In April, The New York Times Magazine released a list of “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters,” sparking quick and widespread criticism.
Many commenters online voiced their frustrations over the absence of notable names like Billy Joel, Tom Waits, Trent Reznor, and Jason Isbell. Others were equally upset about the inclusion of artists such as Bad Bunny and Young Thug.
One reader commented, “This is ridiculous. Who are some of these people? Where’s Billy Joel, Jeff Tweedy, or Jason Isbell? Young Thug?! What a joke. Mariah Carey is in there as a songwriter? She isn’t writing every day. And just casually putting Bob Dylan on this list is silly. There’s Dylan, a long gap, and then everyone else.” This comment alone gathered 1,500 upvotes among the 6,000 responses.
Dylan’s song “All Along the Watchtower” opens with these lines:
“There must be some way out of here,” said the joker to the thief
“There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief
Businessmen, they drink my
