“I don't remember things initially when listening to music. Like, I don't remember where I first heard a song, I don't have nostalgic attachment to a song in that it reminds me of such and such a time or place. I think I probably did experience that somewhat when I was not a full-time, professional musician, but I don't think music works that way for people who are in it constantly.” PeopleThinkingWayFirstsRememberSongHeardListeningMusicianAttachmentListening To MusicNostalgic Author:Stephin Merritt
“You know, most love songs are not cheesy and corny. Most love songs are complaints, I think. Or about unrequited love, coming at it from some oblique angle. Only the ones that say "I love you" over and over are the cheesy, corny ones that people complain about” PeopleThinkingSongLove YouComplainingUnrequited LoveCornyUnrequitedCheesySay I Love You Author:Stephin Merritt
“I don't think there are any clichés I try to avoid. As soon as I spot a cliché, I go for it. I feel like clichés are the most useful thing in songwriting. They're the tool on which you build all the rest of the song.” ThinkingTryingSongSongwriting Author:Stephin Merritt
“I think there is such a valid concept as "serious music," meaning that if you don't take it seriously, you don't get it all.” ThinkingSerious Author:Stephin Merritt
“The adventure is when people don't know what they're doing at all. Like, I think that the first pop band to use synthesizers as their main instrument and take it seriously was probably Silver Apples. And they sure didn't know what they were doing, and they sure don't sound like anything else.” PeopleThinkingAdventureSilver Author:Stephin Merritt
“Well, things hold up even if they sound dated. It can be very difficult to listen to 80s pop songs with really, really gigantic smashed drum sounds. You just want to turn that gated reverb down on the snare. It sounds wrong now. It sounds amateurish. And ugly. But at the time it sounded state-of-the-art. So yeah, I think it's important not to sound state-of-the-art in a way that anybody else is going to sound. Or you'll quickly sound like yesterday's state-of-the-art.” ThinkingImportantSongDifficultUglyPop Song Author:Stephin Merritt
“My mother was into folk-rock when I was little, so I think of folk-rock as the norm from which everything else deviates. Of course, that's completely preposterous, but that's how I grew up. What is the norm by which to judge wordiness? I think I'm less wordy than Madonna.” ThinkingMotherJudgingNorm Author:Stephin Merritt
