I wanted to be that quirky girl who writes funny songs that still have meaning.
I listen to a lot of songs, and they aren't talking about anything. I don't connect with them. I'll listen to something like Musiq Soulchild's 'Just Friends,' and I'm like, 'Wow, I really feel what he's talking about.' That's how I want people to feel about my music.
But I think if any song can touch the heart, then one should value it.
A few things I've noticed about myself as a listener, and the music that I relate to and the music that's continued to mean something to me since I was a little kid or a teenager, is that they're songs that tell stories and songs that come from a place of experience.
I'm a lyric man - I'm always looking for meaningful songs.
Play music that means something to you. Make it happen for yourself.
I think people relate to Skynyrd; it's a working class band. They're just songs with messages. To this day, there's never been a song written that didn't have a message.
Music, as many people have said, is the universal language. Of course points are made which make you think about things, but ultimately it makes you feel. And that's why people remember more songs that have meant something during their life than films. They start to define periods in your life, and that's kind of the beauty of it.
A good song reminds us what we're fighting for.
It's important to me that my songs actually make sense. So often, I turn on the radio, and I have no idea what the people are singing about. It may sound good, but when you listen, they're just saying words that rhyme. It's another song about nothing.
You feel that no matter what's said in the music or how pointed it may get, the most you can wish for is that it plants a few seeds.
It is sometimes fun when you party and listen to those fun songs but they don't have a lot of meaning behind them.
I only like songs with strong lyrics.
It's great when you can write a meaningful song that touches people, but sometimes you just wanna have fun and sing a silly song that doesn't reflect on you as a person.
I think that the best music and the music that people relate to the most is the honest music that people feel themselves in it.
There's a certain power in vague language, but I started to get more into the idea of really trying to have a discrete thought in the lyrics and to have songs that were about stuff - to try to make things more coherent.
I don't want to sing about going to a party with friends, I want to sing meaningful songs that can inspire people and I think Sia's songs are really deep. 'Chandelier' is about young girls who think they have to please others to be loved and that really touched me.
My aim is always catchy songs, or songs with meaning and I want to write music people can relate to, about things anyone could go through, just real, honest music... songs that mean something, songs that are inspired by true life events.
People are consuming more than ever, but I think they want a bit of honesty and depth. Adele, Gotye, Janelle Monae - they're giving you a catchy song, but it's also a challenging song at the same time.
Much as I adore the melodies, I choose a song for what it has to say.
I don't want to sing boring pop songs - I want to sing songs that are meaningful to me.
I think the message of the Live/Counting Crows tour is that, aside from what's going on trendwise, if you dig a little, you can always find something to inspire you.
I don't want to hear songs about how sunshiny things are. I don't like songs that feel like radio candy... I like the ones that make you think, laugh or cry - they pull some kind of emotion out of you.
All of our songs, no matter what record they're on, mean a lot to us.
The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.
