Quotes About Music

I want to say at once that I frankly believe that Irving Berlin is the greatest songwriter that has ever lived.... His songs are exquisite cameos of perfection, and each one of them is as beautiful as its neighbor. Irving Berlin remains, I think, America's Schubert.

As a solo artist, it's so easy to be lumped into a singer / songwriter genre and writing sleepy, sad songs that are very emotionally rich that mean a lot to you, and people just get kind of tired.

I'm a songwriter. Everything affects me.

I'm a songwriter first.

I may not be the most famous songwriter in the world, but you know a David Friedman song when you hear it. It took me a long time to appreciate that.

I never thought of myself as a songwriter. I was just an artist writing songs, and they just happened to get placed.

For me as a songwriter, I love when other people cover my songs.

I find writing songs hard, because it does not come naturally to me. I never set out to be a songwriter or a singer.

I like working with other people but I'm not a songwriter, I'm a producer.

When you're a songwriter, you don't have control over which songs get heard and which ones don't.

I can remember - barely - when Elton John was still a good songwriter, or at least capable of writing good songs.

My brother is an excellent songwriter, and I play guitar and drums.

A songwriter should have friends who are similarly interested; should move about in the milieu of work he has chosen for himself.

No, my son's a songwriter and he does that.

First and foremost, I consider myself a songwriter.

I built a reputation as a songwriter in the industry before my own hits. People were used to coming to me for songs. There were songs like 'Clown' and 'Mountains' that were my songs that I wanted to keep. But the record labels saw me as a songwriter. It was hard to get people to believe in me as an artist.

Irving Berlin was the greatest songwriter of all time. I was in awe of him. But his music wasn't my music. My music was the blues.

And my favourite new songwriter is Joe Banfi from Sheffield. He's dark, edgy, serene and beautiful.

As a songwriter, it's very hard to listen to music that's not coming from the heart and soul, personally.

My main goal as a songwriter is to make something that inspires people. To write things about my life that people can relate to. Whether it's a whole record or just one song for someone, I hope it can do that for them. Knowing that I have the ability to do that is inspiring to me.

I think if you're a good songwriter, that's what you are first - not a star or celebrity.

Being a songwriter does not rely on an audience or other band members or a camera. I can just sit in a room and write songs.

As a songwriter I hate this whole, 'If it's a sad song, it has to sound like a sad song thing.' And that goes all the way back to my days with the Format. I'm an insane narcissist, so if I have to get something off my chest, I'll get something off my chest.

It's a songwriter's dream to have a song recorded and run up the charts.