I want them to have this sense of real, real joy from the depths of their being. Because I think when you take them to that place, then you open up a place where grace can come in.
BOBBY MCFERRINIf I sing “you broke my heart, you left me flat,” everyone knows exactly what that means – they know the story. But if I sing a line that’s plaintive or wailing, people can experience their own set of emotions and their own story.
More Bobby McFerrin Quotes
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Musicians are the architects of heaven.
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When you worry your face will frown, that will bring everybody down, so don’t worry BE HAPPY!:)
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I bury my mind in my book, the Bible. Every morning it’s the first thing that I do. I’ve been doing it for years and years.
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When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.
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Each of us might give that phrase a different meaning. It’s open to interpretation, and one song becomes a thousand songs. I love that.
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The audience is like my instrument. It’s not just me up there, it’s collaborative.
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I want to write a book of poetry, as well as children’s stories.
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It’s not that I don’t love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send off to college as soon as possible.
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Music is still part of my spiritual life. Sometimes I sing my prayers. When I get audiences singing, I hope I’m helping them feel connected to something beyond themselves.
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Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life.
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I think play and joy and feeling good deserve more of our time. I don’t see why adults are supposed to grow out of those things.
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I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.
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Then I came up with this crazy idea just to walk out on the stage with no band at all and just start singing whatever came to mind.
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When I was figuring out how to perform solo, I wanted to move back and forth between bass riffs, melody, and harmony, so I often used sounds instead of — or alongside — the words of a song.
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One song may be Bach, the next blues, a song from TV, or a nursery rhyme or jazz piece.
BOBBY MCFERRIN






