I started 'Society's Child' on a bus in East Orange as I was going home from school. I saw a black and white couple sitting there and started thinking about it.

I was one of I think three white girls in my school. So, I was very much an outsider. And plus I was Jewish and all of my friends were black and Baptist because they listen to the coolest music. We were all listening to Ray Charles and what was then called race music.

I gave guitar lessons. I tried to join bands. My mom always said it was obvious that nothing was going to stop me.

I feel I was born with the music coming to me, and that's not something to be wasted.

Dreams were all they gave for free to ugly duckling girls like me.

I write a lot from instinct. But as you're writing out of instinct, once you reach a certain level as a songwriter, the craft is always there talking to you in the back of your head...that tells you when it's time to go to the chorus, when it's time to rhyme. Real basic craft... it's second nature.

It seems to be part of the human condition to need someone you can look down on. I still don't get that one.