Quotes by Song Some of my earlier songs are kind of more about mental illness. Andrew Bird mental-illness kind song Most of the songs that I appreciate are lyrically vague. Andrew Bird vague appreciate song I've always had levity in my songs, so I like to turn things over, twist them around, and make fun of myself. Andrew Bird twists song fun I've literally opened it up to suggestions and it's totally chaotic and kind of a bad idea. You don't need the actual feedback to get a sense. When you're showing a song for the first time, people can feel that newness. Andrew Bird song people ideas The first splurge of creativity is kind of free, and the last 30 percent is painstakingly hard work, but it's good to light a fire and make it public and create that expectation. It's become part of the writing process, really, a way to ask the audience what they think, how they think it's going. I can't write songs in a vacuum. Andrew Bird hard-work writing song There's kind of this unequaled thrill of playing a half-finished song, it's kind of sense of slight embarrassment; like you're blushing. I like doing that. I did that with "Eyeoneye" and it was almost a curse on the song for a while; I debuted it when it was half-finished in a very public way Andrew Bird thrill half song The music that I write is often not necessarily full of doom and gloom. You'll notice in most of the darkest songs, the music is actually pretty peaceful and lulling. Andrew Bird doom-and-gloom writing song You can build up expectations for a song before you record it, and then it's like nothing's good enough in the studio. Andrew Bird records expectations song I have some irrepressible pop impulses to write an appealing, concise song. And I also have some irrepressible kind of restlessness as well, and I need to keep myself interested. When I'm left to my own devices, there's a struggle. Andrew Bird struggle writing song If you take a little time, let's say three weeks off, after recording a song, and you listen to it every other day, you're just going to know eventually. Andrew Bird three littles song It's not set in stone. I like to keep it rolling and changing, and so I am like, "Great, I get to remake my song." Andrew Bird rolling stones song I don't get particularly precious about things like this, though. Like the record company said, "We need a radio edit that delivers the hook" - I don't even know what they consider the hook in that song ["Oh No"] - "that delivers the hook sooner." So I'm like, "Okay. I see that." And they were all walking on eggshells, like is this going to be sacrilegious to me or something, to mess with this art I've created? And I'm like, "Great. I get to tinker with it, I get to mess with my song some more." Andrew Bird song art needs If something gets under my own skin, and keeps reoccurring, it starts to take on a certain weight and value, and I think, "I have to put this in the song. I have no choice but to mention Greek Cypriots in this song." It's a little internal challenge to myself. Like creating little imaginary rituals in yourself to help the song go from nonexisting to existing. Andrew Bird creating song thinking I'm coming from a place that's more experimental and indulgent already, so for the last 10 years, it's been more like, "How can I defend my own sensibilities by writing a nugget of a little catchy pop song?" That's how I'm stretching myself, by writing something really simple. Andrew Bird simple writing song There's always that struggle between me wanting to keep [song] new and fresh and then be - I can never get with pop songs being so repetitive. Andrew Bird pops struggle song Jesse James is like a Leonard Cohen song, I wanted to do something that was like a pop song. Andrew Dominik pop-song pops song I spent many years trying to write a lot like Ben Folds or John Lennon or Rivers Cuomo. I think that's healthy when you're learning to write and seeing how chords fit together and how songs take shape. Andrew Dost writing song thinking My songs will pass and be forgotten. What counts, however, is that I sang them. Andrew Greeley life-and-love forgotten song They seldom looked happy. They passed one another without a word in the elevator, like silent shades in hell, hell-bent on their next look from a handsome stranger. Their next rush from a popper. The next song that turned their bones to jelly and left them all on the dance floor with heads back, eyes nearly closed, in the ecstasy of saints receiving the stigmata. Andrew Holleran dancing eye song Precious things lost are transmutable. They refuse oblivion. They simply wait to be rendered into testimonies, into stories and songs. Andrew Lam waiting stories song «1819202122232425262728»