Two episodes nearly back-to-back — unheard of around here. This time all five of us take on the New York Times' list of the 30 best living American songwriters, which is to say we take on a list expressly designed to start a fight. Peggy admits up front she's neither opinionated nor musically savvy; she also admits she was fine with the entire thing the second she scrolled past Paul Simon and Dolly Parton. In this episode: How the list actually got made — 250 industry nominations narrowed by a panel of six NYT critics, in no particular order — and why every top-whatever list exists to generate disagreement (and subscriptions) The two words that trip everyone up: "living" (RIP Prince, Michael Jackson, and Brian Wilson — whom Tony Kornheiser apparently forgot had died) and "American" (sorry, Elton John, McCartney, Bono, and Joni Mitchell) The online outrage over Billy Joel's omission — and Jim's iron rule that to add one name, you have to cut one The real argument underneath: what even makes a song good? Popularity, influence, craftsmanship, lyrics, music, or production — and can you ever separate the song from the recording John's neuroplasticity theory of why everything you heard between 12 and 18 is permanently filed under "genius" The covers test: a great song is one other artists want to sing — Robbie Robertson's "The Weight," the endless Dylan covers, Dolly's "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" by way of Beyoncé and Miley, Ryan Adams remaking all of 1989, and Johnny Cash gutting everyone with "Hurt" John's parlor game: cross off every artist you already loved, then rank the strangers — a genuinely harder exercise than it sounds Where the table would find room: Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, John Prine, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Fiona Apple, Heart, and the American half of Fleetwood Mac Where the table pushed back: Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and whether Bad Bunny's couple of years of dominance should wait out a Hall-of-Fame-style eligibility clock The songwriters who never sing their own hits — Diane Warren, Nile Rodgers, Natalie Hemby — and why writing for everyone else might be the purest mark of the craft A favorite-Madonna-song lightning round that exposes exactly who each of us isPlus: Springsteen opening a rainy D.C. show with a pointed Edwin Starr cover, the 16-minute YouTube rant Peggy made everyone watch, an Aaron Sorkin button nobody dares push (except John, on purpose), and the greatest closing flub in show history, involving a premium tequila. Connect With Us: 📧 Feedback: insearchofanargument@gmail.com🌐 Website: www.insearchofanargument.com for more episodes and exclusive content 📱 Social Media: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky ☕ Support Our Show: Forward the show's link, leave us a review, buy us a coffee or become a patron! Fun Fact: Recorded about five weeks after the list dropped on April 27, 2026. Beth listened to an actual episode (one she wasn't on, naturally), Jim dropped an F-bomb so it wasn't Beth's turn for once, and despite Peggy's verdict that Paul Simon belongs at #1, the list has no rankings at all.
