best lyrics

[elemental]

who do you think the best lyrics belong to?

[magicdice]

alexisonfire. shame they're largely inaudible, though

[trilobite]

Sony Music Corp., probably.

[Mattk]

i wouldnt say that the beatles lyrics are the best ! lovely rita meter maid to site but one example !

the band 'the the' used good lyrics consistently.

[littleoldme]

Jarvis Cocker's lyrics for Pulp have a certain poetic quality to them and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy is often very witty and clever, as was the guv'nor himself - the late, great Ian Dury. Then there's Elvis Costello. Oh, and Kirsty MacColl (and if you like Kirsty, watch out for the young and very talented Thea Gilmore).

For me though, the all-time award has to go to Ray Davies of The Kinks.

[curiosity]

I agree with littleoldme on the kinks, but think the Smiths need a mention with lines like "what she did to me at the end of the day Caligula would have blushed" and "I left my bag at Newport Pagnell" Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were good lyrically. Space tell great stories.

[Potatoman]

Kevin Wilson

[brachiopod]

Billy Bragg

[3Styler]

pink floyd, van morrison, and morrisey undoubtedly best lyricists of all time even though i dont like the smiths or pink floyd that much, they are consistenty rated as best lyricists of all time

[Gevs1966]

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned Bob Dylan

 

Also for a contemporary lyricist and for intelligence in using words Eminem has got to be worth a mention

[donegal]

the beatles and u2

[carley_pie]

pete doherty and carl barat

[melv]

Definately Men At Work with down under...

How can you beat the lyrics:

"She just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich" :-)

[Haggisdj]

Some of Marc Almonds lyrics are good, then there are all the Motown writers...

[Little Lady]

Gevs i have to agree, Eminem's lyrics are cetainly something! At least he is honest about everything he sings about.

I also like Natasha Bedingfield's -These words. Real simple yet real effective

[gluff]

Tom Waits

[3Styler]

trouble is with saying natasha bedingfield and eminem are good lyrcists is that noone really knows if they actually wrote the lyrics themselves or just paid professionals to do it for them. more true for natasha bedingfield than eminem