When I sang my father's songs in concert, that was all people wanted to hear. I was always asking myself, 'Can I measure up?'
Interpretation
Natalie Cole reflects on the pressure of living up to her father's legacy through music.
In this quote, Natalie Cole expresses the burden she felt as an artist performing her father's songs, questioning whether she could meet the expectations set by his iconic status. This highlights the challenges that come with familial legacy, especially in the creative arts, where comparisons are inevitable and can lead to self-doubt.
In practice
In a speech honoring a music festival, I might share this quote to discuss the pressure artists face.
Remember the first time you went to a show and saw your favorite band. You wore their shirt, and sang every word. You didn't know anything about scene politics, haircuts, or what was cool. All you knew was that this music made you feel different from anyone you shared a locker with. Someone finally understood you. This is what music is about.
We weren't listening to guitar bands, we were thoroughly ashamed of being a guitar band. So we bought loads of keyboards and learned how to use them, and when we got bored we went back to guitars.
Some kids went to the movies for escape. We found it with jazz. This is where we got religion. It was a kind of raw spiritual anarchy.
When I was young and very green, I worte that tune, Sister Kate, and someone said that's fine, let me publish it for you. I'll give you fifty dollars. I didn't know nothing about papers, and business, and I sold it outright.
It was stumbling on to really the bible of the blues, you know, and a very powerful drug to be introduced to us and I absorbed it totally, and it changed my complete outlook on music.
Everyone talks about rock these days; the problem is they forget about the roll.
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