by

Song of the Day #6,536: ‘The Book of Love’ – The Magnetic Fields

I’ve run down all but three of the artists named on The New York Times‘ list of the ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters,’ so I’ll cover the rest today.

Nile Rodgers is another songwriter who worked with a now-deceased partner (Bernard Edwards). Together they founded the funk/disco band Chic, which had #1 hits with ‘Le Freak’ and ‘Good Times.’

They carried that unmistakable sound over to songs written for other artists, including ‘We Are Family’ for Sister Sledge and ‘I’m Coming Out’ for Diana Ross, not to mention the countless hip-hop songs that have sampled their music over the decades.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #6,535: ‘I Get Weak’ – Belinda Carlisle

In a podcast about their curation of the ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters’ list, one New York Times critic said he regretted not including more songwriters who primarily wrote for other people. It’s easier to celebrate the artists whose faces and voices we treasure as much as their writing chops.

I have no such regrets, and my own list is comprised only of songwriters who also perform.

The Times, on the other hand, did manage to recognize five individuals or teams whose work happens primarily behind the scenes.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #6,534: ‘Imitadora’ – Romeo Santos

A challenge The New York Times faced in compiling their list of the ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters’ was representing as many genres as possible. Rather than adhere to the traditional white male guitar-and-a-pen concept of songwriting, they wanted to open the conversation to other forms of songcraft.

I think that’s the right approach for a list like this. Popular music in 2026 is different than the folk and rock derivative music of the 20th century. Rap, for example, has been a dominant musical form for three decades. It needs to have a significant presence in this project, and it does.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #6,533: ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ – Willie Nelson

Three artists on the New York Times ’30 Greatest Living American Songwriters’ list came close to making my own list, but I reconsidered including them.

One is Stevie Wonder, who is without question a musical genius and one of the most iconic and celebrated American songwriters and performers in history. If I were compiling some sort of “objective” list of the greats, he would be on it.

But as much as I recognize Wonder’s talent, and really enjoy some of his albums and songs, he’s never been a favorite. And I decided my list should reflect my specific passions, for better or worse.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #6,532: ‘You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me’ – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

The New York Times recently published a list of The ‘30 Greatest Living American Songwriters,’ compiled by polling more than 250 artists and experts and filtering the results through a panel of NYT critics.

Like all pop culture lists, this one generated a ton of controversy. Outrage over who was omitted, eye-rolling over who was included. Reminders that absent artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Drake are actually Canadian.

Continue reading →