My wife grew up loving country music, so I always run songs by her whether I wrote it or if somebody pitched it to me.
One of the things that I think is such a constant in country music is that the song is so much a story. I believe it is supposed to be based around a story.
I have yet to have a successful outcome of sitting in a room with someone and trying to write a song. The way that I generally co-write is that someone else writes the music or part of the music.
After all my years of doing instrumental music I still like just a simple instrumental song with a nice catchy melody and an opportunity to play a solo over a harmonic structure.
That internal ache is the starting point of country music. If it's a happy song and I can still feel sad in it? That's my favorite.
Music is like a lifeblood - it changes the way I move; it changes the way I feel about myself. The way I walk into the room is different depending on the song I was just listening to.
I don't feel comfortable doing interviews. My profession is music, and writing songs. That's what I do. I like to do it, but I hate to talk about it.
Nobody sang better than my mom. That's why I've never even thought of singing for singing sake. I've always thought of a song as an acting piece, as a way to say something.
Rap for me is like making movies, telling stories, and getting the emotions of the songs through in just as deep a way. And I grew up in rap and movies the same way.
Anita Miller: This song explains why I'm leaving home to become a stewardess.
[During the song "Shout" at the toga party] Bluto: Gator! [He, D-Day, and others begin shaking on the floor]
The idea of writing songs because you're depressed and you need to communicate it somehow, that isn't really true for me.
There are songs where no matter how much you know you shouldn't - like the Ying Yang Twins' 'Shake' - I'll be in a dress, and I'll krump to it. It's horrible!
If Hori were to die, I should not forget! Hori is a song in my heart for ever... That means-that there is no more death...
I'll have to get people to write songs for me right now until my own writing comes around.
If I write when I'm low, it will be a dark song, but I don't care. I want to be honest with myself at all times.
I never thought 'Stairway to Heaven' was a long song. I loved how there was this part and then there was another part that was completely different.
I was a beach boy, and I believe I learned my songs from the birds of the Brazilian forest.
I'm not afraid to be bluntly honest in my songs, even if it means I'm discovering things about myself that I'd rather not.
You can use songs, scriptures and godly pictures to chart your thought-course in the right direction.
My theme song is always: 'Pay attention to your viewer. Follow them.'
