Most Powerful Lyricists

Ville is not just a singer/lyricist... He is a true poet. He is a magnet for all the influences, being painfully aware of them all, good and bad, and sensitive to them so much as to become a powerful conduit for them, sharing his own perceptions with the world passionately. Beauty, ugliness, love, fear, hope, despair... The entire rainbow of every emotion, sensation, deepest darkest places upon which humanity in all its loveliness, ugliness, fearfulness, instincts... Strivings to better itself resides is painted, smudged, redrawn, brought to its bare bone structure in the wild love and war of lyrics and brought to pulse like beats of raw reality and nightmare always holding hands with our desires and dreams trough the eyes of the man, the poet, the traveler trough life in all its aspects we fear and covet to learn and be a part of.. The eyes of this unique soul incarnate in the lyricist and so much more that is Ville Valo, the poet who will take you to the simple truth, to your ...more
"Love's the devil counting teardrops in the rain" ("Love the Hardest Way")
"This emptiness I've made my home
Embracing memories of dreams long gone
One last caress from the corpse of love
Is all I want, underneath the cyanide sun.
We've sailed the seas of grief on a raft built with our tears
Looking for a way to disappear for a moment from our deepest fears.
I'll be drowning you in this river of gloom
Forever in my heart, oh, my love"
Ville Valo is poet, musically as well as lyrically. Not to mention vocally :)
HIM are such an amazing band! I'm really looking forward to hearing some news about their newest album.
I like HIM because of his lyrics mainly. I appreciate when I find figurative lyrics, and Valo's ones takes me to other places, just like the good writers do in literature. And I must admit, I study literature and sometimes I've thought about analyzing one of his songs in a class. Unfortunately, not all my classmates speak English and even I can translate them, I consider touching them can avoid part of the magic they have. The best undoubtedly, not for all minds, that's part of the magic too.
Definitely number 1, no competition... His lyrics are so deep and healing for all of us who yearn for true love, and who still believe in it in spite of many disappointments, he gives me comfort and hope... When I listen to his words I'm in my on little world where I'm safe and sound... It's nice to know that someone like him exist in this cruel world, I just hope that someone like him waits for each and every of us... The number one peerless )

in 16? I realize some people don't know what a REAL lyricist is
Serj is not just a songwriter he is a messenger and protestor of the us not recognizing armenian genocide through his lyrics

Michaels lyrics held powerful messages to the listeners. He was trying to teach his fans and change the world. He made a powerful impact on the world and saved the lives of children with his contributions with his lyrics and the money he donated from writing his powerful lyrics.
He always put something more his songs than the rest. That's maybe why he was (and will be) one of the best singers in the history of music, if not the best. He actually wrote his own songs, so a little part of his magnificence and power we saw in his dancig is in his lyrics too.
They don't really care about us makes me think a lot. I use to get bullied real bad, then I started listening to this song and the lyrics got stuck in my head. And, it was because of this song that I don't get so depressed about is anymore. Thank you mike.. xoxo
Hi music always has a powerful message behind it. Which always made sence and he was very pationate about the way sang it. He could sing the same song a hundred times and it would still sound as good as when he first sang it... love himmm... xoxo MJ


He has an uncanny ability to write excellent lyrics about any topic; be it the death of his father, teenage boredom, love, mental illness, politics... His lyrics can be silly, they can be poetic, they can be profound- and they are all extremely clever.
You can pick up any Green Day song and read the lyrics..
He does not write any romantic songs, or songs which have stories(usually considered as good lyric songs), but his songs are such that they force one to think about one self.
They change your innerself, the songs are for mankinds benefit.
Best lyricist from band Green Day, he's the founder and the lead vocalist of the band. His lyrics are as powerful and meaningful as Jesus of Suburbia but his sound are better.
Intelligent lyrics written by a highly intelligent man

Roger Waters is 23th?
Come on.Just listen to The wall,The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.
Every Song in his albums has a story. His songs is about War,Society,Modern Life and so many other fields.
He is the Most Powerful Lyricist.

