---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's always a blast playing the new…"
description: "\"It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like songs, in a way, are never finished. You get to a point where you're comfortable enough to p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg"
---

#  It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like…

![“It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like songs, in a way, are never finished. You get to a point where you're comfortable enough to put a stamp on it and send it out there, but even after recording it, when you're playing it live, you hear different harmonies, you hear different…” quote by Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg)

> “It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like songs, in a way, are never finished. You get to a point where you're comfortable enough to put a stamp on it and send it out there, but even after recording it, when you're playing it live, you hear different harmonies, you hear different notes, you hear different tempos or peaks and valleys in the song.”

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The creative process is ongoing; a song evolves even after release as live performance reveals new possibilities.

**In simple terms:** Songs keep changing after they’re recorded.

Key Takeaway

Embrace iteration and keep refining your work.

Themes

creativity music evolution

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

artistic process

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- live performance
- recording sessions
- collaborative rehearsals

Key Concepts

artistic growth imperfection live dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you decide when a song is “finished”?
- What value do live variations add to a piece?

A Different Perspective

Live versions may differ from studio intent, challenging the notion of a final product.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Peaks and valleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaks-and-valleys/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) [Tempo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tempo/)

## Related quotes

> [Cause I enjoy both, I enjoy recording and playing live, but yeah, the rush of playing live is really something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/cause-i-enjoy-both-i-enjoy-recording-and-playing-live-but-yeah-the/)

[Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/)

> [Usually I'm only using my instruments when I'm recording or playing a gig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tundra/usually-i-m-only-using-my-instruments-when-i-m-recording-or-playing-a/)

[Max Tundra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tundra/)

> [I make a lot of music for different people. My audience is varied so I use different tempos for different music in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sizzla/i-make-a-lot-of-music-for-different-people-my-audience-is-varied-so-i/)

[Sizzla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sizzla/)

> [The different tempos and yeah, it's cadence. It's the way she moves through space, it's gestures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/the-different-tempos-and-yeah-it-s-cadence-it-s-the-way-she-moves/)

[Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/)

> [Since I started composing I have always worked with series of tempos, even superimposed the music of different groups of musicians, of singers, instrumentalists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karlheinz-stockhausen/since-i-started-composing-i-have-always-worked-with-series-of-tempos/)

[Karlheinz Stockhausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karlheinz-stockhausen/)

> [Playing in New York, after you've been here, anything else is a step down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/playing-in-new-york-after-you-ve-been-here-anything-else-is-a-step/)

[David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/)

> [Communicating is a bit of a problem. Playing in New York is great but there are times when I feel a long way from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chien-ming-wang/communicating-is-a-bit-of-a-problem-playing-in-new-york-is-great-but/)

[Chien-Ming Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chien-ming-wang/)

> [It's a new NBA, man. Guys are playing on a new team every year now, and it has nothing to do with how good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/it-s-a-new-nba-man-guys-are-playing-on-a-new-team-every-year-now-and/)

[Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/)

> [I don't love playing new songs in a festival environment. Because when it comes to a festival a lot of people probably won't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-barakat/i-don-t-love-playing-new-songs-in-a-festival-environment-because-when/)

[Jack Barakat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-barakat/)

> [I try to stay as private as possible; I know that's difficult, especially playing here in New York, but I make an attempt at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/i-try-to-stay-as-private-as-possible-i-know-that-s-difficult/)

[Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/)

> [On our Web site, we have people complaining about us not playing new stuff. But there's so many classic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-van-zant/on-our-web-site-we-have-people-complaining-about-us-not-playing-new/)

[Johnny Van Zant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-van-zant/)

> [I adjust to who is with me, who I'm playing, the new guys we add.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-beal/i-adjust-to-who-is-with-me-who-i-m-playing-the-new-guys-we-add/)

[Bradley Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-beal/)

> [Playing in New York - against the Mets? I love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/playing-in-new-york-against-the-mets-i-love-it/)

[Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/)

> [Playing new songs at festivals is weird, obviously. People at festivals are always a bit drunk, and probably just want to hear stuff they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-smith/playing-new-songs-at-festivals-is-weird-obviously-people-at-festivals/)

[Dan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-smith/)

> [I love playing in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-randle/i-love-playing-in-new-york/)

[Julius Randle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-randle/)

