Songwriting Purpose Quotes

Sometimes when you're a songwriter, you kind of have this egotistic thing: you just want to write something that you love, and you don't care about if people like it or not, but personally, I want to write something that people can jive to.

Songwriting has always been a means to an end for me. That end being a tool to try to understand myself in the world and, through observation, make sense of the world.

When you are writing a song for something else, if you are doing something for money, I always think that's bad luck.

I'd like to think that what I've written over the years and what I'm doing now means something to people. People in the street all the time are saying "love the new record" or "I love that record," this tune or that tune. It means an awful lot, or it's been a big part of their lives. As a songwriter, what else would you really want? You're trying to connect with people, people's emotions, and maybe say something about their lives or feelings. That's probably a good enough compliment to receive, really.

Whether my lyrics are about love or something else, I always make sure I'm connecting with my fans, and to see their support is definitely a motivation.

When I write a song, it is to fill a niche in people's lives. To have a song for every experience if one hadn't been written yet.

You can draw a line between what I'm interested in and what I'm not interested in. On one side you can name Dylan and Lennon, who observe the world and have feelings, and write songs directly from those feelings. On the vapid side you have pop groups who need material and write songs to fill the hole, rather than getting somebody else.

I don't write songs in order to stick it to my exes. I don't release underground dis tracks.

I don't want to do children's music. I write kids songs, but the kids songs I write are for my kids - like when I'm putting them to bed. We sing some song that we made up but I don't want to make a record like that.

Why be in music, why write songs, if you can't use them to explore life or an idealized vision of life?

I've always been trying to write songs that hit you in the stomach but ones that make people feel like things will be just fine.

I don't think I was ever designed to be a ubiquitous worldwide star. I'm a singer-songwriter writing quite personal songs. You're not supposed to chuck me on a stage with bells and whistles. There was a struggle ahead after that happened, and perhaps I was trying to write songs to compete in that arena.

Even if I'm writing music, it's with a lyric in mind, to communicate some kind of feeling.

I like the idea that songs can communicate in a way no other media can. That's why I write them.

I don't write songs apart from theatrical pieces. I'm not interested in writing songs qua songs.

I don't know if I am a role model, but I've had young kids write to me. I try to write songs that I wish I would have heard when I was younger. It's kind of strange to think of yourself as a role model. That wouldn't be a bad job.

I wouldn't be writing songs if I didn't have something to say.

That's something that I think as a songwriter you have to ask yourself - why you're doing it. The world certainly doesn't need more songs. Are you doing it just for your ego?