His lyrics are powerful, beautiful, poetic, and even cryptic. Art of Life is one of his masterpiece
The lyrics of Amethyst are just so beautiful. And "whith out you" I think it's so soulful.

Kurt is a God... He was a depressed soul who didn't care about the world... His lyrics remain morbid and will always be a mystery... She'll come back with fire... And burn all the liars.. Leave a blanket of ash on the ground...
All hail.. Kurt Cobain..
Pennyroyal Tea made m cry


Have you heard Fade to Black!? Once you hear that, you'll understand why he's the best... Not to mention countless other songs like Ride the Lightning, Creeping Death, Sad But True, One,... And Justice for All, etc.
This man wrote amazing lyrics like One, Sanitarium, Master of Puppets, etc.
James is an inspiration to me for his incredible vocals
YES, james deserves a place in the top 10, at least in front of mercury, his lyrics are perfect for the guitar and the bass and the drum, which makes him a ledgend of rock

He can touch my soul with a single song, he is very creative, poetic, haunting, and apocalyptic :P
I just say "Bliss"

Okay... I don't know about you guys but Freddie had THE BEST lyrics you could find. Sure, some songs didn't exactly make any sense but if you looked deeper into it, you'd find much poetry and figured that Freddie was a damn genius.
No, no. He made the most meaningful songs ever, guy with the other comment. But listen: I have found the meaning of Seven Seas of Rhye!
It was a fantasy land Freddie used to dream of as a kid.
Singularly meaningless, psychedelic non-sequiturs.

You can listen to Bon Jovi when you are happy and when you are down!
They have a song to every feeling in your life
so much emotions in their songs

His lyrics pierce the heart and touch the soul! No that's call lyrics writing!
The meanings of his songs are unbearably amazing and really touch your soul cz they're about Chester's past. LP 4ever.
Listen to "Forever Winter"--- best lyrics I've heard in a long long time!

once the snake is drowned, and as I look in his eyes, my fear begins recalling all of the times
i have died
and will die
i don't mind


M shadows is a great songwriter but so far away was actually written by syn.
Also I don't see axl rose on this list
His lyrics are just superb
His best song is so far away the pain of losing a friend
He's just superb a7x rocks

I believe the majority of the credit should go to Steve Harris since he wrote the majority of Maiden's lyrics. But Bruce is still a great lyricist in his own right

What they are doing here. EMINEM is the best lyricist, rapper and songwriter of all time. I guess they all are paid by respective singers to vote for them. Eminem is the greatest selling artist of the decade and definitely top selling artist of all time after michael jackson. The way I am, till I collapse, beautiful, not afraid are classics. I think stan is the best written lyrics in human history.
My passion is more into metal scene, but when it come to lyricist.. Eminem is the best while James from Metallica came close. This dude should be place at least in top 3.. Seeing him below those band's lyricist makes me sick... Their lyric are nothing compared to Em's which is so real, full of feelings and so close to the listener.
He has music like
He does sings with feeling like Going through changes from recovery
And he does songs about being a killer like 3. Am from relapse
And he does songs that pump us up like not afraid or lose yourself
Why isn't Eminem in the top 10? His lyrics are the best thing about his music, the way he turns his songs into stories is superb, and the way his messages get across so well is great.

What absolutely amazes me about Thom Yorke's lyrics is that despite being very simple and at times, cliched phrases from the day to day world, you can never really be sure that how you interpret his words was actually what he meant while writing them. It's the lyrical equivalent of "The art of disguise is hiding in plain sight." His lyrics are intelligent, and as a listener, he makes you think. It's like Radiohead's music on the whole - in order to feel it, you first have to think about it. They evoke emotions you never thought you had in you.
53.. now thats rediculous.. definitely deserves a top ten spot.. thom yorke might as well be god
"When I am king, you will be first against the wall"


So many concept albums every song ties in to one another with every song having meaning behind them. His lyrics have even been covered by the legend Johnny Cash