--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't write songs for myself anymore. I…" description: "\"I don't write songs for myself anymore. I only write songs on assignment. It's purely a business, but it is still so important to me emotionally.\" — Al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/927/alan-menken-8351_assignments_i-don-t-write-songs-for-myself-anymore-i_1004004.jpg" --- # I don't write songs for myself anymore. I only write songs… ![“I don't write songs for myself anymore. I only write songs on assignment. It's purely a business, but it is still so important to me emotionally.” quote by Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/927/alan-menken-8351_assignments_i-don-t-write-songs-for-myself-anymore-i_1004004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/927/alan-menken-8351_assignments_i-don-t-write-songs-for-myself-anymore-i_1004004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/927/alan-menken-8351_assignments_i-don-t-write-songs-for-myself-anymore-i_1004004.jpg) > “I don't write songs for myself anymore. I only write songs on assignment. It's purely a business, but it is still so important to me emotionally.” [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work can become a business while still holding personal emotional significance. **In simple terms:** Writing songs is both business and emotional. Key Takeaway Balance business with emotional authenticity. Themes creativity business emotional labor artistic integrity commercialism Mood thoughtful inspired conflicted Type professional artistic reflective When to use this quote - film scoring - advertising jingles - personal projects - freelance songwriting - corporate collaborations Key Concepts intellectual property contract work personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain authenticity in commercial work? - When does business outweigh personal meaning? A Different Perspective The quote may imply a conflict between art and commerce that isn’t always present. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anymore Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anymore-write-610397/) [Assignments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assignments/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs Anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-anymore-417665/) [Songs Assignment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-assignment-2136289/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-songs/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I don't really write songs anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-don-t-really-write-songs-anymore/) [Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/) > [Once you put songs out, they're not yours anymore. They're everyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/once-you-put-songs-out-they-re-not-yours-anymore-they-re-everyone/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > [I don't want to write melodies anymore. I can only write really simple, dumb caveman melodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-e-miller/i-don-t-want-to-write-melodies-anymore-i-can-only-write-really-simple/) [Derek E. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-e-miller/) > [I don't have anything to prove as a writer anymore. I write about Panera Bread or Red Lobster or Satan or Richard Ramirez or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/i-don-t-have-anything-to-prove-as-a-writer-anymore-i-write-about/) [Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/) > [I don't have as tight a time limit anymore but I still write in long marathon sessions and then I won't write for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-don-t-have-as-tight-a-time-limit-anymore-but-i-still-write-in-long/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“This week or last week, I don't really care about it anymore. I write myself this later, I tell myself you let me go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-week-or-last-week-i-don-t-really-care-about-it-anymore-i-write/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I never have time to write anymore. And when I do I only write about how I never have time. It's work and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/i-never-have-time-to-write-anymore-and-when-i-do-i-only-write-about/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [I know a lot of artists say this, but it's hard to put myself in a box. I just write songs that I strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/i-know-a-lot-of-artists-say-this-but-it-s-hard-to-put-myself-in-a-box/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [If you don't have to write songs, why write them? I've got enough where I don't really feel the urge to write anything additional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/if-you-don-t-have-to-write-songs-why-write-them-i-ve-got-enough-where/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [When I write songs, it's very random. I get influenced by the most random things! Sometimes it just comes to me in my sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roshon-fegan/when-i-write-songs-it-s-very-random-i-get-influenced-by-the-most/) [Roshon Fegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roshon-fegan/) > [I don't write down my experiences, but I have a very decent memory. I have tons of books in which I write down phrases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dando/i-don-t-write-down-my-experiences-but-i-have-a-very-decent-memory-i/) [Evan Dando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dando/) > [It was a lot easier to write songs before I had a record deal, because the record labels and the industry doesn't mean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-shepherd/it-was-a-lot-easier-to-write-songs-before-i-had-a-record-deal-because/) [Ashton Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-shepherd/) > [The last thing you want to do is write songs about being in a band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berninger/the-last-thing-you-want-to-do-is-write-songs-about-being-in-a-band/) [Matt Berninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berninger/) > [I write songs from the heart, and I don't hold back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/i-write-songs-from-the-heart-and-i-don-t-hold-back/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) ## More by Alan Menken > [I'm not interested in being the producer of somebody else's song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-m-not-interested-in-being-the-producer-of-somebody-else-s-song/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Every time I play 'Part of Your World,' a whole part of my life comes back to me. It's just inescapable - it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/every-time-i-play-part-of-your-world-a-whole-part-of-my-life-comes/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [My first success was 'Little Shop of Horrors,' and I had been working for years on jingles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/my-first-success-was-little-shop-of-horrors-and-i-had-been-working/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Part of the job is knowing how to use this medium in the most effective way for the story you're telling, so