--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America's a funny place. Every time I've…" description: "\"America's a funny place. Every time I've come over it just feels absolutely gigantic and massive. I've always had good shows there, but I just go and c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/conor-o-brien-47314_america_america-s-a-funny-place-every-time-i-ve_657521.jpg" --- # America's a funny place. Every time I've come over it just… ![“America's a funny place. Every time I've come over it just feels absolutely gigantic and massive. I've always had good shows there, but I just go and come back, feeling like another singer/songwriter in a sea of thousands of singer/songwriters. I don't really know what "breaking it in America" is…” quote by Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/conor-o-brien-47314_america_america-s-a-funny-place-every-time-i-ve_657521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/conor-o-brien-47314_america_america-s-a-funny-place-every-time-i-ve_657521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b9/conor-o-brien-47314_america_america-s-a-funny-place-every-time-i-ve_657521.jpg) > “America's a funny place. Every time I've come over it just feels absolutely gigantic and massive. I've always had good shows there, but I just go and come back, feeling like another singer/songwriter in a sea of thousands of singer/songwriters. I don't really know what "breaking it in America" is or means. I just focus on touring day-by-day, and show-by-show, and see where it goes.” [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the American music scene and uncertainty about success, focusing on daily touring. **In simple terms:** The music world feels huge and unclear. Key Takeaway Take each day as it comes. Themes career uncertainty touring artist identity industry scale perseverance Mood reflective hopeful realistic Type musician personal career When to use this quote - tour planning - networking events - mentorship - mental health support Key Concepts creative process market dynamics personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What defines success for you? - How do you stay motivated amid competition? A Different Perspective Success is not guaranteed; resilience needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Singer songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singer-songwriters/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriters/) [Touring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touring/) ## Related quotes > [Breaking America's oil addiction would not lead to a future of sackcloth and ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/breaking-america-s-oil-addiction-would-not-lead-to-a-future-of/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [It's a difficult thing, breaking in America. A lot of bands who've been massive in the U.K. for years take much longer than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/it-s-a-difficult-thing-breaking-in-america-a-lot-of-bands-who-ve-been/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > [In America, funny women are allowed to be glamorous and funny, but over here, you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-atack/in-america-funny-women-are-allowed-to-be-glamorous-and-funny-but-over/) [Emily Atack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-atack/) > [America is a funny place; it's a land of extremes, I think. There's fantastic, and there's gobsmackingly dreadful. In every realm you could imagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/america-is-a-funny-place-it-s-a-land-of-extremes-i-think-there-s/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [You know you don't really need the band or the singer/songwriter in the same way, so you look at everything as part of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-spooky/you-know-you-don-t-really-need-the-band-or-the-singer-songwriter-in/) [DJ Spooky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-spooky/) > [Sara Bareilles is one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstin-maldonado/sara-bareilles-is-one-of-my-favorite-singer-songwriters-of-all-time/) [Kirstin Maldonado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstin-maldonado/) > [Singer/songwriters spend two or three years making an album, and then it goes up for sale and everybody pirates it and you don't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-martinez/singer-songwriters-spend-two-or-three-years-making-an-album-and-then/) [Cliff Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-martinez/) > [I suddenly thought about being backstage, and I think it shocks you to meet the people you shared your bedrooms with. And a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drew/i-suddenly-thought-about-being-backstage-and-i-think-it-shocks-you-to/) [Kevin Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drew/) > [When I was 6 I thought that I wanted to be a musician - like a singer-songwriter. That's what I romantically envisioned for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/when-i-was-6-i-thought-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-musician-like-a-singer/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I came along with that crowd of singer-songwriters who were able to make their own statements in such a personal way that it changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-came-along-with-that-crowd-of-singer-songwriters-who-were-able-to/) [Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/) > [If somebody says 'singer-songwriter' to me, the first person I think of is James Taylor. There are plenty of modern singer-songwriters, but there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-levi/if-somebody-says-singer-songwriter-to-me-the-first-person-i-think-of/) [Zachary Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-levi/) > [I'm always looking for overlooked post-Dylan singer-songwriter records from the '70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-m-always-looking-for-overlooked-post-dylan-singer-songwriter/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [I think Im different from a lot of singer-songwriters because some of my favorite singer-songwriters told stories. Like John Prine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-sobule/i-think-im-different-from-a-lot-of-singer-songwriters-because-some-of/) [Jill Sobule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-sobule/) > [We singer-songwriter people, we're used to getting up and doing our own thing in front of people, and we're it. We're the band, artist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-wilkinson/we-singer-songwriter-people-we-re-used-to-getting-up-and-doing-our/) [Andy Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-wilkinson/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) ## More by Conor O'Brien > [I think for me, the only depressing music is music that doesn't give credence to those kinds of feelings, music that's just written for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/i-think-for-me-the-only-depressing-music-is-music-that-doesn-t-give/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [If you're writing a song about a relationship ending, what you're really doing is honoring how much that person meant to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/if-you-re-writing-a-song-about-a-relationship-ending-what-you-re/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [It took a little time to get where I wanted. It took a little time to get free. It took a little time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/it-took-a-little-time-to-get-where-i-wanted-it-took-a-little-time-to/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [I just think I'm a narcissist, really! I guess when I write albums, they take a huge amount of time out of my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/i-just-think-i-m-a-narcissist-really-i-guess-when-i-write-albums-they/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [When I am recording on my own, it's like an oil painting: I can put that on top of that and build up layers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/when-i-am-recording-on-my-own-it-s-like-an-oil-painting-i-can-put/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [There's no way anyone's going to understand my own personal experiences, where the songs came from, because they're mine. But I was very conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/there-s-no-way-anyone-s-going-to-understand-my-own-personal/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) > [I think the trick is that you have to change how you take stuff in. Maybe the early beginnings of a song come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-o-brien/i-think-the-trick-is-that-you-have-to-change-how-you-take-stuff-in/) [Conor O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) [Explore all 8 Conor O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-o-brien/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "America's a funny place. Every time I've come over it just feels absolutely gigantic and massive. I've always had good shows there, but I just go and come back, feeling like another singer/songwriter in a sea of thousands of singer/songwriters. 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