Suggestions for a Minnesota Authors Class: Song Lyricists
I’m teaching a Minnesota authors class for the first time this year, and I want to make sure it’s hip and current and that it’s Duluthy. So I’m asking for help.
I want to do a brief (two-week) unit on song lyrics. I’m looking for Minnesota’s best song lyricists and their best lyrics.
Here is the partial start I got on Facebook of artists.
- Bob Dylan (because Ed Newman would kill me if I left him out)
- Dan Wilson of Semisonic
- Bob Mould and Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü.
- Lizzo (although she might be considered “lived in Minnesota” rather than “Minnesotan”
- Dessa (this is easy, as she has published a book of poems with Rain Taxi)
- “The Swingin’ Swede” Jimmy Jenson
- Paul Westerberg and the Replacements
- Kid Dakota, “Ten Thousand Lakes”
- Craig Finn of Lifter Puller and the Hold Steady
- Brother Ali
- Slug of Atmosphere
- Martin Zellar of the Gear Daddies
- Charlie Parr
- Dillinger Four
- Gary Louris and Marc Perlman from The Jayhawks
- Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum
- Curtiss A.
- Emily Gaarder of the Rhizomes
- Laura Sellner of Superior Siren
- Mary Bue
- Jason Wussow
My questions for the PDD audience are:
- Are there any song lyricists I missed? (I can’t add some of my fave musicians, like Tim Kaiser, because the man does not sing. As I look at this now, I remember how much I loved February in the 1990s. I know we are missing some.
- Harder: for this list and for any other musicians not on the list, I need one song. One song that I can give to students to crystalize their genius. What would you recommend?