Keep it in tune with the times, but don't write with the specific purpose of trying to create a hit. If you're doing it strictly to make money, you're crazy. There are easier ways to make money.
Dorothy FieldsRead
A song doesn't just come on. I've always had to tease it out, squeeze it out. 'No thesaurus can give you those words, no rhyming dictionary. They must happen out of you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creativity requires effort and cannot be found in external resources alone.
Dorothy Fields emphasizes that the creation of art, such as songwriting, is a deeply personal and labor-intensive process. It cannot simply happen spontaneously or be derived from external aids like dictionaries; rather, it is a product of inner inspiration and personal experience.
Themes
CreativityArtSongwritingInspirationExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a songwriting workshop to encourage participants to tap into their feelings.
More from Dorothy Fields
All quotes →A song must move the story ahead. A song must take the place of dialogue. If a song halts the show, pushes it back, stalls it, the audience won't buy it; they'll be unhappy.
Dorothy FieldsRead
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again.
Dorothy FieldsRead
Grab your coat, and get your hat Leave your worry on the doorstep Just direct your feet To the sunny side of the street.
Dorothy FieldsRead
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