John Prine Quotes

I've never personally criticized anyone else's music, but I know that the public's real problem is not the music I make but the perception that I play simple music for money only and for the notoriety and to increase my popularity.

There's no difference in a lot of people's minds between good musicians and popular musicians.

I'm one of those firm believers that good music will prevail.

For songs to be big, I don't think there's a certain formula to it.

I think when you have one song that does really well, people love you from that song, or they hate you from that song.

Hit songs are mysterious and slippery beasts; few artists have a lock on them. This means that many people, like me, have become fans of songs rather than fans of artists.

We've got great fans that rock and roll won't have, because you can have a one-hit record and country music used to, not so much anymore and you have a fan forever.

Never hate a song that's sold a half million copies.

I don't want to put my fate in country music fans; I'm too stubborn.

Commercial music, for the most part, is popular music and you always have to keep that in mind.

It really is, to see that this kind of music is still so popular.

I'm trying to be like the old Roc- A-Fella and Bad Boy, influencing people culturally but having hits at the same time.

The only thing that exists to me is commercial pop music.

When I first released music, and no one knew what I looked like, I would read comments like: 'I've never heard anything like this before; it's not in a genre.' And then my picture came out six months later: now she's an R&B singer.

In 2010, aside from that niche of music that I have no interest in - Black Eyed Peas territory, disposable pop stuff - there's almost an incentive to go back to making music as adventurous and groundbreaking as you can, because nobody gets a big hit anymore.

I just don't get that new hot music. I don't know anything about all these groups like U2.

Popular music has always had its really horrendous stuff.

There's always people saying that rock is dead, rock is over. People are always out to kill rock and roll.

If people stop being interested, it's because you haven't written a good enough album. Music will always be the most powerful thing. It doesn't matter what record labels or journalists say. It's the song.

Rock n' roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world.

The challenge is to keep it fresh. If you're talking about Britney Spears over and over, it's very hard to keep that interesting.

I deliberately try not to cater for the commercial market, so I can't see myself in competition, you know, with second or third generation rock stars.

If people are talking about you, that's great. You start making more money, that's great. You get to go to weird places, that's great. The music industry is weird, especially with the Internet. People are calling you all kinds of weird stuff, like 'jangly.'

I don't know if a song is going to be a hit or it's going to flop. I never know. I just do the music and if people like it, they like it.

People get passionate about a song. It's been my experience if you put out radio candy, something commercial, it doesn't sell records.