Here’s our unsolicited response to the New York Times’ list of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters, and we have a place for Billy Joel

Two years ago, as we celebrated the life of a wife and mother who died too young, a mourner read – not even sang – the lyrics to Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way” – and the church overflowed with tears.

“She’s got a way about her.

I don’t know what it is.

But I know that I can’t live without her, anyway.”

I thought about that this week while listening to a very young-sounding team of New York Times music journalists justifying their new clickbait magazine project proclaiming “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters” on the newspaper’s podcast, “The Daily.” 

I’ve been in this journo game long enough to know all too well the irresistible appeal of list stories. When I worked as a sports editor, I once counted down the 10 greatest sports movies for 10 straight Sundays. By Week 10, the collective reader temperature was, if not fully at a fever pitch, then at least legitimately, well … slightly elevated.    

In 2026, we make no apologies for doing whatever it takes to get eyes on words. List stories galvanize readers into full-on states of affrontery, nitpicking, culture-warring, eye-rolling and even some begrudging admiring. I certainly took the bait. Maybe you did, too. In general, I thought the Times panel worked far too hard on being all things to all people and music genres, rather than sticking to the cutthroat but surprisingly simple task at hand: Pick the greatest.  

But when a second Times writer invoked the same word to dismiss Joel’s place in the Top 30, my own body temp jumped a few degrees.

“Schmaltz”? Did they really just call Billy Joel’s canon “schmaltz?” Twice?

Children. Please.

I decided then and there it was my entitled duty to offer up my own completely unsolicited and largely unnecessary list, if only to make sure that a few more names are added to the conversation. If all I accomplish here is to amplify names like the Avett Brothers and Cyndi Lauper and the Indigo Girls and even Eminem, I will have done my part. Or Colorado’s own hitmaking machine, Ryan Tedder. And if any of you come across names like David Wilcox and Jeff Tweedy and Loudon Wainwright and that sends your scratching head to your Spotify search bar, all the better.

In the same vein as the New York Times, I hereby offer up my Top 30, also in first-name alphabetical order, without numerical rankings, along with a song title and a lyric for your song-sampling consideration:

• The Avett Brothers: North Carolina folk-rock band known for their high-energy, emotive blend of bluegrass, country and pop. “Always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.” – from “Murder in the City”

• Bad Bunny: Boundary-pushing Puerto Rican (yes, that makes him an American) global superstar known for storytelling and social commentary delivered in unapologetic Spanish. “Y fuiste tú mi baile inolvidable.” (“You were my unforgettable dance.”) – from “Baile Inolvidable”

• Billy Joel: The Piano Man has sold 150 million records over five decades. “The good ole days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” – from “Keeping the Faith”

• Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe: The geniuses behind nearly every Four Seasons hit song. “You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off of you. You’d be like heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much.”– from “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You“

• Bob Dylan: Nobel-winning poet who transformed popular music by merging folk with rock’s electric energy and urgent social commentary. “He who is not busy being born is busy dying.” – from “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)“

• Brandi Carlisle: 11-time Grammy winner known for emotionally raw lyrics and radical authenticity. “I crossed all the lines, and I broke all the rules. But baby, I broke them all for you.” – from “The Story”

• Bruce Springsteen: Poetic, anthemic voice of the American working class. “Well now everything dies, baby, that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.” – from “Atlantic City”

• Carole King: As described by the New York Times: “She came to define melancholy for a generation of women for whom waiting had become a choice.” “Something inside has died, and I can’t hide and I just can’t fake it.” – from “It’s Too Late”

• Conor Oberst: Bright Eyes frontman is his generation’s trembling voice of anxiety, heartbreak and political malaise. “The sun came up with no conclusions. Flowers sleeping in their beds. The city’s cemetery’s humming. I’m wide awake, it’s morning.” – from “Road to Joy”

• Cyndi Lauper: Iconic 1980s pop songwriter known for her distinctive voice, vibrant fashion and anthemic hits like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” that champion individuality and freedom. “If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me.” – from “Time after Time”

• David Wilcox: Unmistakably giddy North Carolina singer-songwriter and folk-music minister. “For in this darkness, love will show the way.” – from “Show the Way”

• Dolly Parton: Legendary singer-songwriter and savvy entrepreneur and philanthropist who turned pain into purpose. “I do wish you joy. And I wish you happiness. But above all this: I wish you love.” – from “I Will Always Love You”

• Eminem: Confrontational, intensely vulnerable and lyrical virtuoso who revolutionized hip-hop by turning his personal struggles, rage and alter-egos into raw, provocative and cathartic storytelling. “I maybe made some mistakes, but I’m only human. But I’m man enough to face ’em today.” – from “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”

