--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's too much emphasis on backstory…" description: "\"There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff in music now - it's not going to make the music better if I hear that you did karate for the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg" --- # There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff… ![“There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff in music now - it's not going to make the music better if I hear that you did karate for the six months leading up to it.” quote by Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg) > “There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff in music now - it's not going to make the music better if I hear that you did karate for the six months leading up to it.” [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes the trend of over‑emphasizing artists’ personal histories, arguing that such details rarely improve the music itself. **In simple terms:** Personal backstory often distracts from the music. Key Takeaway Focus on the music, not the artist’s life story. Themes music criticism authenticity artistic focus Mood critical skeptical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - album reviews - concert introductions - artist interviews - media coverage Key Concepts celebrity culture narrative excess Questions to Reflect On - Does personal context enhance your enjoyment of a song? - When does an artist’s story become irrelevant? A Different Perspective Over‑personalization can alienate listeners who seek pure musical experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backstory Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backstory-personal-3222420/) [Did Karate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-karate-2056478/) [Emphasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis/) [Emphasis Backstory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis-backstory-3222418/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Karate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karate/) [Karate Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karate-months-3222419/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-better-272595/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Personal stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-stuff/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Six months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six-months/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) ## Related quotes > [I did karate for about three years. When I was going into Miss Texas, my mom said, 'Let's not do karate this year. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/i-did-karate-for-about-three-years-when-i-was-going-into-miss-texas/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [I did karate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-did-karate/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [When I was younger I did karate and martial arts, and I think it's really cool for girls to have those kinds of abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/when-i-was-younger-i-did-karate-and-martial-arts-and-i-think-it-s/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [I was a complete unknown when I did 'Karate Kid.' I'd just done a pilot for a TV show called 'Call to Glory.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/i-was-a-complete-unknown-when-i-did-karate-kid-i-d-just-done-a-pilot/) [Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/) > [I did 'The Karate Kid,' then I just went back to college. I didn't know how much money it made and I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/i-did-the-karate-kid-then-i-just-went-back-to-college-i-didn-t-know/) [Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/) > [I did karate for a really long time, almost 10 years when I was younger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-did-karate-for-a-really-long-time-almost-10-years-when-i-was-younger/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [I've always really liked the idea of an artist name, like a cover-up, even though in my music I'm being very personal in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo/i-ve-always-really-liked-the-idea-of-an-artist-name-like-a-cover-up/) [MO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo/) > [If you have nothing to hide, if you're actually working for eight hours, or 10 or 12 hours, however long people decide to work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo-claure/if-you-have-nothing-to-hide-if-you-re-actually-working-for-eight/) [Marcelo Claure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcelo-claure/) > [You put your personal stuff away and concentrate on the team and help out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaza-pachulia/you-put-your-personal-stuff-away-and-concentrate-on-the-team-and-help/) [Zaza Pachulia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaza-pachulia/) > [I hate writing about personal stuff. I don't have a Facebook page. I don't use my Twitter account. I am familiar with both, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-hate-writing-about-personal-stuff-i-don-t-have-a-facebook-page-i/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [I believe in open government. I've always believed in open government. I don't e-mail, however. And there's a reason: I don't want you reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-believe-in-open-government-i-ve-always-believed-in-open-government/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [When I wrote nonfiction, my best work was the really personal stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/when-i-wrote-nonfiction-my-best-work-was-the-really-personal-stuff/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I can only write about personal stuff, about my point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-can-only-write-about-personal-stuff-about-my-point-of-view/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I write about so much personal stuff, it's like reading my diary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-cyrus/i-write-about-so-much-personal-stuff-it-s-like-reading-my-diary/) [Noah Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-cyrus/) > [The only thing I collect is art. I collect it because I like looking at it. A lot of it is really personal stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/the-only-thing-i-collect-is-art-i-collect-it-because-i-like-looking/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) ## More by Alex Scally > [We almost don't want to play bigger shows than where we are now. It's kind of perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/we-almost-don-t-want-to-play-bigger-shows-than-where-we-are-now-it-s/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [I don't think it's inherently wrong when bands do certain things - sometimes I'm really excited when I see a band has taken a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/i-don-t-think-it-s-inherently-wrong-when-bands-do-certain-things/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [It's really boring to talk about what you ate and have 48,000 fans listen to you. It's awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/it-s-really-boring-to-talk-about-what-you-ate-and-have-48-000-fans/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [It's great when a huge amount of money goes from a dumb corporation into the hands of an awesome band with brilliant ideas who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/it-s-great-when-a-huge-amount-of-money-goes-from-a-dumb-corporation/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [All bands are in danger of losing their identity. Constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/all-bands-are-in-danger-of-losing-their-identity-constantly/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [It's the most dangerous world for