My first song was Hula Hoop Song, in 1955. It was a novelty song. I had to find someway to reach out and it was with a novelty song. Now, all of my recording obligations have been taken care of. I made 14 albums for Warner Brothers. Five for United Artist before that.

It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney influenced my writing. I thought, "maybe there is a huck or two in here I haven't thought of".

I'm not really a bird person or an Audubon guy who studies them, but as I was around them, they interested me.

I was a drummer in the bugle band in cadets. I marched. It's probably quite funny to look back on it.

Words are for explaining the mistakes we might have made, names are for calling when there is nothing left to say.

I had lots of friends who were fighting in Vietnam and I am still friends with veterans of the war.

If I could read your mind, what a tale your thoughts could tell. Just like a paperback novel, the kind that drugstores sell.