Pete Doherty: Greatest Songwriter of His Generation?

The Golden Miller

Was never a huge Doherty, Libertines or Babyshambles fan, quite the opposite, overlooked them for years. Heard most of the albums and was never blown away. Then came across a Babyshambles b-side, "Beg, Steal or Borrow" and the lyrics sort of struck me. Went back through alot of his back catalogue, and purely from a lyrics point of view, this guy is amazing. Strip a song back, give him an acoustic guitar, put him up against any other songwriter and tell them to come up with an original song, and he'll best them imo. It's a shame his talent has been overlooked in favour of a mutilated media personality. The guy is a genius

DEFTLEFTHAND

Shotter's Nation is a genuinely good album.

I haven't really kept up with his career though, he seemed to fade into obscurity in recent yrs.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Lost art of murder is a great acoustic track I remember from him.

AllForIt

Elton John is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Even if you don't like his music which I think was great especially in the early 80's, he is one artist who when he sings I pay attention to the lyrics where otherwise I'd ordinarily pay more attention to the melody, which is the most important part of course.

refusetolose

he's a lyrical genius
the recent libertines album is actually really good too
great live band also

theguzman

He's a sick druggie junkie piece of filth, in a lot of countries he'd have been executed, deserves no attention or praise for sure.

Bowlardo

U can’t stand me now will stand the rest of time

refusetolose

theguzman wrote: »

He's a sick druggie junkie piece of filth, in a lot of countries he'd have been executed, deserves no attention or praise for sure.

oh look, a person that reads The Sun

refusetolose

The truth here gets distorted
The wall scrapings get snorted
I'm welcome back if I give up crack
But you gave me my first pipe anyway

:pac::pac:

mzungu

theguzman wrote: »

He's a sick druggie junkie piece of filth, in a lot of countries he'd have been executed, deserves no attention or praise for sure.

Jaysus, a bit harsh, no? The guy has never done anything to warrant being called that. He is most likely a pleasant chap and a lot of people seem to think he is also.

Back on topic, his music was never my thing so I would not call him the greatest of his generation.

refusetolose

mzungu wrote: »

Jaysus, a bit harsh, no? The guy has never done anything to warrant being called that. He is most likely a pleasant chap which a lot of people think he is.

Back on topic, his music was never my thing so I would not call him the greatest of his generation.

he is actually pleasant (yes,i have met him, briefly )

Etc

He reminds me of Mark E. Smith, personal demons and ingenuity with music, but he's a spent force, obviously he'll keep the Libertines going, it's a cash cow

DaithiMa

I saw BabyShambles the first time they played in Ibiza in Bar M. Didn't really know much about him at the time bar he was with Kate Moss (she was there). The soundcheck he was amazing, but he was off his face for the gig and looked like he might puke on more than one occasion.

Have since become a massive fan of his stuff. As the OP says his lyrics are quality. And those calling him a dirty junkie, some of the best music has been created by artists on drugs.

Bowie, Lennon/McCartney, Richards/Jagger, Brian Wilson to name a few.

Robert McGrath

AllForIt wrote: »

Elton John is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Even if you don't like his music which I think was great especially in the early 80's, he is one artist who when he sings I pay attention to the lyrics where otherwise I'd ordinarily pay more attention to the melody, which is the most important part of course.

This is a joke, right?

ceadaoin.

AllForIt wrote: »

Elton John is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Even if you don't like his music which I think was great especially in the early 80's, he is one artist who when he sings I pay attention to the lyrics where otherwise I'd ordinarily pay more attention to the melody, which is the most important part of course.

I thought all his songs were written by Bernie taupin?

Dante

AllForIt wrote: »

Elton John is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Even if you don't like his music which I think was great especially in the early 80's, he is one artist who when he sings I pay attention to the lyrics where otherwise I'd ordinarily pay more attention to the melody, which is the most important part of course.

Well played sir.

YFlyer

AllForIt wrote: »

Elton John is one of the greatest lyricists ever. Even if you don't like his music which I think was great especially in the early 80's, he is one artist who when he sings I pay attention to the lyrics where otherwise I'd ordinarily pay more attention to the melody, which is the most important part of course.

Was it Bernie that would come up with the melody and Elton would put the lyrics to it?

PARlance

What a Waster

refusetolose

funnily enough pete and elton played together :pac:

Skylinehead

theguzman wrote: »

He's a sick druggie junkie piece of filth, in a lot of countries he'd have been executed, deserves no attention or praise for sure.

Go live in one of those countries then.

Joe_ Public

Elton John was pretty great up to around 78, passable to around 82, best avoided after that. Bernie Taupin did write most of the lyrics.

YFlyer

YFlyer wrote: »

Was it Bernie that would come up with the melody and Elton would put the lyrics to it?

Okay it was the other way around. This set up was claimed to be more difficult to execute. According to documentary on Sky Arts anyway.

Ipso

He's the lyrical Sidney James.

FatherTed

Who now?

sk8erboii

The Golden Miller wrote: »

.

https://youtu.be/3KzK5d4jXKM

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

https://archive.org/details/WRC_20091119_082823_Late_Night_With_Jimmy_Fallon/start/120/end/180

Rubberchikken

pete Doherty- fgs the term tosser was dreamt up especially for him.
talent passed him by.

AllForIt

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I thought all his songs were written by Bernie taupin?

I didn't know that. Looking into it it seems your are right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Taupin
Looks like I've given him too much credit where it wasn't deserved.

Captain Red Beard

mzungu wrote: »

Jaysus, a bit harsh, no? The guy has never done anything to warrant being called that. He is most likely a pleasant chap and a lot of people seem to think he is also.

Back on topic, his music was never my thing so I would not call him the greatest of his generation.

I wouldn't think it's a bit harsh. He's been known to take impressionable young girls home with him, read them poetry and then shoot them full of heroin. He's been investigated for doing this in the past, with a handful of overdoses being blamed on him.

pleas advice

Amy Winehouse was a great lyricist as well, around the same age, same problems as Pete...

Well sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water

refusetolose

pleas advice wrote: »

Amy Winehouse was a great lyricist as well, around the same age, same problems as Pete...

Well sometimes I go out by myself
And I look across the water

she didn't write that though :pac: