--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first started writing these kind…" description: "\"When I first started writing these kind of songs that would eventually become Decemberists songs, I was writing them because I knew that nobody was lis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg" --- # When I first started writing these kind of songs that… ![“When I first started writing these kind of songs that would eventually become Decemberists songs, I was writing them because I knew that nobody was listening at the time and that it wouldn't hurt to challenge myself and get weirder and see if I could alienate more people” quote by Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg) > “When I first started writing these kind of songs that would eventually become Decemberists songs, I was writing them because I knew that nobody was listening at the time and that it wouldn't hurt to challenge myself and get weirder and see if I could alienate more people” [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist describes creating music in isolation, embracing eccentricity and risking alienation to push creative boundaries. **In simple terms:** Create boldly, even if unpopular. Key Takeaway Push artistic limits. Themes creativity risk authenticity Mood determined introspective Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - solo projects - artistic development Key Concepts experimentalism self‑challenge audience dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Why is discomfort valuable in art? - What limits do you set for yourself? A Different Perspective Audience alienation may limit reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Decemberists Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decemberists-songs-3993756/) [Eventually Decemberists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eventually-decemberists-3993755/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [If i could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/if-i-could/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-eventually-3993757/) [Songs Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-writing/) [Started Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-writing/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I read the reviews sometimes, but I don't let it really affect the next album because, for me, when I approach an album, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-wolfe/i-read-the-reviews-sometimes-but-i-don-t-let-it-really-affect-the/) [Chelsea Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-wolfe/) > [I just wanted a song to sing, and there came a point where I couldn't sing anything...nobo dy else was writing what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-just-wanted-a-song-to-sing-and-there-came-a-point-where-i-couldn-t/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I've never liked songs that are about writing, or struggling to write. Maybe it's because it's too relatable to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/i-ve-never-liked-songs-that-are-about-writing-or-struggling-to-write/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [There are still songs that I'm writing. I like to write. I like to take a long time to do my songs, not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/there-are-still-songs-that-i-m-writing-i-like-to-write-i-like-to-take/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [When I began to cover songs for YouTube, they all tended to be in the super pop-genre.. as in, smash-hit songs. My writing process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-goot/when-i-began-to-cover-songs-for-youtube-they-all-tended-to-be-in-the/) [Alex Goot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-goot/) > [Songwriting is a craft. Writing good songs on a a consistent basis doesn not happen spontaneously. In fact, most of our best songwriters learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kosser/songwriting-is-a-craft-writing-good-songs-on-a-a-consistent-basis/) [Michael Kosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kosser/) > [If I look back at the songs I was writing when I was effectively a child, there's a big contrast, so I've learnt a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marika-hackman/if-i-look-back-at-the-songs-i-was-writing-when-i-was-effectively-a/) [Marika Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marika-hackman/) > [I don't really know what emotions are going to come out in songs when I'm writing them until I step back and listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/borns/i-don-t-really-know-what-emotions-are-going-to-come-out-in-songs-when/) [Borns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/borns/) > [ I changed my hopes to being a singer \[when I was a child\] and sat around with my hair in my face droning Mac… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/i-changed-my-hopes-to-being-a-singer-when-i-was-a-child-and-sat/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [As I've evolved in life my writing process has taken a turn. I'm inspired by everyday life. I could be in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-price/as-i-ve-evolved-in-life-my-writing-process-has-taken-a-turn-i-m/) [Kelly Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-price/) > [I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/i-just-tried-to-come-up-with-some-honest-songs-what-i-was-writing/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [I still only play by ear. I don't have any training. But the piano actually makes more sense to me than guitar, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rubarth/i-still-only-play-by-ear-i-don-t-have-any-training-but-the-piano/) [Amber Rubarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rubarth/) > [For me personally, I'm always writing from what's happening in my emotional life. Even without thinking about it a lot of the time, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washed-out/for-me-personally-i-m-always-writing-from-what-s-happening-in-my/) [Washed Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washed-out/) > [I need all of my songs while I'm writing them, because I need to get the stuff out of my body and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-anderson/i-need-all-of-my-songs-while-i-m-writing-them-because-i-need-to-get/) [Jacob Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-anderson/) > [I've found it really hard to finish writing songs when you're writing on not just your schedule but somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carmack/i-ve-found-it-really-hard-to-finish-writing-songs-when-you-re-writing/) [Chris Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carmack/) ## More by Colin Meloy > [You can't really come into a concept record objectively, because you immediately associate it with Yes, stuff from the 1970s that punk rock kicked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/you-can-t-really-come-into-a-concept-record-objectively-because-you/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [And I am a writer, writer of fictions I am the heart that you call home And I've written pages upon pages Trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/and-i-am-a-writer-writer-of-fictions-i-am-the-heart-that-you-call/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [“Sometimes, when the world is falling apart around you, all that's left to do is dance, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/sometimes-when-the-world-is-falling-apart-around-you-all-that-s-left/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist in pre-war Paris Smuggling bombs for the underground. 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But likewise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/my-dear-prue-we-are-the-inheritors-of-a-wonderful-world-a-beautiful/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [When you get respect from the people who are buying your music and coming to your shows, there's an expectation that you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-you-get-respect-from-the-people-who-are-buying-your-music-and/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [If Broadway musicals were as popular as they were in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, then people like Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/if-broadway-musicals-were-as-popular-as-they-were-in-the-20s-30s-and/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [I think the music should definitely underscore the sentiment of the song, and it can work for or against it. It has just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/i-think-the-music-should-definitely-underscore-the-sentiment-of-the-2/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) [Explore all 39 Colin Meloy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. 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Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) [Whitney Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-gaskell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first started writing these kind of songs that would eventually become Decemberists songs, I was writing them because I knew that nobody was listening at the time and that it wouldn't hurt to challenge myself and get weirder and see if I could alienate more people", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colin Meloy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind-of-songs-that-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind-of-songs-that-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/colin-meloy-16622_challenges_when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind_2881184.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I first started writing these kind of songs that would eventually become Decemberists songs, I was…” — Colin Meloy", "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": "Colin Meloy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I first started writing these...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind-of-songs-that-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/when-i-first-started-writing-these-kind-of-songs-that-would/#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 } } ] } ```