“I can write orchestrations, but I can't sight-read music and play at the same time. I don't have enough facility.” WritingI CanEnoughPlaySightFacilityOrchestration Author:Elvis Costello
“I'm a man with a mission in two or three editions And I'm giving you a longing look Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book.” MenGivingWritingLooksTwoBookThreeLongingEverydayMissions Author:Elvis Costello
“Sometimes I write notes that I have difficulty singing. And you start talking yourself out of the bold melody and start wanting to arrange it in another key or something. Maybe I just never learned my harmony part, because what everybody says sounds odd to them sounds perfectly natural to me.” WritingSometimesSoundNaturalTalkingKeysSingingDifficultyHarmonyNotesOddMelodyPerfectly Natural Author:Elvis Costello
“I'd be very suspicious of anybody that seems to have to move to the next level of expression. I distrust that: now I'm writing a book, now I'm being an actor. It should be a natural thing. I think it's a natural thing for you to act. But I think that people that feel that, because they've written one maybe quite beautiful love song that equips them to play Romeo, is probably misguided.” PeopleThinkingFeelsShouldWritingBookPlaySeemsBeautifulMovingSongNextActorsNaturalLevelsWrittenExpressionDistrustSuspiciousWriting A BookMisguidedNext LevelNatural ThingsBeautiful Love Author:Elvis Costello
“I get very frustrated by this term 'genre exercise.' I mean, what exactly is that? Genre is not really relevant when you are writing a song; hopefully you are doing it to explore something, to create something, and I don't agree that any of my albums are genre exercises.” WritingMeanSongTermExerciseAgreeAlbumsHopefullyGenreRelevantFrustratedGenre IsExactly Is Author:Elvis Costello
“It's what I do. I don't deserve any awards for this, it's just music. It's just writing songs. You sit down, you write a song, you record it. You tour and play the songs live, dress them up a bit differently, or dress them down.” WritingPlaySongBitsRecordsDeserveDressesAwardsWriting Songs Author:Elvis Costello
“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture - it's really a stupid thing to want to do.” WantWritingMusicStupidMusic IsDancingArchitectureStupid Things Author:Elvis Costello
“And over the last ten years, after my work with the Brodsky Quartet, I had the opportunity to write arrangements for chamber group, chamber orchestra, jazz orchestra, symphony orchestra even.” WritingYearsLastsOpportunityGroupsTenJazzArrangementsOrchestraChamberSymphonyQuartetsSymphony Orchestras Author:Elvis Costello
“I think when I was younger I was not very good at writing love songs that didn't have a twist.” ThinkingWritingSongVery GoodTwistsWriting LoveWriting Love Songs Author:Elvis Costello
“I've always felt writing a song was a bit like going on location. That's true in an almost literal sense. Where you are seeps in somehow.” WritingSongFeltBitsWhere You AreLocationLiteral Author:Elvis Costello
“Really the only thing holding a lot of records together is the personality of the singer, and the will to write all of these different things.” WritingDifferentHandsTogetherRecordsPersonalitySingersDifferent Things Author:Elvis Costello
“Smokey Robinson writes the heartfelt songs, whereas it was my job to write the songs about weakness and failure in love.” WritingJobsSongWeaknessHeartfelt Author:Elvis Costello
“Sometimes I write notes that I have difficulty singing.” WritingSometimesSingingDifficultyNotes Author:Elvis Costello
“Morrissey writes wonderful song titles, but sadly he often forgets to write the song.” WritingSongForgetWonderfulTitlesSong Titles Author:Elvis Costello
“There are five things to write songs about: I'm leaving you. You're leaving me. I want you. You don't want me. I believe in something. Five subjects, and 12 notes. For all that, we musicians do pretty well.” WantWritingBelieveWellsSongI BelieveMusicFiveSubjectsMusicianNotesLeavingI Believe InWant MeI Want YouLeaving Me Author:Elvis Costello
