A Cincinnati band is among America's greatest living songwriters, according to a new list.
In April, The New York Times Magazine published a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. It then asked its readers to weigh in on who deserved the honor. After more than 25,000 people participated in the survey, and nearly 12,000 people offered their unique opinions, the magazine compiled a list of the 100 greatest living American songwriters, as voted by its readers.
And The National made it onto that list.
The group, consisting of Cincinnati natives Matt Berninger, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and Brian and Scott Devendorf, ranked 85th in the readers' poll, just behind Billie Joe Armstrong and ahead of Lauryn Hill, Barry Manilow, Alicia Keys, Olivia Rodrigo, and others.
«"This entry aggregates votes for all the band members, each of whom is making music outside of the group," wrote the New York Times Magazine. "Were some of Aaron Dessner's 73 votes based on his collaboration with Taylor Swift? Probably. But some of Matt Berninger's 129 votes could have been for EL VY, his duet with Brent Knopf.".
Aaron Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Taylor Swift's albums "Folklore" and "Evermore," winning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year for "Folklore." He has since co-produced several of Swift's albums, including "Midnights" and "The Tortured Poets Department." Bryce Dessner also worked on her album "Folklore," and she invited the band to collaborate on the song "Coney Island" on her album "Evermore.".
Aaron Dessner, guitarist, pianist and keyboardist for The National, performs during The National Homecoming Music Festival on the Icon Festival Stage in Smale Park in Cincinnati on Friday, September 15, 2023.
«"Historically, I don't know many artists who have reached the level she has," Bryce Dessner told The Enquirer in 2023. "I'm honored to have known her and to have witnessed that. Her role in our music is incredible.".
Scott Devendorf met Berninger at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, and they played together in a band called Nancy. They graduated in 1996, but a few years later, in 1999, they formed The National with Brian Devendorf and the Dessners in Brooklyn, New York.
«"I really think the fact that all five of us are from Cincinnati is pretty special," Berninger told The Enquirer in 2023.
Matt Berninger, lead singer of The National, performs during The National Homecoming Music Festival on the Icon Festival Stage at Smale Park in Cincinnati on Friday, September 15, 2023.
«"Cincinnati has a great music scene," said Bryce Dessner. "We all had different backgrounds, all from different parts of the city. We had bands, both together and separately. Music was everywhere, and it was accessible because it's not a huge city. It's a small town, so we could go out and see different things. And for me personally, the orchestra, the ballet, the College-Conservatory of Music—all of that was important to me growing up. I think music in Cincinnati is very strong.".
The band has been nominated for a Grammy Award three times, and its album "Sleep Well Beast" won a Grammy in 2017 for Best Alternative Music Album. The band has 10 studio albums, two of which were released in 2023: "First Two Pages of Frankenstein" and "Laugh Track.".
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: The National beats out Olivia Rodrigo and Manilow on NYT songwriters list.