Who is the Great American Songwriter?

[creekster]

I went back and read the lyrics to the River and Thunder Road. They are vastly superior to anything done by Mellencamp. When matched with their tune and the tight band they are pop masterpieces.

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/TheRiver.html

[creekster]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

With all due respect, obviously not. But I would vote for Stravinsky.

Stravinsky is a great composer but while he composed in America, he remained a Russian composer IMO. Copeland and his works are American top to bottom.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Both.

At least Paul Simon can sort of sing.

Springsteen's singing is a walking advertisement for Preparation H and Bob Dylan is a walking advertisement for Dramamine.

This from a Rush fan. Oh brother.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by RockyBalboa

Johnny Cash

I am a big fan of Johnny Cash but he didn'[t write all of his own stuff and his work doesn't' have the breadth and depth of somebody like Springsteen or Dylan.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by creekster

Ouch; bad day at work?

Mellencamp had a populist sentiment to his best lyrics that was occassionally matched by a well crafted tune (jack & Dianne, for example). His very best work can perhaps match, but does nto exceed Springsteen in any respect. Springsteen put the defining albums of the late sevetties, capturing the lost faith and hope of that era and the desire for more concrette values with no idea how to obtain them all placed against a bad or failing economy. Born to Run, the River, Darkness on the edge of town and my personal favorite, Thunder Road, all evince the american spirit and malaise at the time in poetry and tune. ANy of these far exceed anything by Mellencamp both in quality and in depth of message. Add to this the quality of Springsteen's pop senisbilities (hugely successful covers of his songs by others from such diverse artists as the pointer sisters and Mannfred Mann) and his is an ouevre that John Cougar just can't match, IMO. Then, to top it off, Springsteen throws in the now trite Born in the USA anthem and a few other well crafted (and over produced) songs of the 80s and his work is even greater. He then re-invents himself as a modern Guthrie-esque troubadour in the The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Moreover, Sprigsteen puts on a killer live show; never seen Mellencamp, but I have no doubt it isn't better live.

Right on, Creekster. Springsteen is great. And he is still putting out top-quality work. Devils & Dust from 2005 has some very good tunes.

[SeattleUte]

Neil Young.

Now watch creekser say someone already proffered him and Young was rejected, yewthole.

[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by creekster

Stravinsky is a great composer but while he composed in America, he remained a Russian composer IMO. Copeland and his works are American top to bottom.

We can claim him. He lived here for 30+ years, became a U.S. citizen, was influenced by American culture and music, loved America, and incluenced many Americans.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Neil Young.

Now watch creekser say someone already proffered him and Young was rejected, yewthole.

Touchy, touchy. He has not been proffered. Could this be, perhaps, becasue he is Canadian? Look it up and weep, pal.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

We can claim him. He lived here for 30+ years, became a U.S. citizen, was influenced by American culture and music, loved America, and incluenced many Americans.

He is a good choice, no doubt. But he would be a better choice if you were looking for the greatest composer from America, as opposed to the best American composer. Does that make any sense?

[RockyBalboa]

Originally Posted by creekster

I am a big fan of Johnny Cash but he didn'[t write all of his own stuff and his work doesn't' have the breadth and depth of somebody like Springsteen or Dylan.

His work very much has the breadth and depth of a Springsteen or Dylan.

In fact I'd say even much more so. He was touching lives and writing deep songs long before either of them became popular, and still was affecting people right up until about the day he died.

Ironically his cover of "Hurt"....which ironically being a cover from Trent Reznor, might've effected more people late in his career than anything Springsteen or Dylan have done in the past 20-30 years. That's one of the more heart breaking and emotional songs I've ever listened to and no one could've done it like him.

Springsteen and Dylan were great in their own way.....but neither of them comes even close to having the haunting kind of voice or emotion that Cash put into his songs. Springsteen sounds like someone's got his balls in a vice grip and Dylan can't sing at all...but they both can write.

Cash could and did ALL of the above and it could EASILY be argued that he wrote and performed music across more genres than either of them.

To me Dylan was weird as hell...but of course people think that weird and bizarre is ground breaking....and I guess it is...to a point. Yes he can write fancy lyrics that don't make a damn bit of sense,,,,but again....I guess to some people that's where his genius lies.