I taught myself to play the guitar by listening to Paul Simon records, working it out note by note. He is an incredibly intelligent musician. He’s not someone who has a natural outpouring of melody like McCartney or Dylan, who are just terribly prolific with musical ideas.

Occasionally, I hanker for the time when I sold more records, but I don’t sit and drool about it. When I do look at early footage of Talking Heads, I realise I was just a wreck.

I’ve always felt music is the only way to give an instantaneous moment the feel of slow motion. To romanticise it and glorify it and give it a soundtrack and a rhythm.

I can’t see myself singing the same song twice in a row. That’s terrible.

‚House of Balloons‘ was actually supposed to have more songs than it does.

It confuses me and disappoints me when somebody says, ‚What does he do? What does he do?‘ My records are some of the biggest anthems ever. What do you think, they magically just appear? Obama walked out to my record.

I can write a song in about an hour if it’s a simple country song.

Rap music is the only vital form of music introduced since punk rock.

I alone of English writers have consciously set myself to make music out of what I may call the sound of sense.

I was ready to quit music. It felt to me like music equalled death.

I would say that jazz is my own language.

You listen to the radio and all the songs sound the same, from 8 in the morning to 12.

Music is like film to me.

The wage for most musicians is a modest amount, and that includes me some of the time.

Honestly, I’d love to be remembered as one of the best to ever pick up a mic, but if I’m doing my part to lessen some racial tension I feel good about what I’m doing.

Whenever I think about movies, I always look at that art process as having the best of a lot of worlds. Because if you watch a great film, you have a musical element to it, not just on the scoring, but in the way that the shots are edited – that has music and rhythm and time.

Lyrics are so important, but they’re really underrated.

In Hawaii, some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley.

It’s an endless proving of myself, that I really am a musician, that I have something to offer in the room. That women can be musicians, women can be rock stars, women can be more than an objectified idea of a pop star.

When I was a teenager, my biggest lessons came from Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley. I learned so much from opening up for those artists, and it also taught me how to treat your opening acts and make them feel like they’re part of a family, not just a tour.

People are already finding ways to make their music and play it in front of people and have a life in music, I guess, and I think that’s pretty much all you can ask.

I listen to music all day every day. I can’t not listen to music. It’s kind of scary how much I listen to music, but it’s what I love, and it’s all I care about, so I’m good with it.

If you want to find the source of much of the music of modern day Russia, you will find it in the incredible compositions of that crazed lunatic Berlioz.

When I listen to a song, I don’t say, ‚Oh my gosh, that vocal line she sang was the best thing I ever heard.‘ I’m thinking, ‚That lyric just moves me. That lyric just said what I feel better than I could say it myself.‘

Hip-hop saved my life, man. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been even decent at. I don’t know how to do anything else.

Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.

I belong to a gospel choir. They know I am an atheist but they are very tolerant.

I love artists like Prince, who hold on to that element of mystery.

I just love Bowie. I think he’s the ultimate inventor.

Through Kurt I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that’s stripped down.

I’m pretty sure I don’t have any songs that are about how much I love someone. They’re all either about, like, ‚I hate you,‘ or ‚You make me hate me.‘

Rap was more of a release for me, a journal.

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.

Pretty much my whole life, I’ve been a performer and have loved singing and writing songs in my room for my own ears.

A chorus is not easy.

Today, I’d like to talk to Bob Marley. I’d just like to ask him what was his method. Bob is one of the greatest songwriters ever. I don’t know if people understand how powerful his songs are and the simplicity and genius behind them, from ‚Redemption Song‘ to ‚Is This Love?‘ and ‚I Shot the Sheriff.‘

Hell is full of musical amateurs.

I created myself. I have taught myself so much.

I always say this about my music, and music in general: Music is like a time capsule. Each album reflects what I’m going through or what’s going on in my life at that moment.

When I was in high school, there were these British blues-rock-type bands with really good guitar players that would jam on one song for half an hour. And as much as I was amazed by some of those guitar players, seeing them prompted me to make a note that that’s not something I could do.

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.

I just love working with Eminem. He’s just one of my favorite rappers, and his lyrics – he’s a true poet, and I enjoy that about him.

You know, Nirvana used to start rehearsals with the three of us just jamming. For, like, a half an hour, just noise and freeform crap – and usually it was crap. But sometimes things would come from it, and some songs on Nevermind came from that, and ‚Heart Shaped Box‘ and stuff on ‚In Utero‘ just happened that way.

It’s insane that, since the Beatles and Dylan, it’s assumed that all musicians should do everything themselves. It’s that ridiculous, teenage idea that when Mick Jagger sings, he’s telling you something about his own life. It’s so arrogant to think that people would want to know about it anyway!

Music, the greatest good that mortals know and all of heaven we have hear below.

A ‚scream‘ is always just that – a noise and not music.

If you look deep enough you will see music; the heart of nature being everywhere music.

My whole life and my whole career, even through my music, I tell people: let’s unify; let’s show more love.

I feel connected to my generation through the music, but I also fear for us. We’re in a very self-destructive state where we’re addicted to outside opinions and we all feel like we have fans.

It’s terrifying to play your favorite band’s song in front of your favorite band.

No one tells me what to do with my music. Real. My mom doesn’t tell what to say, how is someone else going to?

I never wanted to write the sort of song that said, ‚Look at how abnormal and crazy and out there I am, man!‘

Music can change the world because it can change people.

I’ve gotten used to being Frank Ocean.

No press, no television. If my mom calls and says, ‚Did you hear about?‘ I don’t want to know nothing about anything that is going on in relation to music. I shut it all off.

A record deal doesn’t make you an artist; you make yourself an artist.

That’s why I hate to get started in these jam sessions. I’m always the last one to leave.

Songs are my diaries; they always have been. You have to put your trust in everyone because putting down those real, personal details and thoughts that make a song authentic also opens you right up. I am constantly misunderstood; a lot of people just don’t get me.

When my record comes on, you know that’s a DJ Khaled record. That’s my formula, and the people love it.

I don’t just listen to rap.

I don’t even listen to rap. My apartment is too nice to listen to rap in.