The Singers and Songwriters compilations were a series of albums issued in the early 2000s by Time-Life. The U.S. series covered 445 songs over 19 volumes. The focus of the albums was on the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. That meant most songs were written and performed by the same artist and most were released from 1970 to 1979 and fit most comfortably into the genre known as “soft rock” or “adult contemporary.”
To create this list, Dave’s Music Database took all 445 songs featured on the collections and ranked them according to their overall DMDB status. Non-‘70s songs were left off this list, but songs not necessarily recorded by the same artist who initially wrote them are included. A few other lists were also factored in to include some important songs not featured on any of the collections. Here are the results:
1. Elton John “Your Song” (1970)
2. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (1971)
3. Don McLean “American Pie” (1971)
4. Carole King “It’s Too Late” (1971)
5. Carly Simon “You’re So Vain” (1972)
6. Harry Chapin “Cat’s in the Cradle” (1974)
7. Warren Zevon “Werewolves of London” (1978)
8. Janis Ian “At Seventeen” (1975)
9. Cat Stevens “Wild World” (1970)
10. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971)
11. George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” (1970)
12. Neil Young “Heart of Gold” (1972)
13. Elvis Costello “Alison” (1977)
14. David Bowie “Life on Mars?” (1973)
15. Jackson Brown “Running on Empty” (1978)
16. Gordon Lightfoot “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (1976)
17. Eagles “New Kid in Town” (1976)
18. Lou Reed “Perfect Day” (1972)
19. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” (1971)
20. Janis Joplin “Me and Bobby McGee” (1971)
21. America “A Horse with No Name” (1971)
22. Harry Nilsson “Without You” (1971)
23. Elton John “Tiny Dancer” (1971)
24. Gerry Rafferty “Baker Street” (1978)
25. Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973)
26. Roberta Flack “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (1970)
27. Bill Withers “Lean on Me” (1972)
28. James Taylor “Fire and Rain” (1970)
29. Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (1978)
30. The Doobie Brothers “Black Water” (1974)
31. 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (1975)
32. Elton John “Daniel” (1972)
33. The Grateful Dead “Truckin’” (1970)
34. Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1973)
35. The Temptations “Just My Imagination Running Away with Me” (1971)
36. Elton John “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (1974)
37. Todd Rundgren “Hello It’s Me” (1972)
38. Stealers Wheel “Stuck in the Middle with You” (1973)
39. Marvin Gaye “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology Song)” (1971)
40. The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” (1978)
41. Chicago “If You Leave Me Now” (1976)
42. The Doobie Brothers “Listen to the Music” (1972)
43. Daryl Hall & John Oates “She’s Gone” (1973)
44. Peter Frampton “Baby I Love Your Way” (1975)
45. Fleetwood Mac “You Make Loving Fun” (1977)
46. Eric Carmen “All by Myself” (1975)
47. Grateful Dead “Uncle John’s Band” (1970)
48. Commodores “Easy” (1977)
49. Dobie Gray “Drift Away” (1973)
50. Elton John “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” (1975)
51. Gary Wright “Dream Weaver” (1975)
52. Stephen Stills “Love the One You’re With” (1970)
53. America “Ventura Highway” (1972)
54. Todd Rundgren “I Saw the Light” (1972)
55. Three Dog Night “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (1970)
56. America “Sister Golden Hair” (1975)
57. Cat Stevens “Morning Has Broken” (1971)
58. Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band “Garden Party” (1972)
59. Commodores “Still” (1979)
60. Elvin Bishop “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” (1976)
61. Fleetwood Mac “Say You Love Me” (1975)
62. Brook Benton “Rainy Night in Georgia” (1970)
63. Rod Stewart “You Wear It Well” (1972)
64. Commodores “Sail On” (1979)
65. Stephen Bishop “On and On” (1977)
66. Jefferson Starship “Miracles” (1975)
67. Grateful Dead “Sugar Magnolia” (1970)
68. Grateful Dead “Friend of the Devil” (1970)
69. Gary Wright “Love Is Alive” (1975)
70. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)
71. Paul Simon “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” (1975)
72. Dolly Parton “Jolene” (1973)
73. Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (1974)
74. Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing” (1978)
75. Gilbert O’Sullivan “Alone Again (Naturally)” (1972)
76. Tony Orlando & Dawn “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (1973)
77. Glen Campbell “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975)
78. Jim Croce “Time in a Bottle” (1972)
79. Elton John & Kiki Dee “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976)
80. Rod Stewart “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (1976)
81. Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” (1974)
82. Eric Clapton “I Shot the Sheriff” (1974)
83. Al Stewart “Year of the Cat” (1976)
84. Joe Cocker “You Are So Beautiful” (1974)
85. Johnny Nash “I Can See Clearly Now” (1972)
86. John Denver “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (1971)
87. Charlie Rich “The Most Beautiful Girl” (1973)
88. Starland Vocal Band “Afternoon Delight” (1976)
89. Linda Ronstadt “You’re No Good” (1974)
90. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)
91. Christopher Cross “Sailing” (1979)
92. Rupert Holmes “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” (1979)
93. Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1971)
94. Player “Baby Come Back” (1977)
95. Jim Croce “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” (1973)
96. Blue Swede “Hooked on a Feeling” (1974)
97. Tony Orlando & Dawn “Knock Three Times” (1970)
98. John Denver “Sunshine on My Shoulders” (1971)
99. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band “Mr. Bojangles” (1970)
100. Mary MacGregor “Torn Between Two Lovers” (1976)
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