My earliest memories as a child are listening to Beatles records, and they are a big part of how I've learned to write pop songs.
I think when you're writing songs, it's impossible to not draw on personal experiences, whether it be traveling or girls or anything. Just emotions.
When I get bored, I'll zone out, and I'll just sit in front of my computer and start writing any random song that comes to mind.
I just write songs that I strongly believe in and that are coming from inside. There's no tricks. It's honesty with big melodies.
I'm not in any rush. I'm not somebody who, if I write a song, I get it out. That's not something I've ever really quite done.
The idea that I could write songs that people wanted to hear came from other people who said they liked what I did.
My vocal ability is very limited, but I'm fortunate in that I can write the songs around my vocal limitations.
When I sit down to write a song, I really want the message of healing to thrive and transcend all ages.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon would often write a song a day, so I have the same workmanlike philosophy.
As a songwriter, you might write every day and throughout the course of a year you might get four songs that are really special.
I've been doing my big theater projects, which take years, and writing a song here and there.
All my records have been written to be records, rather than writing a group of songs and seeing if they fit together.
Sometimes a song indicates that it wants to be about a certain thing. And then if you write it, you find that it is about something that you've done.
Every time I write a song I feel really lucky and kind of surprised. Not surprised that I wrote it, but just surprised that things exist that you don't know about.
Every time you write a song, you're looking for some sort of perfection, and you never quite reach it. You're always looking for that extra missing piece.
I always played around with writing songs, but when you're spending a lot of time in bars, you have a lot of big ideas, but you don't do much with them.
I'm always in that mode - whenever I have a little free time, I'm always recording songs, writing, whatever I gotta do. It's like my job is my vacation.
I went to Morocco, joined a band called Pegasus, ran out of money, went to Gibraltar and worked on the docks, writing songs about the sun and the morning and the birds.
I love to play guitar. I've been writing my own songs on the axe since I was nine years old. I suck at leads.
I love working and writing new songs. But sometimes you need to wait, to have something in your mind, and then you can let yourself play music.
I'm not a very spiritual guy when it comes to music. I remember hearing Carlos Santana say that angels helped him write his songs. And I thought, 'Really, angels?'