bands nowadays because everybody's branding and trying to steal your vibe as soon as you do anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/it-s-the-most-dangerous-world-for-bands-nowadays-because-everybody-s/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [The decisions you make can be upsetting to fans. I've experienced that, as a listener, looking at artists I've admired. It's sensitive. We really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/the-decisions-you-make-can-be-upsetting-to-fans-i-ve-experienced-that/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [Music is about your feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/music-is-about-your-feelings/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [We do say no to a lot, but we also say yes; I find ways of coming to peace with certain things. Sometimes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/we-do-say-no-to-a-lot-but-we-also-say-yes-i-find-ways-of-coming-to/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [I hate it when bands change between records. They're thinking before they make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/i-hate-it-when-bands-change-between-records-they-re-thinking-before/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [Reverb does that thing where you make one sound and it grows to 20 times its original size and fills everything up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/reverb-does-that-thing-where-you-make-one-sound-and-it-grows-to-20/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [Sometimes, for bands, everything just happens too fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/sometimes-for-bands-everything-just-happens-too-fast/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [The word is like an object - we were thinking "bloom," "doom." It encapsulated tons: the bloom, the end of the bloom, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/the-word-is-like-an-object-we-were-thinking-bloom-doom-it/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [Artists have to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/artists-have-to-survive/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) > [I feel really comfortable playing to people who've never heard Beach House before. We've always had fun opening because you get to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/i-feel-really-comfortable-playing-to-people-who-ve-never-heard-beach/) [Alex Scally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) [Explore all 22 Alex Scally quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/) ## More Emphasis quotes > [Emphasis was usually put on the horizontal acceleration factor, for the simple reason that ordinary structures have a built-in safety factor for the vertical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/emphasis-was-usually-put-on-the-horizontal-acceleration-factor-for/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) > [I put a lot of emphasis on how to treat people. The reason for this is simple. The real success of our personal lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/i-put-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-how-to-treat-people-the-reason-for-this-is/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [I sometimes find that my family's emphasis on stories, characters, and art that appeals directly to children rather than over their heads to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-sometimes-find-that-my-family-s-emphasis-on-stories-characters-and/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [The African tribesman, with his complete contempt for truth and his emphasis on brutality and savagery for others but not for himself, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-african-tribesman-with-his-complete-contempt-for-truth-and-his/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/we-are-finally-all-wanderers-in-search-of-knowledge-most-of-us-hold/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Begbie offers an additional valuable contribution by rejecting the traditional emphasis on beauty, in its Platonic sense, and instead suggesting that beauty be reconceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walford/begbie-offers-an-additional-valuable-contribution-by-rejecting-the/) [John Walford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walford/) > [All I want to say, with the utmost emphasis at my command, is that the description of India as a military country is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/all-i-want-to-say-with-the-utmost-emphasis-at-my-command-is-that-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My parents and I always put great emphasis on telling stories that appeal to a child's sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/my-parents-and-i-always-put-great-emphasis-on-telling-stories-that/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [The fundamental issue is one of emphasis: you are not a photographer because you are interested in photography...The reason is that photography is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hurn/the-fundamental-issue-is-one-of-emphasis-you-are-not-a-photographer/) [David Hurn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hurn/) > [The Bible's emphasis is on the good treatment of animals, and not just the forbidding of cruel treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-s-emphasis-is-on-the-good-treatment-of-animals-and-not-just/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness, can and do promote inner values. But the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/all-the-world-s-major-religions-with-their-emphasis-on-love/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Technological society leads to increasing numbers of people who cannot adapt to the inhuman rhythm of modern life with its emphasis on specialization. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/technological-society-leads-to-increasing-numbers-of-people-who/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [There is a heavy emphasis in Mormonism on initiative, on responsibility, on a work ethic, and on education. If you take those elements together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/there-is-a-heavy-emphasis-in-mormonism-on-initiative-on/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [One of the most beautiful things that recruited me to join the LaRouche movement is its emphasis on Classical singing and composition, especially with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha-rogers/one-of-the-most-beautiful-things-that-recruited-me-to-join-the/) [Kesha Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha-rogers/) [Browse all 613 Emphasis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff in music now - it's not going to make the music better if I hear that you did karate for the six months leading up to it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alex Scally" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-and-personal-stuff-in-music/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Emphasis" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-and-personal-stuff-in-music/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/alex-scally-25638_emphasis_there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-a_348410.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's too much emphasis on backstory and personal stuff in music now - it's not going to make the music…” — Alex Scally", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alex Scally", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-scally/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's too much emphasis on backstory...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-and-personal-stuff-in-music/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-scally/there-s-too-much-emphasis-on-backstory-and-personal-stuff-in-music/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```