I think I enjoy Sondheim so much because of the lyrics. The lyrics, the cornucopia of options.
The lyrics aren't simple, either. They're extremely difficult because I'm trying to say complicated things in as few words as possible.
Lyrics have become so dumbed down nowadays. People don't want to have to think about lyrics anymore, they just want to be told something. Until these great things started happening with us, I'd really given up on reaching people like that.
Sometimes, I feel like my lyrics meander a little bit, and our songs are so big I need to write more words than are necessary.
I don't understand why people are going mad about the lyrics I write? Do they expect everyone to become Mirza Ghalib?
I'm not a pop song lyric writer. I can't just focus on one simple meaning or even a double entendre.
I used to get these reviews in American newspapers saying that they didn't understand what my lyrics were about. I saw that as a compliment. That's exactly what English songwriters should be doing!
Composers now just don't have the depth of inspiration for melody. Most of the lyrics of the pop songs you hear today are repetitious. They're almost nursery rhymes, as if written by children - which they are.
