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What is the best songwriting duo in music history?

By YPB Team

Brill Building professionals, band-mate partnerships and lyricist-composer pairs who never wrote in the same room. Which pen wins?

Lennon-McCartney — ranked #11
Lennon-McCartney
The Beatles partnership that wrote the bulk of the band's catalogue and holds the record for most number-one hits by a songwriting team.
1000pts
Burt Bacharach and Hal David — ranked #22
Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Pop-orchestral duo behind Walk On By and Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head.
724pts
Jagger-Richards — ranked #33
Jagger-Richards
The Rolling Stones' writing core since 1963, credited on everything from Satisfaction to Gimme Shelter.
689pts
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry — ranked #44
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
Aerosmith's Toxic Twins, credited together on Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way and Draw the Line.
596pts
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen — ranked #55
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
Steely Dan's writing pair, who put jazz harmony and unreliable narrators into the pop charts.
517pts
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus — ranked #66
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus
The two men who wrote ABBA, then wrote Chess and Mamma Mia on top of it.
517pts
Rodgers and Hammerstein — ranked #77
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Broadway team behind Oklahoma!, Carousel and The Sound of Music.
423pts
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil — ranked #88
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil
Brill Building husband-and-wife team behind You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and On Broadway.
423pts
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones — ranked #99
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones
The Clash's writing axis, from White Riot through London Calling.
423pts
Morrissey and Johnny Marr — ranked #1010
Morrissey and Johnny Marr
The Smiths' lyricist and guitarist, whose four-album run defined British indie songwriting.
423pts
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson — ranked #1111
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson
Motown writers responsible for Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing.
310pts
Elton John and Bernie Taupin — ranked #1212
Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Taupin writes the lyrics, John writes the music, and the two have worked that way since 1967 without ever writing in the same room.
310pts
Gerry Goffin and Carole King — ranked #1313
Gerry Goffin and Carole King
Brill Building couple behind Will You Love Me Tomorrow and The Loco-Motion, with more than 120 Hot 100 entries.
310pts
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller — ranked #1414
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Wrote Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock and Stand By Me, effectively inventing the rock-and-roll songwriting team.
172pts
#pop#music#rock#songwriters

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