--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, when you're making a record…" description: "\"You know, when you're making a record, you come up with 15, 20 songs. Then they start to fall by the wayside as your interest wanes. It's kind of like ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/david-johansen-16212_come_you-know-when-you-re-making-a-record-you_3048140.jpg" --- # You know, when you're making a record, you come up with… ![“You know, when you're making a record, you come up with 15, 20 songs. Then they start to fall by the wayside as your interest wanes. It's kind of like a process of elimination to determine which songs wind up on the record.” quote by David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/david-johansen-16212_come_you-know-when-you-re-making-a-record-you_3048140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/david-johansen-16212_come_you-know-when-you-re-making-a-record-you_3048140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/david-johansen-16212_come_you-know-when-you-re-making-a-record-you_3048140.jpg) > “You know, when you're making a record, you come up with 15, 20 songs. Then they start to fall by the wayside as your interest wanes. It's kind of like a process of elimination to determine which songs wind up on the record.” [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative selection involves discarding many ideas to focus on the strongest, like narrowing songs for an album. **In simple terms:** Choosing the best songs means letting go of many. Key Takeaway Prioritize quality over quantity. Themes creativity decision making artistic process Mood analytical pragmatic Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - album production - project planning - team brainstorming Key Concepts selection focus curation Questions to Reflect On - What criteria guide your selection? - How do you handle discarded ideas? A Different Perspective Eliminating options may overlook hidden gems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [When I was making my first record there would be something that would come out that would inspire you, you know? You'd see someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/when-i-was-making-my-first-record-there-would-be-something-that-would/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I don't determine the singles. I believe the record company sends a bunch of CDs out to people that they trust in the business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-purim/i-don-t-determine-the-singles-i-believe-the-record-company-sends-a/) Flora Purim > [As frustrating as it is to not have a record come out, I have to make sure that it's worth putting out. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-brock/as-frustrating-as-it-is-to-not-have-a-record-come-out-i-have-to-make/) [Isaac Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-brock/) > [Yeah, early '71 is when I got my record contract. I had a record come out by August of '71. Things happened really fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/yeah-early-71-is-when-i-got-my-record-contract-i-had-a-record-come/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [I have a crazy work ethic. I'll do 20 songs a day. I love music that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/future/i-have-a-crazy-work-ethic-i-ll-do-20-songs-a-day-i-love-music-that/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/future/) > [I think the Internet is an awful lot like FM radio was when it broke out in the late '60s. It's kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-the-internet-is-an-awful-lot-like-fm-radio-was-when-it-broke/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Tupac Back' was the first single I had, but prior to that I already had 20-something songs in the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-will-made-it/tupac-back-was-the-first-single-i-had-but-prior-to-that-i-already-had/) [Mike Will Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-will-made-it/) > [Whenever a songwriter writes a big hit, then the next 20 songs they write - no matter how bad they are - get recorded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/whenever-a-songwriter-writes-a-big-hit-then-the-next-20-songs-they/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) > [“By law, buskers in Dublin must have a repertoire of at least 20 songs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd/by-law-buskers-in-dublin-must-have-a-repertoire-of-at-least-20-songs/) [John Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd/) > [To a certain extent, yes, we do. 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I'd gone about four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-bolin/right-now-i-feel-so-inspired-it-s-hard-to-believe-i-ve-written-about/) [Tommy Bolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-bolin/) > [I've been writing songs all along, and since moving to Nashville in the late-'80s, I'd begun writing something like 15-20 songs a year, instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-leadon/i-ve-been-writing-songs-all-along-and-since-moving-to-nashville-in/) Bernie Leadon > [Radio in the U.K. is so formulaic. You've got commercial stations who play the same 20 songs all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-woodward/radio-in-the-u-k-is-so-formulaic-you-ve-got-commercial-stations-who/) [Keren Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-woodward/) > [I just do as many songs as I can and then I put it together when I get sort of in the middle, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/i-just-do-as-many-songs-as-i-can-and-then-i-put-it-together-when-i/) [Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/) ## More by David Johansen > [I've been tired since I was 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-ve-been-tired-since-i-was-15/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [The first Latin music that blew my mind was bumba, which was a Puerto Rican beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/the-first-latin-music-that-blew-my-mind-was-bumba-which-was-a-puerto/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [You know when you read that someone has to leave a show or a tour because they had 'nervous exhaustion'? Well, I had one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-know-when-you-read-that-someone-has-to-leave-a-show-or-a-tour/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I'm not impersonating anybody. I'm perfectly satisfied with what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-m-not-impersonating-anybody-i-m-perfectly-satisfied-with-what-i-am/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [You try things on in life. 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Flamboyant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/we-thought-that-s-the-way-you-were-supposed-to-be-if-you-were-in-a/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Everything I've done I've just fallen into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/everything-i-ve-done-i-ve-just-fallen-into/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [There's so much negative bullshit being forced down people's throats in the marketplace, we really wanted to create a thing of beauty that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/there-s-so-much-negative-bullshit-being-forced-down-people-s-throats/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I don't really like to sit around the house listening to my own records. 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But I'm not in one of those bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/most-bands-are-commercial-enterprises-but-i-m-not-in-one-of-those/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Sometimes when I hear my voice on tape, I'm like, 'Who is that horrible man?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/sometimes-when-i-hear-my-voice-on-tape-i-m-like-who-is-that-horrible/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) [Explore all 40 David Johansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) ## More Come quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [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/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. 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There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“More we know, more we come know that how less we know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souvik-khamrui/more-we-know-more-we-come-know-that-how-less-we-know/) Souvik Khamrui > [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. 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