One of the dumber things my manager said was, Stick to the melody. But I can't. Shawn Colvin More Quotes by Shawn Colvin More Quotes From Shawn Colvin I'd like to think I've overcome. I was not a person that was supposed to survive New York City, that was ever going to write my own songs or have children. Shawn Colvin city think my-own children With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If I can, then it's a song I ought to record. If I can't, it's probably not good enough. Shawn Colvin alone good you song When you know part of the industry thinks of you as a one-hit wonder, that's painful. Shawn Colvin know you painful wonder For a long time, I felt like I failed myself, my career, and my record company. Shawn Colvin myself long-time time long It was a beauty contest in the '80s. If they played two women back to back on the radio, it was almost a scandal. Shawn Colvin back women radio beauty When I became sober, I was 27 and struggling as an artist. Shawn Colvin struggling became sober artist As a kid, I was depressed and riddled with anxiety. The bottom dropped out when I was 19. Shawn Colvin out kid bottom anxiety My music is basically perceived as folk or softer rock. Shawn Colvin folk basically rock music When I made 'A Few Small Repairs' and it did well, I followed that up with having a baby, and that was not received well at my record company. I was written off, and that had a bearing on my career. Shawn Colvin career small company baby Put me in a room with a songwriter, and I just clam up. I get shy. Shawn Colvin room just me shy I don't support Trump. We'll put that right out there. Shawn Colvin put right out support I've had a prolonged adolescence, like a lot of my generation. Shawn Colvin had generation like adolescence I'm not gay - everybody thinks I am - but I dig 'The L Word.' Shawn Colvin dig i-am everybody gay I get a lot of joy out of covering other people's songs, and, at my best, I think I bring something a little new to a lot of them. Shawn Colvin best think joy people I was a cover artist for years. I didn't start writing songs until I was in my mid-twenties. I wrote them with John Leventhal, and they were pretty bad. I was in my late twenties when I wrote the first song with him that made any sense to me about what I was rooted in and what spoke for me as an artist. That was 'Diamond in the Rough.' Shawn Colvin bad start me song I can perform easily; I don't mind getting up in front of people at all. I've always sung and felt confident about that, and guitar playing isn't a stretch, but songwriting is. We all have our challenges in what we do, and that's mine. Shawn Colvin guitar challenges mind people I always wanted to be a songwriter, and it took a while. Shawn Colvin songwriter while always wanted