I don't think I ever did pick a hit song, unless it was "Sweet Leilani". ... Some of the songs that Jack [Kapp] picked didn't work, but 99% of them did.

I am not insecure enough to count the bouquets I receive on my birthday, I don’t assess my popularity by the number of magazine covers I am on, I don’t get worried if my song is on the seventh position on countdown charts.

At this point, I don’t need my records to be Number One or sell as many as this person or that person. That’s not fundamentally important — I don’t believe that sustains you.

I'll never be bothered if I don't have a hit because you look at the songs that are hits and they're none of my favourites. Just the fact that we do have fans waiting here, that's exciting enough.

I rarely get mentioned in the same category as these other guys who have come out after me...[b]ut maybe I'm not that, maybe I'm not an Internet rapper.

I've been told that nobody sings the word "hunger" like I do. Or the word "love."

You underestimated greatly
Most number ones ever, how long did it really take me?

Jimi Hendrix isn't as good as me!

I'm number one. I really feel that way. If you think you are the second it's the end. The fact that I have never won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player doesn't mean that I cannot be number one.

You can still listen to my songs from 10 years ago but if you're comparing them to my music today, you'd think they're lousy-at least I think so. There's a good reason why they weren't popular back then. I'm not a particularly gifted singer or songwriter but I like to think I'm hardworking, and listeners can tell the progress I've made over my recent albums. I think my biggest change is my understanding towards music and my taste in it.

The real alternative to being Number One is not being Number Two; it is dispensing with rankings altogether

I used to think that myself and my songs were the same thing. But I don't believe that any more. There's myself and there's my song, which I hope is everybody's song.

What's wrong with being number 2?

You have to be odd to be number one