## More by Chuck Ragan

> [Creating records and writing music with people I admire and respect is a very spiritual and enlightening thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/creating-records-and-writing-music-with-people-i-admire-and-respect/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [You're always kind of shifting and changing and it's a really exciting process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/you-re-always-kind-of-shifting-and-changing-and-it-s-a-really/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [I've always written songs to use music as a form of therapy or as a way to look at my obstacles or my memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-ve-always-written-songs-to-use-music-as-a-form-of-therapy-or-as-a/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [Well we never set out to write a concept album. I've always used song writing as a therapeutic release so in that process, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/well-we-never-set-out-to-write-a-concept-album-i-ve-always-used-song/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [It almost feels like I have the best of both worlds in a sense. I also respect the fact that all of this could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-almost-feels-like-i-have-the-best-of-both-worlds-in-a-sense-i-also/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [I met some people who showed me a path in music where they were like hey, look, while yes, it can have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-met-some-people-who-showed-me-a-path-in-music-where-they-were-like/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [I mean we're all guilty of getting sidetracked or getting taken away from our loved ones. Whether we believe it or not, or care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-mean-we-re-all-guilty-of-getting-sidetracked-or-getting-taken-away/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [It's an opportunity that's there for all of us, like a life raft or preserver to hang onto when there's nothing else or no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-s-an-opportunity-that-s-there-for-all-of-us-like-a-life-raft-or/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [I find a ton of inspiration from the artists that I'm writing with, that I'm playing shows with, and that I'm sitting down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-find-a-ton-of-inspiration-from-the-artists-that-i-m-writing-with/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [On the road, it's constant sensory overload, and it's easy to lose track of days and time and to get caught up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/on-the-road-it-s-constant-sensory-overload-and-it-s-easy-to-lose/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [We can use music as a tool to overcome things. It was a beautiful age and realization for me, an awakening. I felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/we-can-use-music-as-a-tool-to-overcome-things-it-was-a-beautiful-age/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [Balance is everything. And I'm not just speaking from a road perspective - even from home. My wife and I work out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/balance-is-everything-and-i-m-not-just-speaking-from-a-road/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [I find artists like Tim Barry, Cory Branan, and Jenny Owen Youngs, these current artists that are doing what they're doing now are my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-find-artists-like-tim-barry-cory-branan-and-jenny-owen-youngs-these/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [Over the years since then though, I couldn't even begin to try and count all the mistakes I've made but also, all the joys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/over-the-years-since-then-though-i-couldn-t-even-begin-to-try-and/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

> [So it's a constant struggle, it's a constant balance, it's a constant search to find the balance between being responsible, carrying on with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/so-it-s-a-constant-struggle-it-s-a-constant-balance-it-s-a-constant/)

[Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

[Explore all 25 Chuck Ragan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/)

## More Blast quotes

> [Singing is a f\*\*\*ing blast. When it’s really good, it’s as good as the best sex. I get nipple erections all the time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-osborne/singing-is-a-f-ing-blast-when-it-s-really-good-it-s-as-good-as-the/)

[Joan Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-osborne/)

> ['Bengal Tiger' is huge film for me, and I had a blast working with both Ravi Teja and Tamannaah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/bengal-tiger-is-huge-film-for-me-and-i-had-a-blast-working-with-both/)

[Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/)

> [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [You can say that a small attack is one in which relatively few people die, but the minute you say that, you can sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/you-can-say-that-a-small-attack-is-one-in-which-relatively-few-people/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [He must be independent and brave, and sure of himself and of the importance of his work, because if he isn't he will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-sherwood/he-must-be-independent-and-brave-and-sure-of-himself-and-of-the/)

[Robert E. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-sherwood/)

> [I think it's funny. There was a time when men were afraid that somebody would reveal some secret of theirs that was unknown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-think-it-s-funny-there-was-a-time-when-men-were-afraid-that/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I could easily blast so much keef night and day I become a bouhali; a real-gone crazy, a holy untouchable madman unto whom everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brion-gysin/i-could-easily-blast-so-much-keef-night-and-day-i-become-a-bouhali-a/)

[Brion Gysin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brion-gysin/)

> [I usually write in my underwear, with a space heater running full blast, and three dogs sleeping at me feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/i-usually-write-in-my-underwear-with-a-space-heater-running-full/)

[Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/)

> [Capricious, wanton, bold, and brutal Lust Is meanly selfish; when resisted, cruel; And, like the blast of Pestilential Winds, Taints the sweet bloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/capricious-wanton-bold-and-brutal-lust-is-meanly-selfish-when/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [I wanted to deconstruct the puppet show. I wanted to turn it inside out and do stuff that you're not supposed to do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-wanted-to-deconstruct-the-puppet-show-i-wanted-to-turn-it-inside/)

[Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/)

> [The scent organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio - rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-scent-organ-was-playing-a-delightfully-refreshing-herbal/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [Without challenges, the human body will soften. We thrive when we push our boundaries, reach goals, and blast personal records. We perform better, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-john/without-challenges-the-human-body-will-soften-we-thrive-when-we-push/)

[Dan John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-john/)

> [If you allow one single germ, one single seed of slavery to remain in the soil of America... that germ will spring up, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernestine-rose/if-you-allow-one-single-germ-one-single-seed-of-slavery-to-remain-in/)

[Ernestine Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernestine-rose/)

> [Whither away, Bluebird, Whither away? The blast is chill, yet in the upper sky Thou still canst find the color of thy wing, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/whither-away-bluebird-whither-away-the-blast-is-chill-yet-in-the/)

[Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/)

> [With this blistering salvo of poetic gutshots Lawson has proven himself Bizarro’s true bard, its mad laureate. Switching from dark whimsy to retina-blast shock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robert-johnson/with-this-blistering-salvo-of-poetic-gutshots-lawson-has-proven/)

[Jeremy Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robert-johnson/)

Browse all 437 Blast quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like songs, in a way, are never finished. You get to a point where you're comfortable enough to put a stamp on it and send it out there, but even after recording it, when you're playing it live, you hear different harmonies, you hear different notes, you hear different tempos or peaks and valleys in the song.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Chuck Ragan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuff-but-i-feel-like-songs-in-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blast"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuff-but-i-feel-like-songs-in-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/chuck-ragan-23704_blast_it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuf_1863128.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's always a blast playing the new stuff. But I feel like songs, in a way, are never finished. You get to a…” — Chuck Ragan",
                "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": "Chuck Ragan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's always a blast playing the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuff-but-i-feel-like-songs-in-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/it-s-always-a-blast-playing-the-new-stuff-but-i-feel-like-songs-in-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
