Who’s the greatest?Good morning. You know what’s a good way to start a conversation that’s going to last a while? Publish a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. The Times just did that. First, we polled hundreds of pop stars, critics, historians, industry executives, D.J.s, music supervisors and choreographers. They gave us 700 names. (Look at some of their ballots.) Then, during long and often heated conversations, six Times music writers edged the list down to 30 artists. And now we need to talk about it! There’s much to discuss. Because, sure, Bob Dylan’s on the list, and Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen, too. But Billy Joel didn’t make the cut. Nor did Garth Brooks or Randy Newman. Yes to Stevie Wonder. No to Stevie Nicks. Everyone’s going to have feelings about this. Everyone’s going to cheer for some, bark at others, harrumph in complaint or declare vindication. (I was bummed about Nicks, but the methodology’s sound. Here’s how they did it.)
What I like most about the project is the language behind the critical reasoning, the way enthusiasm can transform into concrete, and convincing, argument. Take the river of hits Lionel Richie produced from the late 1970s into the mid-80s: “His litany of urgently treacly smashes was the soundtrack of that era,” writes Jon Caramanica. It was both an update of Brill Building songwriting and “a cool and controlled reimagining of the sensual soul music of the late ’60s through the mid-70s.” Or Lana Del Rey: “Everybody wants to sound like her, but no one else can quite replicate the particular sonic grammar of her writing, which unfurls like an intimate dispatch from the blurry edge of sleep and wakefulness,” writes Lindsay Zoladz. I like to luxuriate in arguments like these. Here are three now. Taylor SwiftShe had it right from the start, Joe Coscarelli writes, from the first verse of the first song of her first album: “He said the way my blue eyes shined / Put those Georgia stars to shame that night / I said, ‘That’s a lie.’” Swift was 16. And in the two decades since, over 12 studio albums and hundreds of songs, she’s distilled big feelings alongside melodies that worm their way into your brain. Joe’s definitive about it: Swift has done as much as anyone in modern popular music history to advance the idea of the song — its construction and impact, its tensions and limitations — as an important art form. But she has also done it while foregrounding the agency and emotional lives of young women, and as a result has become probably the most pored-over writer — or at least up there with J.K. Rowling and the pope — of the 21st century in any medium. Swift gave us a rare interview about the craft of songwriting. Watch it here. It’s good: “There’s a difference between art and, like, going and ranting on an Instagram Live. Like, there’s a difference. This is a song. This takes craft, this takes skill, this takes expertise.”
Jay-ZJay-Z’s been a grown-up his whole career, writes Jody Rosen — a tactician, wise and worldly, dazzling in his storytelling: Jay-Z’s verses stacked up rhymes in intricate configurations — end rhymes, internal rhymes, half-rhymes, even nonrhymes that he twisted into rhymes through tricks of inflection. The language was dense, full of puns and double and triple entendres, but Jay’s delivery was easeful, conversational; he rapped slightly behind the beat, giving the songs a subtle swing, a feeling of relaxed authority that lent credibility to tales of street hustling and forecasts of glory. I wasn’t in the room, but I’d like to think he walked onto the list with swagger and ease: “Brooklyn you nursed me / Schooled me with hard knocks, better than Berkeley.” Diane WarrenYou may not know her name, but you’ve absolutely heard her songs: “Rhythm of the Night” for DeBarge; “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” for Starship; “If I Could Turn Back Time” for Cher; “Un-Break My Heart” for Toni Braxton; “Say Don’t Go” with Taylor Swift. Thirty-three of Warren’s songs have made it to the Billboard Top 10. Nine hit No. 1. Wesley Morris makes an excellent case for her greatness: Warren practices a kind of off-the-rack designer extremism: I want you, I need you, you saved me, you left me, you found me, be gone, come back, you got me, you got this, I got me. She downplays anything much more specific because her music trusts its interpreters. The songs are silhouettes for a vocalist to customize, invest in and, in some of the best outcomes, eventually immolate. They’re statements of often perverse confidence. Explore the list and then vote for your own personal greats. And while you’re at it, check out our lists of the 21st century’s 100 best books and 100 best movies. We’re building a canon over here. Now, let’s see what’s happening in the world.
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Tucker Carlson’s comments about Israel reflect a troubling turn in the American right, Peter Beinart writes. Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on political violence and Thomas Edsall on A.I. and political ads. Human made. Human played. 75% off. Subscribe to New York Times Games for 75% off your first year. Our best offer is only available for a limited time. Relax and recharge with our full portfolio of games, including Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, the Crossword and more — all mindfully made by humans.
Paddling upstream: Take a journey through the pristine Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a mysterious golden blob on the ocean floor. Images of modern India: Raghu Rai documented life through photographs of major figures like the Dalai Lama, as well as victims of the Bhopal poison gas leak. He died at 83.
124— That is the number of researchers left in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development. More than 1,500 worked there a year ago. Here’s what happened at the office, which studies public health.
W.N.B.A.: Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers said she had nothing to do with the team selecting her girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, with its No. 1 draft pick. Track and field: American track star Allyson Felix, 40, is attempting a comeback to compete in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, her hometown.
Pete Wells brought this recipe for Cuban-style black beans to The Times in 2010, and I’ve learned a few things about it since. First, you can make it with canned black beans and it’ll be exactly as delicious as it is if you simmer dried ones into tenderness. Second, you can make it with a jarred sofrito and it will be about half as good as if you cook your own. Serve over rice, ideally with hot sauce and fried sweet plantains. (Which hot sauce? I like one with body, like Tapatio, Frank’s or Texas Pete.)
Critics have largely savaged “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic. (The BBC |
