11 Great American Songwriters Who Didn’t Make Our List
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- The New York Times Magazine published a list of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters, voted on by over 250 music insiders and critics, featuring essays, quotes, and video interviews with honorees like Taylor Swift and Jay-Z.
- The author, a professional critic who contributed essays on Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, and Lana Del Rey, expresses discomfort with the subjective nature of ranking "greatness" in art.
- The critic found the limit of 30 songwriters too restrictive, experiencing regret over many notable omissions after submitting their ballot.
- To address this, the author created a personal playlist featuring 11 songwriters they believe deserved recognition, mixing well-known figures like Randy Newman and Billy Joel with emerging or less mainstream artists such as Alynda Segarra and Frank Ocean.
