Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Music
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“I love the idea of waking up to a song. It could be any song.”
Shreya Ghoshal (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“God is pleased with no music from below so much as in the thanksgiving songs of relieved widows, of supported orphans, of rejoicing, and comforted, and thankful persons.”
Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) said by 1667 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You fail, Death-Lord! You destroy the instrument, but not its music. With all your power you have gained only a broken shell." In that moment, when the harp had been silenced, arose the songs of birds, the chiming of brooks, the humming of wind through grass and leaves; and all these voices took up the strands of melody, more beautiful than before. And the Lord of Death fled in terror of life.”
Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Who sings of all of Love's eternity Who shines so bright In all the songs of Love's unending spells? Holy lightning strikes all that's evil Teaching us to love for goodness sake. Hear the music of Love Eternal Teaching us to reach for goodness sake.”
Jon Anderson (born 1944) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lyrics of "Loved by the Sun", on the soundtrack of the film Legend (1986).
“I see every director as a different brand. That way, it’s easy for me to compartmentalise my work. So I can easily switch from one film to the other and refresh myself when I hit a mental block. I don’t want my music to sound like a pastiche of other works. So I stop listening to my songs once the audio for a film is released. When I unwind, it’s usually with jazz.”
Yuvan Shankar Raja (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People have preposterous ideas about what those songs are about and what the music means. They start spouting all this shit that’s so far off the mark, it’s revolting. But if that’s how they derive pleasure, who am I to deprive them of it? Let ’em enjoy it. It’s there for their edification. But total comprehension is out of the question.”
Frank Zappa (1940–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's more like giving people a taste of what the tour will be like. It's getting people to hear the music to a different sound … We remixed some of the songs so they sound totally different. It's really energetic.”
Hilary Duff (born 1987) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pencek, David. "Duff does double-duty". Norwich Bulletin. July 21 2005. Retrieved October 25 2006.
“I have gone through different phases in my music writing. There was a time when I used a little exercise — incorporating all of the twelve notes in the chromatic scale — to get me going. I used this technique for a while, but I don't any longer because I am going back to simpler melodies. Originally I moved away from the simple songs because I thought they were too simple.”
Paul Simon (born 1941) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Songwriting" in Making Music (1983) edited by George Martin, p. 70
“Basically I just had to say, "Screw everyone around me - from now on I'm just gonna play what I think is important to me and our music." So I gave the big finger to all the current trends in technical wizardry, and just went off and did what I felt was best for the songs.”
Kirk Hammett (born 1962) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Guitar World (March 1992)
“Rap music is just computerised crap. I listen to Top of the Pops and after three songs I feel like killing someone.”
George Harrison (1943–2001) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in The Beatles — After the Break-up : In Their Own Words (1991) by David Bennahum, p. 54
“I love Gloria Estefan, though -- she is cool. It's always just been about the music with her and they've been really good fun pop songs and really great ballads. And she's still going strong. She's quite classy and true to her Latin roots.”
Gloria Estefan (born 1957) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: comments by Welsh singer Charlotte Church, BBC online news (September 26, 2005)
“I'm going to spend my life writing poems, turning them into music that will affect people and touch their hearts. I'm going to write the songs that people can't write for themselves.”
Stevie Nicks (born 1948) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kia Makarechi, "Stevie Nicks On Fleetwood Mac's Reunion Tour, Rihanna, Kanye West & Her Early Years In Music", Huffington Post, 3 December 2012
“What's good about the way we write songs is that I never quite know what I'm doing cause I can't read music. source”
Chris Martin (born 1977) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have been reading recently about synesthesia, in this case, the association of music and other sensory information with colors and I realized that I probably have a little or a lot of that current. I don't think it's unusual for songwriters. When I think of other people's songs or albums, a color comes to my mind.”
Chris Martin (born 1977) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On interview with Wall Street Journal, 2015. source
“Where do you hear the songs? In the space between wake and passing out, the hiss down the left of the dial, the faces of the kids when we pull up to the show, in answering machine hang up messages, in glasses colliding, transmissions whining, where the music doesn't belong—where it lives. Everywhere, it's all I hear.”
Jack Terricloth (1970–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Music is one of the very few things left in this world, which has an amazing power of healing. I really hope that these songs will set your imagination free, enrich your emotions and help your heart and mind feel happier.”
Edyta Górniak (born 1972) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Invisible (cd), 2002
“My voice in combination with the harp - which, by the way, I use because I've played it my entire life, not to make some statement about the harp - somehow has … coloured people's interpretations of the music and projected an idea of childlike or fairytale quality or innocence. Which sometimes prevents people from listening to the songs the way I would like them to be listened to.”
