Who was the better lyricist?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Obviously Picciotto. Sure some of his Rites of Spring stuff, especially this just screams "I'M 19 YEARS OLD!" but it's still sort of charming and enduring still while Morrison's as traininthedistance noted because just embarrassing. Although I'll admit the people who are my age or older who are still trying to emulate Picciotto's lyrical style very closely are also a tad embarrassing.

I bled in the arms of a girl I'd barely met.
And I woke up this morning
with the present in splinters on the ground
and then i drowned.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Picking the saint I know over the devil I don't. Jimbo it is.

[traininthedistance]

They're both awful, if that Picciotto quote is at all indicative.  Abstain.

For my money, the best lyricist* in pop music (that I'm familiar with) is Paul Simon, and yes that's taking into account the immature teenage angst of "I Am A Rock"- which is still the best damn immature teenage angst ever.

(Honorable mentions to Elvis Costello, David Byrne, and Craig Finn.)

[Joe Republic]

I'll vote for the option I've heard of.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

They're both awful, if that Picciotto quote is at all indicative.  Abstain.

For my money, the best lyricist* in pop music (that I'm familiar with) is Paul Simon, and yes that's taking into account the immature teenage angst of "I Am A Rock"- which is still the best damn immature teenage angst ever.

(Honorable mentions to Elvis Costello, David Byrne, and Craig Finn.)

I agree with a lot of this post--especially the recognition of David Byrne as a lyricist--but I'm curious if you're familiar with Leonard Cohen, and if so, what you think of him. I think he outstrips Simon, at least slightly. Then again, he might not really be considered 'pop music' at this point.

(I'd also replace Craig Finn with Vienna Teng in my honorable mentions but that might be personal bias since I've met her and was introduced to her music in the first place in a very emotionally charged context.)

[Eraserhead]

Both are good, Morrison is better.

[traininthedistance]

They're both awful, if that Picciotto quote is at all indicative.  Abstain.

For my money, the best lyricist* in pop music (that I'm familiar with) is Paul Simon, and yes that's taking into account the immature teenage angst of "I Am A Rock"- which is still the best damn immature teenage angst ever.

(Honorable mentions to Elvis Costello, David Byrne, and Craig Finn.)

I agree with a lot of this post--especially the recognition of David Byrne as a lyricist--but I'm curious if you're familiar with Leonard Cohen, and if so, what you think of him. I think he outstrips Simon, at least slightly. Then again, he might not really be considered 'pop music' at this point.

(I'd also replace Craig Finn with Vienna Teng in my honorable mentions but that might be personal bias since I've met her and was introduced to her music in the first place in a very emotionally charged context.)

I respect- and by and large like- Leonard Cohen but for whatever reason can't bring myself to love his lyrics.  I'm trying to put my finger on why and mostly failing; the two explanations that come to mind are a) the purely musical content of his songs is a lot flatter than the other examples here and that's unavoidably coloring my view even when I specifically try to account for it, and b) just the vagaries of personal taste.

I've heard of Vienna Teng but am actually not that familiar with her, perhaps I should fix that.  Where would be a good place to start?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

They're both awful, if that Picciotto quote is at all indicative.  Abstain.

For my money, the best lyricist* in pop music (that I'm familiar with) is Paul Simon, and yes that's taking into account the immature teenage angst of "I Am A Rock"- which is still the best damn immature teenage angst ever.

(Honorable mentions to Elvis Costello, David Byrne, and Craig Finn.)

I agree with a lot of this post--especially the recognition of David Byrne as a lyricist--but I'm curious if you're familiar with Leonard Cohen, and if so, what you think of him. I think he outstrips Simon, at least slightly. Then again, he might not really be considered 'pop music' at this point.

(I'd also replace Craig Finn with Vienna Teng in my honorable mentions but that might be personal bias since I've met her and was introduced to her music in the first place in a very emotionally charged context.)

