The New York Times released a readers’ choice list of the 100 greatest living American songwriters, based on more than 25,000 ballots and nearly 12,000 distinct choices after refining an initial 30-item list.

Bob Dylan dominated the results, appearing on about one third of ballots and receiving 8,265 votes, with some ballots listing him under multiple pseudonyms.

The readers’ top 10 includes Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, and Willie Nelson, with additional popular names like Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Patti Smith, Beck, and Dave Grohl appearing in the list but not the original.

The Times invited readers to assemble their own list via a formal poll to capture fans’ opinions after the initial list’s reception.

Geographic patterns emerged, such as representation from Michigan-based Motown writers, and readers’ ballots often included commentary reflecting broad genre coverage.

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There were notable discrepancies between critics’ and readers’ lists, including entrants not on the critics’ list and debates over whether to honor group songwriting teams versus individual writers.

Bob Dylan led the readers’ list, followed by Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, and Billy Joel, with Joel appearing on the list despite not being on the original.

The piece notes that readers’ response was a mix of enthusiasm and outrage, highlighting strong public engagement and passion for the topic.

New entrants to the readers’ list who weren’t on the original include Eminem, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Ye, Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys.

A rigorous data-cleaning process standardized names, removed non-living or non-American candidates, and produced the final top 100, with a small number of writers attracting a large share of votes.