QuoteProject
I've always believed that there's an amazing number of things you can do through a rock'n'roll song and that you can do serious writing in a rock song if you can somehow do it without losing the beat.
Lou Reed
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Rock music can serve as a powerful medium for impactful writing.

Lou Reed emphasizes the artistic potential of rock music, suggesting that it can convey serious themes and messages while still maintaining its rhythmic essence. This highlights the idea that music, particularly rock'n'roll, is not just entertainment but a legitimate form of art that can address profound subjects.

Themes

Rock MusicArtSongwritingCreativityExpression

In practice

Example use cases

During a music seminar to inspire young songwriters.

More from Lou Reed

I was a product of Andy Warhol's Factory. All I did was sit there and observe these incredibly talented and creative people who were continually making art, and it was impossible not to be affected by that.
Lou ReedRead
When I record an album I'm trying to get as close as possible to that perfect moment.
Lou ReedRead
That's why I survived because I still believe I've got something to say.
Lou ReedRead
I take drugs just because in the 20th century in a technological age living in the city there are certain drugs you have to take just to keep yourself normal like a caveman. Just to bring yourself up or down, but to attain equilibrium you need to take certain drugs. They don't getcha high even, they just getcha normal.
Lou ReedRead
They put the thing down your throat so you don't swallow your tongue, and they put electrodes on your head. That's what was recommended in Rockland State Hospital to discourage homosexual feelings. The effect is that you lose your memory and become a vegetable. You can't read a book because you get to page 17 and have to go right back to page one again.
Lou ReedRead
For a while, I felt a little self-impelled to write Lou Reed Kind of songs. I should have understood that a Lou Reed song was anything I wanted to write about.
Lou ReedRead

Similar quotes

I put down the camera long ago, you know? I was here in London, aged 19, and I was obsessed with my camera, shooting everything I could. Then someone stole it. It helped me to see things for the first time.
Forest WhitakerRead
You've got to sing from the depths of the heart. Without heart, you cannot be a Qawwal.
Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanRead
A writer's job is to give the reader a larger vision of the world.
Natalie GoldbergRead
I just wanted to go to New York and be on Broadway, but then I was accepted by Juilliard, where they trained me in classical voice. It was great in the end, but at the time, I thought, 'What am I doing here? This is not my path.' But it was absolutely my path and where I was meant to be.
Audra McdonaldRead
My mind and fingers have worked like the damned. Homer, the Bible, Plato, Locke, Lamartine, Chateaubriand, Beethoven, Bach, Hummel, Mozart, Weber are all around me. I study them. I devour them with fury.
Franz LisztRead
I think drag is universal, no matter who does it. I mean, yeah, I am homosexual, but I think everybody likes to toy with their image. I love those guys. I love Milton Berle and Flip Wilson and all those people.
RupaulRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.