M. Shadows Quotes

It's hard to write music for specific things, because I'm always writing just to write.

I was trying to do the same thing that I always do which is make an interesting record.

I'm not one for walking the beaches humming a melody. I love the discipline of sitting in the studio, writing and listening. That is my domain.

I get very deep into the writing and recording process.

The big thing that everyone forgets, you're famous and on TV and everything, but I think there's something very rewarding to be able to write a song, record it, and have it turn out as you heard it in your head, or even better.

Whenever I can squeeze it in, I'm writing and recording.

I'd experimented with so many different types of music. I had these folky songs I'd written and recorded, but something wasn't quite right.

There's the famous thing that the A&R man from the record company is supposed to do: He's supposed to come into the studio and listen to the songs you've been recording and then say, 'Guys, I don't hear any singles.' And then everybody falls into a terrible depression because you have to write one.

Most of the time, songs that I write end up being finished in 30 minutes or less.

I think it's all about making records when you're inspired to make them.

I'm working on my music - I've taken a little break from it and want to get back into that.

When I'm in a songwriting phase, it's a phase. I don't just suddenly feel inspired and then write a song, because I always write with a co-writer.

I do feel pressure internally and externally to put out music, but that excites me because I love songwriting, and this brings me back to why I got in music in the first place, so I'm excited about that.

I've finally figured out how to make a Rodney Crowell record, and that's let it be, leave the mistakes.

Anything with music, you got to have inspiration. You got to have inspiration to do good music.

After writing quite a few songs now, I have not a method but a way of being patient with a couple of verses or a certain set of chords. I can match them up quicker now than I used to. The one thing you do improve is songwriting.

Big Pop songs are born of inspiration and spontaneity. The question becomes how do you create spontaneity when you're going into the studio five days a week?

Everything I did on the 'Paid in Full' album and those first three albums, I wrote everything right in the studio.

I spent the summer of '88 indoors, writing 'Shoot You Down,' 'Bye Bye Badman,' and 'Don't Stop.'

All my writing takes place during the recording of the master tapes. I never do have songs when I start up an album. I actually write them while I record.

I started writing rather late in the game. I was fascinated about the story about how Bob Dylan, for 'Nashville Skyline,' wrote between takes. So I'd try to sing new songs off the top of my head. I had rather less than spectacular success on that. But a lot of my songs were done that way.

Normally when I do an album, I have a concept behind it.

The art of songwriting is just stumbling your way to something really special, and you don't know what you're going to write until you are writing it. There is no formula. And, sometimes, you really have to work at it and hunker down.

I have to be inspired to write a song.

When I'm recording, I usually just mumble and hum a melody and then fill the words in as I go.