--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a…" description: "\"'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. That, definitely, has a place in popular music.\" — Alice Ripley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/alice-ripley-6506_music_next-to-normal-is-rock-music-it-s-a-rock_108523.jpg" --- # 'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. That… ![“'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. That, definitely, has a place in popular music.” quote by Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/alice-ripley-6506_music_next-to-normal-is-rock-music-it-s-a-rock_108523.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/alice-ripley-6506_music_next-to-normal-is-rock-music-it-s-a-rock_108523.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/alice-ripley-6506_music_next-to-normal-is-rock-music-it-s-a-rock_108523.jpg) > “'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. That, definitely, has a place in popular music.” [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The musical 'Next To Normal' is classified as rock music and rock opera, asserting its legitimacy within mainstream popular music. **In simple terms:** Classifies the show as rock opera. Key Takeaway Genre labels shape cultural acceptance. Themes music genre popular culture theatre Mood assertive analytical Type critical observation cultural commentary When to use this quote - music criticism - theatre programming - genre studies Key Concepts cultural legitimacy genre hybridity Practical Applications - Use genre descriptors to broaden audience outreach - Highlight cross‑genre elements in marketing Questions to Reflect On - How do genre labels influence audience expectations? - Can a work belong to multiple genres without losing identity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Popular music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-music/) [Rock music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-music/) ## Related quotes > [This is not a rock opera. This is not Tommy. I can write songs that emote, and that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/this-is-not-a-rock-opera-this-is-not-tommy-i-can-write-songs-that/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Later, I even appeared in a Rock Opera with Richard Gere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bostwick/later-i-even-appeared-in-a-rock-opera-with-richard-gere/) [Barry Bostwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bostwick/) > [“On the other hand, there is also the matter of Lovecraft’s place in popular culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-e-lockhart/on-the-other-hand-there-is-also-the-matter-of-lovecraft-s-place-in/) [Ross E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-e-lockhart/) > [There's this notion that music has to be confined to some small, simple place to be popular, something I never believed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/there-s-this-notion-that-music-has-to-be-confined-to-some-small/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [America is tough for rock music. Rock n' roll used to be the main music for the youth, and it's not so much anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/america-is-tough-for-rock-music-rock-n-roll-used-to-be-the-main-music/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [There was a time when pop music and rock music were really reaching for the stars and were not ashamed to be experimental. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wilson/there-was-a-time-when-pop-music-and-rock-music-were-really-reaching/) [Steven Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wilson/) > [I don't know a lot of Kasabian's music. I am into rock music but I don't know their stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-chatto/i-don-t-know-a-lot-of-kasabian-s-music-i-am-into-rock-music-but-i-don/) [Grace Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-chatto/) > [I've been doing the academic side of music and the rock side of music in conjunction, basically, since I was in fourth grade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kotche/i-ve-been-doing-the-academic-side-of-music-and-the-rock-side-of-music/) [Glenn Kotche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kotche/) > [Rock musicians, and a vast array of popular-music musicians, due to their wealth, acquired through the mass of their notoriety, are able to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dixon/rock-musicians-and-a-vast-array-of-popular-music-musicians-due-to/) [Bill Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dixon/) > [Folk music has been our popular music... There is a myth that youngsters only like heavy metal or rock music, but that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankar-mahadevan/folk-music-has-been-our-popular-music-there-is-a-myth-that-youngsters/) [Shankar Mahadevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shankar-mahadevan/) > [Very few opera singers in history have been able to cross into popular music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/very-few-opera-singers-in-history-have-been-able-to-cross-into/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [I don't like the word rock opera, but I'm trying to write on that level that's reserved for plays still, or novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-don-t-like-the-word-rock-opera-but-i-m-trying-to-write-on-that/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I don't like rock opera with back beats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-gibb/i-don-t-like-rock-opera-with-back-beats/) [Robin Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-gibb/) > [I love rock and opera, and I love musical theater, and I don't want to lose any of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-worsham/i-love-rock-and-opera-and-i-love-musical-theater-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Lauren Worsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-worsham/) > [“He was a man with a tin-ear present who dreamed of a rock-opera future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-woodrell/he-was-a-man-with-a-tin-ear-present-who-dreamed-of-a-rock-opera-future/) [Daniel Woodrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-woodrell/) ## More by Alice Ripley > [Any kind of grieving that is not allowed causes a break. In our culture, grieving in public is not encouraged, but in other cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/any-kind-of-grieving-that-is-not-allowed-causes-a-break-in-our/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > ['Closure' is the word used for a loss that's not acknowledged - and the habit this causes, physically and mentally, for anybody who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/closure-is-the-word-used-for-a-loss-that-s-not-acknowledged-and-the/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I've always been inspired by Patti LuPone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-ve-always-been-inspired-by-patti-lupone/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I'm a strong follower of hydrotherapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-m-a-strong-follower-of-hydrotherapy/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [Writing is the place where I can do it all and get away with it. You can't do that in the theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/writing-is-the-place-where-i-can-do-it-all-and-get-away-with-it-you/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [There were eleven kids, and we all shared a bathroom. It was enough to drive us all insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/there-were-eleven-kids-and-we-all-shared-a-bathroom-it-was-enough-to/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I love every minute of my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-love-every-minute-of-my-work/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I have learned that music comes in all shapes and sizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-have-learned-that-music-comes-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I wasn't a musical-theater kid. We went to plays at school and took field trips to see Shakespeare. And that really sparked that fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-wasn-t-a-musical-theater-kid-we-went-to-plays-at-school-and-took/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I love D.C. I love working there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-love-d-c-i-love-working-there/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [Oh my God, I love Max von Essen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/oh-my-god-i-love-max-von-essen/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [For me, in the audition, the song that you choose should make you cry. It doesn't matter why: it could be because you're happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/for-me-in-the-audition-the-song-that-you-choose-should-make-you-cry/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I've been committed to personal growth since I was a teenager, and I'm a believer in the idea that your thought is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-ve-been-committed-to-personal-growth-since-i-was-a-teenager-and-i-m/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I love having a basement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-love-having-a-basement/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [Sometimes you're the only one who thinks you have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/sometimes-you-re-the-only-one-who-thinks-you-have-a-good-idea/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) [Explore all 99 Alice Ripley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. 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