Most Influential Songwriters of All Time
The musicians who, by the force of their writing, have changed the way we view music and, quite often, life.
Across The universe, Imagine, And your Bird Can sing, Sexy Sadie, It won't be Long, Nowhere Man, Strawberry Fields, Walrus, All you Need Is Love, Benefit of Mr. Kite, Bungalow bill, Dear Prudence, Revolution, Come Together. What kind of ignorant dunce would moronically label this genius overrated? Pity the fool!
Johns lyrics are the most poignant, unflinchingly self reflective, other worldly and cutting edge. He is my favorite of all time. closely rivaled by Paul Simon who also writes other worldly songs as well My two choices..."Across the Universe" and "Only Living Boy in New York".
Only a delusional Freddie Mercury lover could call John Lennon "overrated". Thank God there are The Beatles towering at #1 to keep Queen fans in their place.
Unparalleled in his brilliance. He's the best there ever was and the Beatles were so lucky to have him! Actually..it's us who were so lucky to have him. Miss him so much!

John Lennon above Bob Dylan ? What is this nonsense ? Bob Dylan TAUGHT John Lennon and Paul McCartney ! Whats not to understand ?
The second most covered artist of all time he inspired and influenced so many people such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon his ability to reinvent himself has caused him to produce number one albums in six decades.
Again, I'm not a big fan of his music, but he's still going after over fifty years, which is something not many musicians can claim.
No-one has written so many wonderful songs from so many perspectives. The man is a living legend

In terms of success how could you not choose Paul? Also you have to remember he has written some of the most recorded songs in history including the number 1 recorded song in history with Yesterday. Also his appeal rivals Dylan although Dylan was and is a great songwriter and should be in the top 10 you can surely argue that Paul deserves the number 1 spot.
It was a toss-up between Lennon and McCartney for the top spot. But Paul holds the first two slots on the TheTopTens Best Beatles Songs list with Hey Jude and Let It Be. Not to mention the most covered song of all time in Yesterday.
Lennon or McCartney, The Beatles are the most influential ever!
No Debate, He just simply make my days of life, and maybe your days...

I'm more a queen fan in fact, but in songwriting I think bowie would beat them anyway...
What isn't he awesome in I wonder =D

Australia's prince of darkness. Has written some of the most beautiful but dark songs ever!
Has produced tons of music able to influence people and men.
One of the most prolific author of the last decades
More than 40 years of creativity!

As a duo with Art Garfunkel, he crafted materpieces such as The Sound of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water. After they split, Simon had a successful solo career.
Beyond brilliant. a true cutting edge pioneer. The most beautiful lyric and music of all time!
Insecure, neurotic genius. Hardly a crap song in his repertiore

Love, love me do
You know I love you
I'll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do
...
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me...
...
Is there any question?
He was much more creative, experimental than Paul McCartney and John Lennon together. He created a lot of amazing and timeless songs is a lot of genre, not just pop/rock as McCartney and Lennon.
Idontreallycaretoomuch:
Bicycle race is a great song.
He never ever wrote such stupid and easy songs like "Love me do", or "I want to hold your hand", or "Yellow submarine"...
He is underrated as a songwriter, but he was amazing! Never the same, always experimental. Much much better than Paul McCartney.

The album Pet Sounds is Brian's greatest contribution to popular music. It includes the beautiful God Only Knows. But his most famous and influential song is, without a doubt, Good Vibrations, slated for release on the cancelled SMiLE project.
Progressive genius - greatest producer of all time, greatest pop songwriter of all time - could neglect all rules there are to songwriting and come up with incredibly catchy tunes.
The one songwriter who Lennon and McCartney thought they had to try extra hard to keep up with.

Totally underrated... Should be top 5!

The Beatles are one of the many groups he influenced, and The Crickets were one of the first true bands in rock 'n' roll. He was with us far too short of a time.

Can't say I'm a fan, but there's no denying his influence.
He has definitely changed peoples' lives!

He's Canadian gotta go with my countryman!

Nobody captured teenage angst like Pete Townshend. And he could communicate it succinctly as in a song like "The Kids Are Alright" or "I Can't Explain", or delve deeply into the teenage psyche as he did in the double album Who masterpiece, "Quadrophenia" A lyrical and musical genius. Ask anybody!
No problems with this list
Wrote songs like you wouldn’t believe.

His songs never fail to lift the spirit. Put him on when you're down. He'll raise you up.
Highly underrated. His songs are so poetic and inspirational.

With songs such as Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen, and Rock and Roll Music, he paved the way for rock 'n' roll to grow even bigger.

He hits me he hits you he hits most of the world

There isn't absolutely no way that the lyrics he wrote from Medley to The Final cut will ever be topped by another lyricist in the history of popular music. Especially the lyrics from Dark side of the Moon, which are in great part responsible for the album still selling five thousand copies every week in the US alone.
Main songwriter for Pink Floyd. He wrote all of the songs for Wish You Were here, Dark Side of The Moon, and The Wall, the latter being a concept album and a DOUBLE album, meaning that it was on 2 CDs.
Listen to the entire the wall and try to tell me this man isn't the best songwriter of all time
18?I don't know what life is without him

Clearly number one!

To the person who posted 'He didn't write any of his songs'... crawl back under your rock. Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, handed them to Elton & within 1/2 hour, Elton had composed the whole song from start to finish, all the arrangements, everything PLUS he plays them on the piano and SINGS them. I heard Elton say in one interview that he composed the music to one of his songs in 10 minutes.
He didn't write any of his songs
And his lyricist, Bernie Taupin.
Shows you no NOTHING about Sir Elton John! Bernie Taupin is Elton's lyricist - he has been since Elton started making music. Bernie writes the lyrics and Elton composes the melody in 30 MINUTES! Plus Elton does all the instrumentation for his songs. He's a MUSICAL GENIUS!

He's definitely as great and talented as Lennon and McCartney!
An underrated talent that deserves to be higher than 28!

I don't think people understand his Influence.
See My Friends, the first song with indian sound, You Really Got Me, all the charchters songs...There is no question.
No question. Ray is one of the best.
Why he is so low? shoulb be at least in the top 10

Not only did he pen many of the songs that brought Sex Pistols to stardom, he also completely turned music and the basic structure of songwriting on its head with Public Image Limited, MULTIPLE times. With each new release, even up to 2015's What the world needs now... there's always something new and innovative, and his evolution of songwriting from pistols to where he is now, is a transformation that very few musicians have accomplished

Only Lennon-McCartney have produced more number ones in history.
Dude is so awesome with just the lyrics he has written for others.

