Duncan Sheik Quotes

There was this discussion to know how long the human ear was really receptive to the music. A 74 minute CD is too long. We thought about making two CDs, 35 minutes each... But the songs need to breathe.

Take '39 Steps'. When I finished writing it, I counted the number of measures in the composition. I always do this because I am interested in the length of a song. So I counted this one a couple of times because 39 is an unusual number of measures for a song.

I'm used to making songs; that's how I learned to make music. My structures will always be more like pop songs than dance tracks.

As a songwriter, I go into the studio, and I just try to write a great song.

I always try to write the best song I can in the moment, and those songs are often going to end up on Death Cab for Cutie records. I don't set out to write a solo song or write a band song. I just write, and where that songs ends up is kind of TBD.

If a woman's aim is to become a singer, I would highly advise her to first develop her craft in songwriting. It's such a powerful tool to have when you're a singer.

A great song has to stand on its own, just singing and playing, and the rest is frosting. But you have to pay attention to the frosting.

One of the songs we recorded for 'The Long Run' was called 'You're Really High, Aren't You?' Which never really made it onto a record, but later on, it became 'Heavy Metal.' I took that track that wasn't used, and when I was invited to write a song for that movie, I took that track and recorded that song for that movie.

With 'Love Shack,' once we put that chorus in, it did have more of a song structure. Even though the verses are all kind of different, the chorus was there along with 'The Love Shack' - I think that really made it a hit. Once we heard it in the studio, we played it for R.E.M., and they were like, 'Yes this is a hit.'

We make songs like a factory and put them out.

The original 'Don't Let It Get to You' started with a beat. The drums came first. All the musical and lyrical elements were written over those drums.

I was on mad platinum albums... I produced and wrote on them.

Putting together a hit record is like putting together a puzzle.

If you want to be a songwriter, you've got to obsess over it.

On a good night, I probably make three songs, and none of them are full songs.

I'm the biggest Drake fan - my favorite is 'Tuscan Leather' because it's like three songs in one, and for somebody that's obsessed with keys, the outro has the best keys ever.

You know, many people do not know that I am so immersed when it comes to music. I have such a huge knowledge of music. I like my songs, I like my melodies, my harmonies, you know.

When it comes to making a song, whatever the beat tells me to do, I do.

I think I have always made really beat-driven pop-rock records.

I don't think writing open-ended lyrics is necessarily an important part of writing good pop songs.

There are a lot of names on the credits of 'The Glow Pt. 2,' but most of those people are just on one half of one song or something.

I usually write to the beat. Really, the beat can make the song itself.

I've never gone to a singer with a song and said 'why don't you try this?' or tried to get a record like that. My head just wasn't there.

The whole life of a song doesn't end with the way that it sounds on the record. How does this song grow? What works live? What do people like to sing along to?

If you don't have a great chorus, write a good bridge first. I often do that and find I write good bridges.