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P. J. Harvey Quotes

Powerful P. J. Harvey for Daily Growth

About P. J. Harvey

Polly Jean Harvey, widely known as PJ Harvey, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and poet, born on October 9, 1969, in Yeovil, Somerset, England. Her music encompasses a wide range of styles including folk, rock, and electronica, showcasing her versatility and innovative approach to songwriting. Harvey's musical journey began at an early age when she learned to play guitar and formed various bands throughout her teenage years. In 1992, she released her debut album, "D Dry" under the band name 'PJ Harvey and the Fishfishers.' However, it was her second album, "Rid of Me," that catapulted her into prominence in 1993, with its raw, gritty sound earning comparisons to Patti Smith and Kurt Cobain. Influenced by poets like Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, Harvey's lyrics are deeply introspective and often explore themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her unique voice, coupled with her unconventional songwriting, has earned her critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase. Harvey's discography includes groundbreaking works such as "To Bring You My Love" (1995), which delved into themes of femininity and sexuality, and the Mercury Prize-winning "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" (2000). In 2011, she released "Let England Shake," an album inspired by her exploration of British history and identity. In addition to her musical career, Harvey has also pursued acting roles, including a part in the film 'The Elephant Man.' She has been recognized with numerous awards, including two Mercury Prizes, a Grammy Award, and a Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. Today, PJ Harvey continues to push boundaries in music and art, remaining one of Britain's most innovative and respected artists.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I make my own rules."

This quote by P.J. Harvey underscores a spirit of independence, self-determination, and nonconformity. In her own words, she expresses the liberating power that comes from setting one's own standards, following one's unique path, and resisting societal norms or expectations that may not resonate with personal values. This quote invites us to embrace our individuality, break free from limitations, and fearlessly forge our own destiny.

"When I was young and naive, I thought that if you were really serious about music, then it would all just happen for you."

This quote by P.J. Harvey illustrates a common misconception among many aspiring artists – the belief that talent alone is enough to achieve success in their chosen field. However, her statement reveals that she once held this naive perspective, suggesting that she learned otherwise as she grew older and wiser. The quote serves as a reminder that while raw talent can get one started, persistence, dedication, hard work, and a willingness to adapt are often the keys to realizing one's artistic ambitions.

"I try to use music as a sort of weapon against the world's troubles."

In this quote, PJ Harvey suggests that she uses her music as a tool for confronting or combating societal issues and struggles. By creating art through music, she aims to express her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on the world's problems in a powerful, impactful way, hoping to inspire change or spark conversation among listeners. This interpretation emphasizes the role of art as a means for personal expression and collective reflection during challenging times.

"I'm not in the business of making pop songs."

P.J. Harvey, in this quote, expresses her artistic intention to create music that transcends the popular or mainstream genre commonly labeled as "pop music". Instead, she seeks to explore more complex and unconventional musical landscapes. This statement highlights her commitment to originality, creativity, and authenticity in her work.

"I've always felt that I was born a woman, and my spirit is a woman. But I don't think about it much, because to me, it's like asking if I'm a Mudlark or a Dockworker."

This quote by P.J. Harvey indicates that she identifies strongly with her female gender identity, yet she does not see it as defining her entirely. Instead, she equates it to other aspects of her identity, such as being a Mudlark (someone who searches for items in mud at low tide) or a Dockworker (a person who works on the docks). In essence, she's suggesting that while she is a woman, it's one among many facets of her complex identity.

Maybe I'm just purely lucky. If I've come up against obstacles I've always found another way around it.

- P. J. Harvey

Lucky, Always, Purely, Another Way

I literally left school and went straight into music via art college for a year, and I've been so involved in my job of writing songs that the more actively involved part became channeled into standing on the stage and saying things that way.

- P. J. Harvey

College, Been, Became, Actively

People like Howlin' Wolf, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, Captain Beefheart - all of these artists were what I grew up listening to every day of my life. And there's a very healthy music scene in the west country of England, where I grew up.

- P. J. Harvey

My Life, Very, Music Scene, None

I think I'm a songwriter. I grab an instrument to make my body a song, but I'm not a player as such, maybe a little more on guitar, but certainly not piano.

- P. J. Harvey

Song, Think, Certainly, Grab

Making me into a role model is placing too much importance on what I see as a work in progress.

- P. J. Harvey

Role Model, Making, Role, Placing

My mother and father are very involved with music. It's completely part of their soul. They have an incredible record collection, all vinyl, of some of the best artists, in my eyes, that you can come across.

- P. J. Harvey

Mother And Father, Very, Vinyl

My father is actually a quarry man - he deals in stone. He also at one point had a lot of sheep, he owned a sheep farm, but primarily the family business was in stone.

