• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
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Topic: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

This question popped up when I read that the late JAMES BROWN declared he had written 3000 songs.
Is this true? or who can put a crown on his head as most productive songwriter?
- BOB DYLAN? He wrote hundreds of songs, not alone for himself but for a lot of others, and on www.amazon.com you can find an entire bootleg collection, songs who never made it on an album.

so WHO do you think was or is the top song writer, or some top writers names.

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  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Paul Simon is extremely prolific and is surely in the running. 

James Taylor has had hundreds of songs on albums, let alone just written.  That's amazing too.  He's up there, I'm sure.

Barry Manilow, if you include jingles, is probably in that running as well.  He wrote advertising jingles early in his career, and probably wrote hundreds of those before even releasing a record.  And then he's been releasing a record every year or two for the past thirty years, and writing with and for others.  He's got to be in the running.

Willie Nelson has been writing songs for close to fifty years.  He's been known to write as many as three a week, once even three in a day!  He's got to be in the running as well.

While James Brown's accomplishment is surely admirable, I suspect it doesn't get him a crown.

- Zurf

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  • wlbaye
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Beatles
Neil Young
Bob Dylan
Willie
Hank    Been Gone a while but,what a list for a short stay.
Prine


Later Wayne P

Later, Wayne P

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4 Reply by mixter102 (edited by mixter102 2008-05-16 19:11:33)

  • From: Stockton Ca
  • Registered: 2007-10-19
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Bruce Springsteen
Prince
Neil Diamond
Townes Van Zandt
Burt Bacharach

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

I don't know what your measure of productive is, but if it's consistently high quality songs, and lots of them, I think you'd have to go with either Paul Simon, or John Lennon.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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  • Registered: 2007-03-24
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

I second John Lennon for quality and quantity. McCartney not far behind.

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  • badeye
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Glen Cambell, Marty Robbins, Shell Silverstone, Gene MacLennan, Stan Rogers, Myles Goodwin, Matt Minglewood,
Jeff Healy, Bruce Guthro, Jimmy Rankin are just a few that come to mind. Cant forget Sonny Terry and Brownie MaGhee.


  Badeye... cool

one caper after another
  • badeye
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Gordon Lightfoot.

Badeye

one caper after another
  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

well I would say no one can disagree ( like others have replied to)
Lennon and McCartney  ( if you are allowed two , even though most were wrote by Lennon)

the two names are a household name even today.
They not only recorded so many of the songs they wrote but lots they wrote were recorded by many others and not a lot know they wrote them because the beatles never recorded them.


but also on the list

Dylan
Richards and Jagger
tyler and perry

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending
  • NELA
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Ya'll done forgot about Kris kristofferson. Or how 'bout Wispering Bill?

nela

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  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Don't forget Randy Newman - several unforgettable albums to his credit.
Several major artists have had big hits with his songs.
He has been writing songs and film scores for Hollywood, Broadway, and TV in recent years. 

Go to the bottom of this article and look at the long lists of albums, hits, hits by other artists, Grammy's, Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Emmys, etc.  The guy is a creative powerhouse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_newman

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12 Reply by dino48 (edited by dino48 2008-05-17 04:48:34)

  • dino48
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

I would have to say Bob Dylan,others could be willie nelson and Stevie Wonder ,on the female side Carole King.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

I'd say James McCormick smile

The man knocks them out at a phenomenal rate.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

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  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

I cant argue with that I gotta work hard to stay up lol

alvee33 wrote:

I'd say James McCormick smile

The man knocks them out at a phenomenal rate.

"Growing old is not for sissies"

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  • Registered: 2008-03-25
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

steve kilbey from the church has been very prolific,16 studio albums with the church and at least 8 solo albums,not including collaborative albums with other artists e.g grant mclennan,hex,gilt trip,it just seems endless with kilbey,all this in a 27 year recording career,if hes not the most prolific he may well be someday.

  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

WITHOUT DOUBT: "YESTERDAY" is the most covered song in the world.

Sometimes THE COVER is BETTER than the original. 1 BIG EXAMPLE = WITHOUT YOU.
This is a nice question for a quiz. WHO WROTE WITHOUT YOU? well a group named BADFINGER written by HAM and EVANS and a perfect example of co-writing.
Evans had strophes but not a chorus or refrein, and Ham had a strong chorus but couldn't find the verses of the song, it was a kind of coincidence.
If you listen to the Badfinger version (on youtube) it is a pop song but not a great one, BRUSQUE singing no real passion, until Harry NILSSON covered it convinced that the song was written by his BEST FRIENDS "THE BEATLES".
I just found an item concerning THE PLACE TO BE FOR SONGWRITERS: The BRILL building, I quote TWO MAJOR things about that building.
The building contained everything a musician needed. One could find a songwriter, cut a demo, promote the record, and cut a deal with radio promoters all within this one building.
Similar to a regular office with employees working in small cubicles, there would be a number of songwriters sitting in small spaces writing songs, while next to them was the next songwriter writing away on another song.
I knew since long that there was a place where songwriters worked as "employees"and now, since I started this topic I found CONFIRMATION. Coincidence?

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • From: Östervallskog Sweden
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 26

Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Johnny Cash!

"give us today our daily b-read"
that means you must write to make it right right? Repent... re-pen-T... re pen Truth
"It's illegal to use a legal name".
Simple as that.

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  • From: Sydney West
  • Registered: 2007-08-28
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

sacredspirit wrote:

steve kilbey from the church has been very prolific,16 studio albums with the church and at least 8 solo albums,not including collaborative albums with other artists e.g grant mclennan,hex,gilt trip,it just seems endless with kilbey,all this in a 27 year recording career,if hes not the most prolific he may well be someday.

I have to agree - Skins of hearts was one of the best.
I'd also have to say David Bowie....
There's probably more to come.

"It's all about the Calluses, once you got them, you can't get rid of em!"
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-03-29
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Re: WHO IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SONGWRITER IN THE LAST 50 years

Thats easy Bob Dylan, and the Beatles

Keep a fire burning in your eyes
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down