Through the Eyes of Love

...there was that whole thing of keeping yourself a bit hidden: a sort of non-celebratory thing, whether it was pain or joy, you don't give it any largeness. Unlike say the Italians, who are brilliant: they automatically divide into audience and performer...

– Tim Finn on growing in New Zealand in the 1960s and 70s

It's a love song, because it's dealing with the passions and tensions and all the mentalness that comes with trying to make it work with somebody ... I don't think it's really an angry song at all in a way — it's quite a celebratory thing ... You can sometimes be filled with rage and virtually hatred towards somebody who you actually love very much, but it's just gone again. And it's the letting go that's important.

– Tim Finn, on Split Enz song 'I See Red'

...New Zealanders are often thought of as unemotional, staunch. But if you listen to the love songs that we've produced, it's quite the opposite. We can wax lyrical with the best of them. But us kiwis aren't into the big Hallmark card, schmaltzy-type love song; we go for understatement — simple, honest, unsentimental.

– Presenter Temuera Morrison introduces the show

In 1951, 'Blue Smoke' was one of the hottest discs in America, so it was a huge hit worldwide.

– Singer Jackie Clarke, who covers 'Blue Smoke'

The songs from back then, people have forgotten, but they were sung all round the world. They were New Zealand compositions: people like Bing Crosby, and Gracie Fields and the Andrew Sisters, all of those people had huge hits with New Zealand songs, like 'Now is the Hour'.

– Songwriter Arthur Baysting, early in this programme

All my love songs are either unrequited, in which case it's a kind of desperate thing which is out of control ... or they're lost love. It's that whole thing, that you don't write songs about, well I don't — there's no kind of motivating energy in a peaceful secure relationship.

– '1905' writer Shona Laing on how good relationships don't make for good songs

Maybe there's something very attractive about a man writing about love. Because that's something that women complain about all the time: that it's very hard to get men to express that.

– Musician Debbie Harwood

...Chris Knox is a person who says he doesn't write love songs. But when he finally gets around to writing one, like 'Not Given Lightly', it's one of the most beautiful songs that we have.

– Songwriter Arthur Baysting on 'Not Given Lightly'

...He typifies the love god, that idealised man that's going to come along and change your life ... He's basically the Polynesian Mills and Boon hero. And his songs have that sort of lovely chocolate box romance to them as well.

– Singer Jackie Clarke describes the image of John Rowles

The Hawaiians just fell in love with that song. ... Funny enough, there was all sorts of humour and jokes made about it with the Hawaiian people. They were calling it, instead of 'Cheryl Moana Marie' ''Share Your Marijuana' with me...

– John Rowles on the popularity of 'Cheryl Moana Marie'

She was just a lucky woman who ended up living with an asshole. And rhe song was written about why she loved with him. He was always beating her up...

– Jordan Luck describes the woman who inspired classic Exponents song 'Victoria'

...it's a conversation, and it's a conversation that lovers might have...

– Dave Dobbyn on 'Loyal'

The song is kind of saying to my partner 'I can see the sort of hidden depths inside you, and I know how strong how love is, but it's not going to last. And that's exactly what happened...

– Martin Phillipps, on Chills song 'Submarine Bells'

For me writing the song, the influence was more of a thing of admiring someone else from a distance ... the lyrics just kind of poured out.

– Ryan Monga on Ardijah song 'Watchin' U'

...it's not just that she's got a completely unique sound ... but also as an artist she has a strength. I mean she produced her own album — her first album — that's very unusual. She wrote all the songs.

– Songwriter Arthur Baysting describes Bic Runga