Joanna Newsom (born 1982) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sydney Morning Herald, 10 October 2005
“Dolphins, unlike us, do not have manual skills, but their dances, jumps, are perhaps the equivalent of our ballet. Sounds, like music in the Orthodox Church – without musical instruments – are probably their songs, by which they are holding long discourses. It is a semantically organized signal system.”
Jerzy Vetulani (1936–2017) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Vetulani, Jerzy (6 December 2009): W każdym z nas tkwi mr Hyde, interview. Nowa Trybuna Opolska (in Polish).
“Music earlier used to be an integral part of the film. The background score and the songs were as important, to take the story forward as were the screenplay and dialogues.”
Waheeda Rehman (born 1938) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well, it was a church person in the early days, Mahalia Jackson. And Rosetta Tharpe. These spiritual, very strong voices. I only knew that they were figures in the black race, recognizable and respected. But I must admit, I've always covered the songs of males. I haven't followed up on women or listened to that much women's music.”
Tina Turner (1939–2023) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Her answer to a question about her first musical influences, Gerri Hershey, "Tina Turner", Rolling Stone (November 13, 1997), as quoted in Mark Bego, Tina Turner: Break Every Rule (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003), p. 18
“Like I said, I grew up with punk, and the lyrics of the songs I liked were about reality, and young people were expressing themselves by playing music. It's always been more about attitude, for me. Expressing yourself within society.”
“I was bored with rock’n’roll…And I was tired of singing fast songs. I’m a ballad singer. And I like drama and nuance. This music has richer poetic images and more interesting rhythms.”
Linda Ronstadt (born 1946) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the joy of recording a non-English album in “Linda Ronstadt: 'I had to sing those songs or I was going to die'” in The Guardian (2020 Oct 20)
“[Anne Murray] embodies the Canadian popular music industry. She's been so successful within Canada and internationally. She's really identified with Canada, even one of her songs Snowbird, that's so Canada.”
Anne Murray (born 1945) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Noreen Ahmed-Ullah, "'Canada's sweetheart' Anne Murray donates archives to U of T", 16 November 2017, University of Toronto, utoronto.ca
“Maybe I have been on the road too long, Living my life through these songs. I guess loving a music man Really wasn't in your plans. Does it matter if I'm sorry again? And why should I apologize> You knew all along this was my life. You know my ins and outs, All my fears and doubts. It's the life I love, But it's you I can't live without.”
“I literally left school and went straight into music via art college for a year, and I've been so involved in my job of writing songs that the more actively involved part became channelled into standing on the stage and saying things that way. It's only now that it's come full circle and I'm using my voice again in a way that's tying everything together.”
PJ Harvey (born 1969) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On her youth and being active in causes before diving into music in “PJ Harvey: 'I feel things deeply. I get angry, I shout at the TV, I feel sick'” in The Guardian (2011 Apr 24)
“Even when I feel really happy, it's never enough. The only way it seems that I can reach 'enough' is through music. I've never found a relationship that is 'enough'. Sometimes when I do feel really happy, I write some of the most horrible songs! It doesn't stop my songwriting at all, I don't need to be tortured and angst-ridden to write.”
PJ Harvey (born 1969) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On her compulsion to create music in “PJ Harvey: 'I'm always looking for extremes' – a classic interview” in The Guardian (2014 Jul 9)
“There’s so much going on in the world, it’s just nice to have something to help you escape. The songs we’re making are fun dance records that you want to hear at a party. We’re enjoying making the music — we want people to enjoy listening to it too!”
Natalie Martinez (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was writing my own songs and when I was younger, all I wanted to do was perform, so when I said ‘this is what I want to do’, mum and dad were very sceptical. But they were really supportive and I think I’m lucky to have grown up around people who are as passionate about music as I am. And they understand and support me, which is… well I’m really lucky.”
Kate Alexa (born 1988) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: INTERVIEW : Kate Alexa (August 15, 2012)
“Cars are romanticized on television, in films and in popular music. There are thousands of songs, TV shows, and movies about driving, racing, road trips, and car chases. Just because something is romanticized, however, doesn't mean it's good for you. Alcohol, guns, drugs, and cigarettes are also romanticized in popular culture. But, like cars, they can be bad for your health or even deadly.”
Andy Singer (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Imagine producing music that can only be shared on WhatsApp and played in people’s homes when I reap nothing! But my followers say they could not imagine a festive season without my songs. So I am making plans for them.”
Magdeline Lesolebe (born 1984) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Makhadzi features Charma Gal in her latest album, The Botswana Gazette, (26 Octobe 2020)
“I was very naive. I didn’t know that people lie, I didn’t know that people didn’t write their own songs. Music has always been my expression of how I felt. It’s always been my life.”
