Editing Indigo Girls (section)

== Songwriting and influences ==
Ray and Saliers do not ordinarily collaborate in writing songs.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Indigo Girls' New Song Is About Patience And Fortitude In The COVID-19 Era|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/901831062/indigo-girls-new-song-is-about-patience-and-fortitude-in-the-covid-19-era|access-date=2021-03-09|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> Saliers described herself as "a lyric person. [...] I’ve always respected [[Joni Mitchell]] and [[Bob Dylan]]". Saliers said: "Amy is much more a combination of music and lyrics. She really likes alternative rock a lot, and she likes the feel of certain kinds music as well as the lyrics. Amy is more stream-of-consciousness. She doesn’t censor herself at all; she just channels it through herself, so in her lyrics, she has tons of different kinds of images, sensual images, things of the earth, that connection to nature. Mine is a much more singer-songwriter intellectual narrative style. I take an idea and try to really pinpoint it, make it as clear as possible".<ref name=sentinel>{{cite web |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/07/17/indigo-but-not-blue/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240119025115/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/07/17/indigo-but-not-blue/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2024-01-19|title=Indigo But Not Blue |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |date=17 July 1992 |access-date=19 January 2024}}</ref>

They write separately and work out the arrangements together.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacIntosh |first1=Dan |title=Amy Ray of Indigo Girls |url=https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/amy-ray-of-indigo-girls |website=www.songfacts.com |access-date=12 January 2022}}</ref> There are a few exceptions, mostly unreleased songs from their early, pre-Epic days: "I Don't Know Your Name" and "If You Live Like That." "Blood Quantum", which appears on ''Honor: A Benefit for the [[Honor the Earth]] Campaign'' featured Ray's verses and chorus and Saliers's bridge. Finally, "I'll Give You My Skin", which appears both on ''[[Tame Yourself]]'' (a benefit album for [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]]) and on the Indigo Girls release ''Rarities,'' is a collaborative work by Ray, Saliers, and [[Michael Stipe]], which is doubly rare because Saliers and Ray usually write their songs without outside collaborators. For their 2002 release, 'Become You,' Ray reported that they handed instruments back and forth to compose leads collaboratively, something they had never done before.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Devenish |first1=Colin |title=Indigo Girls get back to basics: Ray and Saliers true to acoustic roots on "Become You" |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/indigo-girls-get-back-to-basics-180432/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 16, 2002 |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref> In September 2020, the Indigo Girls released "Long Ride", the first song Ray and Saliers had written together in 30 years.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=16 September 2020 |title=Indigo Girls Stay Resilient Through Covid-19 on New Song 'Long Ride' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/indigo-girls-long-ride-covid-19-1061029/|magazine=Rolling Stone |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=12 January 2022}}</ref>