• Jeff Tweedy: Introspective frontman of Wilco (known as  “a warrior for kindness”) transforms his personal anxieties into honest, accessible epics. “I assassin down the avenue.” – from “Via Chicago“

• The Indigo Girls: Enduring folk-rock duo Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are adored for their intricate harmonies, socially conscious lyrics and trailblazing status. “I better learn how to starve the emptiness and feed the hunger.” – from “Watershed”

• James Taylor: Warm baritone icon who defined the 1970s acoustic-driven, introspective singer-songwriter movement. “Just shower the people you love with love. Show them the way that you feel.” – from “Shower the People”

• Kendrick Lamar: Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper and virtuoso storyteller whose deeply socially conscious lyrics explore the complexities of Black American life and consciousness. “Everybody gon’ respect the shooter. But the one in front of the gun lives forever.” – from “Money Trees”

• Lionel Ritchie: Motown legend celebrated for his smooth vocals, timeless ballads and infectious pop-soul hits made a massive cultural impact. “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” from “Hello”

• Loudon Wainwright: Witty, honest and autobiographical folk-rocker (and father of Rufus). “He shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right.” – from “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)”

• Michael Stipe: Redefining the role of a rock frontman by blending enigmatic, poetic lyrics with alternative rock, pioneering the 1980s indie sound as the leader of R.E.M. “Everybody hurts sometimes. So hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.” – from “Everybody Hurts”

• Morgan Wallen: Polarizing, record-shattering superstar known for blending traditional country themes with modern pop-rock sounds. “All those prayers you thought you wasted on me must’ve finally made their way on through.” – from “Thought You Should Know“

• Neko Case: Critically acclaimed and fiercely independent singer-songwriter known for her versatile voice, noirish country style and intensely personal songwriting that bridges punk, country and indie-rock. “Last night I dreamt I’d forgotten my name. ‘Cause I sold my soul. But I woke just the same.” – from “I Wish I Was the Moon”

• Paul Simon: 1960s folk-rock icon who evolved over seven decades from Simon & Garfunkel duo into a pioneering world artist, accumulating 16 Grammys and twice entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” – from “The Boxer“

• Smokey Robinson: Motown legend whose soulful voice and poetic love songs (most written for his group The Miracles) created a new era of American pop-music romance. “Fiddle-lee-dee. Fiddle-lee-dum. Look out baby, ’cause here I come.” – from “Get Ready” (for The Temptations)

• Sturgill Simpson: Genre-bending Kentucky singer-songwriter revolutionized modern country music by blending traditional roots with psychedelic, philosophical and unconventional rock influences. “Just know in your heart that we’re always together. And long after I’m gone, I’ll still be around.” – from “All Around You.”

• Ryan Tedder: As the lead singer of OneRepublic and a prolific writer and producer for Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and more, he has shaped modern pop. He started OneRepublic during his senior year at Colorado Springs Christian School. “Standin’ in the light of your halo, I got my angel now.” – from “Halo” (Beyoncé)

• Taylor Swift: USA Today puts it this way: “A masterful emotional alchemist who transmutes personal, diary-style narratives into massive, universal pop anthems.” “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.” – from “All Too Well”

• Stevie Wonder: Child prodigy and musical genius who fused soul, funk and technology to create a timeless soundtrack for love and social change. “Just as hate knows love’s the cure, you can rest your mind assure, that I’ll be loving you always.” – from “As“

• Tom Waits: Gravelly voiced beatnik and a theatrical songwriter who paints gritty, romantic vignettes of outsiders with a blend of cabaret, blues and pain. “Don’t you know there ain’t no devil? That’s just God when he’s drunk.” – from “Heartattack and Vine.”  

• Willie Nelson: Outlaw country icon whose profound songwriting and travelling, vagabond spirit have made him “the weathered, authentic voice of American music.” – “Love is like a dying ember. Only memories remain.” – from ”Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain“

(Note: Some artist descriptions were culled from published accounts.)

John Moore is the Denver Gazette’s Senior Arts Journalist. Email him at [email protected].

The New York Times’ Top 30

• Bad Bunny 


• Babyface


• Bob Dylan


• Brandy Clark, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally

• Brian and Eddie Holland

• Bruce Springsteen

• Carole King

• Diane Warren

• Dolly Parton

• Eddie Holland

• Fiona Apple

• Jay-Z

• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

• Kendrick Lamar
• Lana Del Ray

• Lionel Richie

• Lucinda Williams
  • Mariah Carey
• Missy Elliott

• Nile Rodgers
• OutKast

• Paul Simon
• 
Romeo Santos
• 
Stephin Merritt
• 
Stevie Wonder

• Taylor Swift
• The-Dream
• 
Valerie Simpson
• 
Willie Nelson
• Young Thug