Parenting & Family Quote by Alan Price

There is a quiet defiance in Alan Price admitting he "quite like[s] childlike songs" - and the kicker is that they "sometimes cross over". In a pop ecosystem that treats adulthood as a performance of sophistication, Price is staking out a different kind of authority: the right to be simple on purpose. "Childlike" here doesn't mean childish; it's a claim for clarity, directness, melody you can whistle, lyrics that don't hide behind cleverness. For a musician whose career spans British Invasion grit, baroque pop flourishes, and later songwriting craft, it's also a reminder that durability often comes from sounding effortless.

The phrase "sometimes cross over" does a lot of work. It's both modest and knowing, a little wink at the industry category game - children's music, novelty, "serious" rock, adult contemporary. Price suggests that the border is porous: a song aimed at wonder can land with everyone if it's built right. Think of the tradition he’s tapping: music hall, folk, nursery-rhyme structures, the Beatles' sing-song turns - forms that carry communal memory and invite participation.

Subtextually, this is a critique of taste-policing. Price isn't chasing irony; he's arguing for emotional accessibility as a skill, not a downgrade. The intent feels practical, too: a working musician recognizing that the most "grown-up" move can be writing something unguarded enough to reach across age, class, and scene.