Richie Havens Quotes

I don't know what makes a guy want to write songs and sing, but if you've got a message, you want to get it across. When I come up with an idea about the way I feel, I can really state it strongly in a song.

Music is the way I talk to people.

People make music to get a reaction. Music is communication.

I mean, what is music anyway? It's a form of communication - at least for me it is. And that's why I play the kind of music that I think - that I hope - can communicate with people.

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.

I just try to tell a story with a song, and be able to try to transmit the emotion to you. That's all I'm really trying to do.

I like to see people's eyes when I'm singing to them.

When I'm singing I feel like I'm talking to someone. I'm in conversation when I perform - either with myself or with whomever is listening.

I love playing shows. That's the time I have to really share what I am about.

I'm just glad to be singing songs that touch people.

Most of all, I like to sing my heart out to lyrics that really speak to people.

I love the fact that I can go out there on stage with a guitar and sing a song that means something to somebody.

No matter how many times people say it - 'Oh, I'm just writing this for myself' 'Oh, I'm just doing this for myself' - nobody's doing it for themselves! You're doing it for an audience. So whether I'm performing or writing a book or playing music, it's definitely to be put out there and to be received in some way, definitely.

When words leave off, music begins.

Be honest with yourself and the way you act when you hear music. That way, when people watch, they'll see something from your heart and soul, and as a result will communicate your feeling and thought much better.

There, in the chords and melodies, is everything I want to say. The words just jolly it along. It's always been my way of expressing what, for me, is inexpressible by any other means.

I don't write for an auditorium full of people. I don't write for the microphone; I write for the page.

I love playing. The keyboard is my journal.

I think that music has to do with what kind of passion do you have.

I love telling a story through song. It helps me take it to a deeper place.

For me, the importance in learning about the dance is using it as a voice. It's not about a step, it's about a way to express oneself.

All I can do is my talking on the track, and I believe that when they look at the facts, people can judge for themselves if it's good or bad.

If you're singing, you're telling a story. So to tell it and tell it right, that's it.

Playing drums is how I communicate. It's how I speak to people. That's my God-given gift.

If I'm doing something on stage, and it evokes an emotion, then I might show that emotion, but I also don't believe in being a preacher. If you have a point, that's a bonus. But the funny has to come first; otherwise, you shouldn't call yourself a comedian.