--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rock and roll just used to be for kicks…" description: "\"Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.\" — Billy Joel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png" --- # Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's… ![“Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.” quote by Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png) > “Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.” [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## 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 observes that rock and roll has shifted from pure entertainment to a platform for political expression. **In simple terms:** Music as a political voice Key Takeaway Art reflects societal change Themes cultural evolution political activism music history social commentary media influence Mood reflective critical hopeful Type observation cultural critique When to use this quote - concerts - radio playlists - social media trends - political rallies - youth culture Key Concepts genre transformation artist intent public discourse Practical Applications - songwriting with messages - branding for activism Questions to Reflect On - How does political content affect a genre's popularity? - Can music still be purely entertainment? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicks/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Rock and roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-and-roll/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [Rock and roll used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Hot funk, cold punk, even if it's old junk, it's still rock and roll to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/hot-funk-cold-punk-even-if-it-s-old-junk-it-s-still-rock-and-roll-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Videos destroyed the vitality of rock and roll. Before that, music said, "Listen to me." Now it says, "Look at me."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/videos-destroyed-the-vitality-of-rock-and-roll-before-that-music-said/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [In a dream I had I was on stage with Queen, Michael Stipe, and Elton John, Bono, and Springsteen singin' hallejuhah, rock and roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/in-a-dream-i-had-i-was-on-stage-with-queen-michael-stipe-and-elton/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) > [Being compared to Freddie Mercury is something I've come to terms with. I don't know that I'll ever successfully avoid the comparisons, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/being-compared-to-freddie-mercury-is-something-i-ve-come-to-terms/) [Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/) > [“Food is the new rock and roll.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/food-is-the-new-rock-and-roll/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [It's not some great work of beauty and love to be a rock-and-roll singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/it-s-not-some-great-work-of-beauty-and-love-to-be-a-rock-and-roll/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [The '60s are gone, dope will never be as cheap, sex never as free, and the rock and roll never as great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/the-60s-are-gone-dope-will-never-be-as-cheap-sex-never-as-free-and/) [Abbie Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-hoffman/) > [Of course when you are a kid you listen to what your parents had around. A lot of gospel, jazz. Now when I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorma-kaukonen/of-course-when-you-are-a-kid-you-listen-to-what-your-parents-had/) [Jorma Kaukonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorma-kaukonen/) > [For guitar players especially, blues is the foundation of rock and roll. You take country music and rock and roll and jazz and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/for-guitar-players-especially-blues-is-the-foundation-of-rock-and/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I still believe in rock and roll, it pays my bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-still-believe-in-rock-and-roll-it-pays-my-bills/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [The new album is a childhood dream come true. Got to sing with Ronnie Spector, got to cover a bunch of songs that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-new-album-is-a-childhood-dream-come-true-got-to-sing-with-ronnie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of my friends, they think I grew up to rock and roll, but I didn't. I grew up to Hank Williams, Jimmy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-dimucci/a-lot-of-my-friends-they-think-i-grew-up-to-rock-and-roll-but-i-didn/) [Dion DiMucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-dimucci/) > [Rock and roll is based on pretty boys who look like little girls. The girls love them because they're not threatening. As someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-panozzo/rock-and-roll-is-based-on-pretty-boys-who-look-like-little-girls-the/) [Chuck Panozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-panozzo/) > [That whole Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing - at least half the people in there don't have a place in any kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/that-whole-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-thing-at-least-half-the-people/) [Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/) ## More by Billy Joel > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Only the good die young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/only-the-good-die-young/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies, all I want is someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-don-t-want-some-pretty-face-to-tell-me-pretty-lies-all-i-want-is/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [She's the quiet type who's into heavy metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/she-s-the-quiet-type-who-s-into-heavy-metal/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. Though it's crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/don-t-make-music-for-some-vast-unseen-audience-or-market-or-ratings/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Usually when I'm writing, I try to write fairly quickly. If a song sits around too long, it starts to take on a stink.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/usually-when-i-m-writing-i-try-to-write-fairly-quickly-if-a-song-sits/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [My daughter sent me on a mission to get as many autographs as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/my-daughter-sent-me-on-a-mission-to-get-as-many-autographs-as-possible/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [ I was listening to stuff and I realized that I've had a lot of different lives. You know the theory \[that says\] every seven… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-was-listening-to-stuff-and-i-realized-that-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If you said good-bye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-you-said-good-bye-to-me-tonight-there-would-still-be-music-left-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If I need a cause for celebration, Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind, I rely on my imagination, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-i-need-a-cause-for-celebration-or-a-comfort-i-can-use-to-ease-my/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [What will it take for you to believe in me, the way that I believe in you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/what-will-it-take-for-you-to-believe-in-me-the-way-that-i-believe-in/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I would say the songs that have different lyrics. I always write the music first, and there's a couple of songs on this box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-would-say-the-songs-that-have-different-lyrics-i-always-write-the/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) [Explore all 311 Billy Joel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More Kicks quotes > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/) [Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [I'm neurotic in the sense that I can have a crowd of 300 people cheering you, applauding you, standing O, but one guy come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-m-neurotic-in-the-sense-that-i-can-have-a-crowd-of-300-people/) [Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/) > [If I stop to kick every barking dog I am not going to get where I'm going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-joyner-kersee/if-i-stop-to-kick-every-barking-dog-i-am-not-going-to-get-where-i-m/) [Jackie Joyner-Kersee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-joyner-kersee/) > [I think it is important for all those young out there - who someday hope to play real football, where you throw it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/i-think-it-is-important-for-all-those-young-out-there-who-someday/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [One thing I know is that it is a bad idea to marry someone who had bad parents. If they hated their mother, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/one-thing-i-know-is-that-it-is-a-bad-idea-to-marry-someone-who-had/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [ It's hard for me to be serious. I can't really rub oil on me and go all the way with it \[laughs\]. I hear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-hard-for-me-to-be-serious-i-can-t-really-rub-oil-on-me-and-go/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Sometimes Queens' music is dark, but somehow it's ok to deliver it with a smile on your face because thing's are still going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-queens-music-is-dark-but-somehow-it-s-ok-to-deliver-it-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You've got to kick off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/a-good-compilation-tape-like-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-and-takes-ages/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [Maybe if I'd not been able to kick a ball it would have been different, but I doubt it because all my mates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/maybe-if-i-d-not-been-able-to-kick-a-ball-it-would-have-been/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) > [What are the aspects of yourself that line up with the character? You magnify those, and the ones that don't match up you kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/what-are-the-aspects-of-yourself-that-line-up-with-the-character-you/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) [Browse all 1,264 Kicks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Joel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kicks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/052/billy-joel-1000_kicks_rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks_27240.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.” — Billy Joel", "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": "Billy Joel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Rock and roll just used to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/#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 } } ] } ```