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7.43pm
20 January 2016
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pepperland said
Couldn’t we just change this thread to an appreciation of John’s songwriting? I’ve Got A Feeling the OP was trying to stir up some arguments with this and other threads but shouldn’t we make the most of it?
1) That’s a good idea. Please do that.
2) No I wasn’t trying to go for that. I was, in fact, surprised this turned into a Paul vs. John contest, but then again, I shouldn’t have been.
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O Boogie1.06am
27 April 2015
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I don’t think there are many writers who can get to the point like John does. No nonsense, no bullshit. I love how he does it.
As far as word play goes, which is John’s main strength, he’s second to none.
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3.19pm
3 November 2015
Offline People could argue whether John or Paul is a better songwriter, but it’s the collaboration that has gone down in history.
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10.49pm
20 January 2016
Offline I wouldn’t say John Lennon is on a level beyond all other songwriters (we have Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Page/Plant, and so many others), but if we’re talking about the best songwriters (in terms of concepts and lyrics), and if we’re also discussing consistency and catalogue, Lennon has got to be in the conversation somewhere.
I’ll be the first to admit that Paul was responsible for much of the composition of Lennon’s Beatles songs. And when John went solo, a lot of that melody and instrumentation was missed. But also, in changing his lifestyle and living with Yoko, he had a complete shift and just went into a second wind. He was on fire lyrically, and conceptually making songs like Imagine , War Is Over, Woman Is The N—-r of the World, Beautiful Boy and Working Class Hero .
A lot of artists have their hands in the pie when it comes to being among the greatest songs of all time. But Imagine , with it’s minimalist brilliance, just sent out major shockwaves, transcended beyond being just a song and practically became a secondary anthem to many countries, as well as humanity in itself. Few artists can claim to have a song like that, which is totally unforgettable, ubiquitous, profoundly impactful on culture, and widely loved by nearly everyone.
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pepperland7.33am
28 March 2014
Offline Derek_Francis said
Lennon had War Is Over, Give Peace A Chance , Imagine , and Instant Karma . Paul had Live And Let Die , which is not even in the top 5 James Bond songs.
Lennon didn’t make it to top 5 James Bond songs either! 
Lennon’s music in the Beatles was pure genius and obviously less commercial than Macca’s hence Paul usually got the A-side of the Singles. But songs like A Day In The Life , I Am The Walrus , Strawberry Fields Forever , All You Need Is Love , Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds are fabulous. As are songs like Help ! I could go on.
Besides Greatest song writer of all time has to go to Kayne West! (as per his self description)
BEATLES Music gives me Eargasms! 
12.59pm
20 January 2016
Offline I do actually think Kanye West is one of the greatest artists in the past decade. Paul himself said the man was very talented and Kanye’s songwriting and work ethic reminds him much of John Lennon ‘s.
But when it comes to experimental sounds, John Lennon was the original king. I don’t think amazing artists like Death Grips and Bjork would be possible without what Lennon did.
1.20pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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@Derek_Francis said
But when it comes to experimental sounds, John Lennon was the original king. I don’t think amazing artists like Death Grips and Bjork would be possible without what Lennon did.
But the sounds he came up with have NOTHING to do with his qualities as a songwriter. In fact, it can be said that the majority of interesting sounds on John’s compositions, especially during his Beatles decades, were down to Paul or George Martin.
As I’ve commented elsewhere on the forum before, it is interesting to note that Paul was often much more musically adventurous during the recording of John’s songs than he was on his own.
Those sounds, however, have nothing to do with the songwriter. Take a look at, for instance, the sheet music for Tomorrow Never Knows . It gives you the words, it gives you the music, but it says nothing about the sound. And the sounds that make it such a groundbreaking recording (the tape loops) were Paul’s idea, not John’s.
As I have said before in this thread, you cannot confuse the writing of a song with how somebody records that song, because all that choose to record a song will take their own approach, whether that is to xerox it or do it in a completely original way.
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