Songwriting Quotes - Page 10

• I consider myself a poet first and a musician second. I live like a poet and I'll die like a poet.

  Bob Dylan

  Musician, Writing Songs, Firsts

  "Biography/Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

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• Songwriting becomes a conscious attempt to delve into the unconscious. Even those writers who scoff at the concept of a spiritual source for their songs admit that the phenomenon of having them simply arrive feels magical.

  Paul Zollo

  Spiritual, Song, Writing

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• Songwriting as an art is a bit archaic now. Just writing a song is not good enough.

  David Bowie

  Song, Art, Writing

  David Bowie (2016). “David Bowie: The Last Interview”, p.34, Melville House

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• Songwriting is an emotional medium, and rock and roll is an emotional medium.

  Will Sheff

  Emotional, Rocks, Rock And Roll

  The Believer Interview, believermagblog.wordpress.com. July 26, 2013.

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• I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was going to be interesting to other people. But I guess it was.

  John Prine

  Song, Real, Writing

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• Songwriting is kind of like a craft. It's not something that just comes in a dream. You've got to work at it.

  Sean Lennon

  Dream, Crafts, Kind

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

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• We need to have music that contributes to the well-being of the spirit. Music that cradles people's lives and makes things a little easier. That's what I try to do, and what I want to do. You don't want to close the door on hope.

  Merle Haggard

  Life, Music, Hope

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• I don't think about the styles. I write whatever comes out and I use whatever kind of instrumentation works for those songs.

  Lenny Kravitz

  Song, Writing, Thinking

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• I never sit down to write. When I'm moved, I do it. I just wait for it to come. You just hear it. I can't really describe writing. It's in my head.

  Lenny Kravitz

  Writing, Waiting, Moved

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• More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.

  Ben Gibbard

  Writing, Thinking, Needs

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• You can't ask me to explain the lyrics because I won't do it.

  Lou Reed

  Ask Me, Asks

  "Interviewing Lou Reed: Not a perfect day" by Simon Hattenstone, www.theguardian.com. May 19, 2003.

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• I don't think you can ever please all audiences.

  Karan Johar

  Thinking, Please, Audience

  "Director Karan Johar Exclusive Interview MY NAME IS KHAN". Interview with Sheila Roberts, collider.com. May 7, 2010.

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• And Paul hits this chord, and I turn to him and say, 'That's it! Do that again!' In those days we really used to absolutely write like that - both playing into each other's noses.

  John Lennon

  Music, Writing, Noses

  "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!". www.theguardian.com. February 1, 2004.

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• 'If You Could Read My Mind' was written during the collapse of my marriage. It's a great song. No one has any gripes about it. I wondered what my wife and daughter might think. My daughter is the one who got me to correct 'The feelings that you lacked' to 'The feelings that we lacked'.

  Gordon Lightfoot

  Daughter, Song, Thinking

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• I stand firm behind the belief that, for me, songwriting isn't something that I do or command, it happens to me. I can either choose to stop and acknowledge it, or put it off and hope that it won't fade away. 'That Wasn't Me' is no exception - it came together more quickly than any other song I have ever constructed on my own.

  Brandi Carlile

  Song, Together, Belief

  "Interrogating Brandi Carlile: I Knew "That Wasn’t Me" Was Our "Let It Be". Interview with Jesse Kornbluth, www.huffingtonpost.com. July 24, 2012.

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• If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will write in blood on forgotten walls. I will write always. I will capture nights all over the world and bring them to you

  Henry Rollins

  Wall, Writing, Night

  Henry Rollins (1996). “Do I Come Here Often”, 2.13.61 Publications

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• A lot of people pretty much only listen to the chorus.

  Lenny Kravitz

  People, Writing Songs, Chorus

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• Not to dismiss Gershwin, but Gershwin is the chip; Ellington was the block.

  Joni Mitchell

  Block, Chips, Songwriters

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• It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. The words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page.

  Joan Baez

  Music, Song, Memorable

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

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• I don't think you can ever regain your ignorance.

  Carla Bley

  Ignorance, Thinking, So Boring

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• In writing songs, I've learned as much from Cezanne as I have from Woody Guthrie.

  Bob Dylan

  Wise, Song, Writing

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• My style of songwriting is influenced by cinema. I'm a frustrated filmmaker. A fan once said to me, 'Girl, you make me see pictures in my head!' and I took that as a great compliment. That's exactly my intention.

  Joni Mitchell

  Girl, Style, Frustrated

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• Sometimes you're writing a song and you have an image whilst writing a song. I don't think you ever base a songwriting process around a video, but when you're writing a song sometimes it'll be a very visual song.

  Luke Hemmings

  Song, Writing, Thinking

  Source: variety.com

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• Cherish forever what makes you unique, 'cuz you're really a yawn if it goes.

  Bette Midler

  Inspirational, Strong Women, Acceptance

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• Once I went into songwriting, I figured I had to - I couldn't be a hellfire rock 'n' roller. But I could write hellfire lyrics.

  Bob Dylan

  Writing, Rocks

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