I respect- and by and large like- Leonard Cohen but for whatever reason can't bring myself to love his lyrics.  I'm trying to put my finger on why and mostly failing; the two explanations that come to mind are a) the purely musical content of his songs is a lot flatter than the other examples here and that's unavoidably coloring my view even when I specifically try to account for it, and b) just the vagaries of personal taste.

That's fair. I think the flatter musical content works for his style, but, again, vagaries of personal taste.

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I'm tempted to just recommend going through her body of work in chronological order, because there's a clear artistic progression from just unusually intelligent pop music in Waking Hour to (what I consider) genius in Inland Territory. Aims is the first album not to be a marked improvement on its predecessor, and it has a different, more electronic and experimental sound, but I wouldn't say it's notably worse than Inland Territory either, and 'not notably worse than Inland Territory' is a very good position indeed for an album to be in in my eyes. (Aims is also the first album not to have a picture of her on the cover. Instead there's a population movement dot map of Detroit, where she voluntarily lives now. That should give you some idea of both the themes and the tone of her work.) If you'd rather start with specific songs, I'd recommend 'Gravity' or 'Between' from Waking Hour; 'Harbor' or 'Shasta' from Warm Strangers ('Harbor' was the second song of hers that I heard, in a supermarket in Hadley, Massachusetts, Hampshire County being probably the only place in the world that plays her music in supermarkets); 'Blue Caravan', 'Ponchartrain', and/or 'Recessional' from Dreaming through the Noise, ...basically anything from Inland Territory but especially 'Antebellum', 'Grandmother Song', 'Augustine', 'No Gringo', 'Watershed', and 'Radio' ('Antebellum' was the first song of hers that I heard, in, like I said, a very emotionally charged context that I don't want to get into. Seeing her sing it live made my cry); and 'Landsailor' and 'The Hymn of Acxiom' from Aims. Oh, also 'Signal Fire', which one has to find on YouTube or something because it's proven too difficult to record in-studio to her satisfaction.

[Randy Bobandy]

Morrison.

[Simfan34]

Who is Guy Piccoto?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Who is Guy Piccoto?

He's basically the guy who started (real) emo with his band Rites of Spring.

[Potatoe]

Who is Guy Piccoto?

He's basically the guy who started (real) emo with his band Rites of Spring.

So pretty much Hitler?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Real emo. AKA absolutely NOTHING to do with stupid haircuts or guys wearing makeup.

[Potatoe]

Real emo. AKA absolutely NOTHING to do with stupid haircuts or guys wearing makeup.

So literally Mussolini?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Real emo. AKA absolutely NOTHING to do with stupid haircuts or guys wearing makeup.

So literally Mussolini?

His name is no Mussolini, and the most well known Mussolini died in 1945, before his birth, so no, it'd be impossible for him to be literally Mussolini.

[Potatoe]

Real emo. AKA absolutely NOTHING to do with stupid haircuts or guys wearing makeup.

So literally Mussolini?

His name is no Mussolini, and the most well known Mussolini died in 1945, before his birth, so no, it'd be impossible for him to be literally Mussolini.

Joke vs. BRTD. Joke wins over Grammatically incorrect post.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

They're both awful, if that Picciotto quote is at all indicative.  Abstain.

For my money, the best lyricist* in pop music (that I'm familiar with) is Paul Simon, and yes that's taking into account the immature teenage angst of "I Am A Rock"- which is still the best damn immature teenage angst ever.

(Honorable mentions to Elvis Costello, David Byrne, and Craig Finn.)

Paul Simon is one of the greats for sure. I never thought of I Am A Rock as primarily teenage angst.  I think it can apply equally as well if not more so to the feelings of an older person. 

[Simfan34]

Who is Guy Piccoto?

He's basically the guy who started (real) emo with his band Rites of Spring.

That was Stravinsky.

[RosettaStoned]

 The fact that I have never heard of the Italian guy automatically makes Jim Morrison the better lyricist.