The top 15 greatest rock authors in history!
Содержание
The greatest rock songwriters of all time have a lot in common. Firstly, they are some of the biggest names in rock music history. And these big names have written some of the most popular songs in the world... Secondly, even if you're not too familiar with these songwriters, you've definitely heard their songs at least once or twice in your life... Yes, you may not be familiar with their names or faces, but you should know their music! For some strange reason you may not have heard of John Lennon or Paul McCartney, but you've definitely heard of The Beatles and their music. The same goes for Freddie Mercury and Queen.....
Bob Dylan is considered one of the first songwriters to incorporate poetry, imagery and social consciousness into rock music. His influence is very widespread. Many songwriters on this list consider Dylan to be one of the most important songwriters in rock history. He may not have had the same influence as Dylan, but Kurt Cobain has proven to be one of the most important songwriters in recent history. His career may have been short, but his influence on music history cannot be underestimated. It's not easy to determine which of these songwriters is the best. It is up to you to decide who is the greatest rock songwriter of all time... However, remembering their names would not be out of place.
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney is known to more mature audiences as the iconic Beatle, but in addition to being a member of The Beatles, he gave the world the great music of Wings... Paul McCartney has been in the Guinness Book of Records several times, particularly for his contribution to recent music history! His 60 discs have gone gold, and the total circulation of records has long exceeded 100 million copies worldwide...
One of his most legendary creations is the famous "Yesterday": the song has been re-recorded by other artists more than 3,000 times! And "Mull of Kintyre", released already as part of Wings, set a record as the first British record in history to sell more than 2 million copies....
John Lennon
The Lennon-McCartney duo has become one of the most influential and successful songwriting unions in the history of modern music. Paul's colleague in The Beatles, Lennon wrote dozens of iconic compositions that still resonate to this day... Imagine is a prime example of this.
In his work John Lennon expressed his point of view and views on life, he boldly spoke about how he thought the world should be organised... The musician preached the ideas of equality and brotherhood of people, peace, freedom... This made him one of the most influential people of the 60s-70s.
Bob Dylan
Having radically changed his sound vector in the mid-60s, Bob Dylan released the legendary six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone": the track's innovative concept is considered one of the turning points in 20th century pop music.
Dylan's lyrics contain a wide range of political, social, philosophical and literary tendencies. In his work, the musician defied all existing rules! His unique trait is considered to be his ability to raise serious topics, juxtaposing them with high poetry...
It was Dylan who was a major influence on such maestros as Johnny Cash, Neil Young and even The Beatles!
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury has always remained the creative centre of Queen... It's worth noting that each member of the band was the author of at least one hit! However, the iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody" was written by none other than Freddie....
Quite often the lyrics of songs written by Mercury remained a mystery to the public... The author himself clearly liked it: the Queen frontman preferred not to disclose the essence of the tracks, giving the listener the opportunity to think about it for themselves....
David Bowie
Throughout his 50-year career, David Bowie's image has changed many times... Because of this, the musician is often called "the chameleon of rock music". In his songs Bowie raised complex themes and serious social issues. The innovative creativity and staging of his live performances brought a new paradigm to popular music of the early 70s!
David Bowie's unique trait has always been his devotion to his own recognisable style, the unique timbre of his voice and the intellectual depth of the works he has created....
Prince
In his lifetime, this great genius wrote dozens of iconic hits, including the famous "Purple Rain"! The composition, which fused rock, pop, gospel and orchestral music, remains one of Prince's most outstanding works throughout his career....
The total circulation of Prince's records has long exceeded 100 million copies. The musician's name was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...
Robert Plante
After the breakup of Led Zeppelin, Plant began a successful solo career that continues to this day. Plant's talent as a songwriter first became apparent on the Led Zeppelin II album. At that time, his fascination with black blues music was also noted....
The legendary "Stairway To Heaven" is considered Plante's authorial pinnacle, the lyrics of which enchant with their mystery, mystical mood and extraordinary beauty....
Jonny Cash
The phrase "Man in Black" has long been closely associated with this genius. The lyrics of Johnny Cash's songs were characterised by extraordinary depth and simplicity... They were also close to the public.
Cash continued to record until his death. Sadly, the heralded country music icon first and foremost passed away in 2003...
Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler is best known as a songwriter, lead guitarist and vocalist for Dire Straits. In addition to being a legendary songwriter, the musician is widely recognised as one of the greatest guitarists ever: it was Knopfler who popularised fingerpicking.
Mark Knopfler has worked with such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Sting... He also produced Tina Turner's album and wrote music for many films, including Local Hero and Diary of a Terrorist.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is one of the most influential rock musicians in history! He is also the only musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times... Besides being a great guitarist, Eric Clapton has also built a reputation as a great rock songwriter! Let's listen to his famous hit "Layla"....
In addition to "Lila," Clapton became widely famous for performing a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff,"...
Tom Petty
Popularity came to Petty after the formation of the band The Heartbreakers. Tom was also a member of the superband The Traveling Wilburys! According to the musician himself, his future destiny was decided after he saw The Beatles perform in 1964: "...that event changed my whole life...". Among Tom Petty's most popular and truly beautiful hits is the magnificent "Mary Janeʼs Last Dance"...
In October 2017, Petty was found unconscious in his Malibu home. The musician had gone into full cardiac arrest. After a prolonged fight for life, medics made the decision to switch off life support...
Kurt Cobain
Probably the legendary "Smells Like Teen Spirit", written by the leader of Nirvana just a few months before his death, will never be forgotten... This song became a timeless hit, in fact, what it was supposed to be (judging by the title...).
Perhaps Kurt Cobain is in stark contrast to the rest of this top... His career as a grunge musician was inexcusably short... But his impact on music history cannot be underestimated.
Roy Orbison
Is it worth talking about Roy Orbison's endless authorial talent? Or is it enough to listen to the legendary "Oh, Pretty Woman" (which will be much more enjoyable...).
By the way: the iconic hit, now over 50 years old (!!!), was co-written by Orbison with Bill Dees for exactly as long as the song itself lasts!
David Gilmore
Talking about the greatest rock hit writers it would be inexcusable to leave out David Gilmour: after recording Animals he decided that his musical potential was only half utilised... The musician decided to remedy this by releasing the 1978 solo David Gilmour. Here Gilmour demonstrated his talent to the fullest extent! From now on, each of his works only confirms his status as a talented author of music and lyrics!
Remarkably, in the mid-80s, in the midst of tensions within Pink Floyd, Gilmour stated, "...the band has exhausted its creative possibilities..."
Pete Townsend
Pete Townsend is known as the founder, leader and writer of almost all songs of The Who, called one of the most influential bands of the 20th century. And, to be convinced of Townsend's songwriting talent, you only need to listen to "Won't Get Fooled Again"....
Today Pete Townsend is also one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time! In a word - a truly talented person is talented in everything....
