10 QUOTES ABOUT SONGWRITING TO GET YOU WRITING!!
By Mike O’Cull
Songwriting is the easiest and the hardest part of music at the same time. Songs can come out in a few minutes of inspiration out of nowhere or they can be elusive and hard to pin down, no matter how hard you try. The most important thing on the road to being a songwriter is to just keep writing, keep trying, and don’t give up because of a few dead ends. When I am feeling a little low on inspiration to write, I often search for it in the words and ideas of other writers. Sometimes, all it takes to get me writing again is a bit of a different perspective, someone else’s take on things. In keeping with that idea, here are some quotes from a number of vastly different songwriters about the art and craft of words and music. Let me know which quotes resonate with you in the comment section. Remember: if you want to be a songwriter, start writing songs.
For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take them apart and see what they're made of, and wonder if you can make one, too.
Tom Waits
Songwriting's a weird game. I never intended to become one - I fell into this by mistake, and I can't get out of it. It fascinates me. I like to point out the rawer points of life.
Keith Richards
If you pour your life into songs, you want them to be heard. It's a desire to communicate. A deep desire to communicate inspires songwriting.
Bono
The music is in the lead here, and a large part of this, I have no idea what I'm doing. I feel a closer bond with the craft of songwriting, stronger than I ever have.
Ben Harper
But if you want to be a songwriter-based musician, whether you play punk or rock or country or jazz, whatever, you have to work on your songwriting and you have to work on being able to play in front of people, I think. That performance is how you create the groundwork for a lasting career.
Amy Ray
I've always gravitated towards songwriting that happens easily and spontaneously, because those have always been my best songs.
Jane Wiedlin
I've been a list maker for years, even before I was a musician. I was always writing things down and kept long lists of things that would make good album titles and things like that. I'm constantly thinking in terms of songwriting.
Buzz Osborne
I just hate to be in one corner. I hate to be put as only a guitar player, or either only as a songwriter, or only as a tap dancer. I like to move around.
Jimi Hendrix
The immediacy of the technology of the web allows us, as songwriters, to write something very sharp and quick. That has a lot to do with helping a songwriter be more reflective of reality, instead of being in an area where you have to process things. It's the difference between processing fish and catching it in a boat.
Chuck D
You can't write about stuff you don't know about. You have to live it. You have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Live life to be a good songwriter.
Dierks Bently
I started being a songwriter pretending I could do it, and it turned out I could.
James Taylor
Its so annoying sometimes all these lyrics come out of nowhere and I either cant write them down fast enough or I have nothing to write on.
You gotta record them into your phone or something. I hate losing lyrics.