Who is the greatest songwriter ever.?

It's a toss-up between Hoagy Carmichael and Willie Dixon.

Dylan deserves honorable mention along with Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, Otis Blackwell, Chuck Berry and too many others to list.

Note to musical snobs:

Composers of serious music (Baroque, Classical, etc.) are not eligible to compete in this category. They are not "songwriters".

First off, classical music nerds --- classical composers are NOT songwriters. They are COMPOSERS. Songwriting is closely associated with popular (re: contemporary) music and not things from 1799. Please brush up on your popular music terminology when you decide to take a break from studying irrelevant dead, stuffy and pompous musicians. (And yes, they're irrelevant because classical music rarely finds itself referenced stylistically or contextually in popular song; to really study music, you need to appreciate both sides of music --- which I do, but I know few classical die-hards do not --- but it's hard to hold a relevant conversation on music today when all you can discuss is Schumann or Liszt or Satie.)

The more I've listened, studied and critiqued popular music, the less I've come to recognize Dylan as a monumental talent. Yes, he can write some flashy political lyrics, but the key components of being a "great" songwriter involve not only lyricism but also a propensity for melody and instrumentation. Dylan was a poor singer and a poor musician; his songs were merely poems or long diatribes set to simple music and rarely did they pull you into the stories. Rather, Dylan's songs are a brick wall he merely lets his audience look over at key moments. He surrounds himself with obtuseness --- hardly a skill of a great writer. Good writing should pull a listener in, not keep them isolated on the fringes.

Dylan is important to the canon of American songwriting, but is he the best? No.

I greatly prefer Paul McCartney over John Lennon, but that's just personal preference. I think "Hey Jude" is a far superior rock song than the over-cited Utopian views of "Imagine." Heck, I even consider Harrison to be a better songwriter than Lennon at times. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is one of the best Beatles songs ever written.

Other great contemporary songwriters that shouldn't be overshadowed by Dylan/Beatles:

Leonard Cohen

Lou Reed

Both are fabulous storytellers.

Absolutely. My son gave me the Live at Canterbury Hall cd just lately for my birthday, and while I heard Expecting to Fly, I simply stopped the whole thing I was once so blown away. I were a giant fan due to the fact that I was once sixteen, and this was once the primary time I had heard this acoustic variant. I love Neil Young,and personally no person comes near in track writing. He is the satisfactory!

Just about everyone on here is going to say that their favourite is someone within the last 70 years. For me personally, it is all about the MASTERS and I do mean MASTERS of the musical ART and composition. The biggest of them all is Franz Schubert. Not only is his catalogue of songs ENORMOUS (not that this should determine a great), but his mastery of thematic development and memorable melody is untouched, to this very day! Sure, it’s "old" and "classical" and no it doesn’t have a "drum" beat, but his music is withstanding the test of time. ’Ave Maria’ is used extensively still, only to name one composition.

I also believe that Robert Schumann’s song cycles merit a lot of attention. They are incredibly beautiful, poetic and his catalogue of songs is also vast. Let’s not forget Gustav Mahler either.

For early 20th Century I would say Benjamin Britten is one of the best and most unique. If you haven't heard the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, THEN CHECK IT OUT!!! Great Recording on Naxos label.

For late 20th century I would say James Hetfield of Metallica hardly ever misses a target, that is until the last album they released, but his skills as a song writer are to be ranked among the better of the last century. With songs like Master of Puppets, Damage Inc., Fade to Black, Nothing Else Matter, Enter Sandman, ...And Justice for All, One, Harvester of Sorrow, Sad But True, Wherever I May Roam, the Unforgiven, For Whom the Bell Tolls, of Wolf and Man, etc etc Who could not love this guy’s combination of music and great lyrical writing??? If you want stats, how is 8th greatest selling act ever? They’d probably be higher if it wasn’t as heavy (more accessible to more people).

My personal favorite may be Joni Mitchell. A great deal of her music is highly complex, bordering on "composition" as opposed to simple songwriting. She's a hell of a "songwriter", too. Kate Bush is another.

I think Ronnie Radke..

But if I had to chose I would chose Mccartney

Still.. Ronnie Radke is my favorite. Sorry I am quite obsessed.

Jim Stein, or someone like him, the greatest song writers aren't necessarily singers.

Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish. Both his lyrics and compositions are breathtaking.

Handel

GARY NUMAN, Trent Reznor, and Celldweller.