TS: Glen Ballard vs. Linda Perry

Linda Perry did have a hand in Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" and Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" – two of my favorite pop songs of the last few years – and a few others I can't remember right now, so I'll give it to her.

Glen Ballard: I prefer his Wilson Phillips stuff.

But why Ballard vs Perry in particular? These days we're awash in talented pop writers and producers: John Shanks & Kara Dioguardi, Max Martin & Luke Gottwald, Clif Magness, David Hodges & Ben Moody, Ric Wake, Greg Wells, not to mention the Neptunes, who are getting their hands in on the pop side of the charts. Oh yeah, and the Matrix, and Leah Haywood & Dan James. That's just off the top of my head. I'd say that it was the John Shanks/Michelle Branch "Everywhere" that kicked open the commercial door for the modern teenpop confessional that Perry and the Matrix (and Shanks himself) went on to mine. (Of course, Jagged Little Pill was years earlier, but that was presented as something more serious than mere pop, and Morissette entirely suppressed her teen dancepop past.)

This is actually a very good question. It was partially a kidding response to anti-Ballardism on the John Lennon/"Mother" thread. So e.g., how is it that Shelby Lynne manages arguably her best AND her worst work with Ballard.

Partially though because Ballard does appear to set a sort of template for the producer/collaborator vein that Perry has worked so well in the 2000s. While The Matrix certainly have copped more of Ballard's studio moves, maybe also because Perry works exclusively with women, while Ballard just seems to work best with women.

Also because it makes Morisette/Pink comparisons inevitable, which is just fun.

So in short, I wish I'd given this question the thought that it deserves, but it was all gut. Also it was very late and I was a little punchy. It could have ended up TS: Glen Ballard vs. Glenn Danzig...