By Cory Franklin

May 13^th, 2026

In true New York Times spirit, the Times Magazine recently compiled a list of “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.” The list is basically high-class clickbait, and like all lists of this type is meant to provoke discussion – and argument.

So here goes.

The list definitely has some bona fide superstars: Carole King, Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan. But not surprisingly, it is a work of recency bias and more than a little diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many young and BIPOC entries on the list. But to be fair, I’m frankly unqualified to discuss the merits of Young Thug and Bad Bunny – so for all I know, their particular oeuvre merits inclusion.

But there are some people left off who should be on. And I have divided them into three categories: 1). Five people in the “what were they thinking when they left them off the list” category 2). Two people who should absolutely be included “depending on the definition of songwriter,” and 3). Three of my “personal favorites” who are as good as just about anyone on the list. Not to mention one bonus selection.

What were they thinking when they left them off the list? (5)

Billy Joel. There is probably no better pure musician on this or the Times list than Billy Joel (Stevie Wonder, maybe). The Piano Man is equally adept at classical and rock-and-roll. His skills are comparable to those of Paul McCartney – probably not the tunesmith McCartney is, but quite possibly a better lyricist.

Don Henley. He founded The Eagles with the late Glenn Frey, and they wrote most of the group’s greatest songs (“Hotel California,” “Desperado,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling”). Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the largest selling album in America ever (Michael Jackson’s Thriller sold more worldwide), and their Hotel California album is in the top five in sales. Henley’s solo albums have also sold more than 10 million copies. If the sole criterion was commercial success, Don Henley might be America’s greatest living songwriter, surpassing all the others.

Neil Diamond. In the movie What About Bob? Bill Murray says, “There are two types of people in the world. Those who like Neil Diamond and those who don’t.” Maybe true, but there are a whole lot more of the former than the latter, and even those who don’t like Neil Diamond cannot deny he has been a consummate songwriter since the mid-1960s. You may find “Sweet Caroline” as grating as I do, but there are plenty to make up for it including “I’m A Believer,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Solitary Man” (and my own favorite, not played enough, “Brooklyn Roads”). Neil Diamond was the first rock-era star to perform his own work on Broadway. He has also a Broadway play based on his work. That counts for a lot.

John Fogerty. John Fogerty demonstrated preternatural ability as a songwriter as the heart and soul of Creedence Clearwater Revival, the short-lived, but legendary group of the late 1960s/early 1970s. Think “Proud Mary” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain?”. Then he came back again as a solo artist in the 1980s and wrote classics such as “Centerfield” and “The Old Man Down The Road”. When Fogerty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bruce Springsteen (who is on the Times list), gave the induction speech and said, “As a songwriter, only a few did as much in three minutes as John Fogerty.

Jimmy Webb. “Up, Up and Away,” “Wichita Lineman,” “By The Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston,” “MacArthur Park,” “The Highwayman.” Jimmy Webb not on the list of Greatest Living American Songwriters? As Joe Biden would say, “Come on, man.”

Depending on the definition of songwriter (2):

John Wiiliams. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, E.T., Olympic themes, etc. etc. If the definition of songwriter includes writing classical music and movie music, John Williams is the unquestionably the greatest songwriter of our lifetime, and belongs in the same pantheon as Gershwin, Berlin, Copland, and Ellington.

Barry Manilow. Bear with me. An excellent musician and yes, I know he wrote a bunch of cheesy songs in the 1970s. But those songs sold 85 million records, which made him an international star – 52 top 40 hits and 12 #1 songs. And here’s the key – if the definition of songwriter includes penning legendary commercial jingles, he’s right at the top. The author of “Like A Good Neighbor” for State Farm, which the company has used for more than 50 years, and “I Am Stuck on Band-Aids”, among others, belongs on the list.

My Personal Favorites (3):

Paul Williams. Regarded by his fellow songwriters as one of the best. He wrote for Barbra Streisand (“Evergreen”), Three Dog Night (“Old Fashioned Love Song,” “Out in the Country”) the Carpenters (“Rainy Days and Mondays,” “We’ve Only Just Begun”), The Muppets and The Monkees (“Someday Man”- great song). He also co-wrote the theme for The Love Boat. I think that should cinch his inclusion.

Randy Newman. From a legendary musical family, he wrote for movies (Toy Story, The Natural, Cars), rock and roll (“Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Short People”) and television (Lost in Space). Two Academy Awards, three Emmys, seven Grammys. ‘Nuff said.

Jim Peterik. Morton West High School. He started The Ides of March with some friends back in the 1960s and wrote the iconic “Vehicle”. With the Ides he also wrote “L.A. Goodbye,” “You Wouldn’t Listen To Me” and the underappreciated “Roller Coaster” and “Superman.” When he cofounded Survivor in 1978, he happened to co-write “Eye of the Tiger”, one of the most popular songs in the world. For Survivor, he also wrote “High on You,” “I Can’t Hold Back” and “The Search is Over.” Then he collaborated with .38 Special and wrote “Hold On Loosely” and “Caught Up in You”. Maybe the New York Times writers are not familiar with Jim Peterik because he’s from Berwyn. But I know one thing: There is no way there are 30 living American songwriters better than Jim Peterik.

The problem with a round number list is that someone may be left off. To get to ten, I had to leave someone off. So, your bonus songwriter is someone I have written about before.

Barry Mann. A Brill Building veteran, he and his wife Cynthia Weil wrote some of the best songs of the mid 1960s, while competing with their friends/rivals Carole King and Gerry Goffin. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Kicks” (and the Father’s Day standard, “My Dad”). He might not be in that top 30, but you’d get no argument for me if he was, and if not, he’s damn close.

Sure, every one of these guys is an old white male. But they all had another thing in common: they could all write timeless music.

-30-

Cory Franklin, physician and writer, is a frequent contributor to johnkassnews.com. Director of Medical Intensive Care at Cook County (Illinois) Hospital for 25 years, before retiring he wrote over 80 medical articles, chapters, abstracts, and correspondences in books and professional journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. In 1999, he was awarded the Shubin-Weil Award, one of only fifty people ever honored as a national role model for the practice and teaching of intensive care medicine. 

Since retirement, Dr. Franklin has been a contributor to the Chicago Tribune op-ed page. His work has been published in the New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and excerpted in the New York Review of Books. Internationally, his work has appeared internationally in Spiked, The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post. For nine years he hosted a weekly audio podcast, Rememberingthepassed, which discusses the obituaries of notable people who have died recently. His 2015 book “Cook County ICU: 30 Years Of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases” was a medical history best-seller. In 2024, he co-authored The COVID Diaries: Anatomy of a Contagion As it Happened.

In 1993, he worked as a technical advisor to Harrison Ford and was a role model for the physician character Ford played in the film, The Fugitive.