Rick Nielsen Quotes

A song is the most intangible thing in the world.

Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in common: They had something to say, and did.

I feel like 'Next To Me' is a great introduction because it's a simple song that has a simple message for me. I wanted to introduce something that lyrically I'm proud of and introduces me both as an artist and as a writer.

The thing of playin' and singin' never bothered me.

I wanted to be that quirky girl who writes funny songs that still have meaning.

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.

I love the art form of songwriting. I get to carry a lot of vibes to a lot of people. My songs are all about the human condition, and people will be able to find themselves in my songs.

You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our blank canvas is silence. Then we write a song from an idea that can change somebody's life. Songwriting is the closest thing to magic that we could ever experience. That's why I love songwriting.

Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.

I like singing all songs, really, but I find that writing social commentary comes naturally.

The music is the main thing and it's just as easy to write acceptable words.

The thing about hip-hop today is it's smart, it's insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.

Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.

I made myself famous by writing 'songs' and lyrics about the beauty of the things I did and ugliness, too.

I don't think words always lead to meaning, but the things you can create with them are still pretty amazing. I've been really into Joni Mitchell, for example, but I've also been into some studio stuff, like Bjork.

I'm a big fan of lyrics - lyrics are the thing that move me in certain ways.

My lyrical content is all about entertainment.

I will always, forever, write songs, and wherever they're meant to be is where they'll be.

Voice is the first instrument.

I like the idea that songs can communicate in a way no other media can. That's why I write them.

There's only one thing, in the end, and that's singing truth in a pleasant way.

I wrote 'We Got the Beat,' which is a fun song, and people equate us with fun, but there's so much more to us than that.

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

The songs always tell you something, but always for different reasons.

A lot of things come together to make up a song. It's just images.