The Best Lyricist In Music, Right Now, Is.......

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ummm, did i hear bill callahan-from-smog's name not being mentioned? for all the riddles he has subjected my brain to, for all the ambiguities he has spread over his records, even accepting that he sounds like a fuckhead and the last album wasn't all that good, he is still the number one forever and ever amen.

― joel, Saturday, 13 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Revenge of Rockism: Dylan's "Time Out Of Mind" contains great great lyrics. So there. Also Lou Reed's "Ectasy" mixes lyrics which rhyme dumb and thumb with the very affecting lyrics to Baton Rouge, and Reed probably the most distinctive lyricist around. Not the current Sleater Kinney album, but the previous two were great. "Not What You Want" ranks as one of the great kiss offs ever "You think you wanna watch/I think you better not" and then there's Joe Jackson who if he's still writing songs up to the par of his early stuff (is he? I don't know) would be tops and then Elvis Costello's stuff on Painted From Memory is tops, and the slighly earlier stuff (Spike et al) is also great lyrically (just overly complex musically)

― Sterling Clover, Saturday, 13 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

E from eels. very interessting lyrics.

also Joe Jackson, he just released his new album and it's very good.

Ludo

― Ludo, Sunday, 14 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Stephin Merritt, probably (pathetic covers-all-bases answer). Though MC Paul Barman comes rapidly closer.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The Genius/GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Outkast and Mobb Deep. And against those titans of Hip Hop I can only come up with Jason Pierce oh so elegant dope hymns and I have a inexplicable weakness for those smart-ass but moving Stuart Murdoch lyrics.

― o.munoz, Friday, 19 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

someone else mentioned it & i'll 2nd it cos it's untouchable in terms of "rock writing" or "lyrics" as you call em (there's a difference betwixt rock song writ & poetry, duh.) dylan's "time out of mind". unbelievable not in it's elaborations or variety/depth of language (tho there's bits of all that in there), but in the manner of his breathing, phrasing, flow & the content the words & delivery work & dance to illuminate. mortality, indeed....

― eric s gregory, Friday, 26 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

singer/songwriters unite : Peter Blegvad (ex Slapp Happy) still writes wittily and intelligently - if you like Merritt then you'll like PB.

― philT, Friday, 26 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

three weeks pass...

S/A/W

― Jiz, Friday, 16 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

in no particular order, and only of those i consider to be in their prime right now (i.e. no krs, no slick rick):

aceyalone eminem pharoahe monch ras kass common gza e-swift mos def prince poetry sticky fingaz

there are a lot of mcs i like better than those on this list, but only because of better DELIVERY, not better lyrics (method man, jay-z, lyrics born, odb, guru, etc.)

and i hate paul barman.

― ethan padgett, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Ask Ally C96. He probably has an idea.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

At the risk of sounding like some kind of nepotistic, wankerish publicity machine, I honestly think it might be The Pinefox himself. No, really. I hope you weren't fishing for that one sonny, I was going to say it anyway.

― Ally C, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

nine months pass...

Van Dyke Parks Graeme Downes Robert Forster

― odyshape, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bruce Springsteen.

Always was.

― dave q, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I would've said Beyonce but that "smelling good" in 'Bootylicious' kills everything. So it's the Boss!

― dave q, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Scott Miller.

― dan, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Toby Keith!

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

what the fuck, e-swift?

― ethan, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Well, hey - at least the Boss beats Tom Waits.

― the pinefox, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

three months pass...

err ahhh Mmmm maybe... Stephen Malkus or Tom Mcrae

― kiwi, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Couldn't it be Ryan Adams? Definitely the most prolific songwriter today. And what is this fishy thing about the Pinefox? How does the equation go? The Pinefox = Ally C = Lloyd Cole or what? If the Pinefox is the best lyricist where are his lyrics and songs?

― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

If we're talking "right now" the correct answer is Mike Skinner of the Streets.

"You say everything sounds the same/Then you go buy them!"

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

four weeks pass...

gotta second the streets. he's beer-larious! (and i think he says that in Dont Mug Yourself or perhaps I dont understand english accents.) the big sobby track on the album, which is quite ace, "its too late" has the lyric "she loved me and i did too."

― Maggie, Thursday, 11 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

four years pass...

"i'm including rap, and therefore - Paul Barman. The thinking man's Eminem......."

best post evah?

― timmy tannin (pompous), Friday, 3 November 2006 07:22 (seventeen years ago) link

the answer is JANDEK.

― calvin johnson has ruined rock for an entire generation (orion), Friday, 3 November 2006 08:18 (seventeen years ago) link

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