My Ballot for The New York Times 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters

Key Points:

• The New York Times published a list of The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters, compiled from ballots submitted by various experts, including musicians and songwriters themselves.
• Several songwriters initially included on ballots, such as Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, passed away during the project's timeline, highlighting the significance of the "living" qualifier.
• Personal connections and subjective taste influenced many ballots, with contributors often including collaborators, family members, or themselves, reflecting the inherent bias in such lists.
• The author reflects on omissions and changes in their own ballot, noting missed favorites like Gamble & Huff and Miranda Lambert, and the challenge of balancing eras, styles, and genres.
• The author expresses mixed feelings about some included contemporary songwriters like Lana Del Rey and Diane Warren, emphasizing the difficulty in assessing living songwriters whose bodies of work are still evolving.