You can do a lot to shape the feeling of a song by the way you record it. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
Pronouns really don't matter in a song - 'I' or 'he' or 'she' or even subscribing a lyric to an inanimate object. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
Popular music is all about traveling at the speed of you and elevating the individual as the highest thing in the world. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I do think that music has a special ability to get behind enemy lines and win hearts and minds. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I enjoy recording and performing, but it's the songwriting that I love most. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
When you look at what people consider success in the music industry, it's just terrible music. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
The best feeling I ever get is when I finish a song, and it exists, and it didn't exist before, and now… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
We've all seen the power music has to spread messages of solidarity and hope. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
When you write a song, the goal is not to convey the details of your life. You should write a memoir or… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
The first music I ever got into was the '80s alternative bands that my brother listened to, like The Cure and The… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
For a song I was bought Now I lie when I talk With a careful eye on the cue card. Onto a… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I've been part of running a label since I was a kid, so I understand how it works. But the more and… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
If there's a criticism of 'Cassadaga' that I agreed with, it's that we left things in the oven too long, that songs… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
My dad, who plays guitar and piano and was in cover bands, along with my older brother, Matt, taught me guitar and… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
It's dangerous to buy into praise and criticism for what you do when you're trying to present your music to people. I… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
To outsiders it probably seems like splitting hairs, but to me, Bright Eyes is a simply the collaboration between myself and Mike… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
When I try to explain to people the big influences in my life, or at least when I first started, the most… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
All those experiences were a chance to learn more about music. Playing with the Valley band is like such a "live" band.… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I try not to think about the idea of reaching more and more people, because once you get in that mindset, I… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I don't really premeditate what I write my songs about; you know, they just kind of happen, and I can't start writing… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I've never conceptualized much of what I write about. Maybe, once I'm onto something, I'll conceptualize a finished record. I want the… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
It's glorious to be able to go onto the Internet and hear any kind of music anywhere, from anywhere, and get it… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I love story songs. It's just, for me, they're harder to write, and sometimes they sound too intended or something. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
It seems like everything I do musically I tend to lose a few fans and gain a few fans, and it all… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
Each Desaparecidos's song has a seed that it came from. We're trying to take that and broaden it out and make it… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
If there's a song that stops meaning anything to me, then I'll quit playing it. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
My main thing is just to keep writing. I've been doing some songwriting that's for my own record, I suppose. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I believe that vinyl will outlast CDs. There's no reason for it, but it stays around because there are still people that… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I think different musical collaborators bring out different qualities in my songs and I like that. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I have a terrible memory in general, but one thing I've always been able to remember is my songs. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I think our music is more about seeing ourselves in each other and trying to find a more humanistic viewpoint for the… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
So much of listening to lyrically driven music is projecting your own feelings and experiences into the music. — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I want to be enriched by the music I listen to. That's the reason it never really exists in the mainstream. Because… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
It's very strange when people get so focused on what a song means, what actual events inspired a song. That gets people… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
And your eyes must do some raining if you're ever gonna grow / When crying don't help, you can't compose yourself /… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
I think there are some songs that stand the test of time better than others for sure. I think some songs go… — Conor Oberst Copy Share Image
Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
I've given up trying to understand what people think about me. It seems like a lot of people don't like the music we make… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
You can't manufacture inspiration, so a lot of it is still a waiting game for me. There's still a lot of mystery to songwriting.… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
In a way, to have whatever people talk about as "crossover success," I think it means you start making bad music. I mean, when… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
Men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they will kill a man for what his father has done. But what my father did,… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
There's a major underlying idea as you grow up that you need to just save your money and get that affordable housing at the… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
I've been part of running a label since I was a kid, so I understand how it works. But the more and more I… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
I'm ripe for the picking for the Scientologists - one of those creeps. Someone's got to find me. Some little weird cult can just… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
When I run into a person or a kid that comes up and gives me the spiel about, 'Hey, I got your record at… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
My dad, who plays guitar and piano and was in cover bands, along with my older brother, Matt, taught me guitar and stuff. I… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
I think there's a weird self-affirmation thing that happens in popular music in general. It seems like every song I hear on the radio… — Conor Oberst Copy Share
