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There’s a balance between ballads and kick-ass songs.

Bonnie Raitt

I thought I had to live that partying lifestyle in order to be authentic, but in fact if you keep it up too long, all you’re going to be is sloppy or dead.
BONNIE RAITT

Long Order Party
In 1967 I entered Harvard as a freshman, confident – in the way that only 17-year-olds are – that I could change the world.
BONNIE RAITT

Creating Government Years
The anti-nuke movement has important and far-reaching implications for grassroots organizing.
BONNIE RAITT

Kids Real Struggle
Ugly ducklings don’t turn into swans and glide off down the lake. Whether your sunglasses are on or off, you only see the world you make.
BONNIE RAITT

Duckling Lakes Swans Ugly
I don’t want to discredit people’s opinions of me, but you talk about the violin or the cello or lead guitar where you have to learn tons of chords, that’s much more difficult.
BONNIE RAITT

Guitar People Want
The women’s movement resurgence of standing up for so many things that were kind of sleepy there for a decade or so, there’s been a reawakening and I think the consciousness movement in general is dovetailing with a lot of recovery and self-empowerment.
BONNIE RAITT

Consciousness Recovery Resurgence Self Thinking
I don’t want to sound like a self-help book, but it really has been transformative for me to take a look at my relationships in a new way and see my part in them. Everybody’s going through that.
BONNIE RAITT

Book Everyone Relationship Self Sound
The fifth member of my band is my non-profit work.
BONNIE RAITT

Band Member Profit
The generation I grew up in was the beginning of “stand up for yourself,” whether being a singer-songwriter or a feminist. In my college years, the feminist movement was really coming to fore, so we wouldn’t have put up with guys treating us less than equal.
BONNIE RAITT

College Equal Feminist Years
My love was Bob Dylan, but as I got older I realized a good ballad was a good ballad.
BONNIE RAITT

Ballads Bob Dylan
I finally learned to accept that I can’t make radio play blues any more than I could get Reagan out of the White House.
BONNIE RAITT

House Play White
I’m one of those people who just doesn’t plan my personal life. I plan my professional life.
BONNIE RAITT

People Plans Professional Life
Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste.
BONNIE RAITT

Less Life Mighty Waste
I’m honored when young people say they’ve gone to school on slide guitar with my records. But people get their influence from my live shows and records and YouTube, not me personally.
BONNIE RAITT

Guitar People Personally School
I’m proud of the way I rearrange and put things together, like a chef who makes a great meal, or a filmmaker who puts together a story – it’s casting, editing, cinematography.
BONNIE RAITT

Editing Stories Together
There were so many great music and political scenes going on in the late ’60s in Cambridge. The ratio of guys to girls at Harvard was four to one, so all of those things were playing in my mind.
BONNIE RAITT

Girl Great Guy Music Political Scene

There’s a balance between ballads and kick-ass songs.

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There’s a balance between ballads and kick-ass songs.

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