“I want to be a brand that African parents can tell their kids to look up to by availing them access to lyrically healthy songs that will Mood their kids’ characters and inspire them to greatness while having fun with the music.”
Makayla Malaka (born 2012) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Makayla Malaka, Wikitubia, 01 January, 2018, Wikitubia, retrieved 9 December 2022.
“I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember, but didn’t consider making it a career choice until my early twenties. I studied the cello from the time I was eight years old through college and I write my songs on the piano. My primary instrument is my voice.”
Laura Kabasomi Kakoma (born 1979) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Know yourself, listen to your heart, and take risks – singer Laura Kabasomi Kakoma The NewTimes, September 11, 2013
“Not all Rwandan songs were banned so, yeah, our music is still growing as usual. Let’s keep pushing it as far as possible”
Anita Pendo (born 1986) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Artistes react to Burundi’s decision to ban Rwandan songsThe New Times(April 26, 2023)
“I think it was just to represent who I am. I wanted it to get to the point and to get my message across. The EP was the right introduction for me into the music industry. It's not too much but at the same time it's not too little, it's just enough and that's exactly why I wanted to get the right amount of songs out there for people to relate to.”
Elaine (singer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Luckily this time it was only music and no interaction so I performed for about half an hour. It felt good at the end when the crowd called for extra songs shouting ‘we want more.”
Lady May (born 1986) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lady May rocks Berlin;by Staff Reporter,retrieved on 18 January 2010
“Past musicians didn’t dwell on generic sounds and generic names; we had a lot of great songs especially from the 80s. They’re the ones that inspired us, people like Fela, not just their music but their lifestyle too. Fela was a human activist so even if you’re not a musician, you learn a lot of stuff from Fela.”
Runtown (born 1989) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Runtown dreams of marrying Rihanna. 12 December 2014, Vanguard Newspaper.
“We help writers and musicians distribute and monetise their books, audiobooks, songs and music videos across over 400 digital stores worldwide at no charge.”
Chidi Nwaogu (born 1990) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I like Chopin and Bizet And the songs of yesterday, String quartets and Polynesian carols. But the music that excels Is the sound of oil wells As they slurp, slurp, slurp into the barrels.”
Marve Fisher first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Differently quoted in the ODQ, 4th ed. (1992) p. 283:
“What is produced today is mostly modest. Music has become tribal: fewer and fewer elements are used, and songs are monotonous.”
Peppe Vessicchio (1956–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I enjoyed artists like P-Square so much, so I always embodied their music and performed them as my own songs.”
“It is a lot of hard work to release songs back to back. I produce my music and I travel for events. I come back and I head back to the studio. It means I work round the clock. It is a lot of energy.”
Frank Edwards (born 1989) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m really just interested in a lot of sounds, so I’ve always been quite eclectic with my music. I also just don’t like the idea of playing the same sort of songs again and again. So I switch back and forth [between styles], but either way I hope there’s progress!”
Josh Kempen (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hip-hop suffered so much because it came with this ego, as egotistical as our genre is... it got to the point where the music wasn’t interesting anymore. The sounds were exactly the same. That’s the beauty of collaboration, it gives songs a new life, a new feel and because the mainstreams (established artists) weren’t trying to work with new artists, it became stagnant.”
Rouge (rapper) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I see myself like a “tri-genre”. I am doing three things, Gospel Porn with M3nsah, and by myself , I am doing what I call, Afro-Gypsy Music and also just rap, I feature on people’s songs.”
Wanlov the Kubolor (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don’t just make music for myself. A lot of what you hear in my songs are stories of other people who come from where I come from.”
“That’s one thing I put at the back of my mind. I want to be a music icon so my songs have to reach every part of the continent. Until that is achieved, I won’t ever say I’ve gotten there.”
“So I started rearranging existing music and realised I had the gift. Though I had earlier composed a few songs, Moko Bɛɛ became the defining moment for me as a gifted songwriter and producer.”
“I love putting out music. I want to do one more. Maybe a full length album, but I will start working on that at the top of 2023. Knowing me, it won’t be ready until the end of 2023 because I don’t rush those things. I love creating in the studio and that whole vibe. I’m going to give the world another solid eight songs.”
Mashonda (born 1978) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mashonda Talks New EP, Rediscovering Her Sound, Career Struggles (Exclusive Interview);on Nov 23, 2022
“I am especially grateful for the opportunity to share my music with people who had no idea who I was before that evening. It was such a blessing to have non-Filipino guests approach me afterwards and share encouraging words about my songs and performance. Moments like these truly mean a lot and bless the heart of an artist,”
Acel Bisa (born 1976) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dutch café celebrates Filipino Night with singer Acel Bisa, ABS-CBN News, Angelica Cabahug 1 June 2026.