Music legend Quincy Jones has a resume that the majority of today’s artists can only dream about. Having worked with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Prince, and other legendary singers, it’s fair to say his opinion should be taken into consideration.
During a recent interview with GQ, he was asked what stars he currently likes, to his reply, “I love Kendrick Lamar, I love Bruno Mars, I love Drake, I love Ludacris, I love Common. Mary J. Blige. Jennifer Hudson.”
The interviewer then asked about Taylor Swift, who is considered to be one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but Mr. Jones wasn’t amused by her content.
“We need more songs, man. ****ing songs, not hooks,” Mr. Jones reveals as he provides feedback on Swift’s music.
As for why Swift’s songwriting doesn’t impress him, Mr. Jones says it’s about the work.
“Knowing what you’re doing,” he adds. “You know what I mean? Since I was a little kid, I’ve always heard the people that don’t wanna do the work. It takes work, man. The only place you find success before work is the dictionary, and that’s alphabetical.”
Instead of catchy hooks, Mr. Jones asserts that he could figure out a complete song for Swift.
“I’ll figure something out,” he says. “Man, the song is the ****—that’s what people don’t realize. A great song can make the worst singer in the world a star. A bad song can’t be saved by the three best singers in the world. I learned that 50 years ago.”
As far as people thinking Swift writes great songs, Mr. Jones adds, “But they don’t know, man. They don’t know. I’ve come and gone through seven decades of this ****. Seen all that. Seen how that works. Ignorance is no thing.”
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