for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/part-of-the-job-is-knowing-how-to-use-this-medium-in-the-most/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I'll always work with my collaborator in the room so I have a reaction on a note-by-note basis. I know in my gut when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-ll-always-work-with-my-collaborator-in-the-room-so-i-have-a/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I think the thing that strikes you when you come back to 'The Little Mermaid' after all of these years is the simplicity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-think-the-thing-that-strikes-you-when-you-come-back-to-the-little/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Music is a gestalt. Songs are a life force and they have specific vocabulary to them. You hear a few notes, and they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/music-is-a-gestalt-songs-are-a-life-force-and-they-have-specific/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I see my songs and shows almost like a mosaic - part of a bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-see-my-songs-and-shows-almost-like-a-mosaic-part-of-a-bigger-picture/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I have an awards cabinet in my studio where I keep my eight Oscars, my 11 Grammys, my seven Golden Globes, and my Tony Award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-have-an-awards-cabinet-in-my-studio-where-i-keep-my-eight-oscars-my/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [My favorite thing is a brand-new project from scratch because you really never know how they're going to come to life. Going back for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/my-favorite-thing-is-a-brand-new-project-from-scratch-because-you/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Truth be told, of course, what I enjoy most is reinventing myself and doing new projects where I work in new genres, or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/truth-be-told-of-course-what-i-enjoy-most-is-reinventing-myself-and/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I love 'The Gospel Truth,' the song that opened up 'Hercules.' I thought that song was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-love-the-gospel-truth-the-song-that-opened-up-hercules-i-thought/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Collaboration is all about rewriting and rewriting and rewriting and helping each other to constantly improve a piece. And, it's also about spurring each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/collaboration-is-all-about-rewriting-and-rewriting-and-rewriting-and/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [I have the ability to clear the decks and focus on what's happening in the moment. And I get to spend my life doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/i-have-the-ability-to-clear-the-decks-and-focus-on-what-s-happening/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [Movies, there are moments when you're writing a song or demoing, a moment in the recording studio. Musicals much more just eat up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/movies-there-are-moments-when-you-re-writing-a-song-or-demoing-a/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) [Explore all 81 Alan Menken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) ## More Assignments quotes > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [Men often joke about this assignment (I Peter 3:7): 'Who can understand a woman?' God has answered the question loud and clear. You can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu-weber/men-often-joke-about-this-assignment-i-peter-3-7-who-can-understand-a/) [Stu Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stu-weber/) > [Do not delegate an assignment and then attempt to manage it yourself - you will make an enemy of the overruled subordinate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wess-roberts/do-not-delegate-an-assignment-and-then-attempt-to-manage-it-yourself/) [Wess Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wess-roberts/) > [Are you on the eve of change? Embrace it. Accept it. Don't resist it. Change is not only a part of life, change is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/are-you-on-the-eve-of-change-embrace-it-accept-it-don-t-resist-it/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Because God wants to take you in ever-increasing measures to know Him. And the only way you can know Him is by experiencing Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-blackaby/because-god-wants-to-take-you-in-ever-increasing-measures-to-know-him/) [Henry Blackaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-blackaby/) > [From the beginning, we failed to overcome Europe's division. The Berlin Wall fell, but invisible walls were moved to the East of Europe. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/from-the-beginning-we-failed-to-overcome-europe-s-division-the-berlin/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [We were called, male and female, to do great works with separate approaches and separate assignments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/we-were-called-male-and-female-to-do-great-works-with-separate/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Just how we fit into the plans of the Great Architect and how much he has assigned us to do we do not know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/just-how-we-fit-into-the-plans-of-the-great-architect-and-how-much-he/) [Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/) > [I've always been creative verbally, had a flair, my teachers said - wrote great expository essays in elementary school, scribbled little poems, embraced all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/i-ve-always-been-creative-verbally-had-a-flair-my-teachers-said-wrote/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Even with an assignment, I take over, I find a freedom and make the idea my own, and that's where you get the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/even-with-an-assignment-i-take-over-i-find-a-freedom-and-make-the/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/for-some-time-i-have-been-disturbed-by-the-way-the-cia-has-been/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My paintings are about light, about the way things look in their environment and especially about how things look painted. Form, colour and space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-goings/my-paintings-are-about-light-about-the-way-things-look-in-their/) [Ralph Goings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-goings/) > [They told me I didn't understand the assignment, I told them they didn't understand life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/they-told-me-i-didn-t-understand-the-assignment-i-told-them-they-didn/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I don't read for amusement, I read for enlightenment. I do a lot of reviewing, so I have a steady assignment of reading. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-read-for-amusement-i-read-for-enlightenment-i-do-a-lot-of/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Browse all 278 Assignments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assignments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't write songs for myself anymore. I only write songs on assignment. 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