Lucy Dacus lists her favorite songwriters by decade

From the ’50s to the present day.

May 29, 2025 - 17:05

Lucy Dacus lists her favorite songwriters by decade

Having wrapped up her spring North American tour earlier this month, Lucy Dacus is about to embark on a run in Europe and the UK, and ahead of that she told BBC’s Radio 6 Music about some of her favorite songwriters. She went decade by decade, with playlists touching on the ’50s and ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, and moving into the present day with the ’10s and ’20s. The ’50s and ’60s episode isn’t currently available, but you can listen to the other three episodes, which include commentary from Lucy, now, and see the tracklist for each below.

Lucy’s tour continues through September, wrapping up with the NYC and DC/Baltimore-area editions of All Things Go. See all dates below.

some songwriters I like
50s/60s: https://t.co/eGUjBouQ6p
70s/80s: https://t.co/QZbjXcG1EA
90s/00s: https://t.co/1mecXOnkVp
10s/20s: https://t.co/19a5E1WnG7 pic.twitter.com/PqTNGWLKKL
— Lucy Dacus (@lucydacus) May 28, 2025

LUCY DACUS’ FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: ’50S & ’60S
Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now
Simon & Garfunkel – Kathy’s Song
Billie Holiday – Don’t Explain
John Prine – Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Nina Simone – Revolution Pt 1
Hoagy Carmichael – Stardust
Dusty Springfield – I Only Want To Be With You
Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Made
Chet Baker – I Get Along Without You Very Well
Beverly Glenn‐Copeland – Colour Of Anyhow
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
Ben E. King – Stand By Me
Judee Sill – Jesus Was A Cross Maker
Vashti Bunyan – I’d Like To Walk Around In Your Mind
Bridget St. John – Want To Be With You

LUCY DACUS’ FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: ’70S & ’80S
Carole King – So Far Away
Bruce Springsteen – Atlantic City
Bill Withers – Lovely Day
Joni Mitchell – A Case Of You
Leonard Cohen – Chelsea Hotel #2
Karen Dalton – Something on Your Mind
Tracy Chapman – For You
Labi Siffre – ‘Till Forever
Tom Waits – Martha
James Taylor – Fire and Rain
Jackson Browne – These Days
Betty Davis – Anti Love Song
Blaze Foley – Clay Pigeons
Nick Drake – From The Morning

LUCY DACUS’ FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: ’90S & ’00S
Erykah Badu – On & On
The Cranberries – Ode To My Family
Sufjan Stevens – To Be Alone With You
Sheryl Crow – Everyday Is A Winding Road
Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
Wilco – Radio Cure
LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
Andrew Bird – Fake Palindromes
Gillian Welch – Revelator
Rufus Wainwright – Poses
Bon Iver – Blood Bank

LUCY DACUS’ FAVORITE SONGWRITERS: ’10S & ’20S
SZA – Saturn
Chappell Roan – Kaleidoscope
Julia Jacklin – Less Of A Stranger
Hozier – Francesca
Mitski – A Burning Hill
Frank Ocean – Ivy
Katie Gavin – The Baton
Lorde – Liability
Jason Isbell – Songs That She Sang In The Shower
Ethel Cain – Crush
Father John Misty – I Went to the Store One Day
Andy Shauf – Martha Sways
boygenius – Voyager
boygenius – Powers

LUCY DACUS: 2025 TOUR DATES
Jun 8, 2025 The Trinity Centre Acoustic Set (early/late)
Jun 9, 2025 Pryzm Acoustic Set (early/late)
Jun 11, 2025 Bergenfest Bergen, NO
Jun 12, 2025 Rockefeller Oslo, NO *
Jun 14, 2025 Best Kept Secret Festival Hilvarenbeek, NL
Jun 16, 2025 Paradiso Amsterdam, NL *
Jun 17, 2025 Paradiso Amsterdam, NL *
Jun 18, 2025 Astra Berlin, DE *
Jun 19, 2025 Astra Berlin, DE *
Jun 21, 2025 Southside Festival Tuttlingen, DE
Jun 22, 2025 Hurricane Festival Scheeßel, DE
Jun 24, 2025 Ancienne Belgique Brussels, BE *
Jun 25, 2025 Trianon Paris, FR *
Jun 26, 2025 Brixton Academy London, UK *
Jun 28, 2025 Glastonbury Festival Somerset, UK
Jun 30, 2025 Usher Hall Edinburgh, UK *
Jul 01, 2025 Barrowlands Glasgow, UK *
Jul 02, 2025 Academy Manchester, UK *
Jul 03, 2025 Iveagh Gardens Dublin, IE *
Jul 05, 2025 Roskilde Festival Roskilde, DK
Jul 25, 2025 FDR Park Philadelphia, PA #
Jul 26, 2025 KEMBA Live! Columbus, OH #
Jul 27, 2025 The Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI #
Jul 29, 2025 Masonic Temple Detroit, MI #
Jul 30, 2025 Artpark Mainstage Theater Lewiston, NY #
Aug 1, 2025 Osheaga Festival Montreal, QC
Aug 2, 2025 The Green at Shelburne Museum Shelburne, VT #
Aug 3, 2025 Back Cove Music & Arts Festival Portland, ME
Aug 8, 2025 McMenamins Edgefield Portland, OR ^
Aug 9, 2025 Morrison Center Boise, ID ^
Aug 10, 2025 Remlinger Farms Carnation, WA ^
Aug 12, 2025 Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver, BC ^
Aug 13, 2025 Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver, BC ^
Aug 16, 2025 The Greek Theatre Berkeley, CA ^
Sep 9, 2025 Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater San Diego, CA +
Sep 11, 2025 Arizona Financial Theatre Phoenix, AZ +
Sep 12, 2025 Blossoms & Bones Festival Abiquiu, NM
Sep 13, 2025 The Criterion Oklahoma City, OK +
Sep 15, 2025 Stifel Theatre St Louis, MO +
Sep 16, 2025 Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Indianapolis, IN +
Sep 17, 2025 Louisville Palace Theatre Louisville, KY +
Sep 19, 2025 Altria Theater Richmond, VA +
Sep 20, 2025 DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) Durham, NC +
Sep 21, 2025 Shaky Knees Festival Atlanta, GA
Sep 23, 2025 Asheville Yards Amphitheater Asheville, NC +
Sep 24, 2025 Benedum Center for the Performing Arts Pittsburgh, PA +
Sep 26, 2025 All Things Go Music Festival Forest Hills, NY
Sep 27, 2025 All Things Go Music Festival Columbia, MD

* with jasmine.4.t
# with Jay Som
^ with Julia Jacklin
+ with Slow Pulp