Unappreciated lyricists

[Fracktured]

Lyric's straddle the line between good, bad, horrible, exceptional. I've known people to beat up writers through the years that I thought were pretty good. So I submit one singer songwriter that I think has written some very intelligent and meaningful lyric's over the years but is not talked about much when it comes to the best.

John Mellencamp

I'm not a huge Mellencamp fan. I have a couple cd's of his, but listening to his lyric's it struck me how good he really is.

Give some names of ones unappreciated.

[No Pride]

Give some names of ones unappreciated.

I don't know who's appreciated and who isn't. Some that I think are really good:

Paul Simon
Joni Mitchell
Elvis Costello
Peter Gabriel
Andy Partridge

[bob_32_116]

I don't think JC Mellencamp is a writer of genius, nor do I think he is particularly bad.

Being more of a tunes person rather than a lyrics person, i tend not to notice the lyrics so much unless they are spectacularly bad.

Great lyricists: Ummm... Peter Gabriel, Steven Wilson, Bernie Taupin, Jon Anderson, Joni Mitchell. Probably lots of others whose songs I know, without knowing who did the lyrics.
I really don't want to get into whether any of those are "unappreciated" or not.

[walt]

I'll also pass on proffering names of unappreciated lyricists.I will mention one who, imo has demonstrated lyrical excellence time and time again.....Pete Brown.

[mogrooves]

Chris Cutler
Anthony Moore
Peter Blegvad
Bryan Ferry
Eno

[Lou]

Daniel Gildenlow

[Scrotum Scissor]

Chris Cutler
Peter Blegvad

Both particularly outstanding, IMO. Cutler's lyrics with Art Bears were extraordinary.

Michael Gira's lyrics are usually magnificent - also when they aren't really narrative yet "only" illuminative with immense force.

Scott Walker, Tim Buckley, David Ackles, John Martyn, Jackie Leven, Robin Williamson, Roy Harper.

In current (straighter) "prog", Anekdoten's Jan Erik Liljeström is a rather underrated lyricist.

[JKL2000]

^^ Roy Harper +1

[ronmac]

George Harrison
Jimi Hendrix

[klothos]

Im not sure if Bill Leeb or ex-member Rhys Fulber wrote the lyrics in industrial band Front Line Assembly, but they have some fantastic lyrics

[bob_32_116]

Best storyteller lyricists:

Dylan (grudgingly, as I can't stand his singing)
Paul Kelly
Harry Chapin
Billy Joel

[Rarebird]

Wolfgang Niedecken
Heinz Rudolf Kunze
Pe Werner
Ulla Meinecke

[progeezer's ghost]

Steven Wilson (PT and solo)
Fish (Marillion)
Neil Peart (Rush)
Peter Gabriel (Genesis)
Geoff Mann- Twelfth Night
whoever the lyricists are in Threshold

...and countless others.

[Scott Bails]

Steve Hogarth often moves me.

[Cuz]

Jimi Hendrix

[Lopez]

He's mostly known for the whole package, but as a lyricist, Roy Wood was mighty clever. From "Omnibus":

Come and take a ride on my omnibus
We could take you right to the terminus

[at least 100 dead]

David Lee Roth.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Pete Townshend.

Ray Davies.

[at least 100 dead]

Jimi Hendrix

+1

Jim Kerr (but only from 1979-82)

[JJ88]

Yes, I'd agree on Billy Joel. Some of his big 80s hits I don't much care for ('Tell Her About It' for example) so when I listened to his earlier albums I was very pleasantly surprised. For all its success I think his best work is greatly underrated, and I'm not sure why. I find 'The Nylon Curtain' album particularly strong lyrically- 'Allentown' and 'Goodnight Saigon' especially. I'd have loved for him to carry on in that more substantial direction, but it didn't really do as well as his others so he followed up with 'An Innocent Man' which was much poppier and pastiche-heavy.

I think Nilsson is very underrated in this regard too.

[bob_32_116]

Yes, I'd agree on Billy Joel. Some of his big 80s hits I don't much care for ('Tell Her About It' for example) so when I listened to his earlier albums I was very pleasantly surprised. For all its success I think his best work is greatly underrated, and I'm not sure why. I find 'The Nylon Curtain' album particularly strong lyrically- 'Allentown' and 'Goodnight Saigon' especially. I'd have loved for him to carry on in that more substantial direction, but it didn't really do as well as his others so he followed up with 'An Innocent Man' which was much poppier and pastiche-heavy.

I think Nilsson is very underrated in this regard too.

The Nylon Curtain did very well in this country.
I agree that it's a strong album, I am not a great Joel fan; I liked him up until The Stranger, but then he brought out some albums that seemed to be full of bouncy boppy little tunes that I would be happy never to hear again. As for An Innocent Man, every song I heard from that seemed to be copying Ben E King, the Four Seasons, or somebody else.

Also some of his more ambitious songs have suffered from too much airplay. Piano Man is a good song, but I don't need to hear it every frigging week on FM radio.

[JJ88]

'52nd Street' was very 'son of The Stranger', and almost as good- certainly the first side is great, with the marvellous 'Zanzibar' being a particular favourite. Then 'Glass Houses' was seen as his response to New Wave- it too was a strong album. 'An Innocent Man' was a sort of 'homage album'. I like 'Uptown Girl' and 'The Longest Time' with The Four Seasons and doo-wop vibe respectively, most of the rest I'm not as enamoured of. I never really bothered after that. I like 'Leningrad'. But I admire the way he just stopped putting out new stuff, seemingly recognising the decline...he's actually not done a new album for over 20 years.

[Scott Bails]

As for An Innocent Man, every song I heard from that seemed to be copying Ben E King, the Four Seasons, or somebody else.

That was by design. It was a tribute to his roots.

[simon moon]

Daniel Gildenlow

+1


The lyrics to "Trace of Blood" alone are enough to consider him a great lyricist.

[Fracktured]

Best storyteller lyricists:

Dylan (grudgingly, as I can't stand his singing)
Paul Kelly
Harry Chapin
Billy Joel

I agree, but was looking for mostly unappreciated lyricists. Especially Dylan has been regarded as one of the best ever.