Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I really believe in melody.
I want to make the world better.
I applied to Yale, and I got in.
If you're not a nice person, don't call.
I see only adaptations - not revolutions.
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
Art is art when it is appreciated by someone.
I feel that all good art is powerful and simple.
What I always wanted to do was to be a rock star.
I'm pretty clear about what I'm capable of doing.
Songs should have an infectious melody and rhythm.
When I left Yale, I was prepared to write anything.
I don't think events in your life affect your music.
I'll write anything; I don't want to judge its form.
I think my generation is a lost generation in a way.
These days people wallow in enormous masses of sound.
The jury is still out on whether I'm a genius or not.
This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through.
The old joke was Mitch Leigh, land baron, barren land.
I just have to take my chances like any other composer.
Of my Disney material, 'Tangled' is my most pop-oriented.
To call somebody a Jewish composer is obviously redundant.
Howard Ashman was an amazing lyricist and an amazing artist.
My father was so much more than an accomplished businessman.
TV is a medium where I've been an outsider for the most part.
I'm a terrible singer, but it helps when I have to call a taxi.
I'm not interested in being the producer of somebody else's song.
I personally do not write highbrow music. If I do, it's by accident.
I was in the army, and I had given up the thought of being a composer.
It's always a thrill for me to see new versions of my pieces on YouTube.
I see my songs and shows almost like a mosaic - part of a bigger picture.
Bear in mind that parts of the score may be devoid of direct musical relevance.
My advice to singers is always the same: 'Don't sing the song, sing the lyric.'
My music is all about an idealistic human personality. I have 19th-century ideals.
If a man's religion does not affect his use of money, that man's religion is vain.
The score is doing a lot of work. It's like Wagner. It's like a yak carrying people.
A lot of what I've done has a rock edge, even going back to 'Little Shop of Horrors.'
I always felt great about what I wrote for 'Newsies,' but 'Newsies' was a total flop.
If music leaves any impression at all, it does so without regard to stylistic issues.
Because I had been in conservatory for so long, I was jealous of my friends in bands.
I'm a very style-driven composer, and I like to give every project its own unique stamp.
One doesn't go on television for the Manhattan crowd. You buy the sides of buses for that.
My first success was 'Little Shop of Horrors,' and I had been working for years on jingles.
I was always proud of the score to 'Newsies.' The movie is good, but it was under-budgeted.
Either your understanding of the meaning of music is there from the beginning or it is not.
'La Mancha' was a gift from me to me. I never thought for a minute it was going to be a hit.
There's such a rich trove of unheard Howard Ashman lyrics that we're so blessed to draw from.
Everytime I play something for someone there is an emotional thing that happens that guides me.
There's more musical freedom on Madison Avenue than anywhere else. It's an Eden for a composer.
Most of my collaborations, certainly post - Howard Ashman but even with Howard, are music first.