- P. J. Harvey

Business, Family Business, Sheep

I'm not an autobiographical writer, but I am a writer who deals with human emotion on all levels.

- P. J. Harvey

I Am, Emotion, Deals, Levels

There's also a level of discipline I use as a writer, designed to get better at what I'm doing, that requires quite a lot of study and quite a lot of hard work as well.

- P. J. Harvey

Doing, Study, Level, Designed

I tried to use words that were dealing with the emotional quality that any human being could recognize in the way that they felt about their country. It's to do with the world we live in. That world is a brutal one and full of war. It's also full of many wonderful things and love and hope.

- P. J. Harvey

Love, Country, Use, Wonderful Things

As I grew older, I actually was prepared to go into fine arts school and do a degree. That was what I was actually settled upon when I was offered a record deal.

- P. J. Harvey

Deal, Prepared, Settled, Record Deal

I'm probably much more influenced by film-makers and painters than I am by other songwriters or poets.

- P. J. Harvey

More, Other, Influenced, Film-Makers

In order to make my solo shows as interesting as possible, I moved songs onto very different instruments so that I was moving instruments quite a lot during the set.

- P. J. Harvey

Interesting, Very, Set, Solo

I come from an art-school background, and I still feel that in my music, it's about exploration and challenging myself, about putting myself in a place that's frightening because I haven't been there before.

- P. J. Harvey

Exploration, Been, Still, Frightening

There is nothing more boring than doing singing exercises.

- P. J. Harvey

Singing, Doing, Boring, Exercises

I did photography, painting, and drawing, but I prefer sculpture. I like it because it's very physical.

- P. J. Harvey

Painting, Very, Prefer, Sculpture

I was a visual artist primarily and a writer, even from a very young age.

- P. J. Harvey

Artist, Very, Even, Young Age

With songs I almost see the images, see the action, and then all I have to do is describe it. It's almost like watching a scene from a film, and that's what I go about trying to catch in a song.

- P. J. Harvey

Song, Images, Almost, Catch

I think that's always very valuable: to keep the mind open to receiving all sorts of information, which can then be used in my work, but also just as a human being.

- P. J. Harvey

Think, Always, Which, Receiving

I've always felt that I'm affected by the world, by the way we treat each other, by the way different countries treat each other.

- P. J. Harvey

Treat, Always, Other, Different Countries

I don't think that much anymore in terms of 'write a record, record a record, tour a record,' because in my own mind, things have changed, in that I'm just an ongoing artist. I'm not quite sure what the next project needs to be until it presents himself, and then I know. I just follow dutifully while I'm being led.

- P. J. Harvey

Artist, Own, Next, Tour

I work on words, mostly, toward them being poetry or short stories, and then some of those become songs. They all find their place in the world, but they all start off in the same place. I'm always painting and drawing as well, and it's an ongoing creative assignment.

- P. J. Harvey

World, Some, Mostly, Short Stories

It's so much in me to want to keep experimenting all the time. It's just inherent. Therefore I keep reaching for instruments I don't particularly know how to play, and then I become excited.

- P. J. Harvey

Play, Excited, Particularly, Inherent

There's so much you can do with laying words on a bed of music. You can completely change their meaning with the type of music or the way they're sung.

- P. J. Harvey

Change, Bed, Laying, Sung

I work on words quite separately to music. They're both ongoing, and I don't ever feel like I'm working in a cycle in that respect, because it's every day anyway, no matter what I'm doing. Then I get to a point when I've collected together enough words that seem like they want to be songs rather than poems, or sometimes not.

- P. J. Harvey

Doing, Every Day, Rather, Anyway

Well, I don't really concern myself too much with what other people make of my work.

- P. J. Harvey

Work, Myself, Other, Concern

I didn't know folk music growing up, no. It's something I've come to study, really, because I think there's so much to learn from traditional music in the sense of the way music began as a way of communication, the traveling storyteller, the bard, the minstrels.

- P. J. Harvey

Growing, Study, I Think, Folk

I don't loathe interviews, I'm just one of those people who makes music because I find it difficult to talk.

- P. J. Harvey

People, Difficult, Makes, Loathe

I'd want to read the stories that I'd written, I'd want to show the drawings that I made. That was just purely natural. So I knew I wanted to go into the arts in some way and that I'd want to show that work in some way.

- P. J. Harvey

Some, Purely, Read, Drawings

I firmly disbelieve that one has to be a tortured soul to write good music.

- P. J. Harvey

Music, Soul, Firmly, Disbelieve

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