Elton John Thinks Modern Songwriters Are “Pretty Awful”

Updated:

February 7, 2013 5:23 pm

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Does Elton John read American Songwriter? If he did, he’d know that when it comes to great songwriters, our talent pool is pretty stocked. But the usually shy and reserved Englishman had this to say about the current generation of tunesmiths –“Songwriters today are pretty awful, which is why everything sounds the same. Contemporary pop isn’t very inspiring.”

To be fair, he was probably talking more about John Mayer and Taylor Swift than say, Justin Townes Earle and Conor Oberst. John, in an interview with the Radio Times, went on to say that he approved of artists like Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. “It’s important they write their own songs, so they’re not at the mercy of anyone,” he opined.

Elton John and Leon Russell’s new album The Union, which was produced by T Bone Burnett and features unimpeachable songwriters like Neil Young and Brian Wilson, hits stores today.