Your Love Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop ...more

19
606 492
Janis Joplin is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Pearl, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Greatest Hits Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer-songwriter who first rose to fame in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo ...more

20
567 463
Buddy Holly is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Buddy, 20 Golden Greats, What You Been A-Missin': What You've Been A-Missin' Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter, often considered one of the main figures of the rock and roll genre in the mid-1950s. Born in ...more

21
611 507
The Notorious B.I.G. is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Ready to Die, Life After Death, Born Again Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie or Biggie Smalls, was an American rapper. Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York ...more

22
680 588
Amy Winehouse is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Back to Black, Frank, Lioness: Hidden Treasures Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, jazz and reggae. Winehouse's 2003 ...more

23
560 475
Selena is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Dreaming of You, Amor Prohibido, The New Girl in Town Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known by the mononym Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Called the Queen of Tejano music, her contributions ...more

24
544 468
George Michael is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Faith, Listen Without Prejudice, Volume 1 Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, widely known by his stage name George Michael, is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to superstardom during the ...more

25
177 87
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song?
Valdave added Symphony Edition, Classical Anthology, Eternal Classics Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. Mozart showed prodigious ability from his ...more