Jimmy Webb
I like words. I like the way they clash around together and bang up against each other, especially in songs.
You reach a certain point in your life where they things you do and say do make a difference.
I've been fortunate that when Frank Sinatra was in concert, he would say, 'Here's a song by a wonderful young songwriter, Jimmy Webb,' and I'd be in the front row and stand up. That gets people talking about you.
Particularly in my early days, I did very little rewriting.
The creative processes are so mysterious.
The people who are making money are the ones who are writing and singing their own songs.
When I started out, I was absolutely awful, I had no voice, I didn't have a lot of stage presence and most of the interpretive intensity that I brought to the experience was actually terror.
As I've grown - dare I say it - older, I had hopes of indulging my dreams of being a sailor.
When we go somewhere in New York, I'm known as Mr. Savini.
It's very hard for me to think about my songs and attribute some significance to them.
I think it's prima facie evidence for the existence of God because for me to grow up and actually end up working with Glen Campbell is almost unbelievable.
I believe strongly in inspiration, inspiration literally meaning 'full of the spirit.' I do believe that it comes to you.
I rode all around Hollywood listening to Donna Summer, looking out the window - all by myself - just going, 'I'm number one!' It's a pretty extraordinary feeling.
What has worked before is never as good as something that has never been tried before, even if it doesn't work.Collection: Ifs
Songwriting is Hell on Earth. If it isn't, then you're doing it wrong.Collection: Writing
Even if chords are simple, they should rub. They should have dissonances in them. I've always used a lot of alternate bass lines, suspensions, widely spaced voicings. Dfferent textures to get very warm chords. Sometimes you're setting up strange chords by placing a chord in front of it that's going to set it off like a diamond in a gold band. It's not just finding interesting chords, it's how you sequence them, like stringing together pearls on a string. ... Interesting chords will compel interesting melodies. It's very hard to write a boring melody to an interesting chord sequence.Collection: Writing
Someone left the cake out in the rainCollection: Rain
I believe strongly in inspiration, inspiration literally meaning full of the spirit. I do believe that it comes to you.Collection: Believe
You certainly don't hear any country music on pop radio today. But for a while you did, and it was a lovely thing to have all the different genres of music cohabitating the Top 40 - the folk sound, The Beatles, the British sound, the Motown sounds, that kind of light country - it was a welcome relief after a few hard rock records. Everyone was sharing the airwaves, and I think it was a beautiful time for American music.Collection: Music
We as songwriters are in the same position as a professional fisherman. Our fishing grounds are kind of fished out.Collection: Fishing
In the end all that matters is climbing and pushing your personal limits. No matter the grade, if you climb something that was hard for you, then that's sick.Collection: Climbing
America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace.Collection: America
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can Perhaps I may become a highwayman again Or I may simply be a single drop of rain But I will remain And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again...Collection: Rain
I usually know what kind of song I'm after. I know what I'm trying to do when I start. I don't always get there. But I try to visualize what it's actually going to be.Collection: Song
We are really in a rut with the three-minute song. You know where it's going to go. If you're trying to get your message across sometimes it's wise to say, Why don't we stop here and have a moment of silence, then go in a completely different direction?Collection: Wise