Tom Waits Quotes

I honestly just hope to continue creating music that people can relate to and connect with in a personal way.

Because the beauty of songs, I think, is if you do it right a lot of people can relate to it in their own way and make their own meaning out of things.

Singers always have an advantage. You know, everyone can connect to a song in a way that they cannot do to a basketball act or a magician act or whatever.

No matter how many people try, no matter how many fancy songwriters in Los Angeles try to break it down to a formula... to an extent, there isn't a science to writing great songs, I suppose.

It's been a continuity right from the beginning - that longing to weave together perceptions, to affirm the richness of us as human beings both as performers and audience members.

Any artist, the work you do, if it's a painting or if it's a performance, you hope it translates to a common denominator with the people that they see something in their own life in there. Or they see something in somebody else's life. That's what's fun about sharing art.

In song the same rule applies as in dramatic verse: the meaning must yield itself, or yield itself sufficiently to arouse the attention and interest, in real time.

Art is essentially communication. It doesn't exist in a vacuum. That's why people make art, so other people can relate to it.

When an audience comes to one of my concerts, I hope they'll see themselves, somewhere, in one of the songs.

It's a unique thing, and it's probably the thing I love most about songs and music - their ability to connect in a human way.

I feel like a lot of people can relate to my music.

I make art primarily for myself and to show my friends, so I guess it's important to make art that they can connect to.

If I don't relate to a song, I won't sing it. The thing is that if I wrote it, I'm always going to relate to it.

I wanted to lift the aspects of the lyrics and imagery that I found sincerely powerful and touching, plus the amazing musical extremities, and make my own thing. That's what making music has always been for me. Synthesizing a nonexistent kind of music that I wish existed because I wanted to listen to it.

I love "Heartbreaker." "Heartbreaker" stands up for me still. It still works to me. The sentiment is still timely and it just works. But I don't want to do that again. I'm not interested in re-creating that. That was great and I'll just leave it there.

I really work hard to shape the song so that it's attractive... You don't want to give people the information in an enema.

I'm always interested in hearing how other people read and react to my songs. I hadn't thought of it in just that way.

Songs are like myths. Myths are useful because they allow you to cast yourself and your life and your own experience. And for some people, 'Fire and Rain' speaks to them in that way.

Maybe if my songs feel personal, that's very nice. I like that. I take that as a great compliment.

Often for me, if I hear a song I know, it clicks for me and I hear it in a different way and I think, "I could sing that song. I've got something to say about that song. Wanting to connect with an audience and wanting them to rethink songs; it is actually important to do songs they're familiar with. Also, I love those songs. In a way, I think I've changed people's perceptions of what a cabaret show like this could be.

What kind of art do I want to make? What do I stand for? What inspires me? And then to have people in return respond to that... I think that's the greatest thing because throughout dancing, I'm always looking for that.

It's strange how we always want other people to feel what we feel. It must be a basic human drive. Misery loves company, right? Or when you see a movie that you love, don't you want to drag all your friends to see it as well? Because it's only good the second time if it's the first time for somebody else—as if their experience somehow resonates inside of you.

I don't ever try to anticipate my audience. I just write the songs I want to write, and hope people like 'em.

The number one thing I want my videos to be is relatable.

I suppose that it doesn't matter whether a song is written or sung by a man or a woman. If the sentiment is there, it captures the audience.