Chris Cornell Quotes

I don't know why I write really depressing songs. I'm a kind of melancholy guy, I suppose. But I figure I'm about normal.

It's true, there's a lot of melancholy in my music. I don't know why, I'm not a melancholy person. I've always been drawn to it. Ever since I was a kid, if I had an album I would play the ballads on repeat.

I can speak for most songwriters - those breakup love songs are so easy to write, as far as the inspiration and all that.

Sadness takes up the pen more readily than joy.

I was obsessed with country music when I was a kid, and it's definitely had a huge influence on the way I write songs. I was always attracted to songs that had a brilliant pun or a clever turn of phrase, but came from a dark, bitter place. As a writer, I've always gravitated towards that feeling.

The thing is I write to music, so every script I have has its own playlist. Music just opens me up to the emotions that I'm writing. It's just a pretty cool thing.

There's a lot of melancholy in my tracks.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.

Where does a man get inspiration to write a song like that? Well, he gets it from the landlady once a month.

The idea of writing songs because you're depressed and you need to communicate it somehow, that isn't really true for me.

I like to write sad songs. They're much easier to write and you get a lot more emotion into them. But people don't want to hear them as much. And radio definitely doesn't; they want that positive, uptempo thing.

I'm working on my music a lot, like folk singing, guitar. It's sort of rocky, folky, alty, angsty. I'm putting a lot of energy into that. I write pretty much all the time.

When you write a song, it may come from a personal space, but it very seldom actually represents you. It comes out of a sort of mood of melancholy, somehow. It's almost theatrical.

Music and songs are written at different periods of time, at different times in your life. They reflect the feelings you have and to be honest, I quite like having positive emotions.

Yes, all my songs come from personal experience and relationships.

A letdown is worth a few songs. A heartbreak is worth a few albums.

I don't write happy songs. Who does? I don't know anybody who writes happy songs, really.

It's really easy to do sad; you just put on some sad music and write dramatically - everybody can do that.

If I could be more vague I'd write more about people in my life, but I hate hurting feelings or making people feel uncomfortable. I've done that before. Unless they're sad songs. Those get finished fast, but the mean ones often end up at the back of the bottom drawer and it's probably for the best.

I write most of my songs when I'm in a bad mood.

Every song is something that I've been through or an emotion I've felt - like falling in love or heartbreak.

If I make a song where I'm happy, I sound completely mad - I think my voice is better-suited for sadder songs.

If I could write rock & roll songs on purpose, I'd do it all the time. But most of what I write comes out slow and sad because that's most of what I listen to.

I think I write serious comedies. I would love to be able to write for pure pleasure, but the undertow is always loneliness.

Certain emotions just take you to the notes - being furious, heroic, sad, erotic, when rain comes.