Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Melissa Manchester

Quote by Melissa Manchester

“Everybody wants to write a hit song, but in Nashville people want to write the best song, which was my original intention as a singer/songwriter.”

Quote by Melissa Manchester

Author

Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester

Melissa Manchester, born on February 15, 1951, is a renowned American singer and songwriter. Her musical career began in the early 1970s, gaining fame for her emotive voice and creative talent. Manchester's music spans various styles including pop, rock, and adult contemporary, with her songs like 'Blame It on the Sun' and 'You Should Hear the Way She Says My Name' becoming widely popular. more

You May Also Like

“What I took back, because of my exposure to the Jewish music of the 30s and the 40s in my upbringing with my father, was that kind of theatrical songwriting. It was always a part of my character. This desire to make people laugh...Songwriting is best. It's the hardest-finest-tightest. It also requires the most discipline.”

“I can't draw. But I can draw with sound. That's the most useful thing I learned in terms of what my craft is... The arrangements were mine. They were little lines and stuff that I had written myself... And I was locked into this idea that vocals didn't count, melodies didn't count, songwriting craftsmanship didn't count. The only thing that counted was high arching guitar solos...”

“For years I walked around with the phrase "Green River" because I had seen that on a soda fountain drink when I was probably 8 or 9 years old, and I went, 'Gee, I like that.' Another one was "Lodi", which I thought sounded really cool. I got this cheap little empty plastic notebook at my local drugstore, and bought a little slab of filler paper and the very first title I wrote in it was "Proud Mary". I had no idea what that title meant.”

“I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was going to be interesting to other people. But I guess it was...I've never had any discipline whatsoever. I just wait on a song like I was waiting for lightning to strike. And eventually-usually sometime around 3 in the morning-I'll have a good idea. By the time the sun comes up, hopefully, I'll have a decent song.”

“Martin, Dave, and I get together and rough out a few songs and put them on cassettes for some reference...With the actual music, I'm not interested in objectivity, quite the opposite. I want a solely and totally subjective experience...A lot of pop music is about stealing pocket money from children.”