--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you write songs you have an idea how…" description: "\"If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.\" — Fred Frith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png" --- # If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to… ![“If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.” quote by Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png) > “If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.” [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Composing music gives insight into its eventual sound, highlighting the link between intention and outcome. **In simple terms:** Writing songs predicts their sound. Key Takeaway Plan before creating. Themes music creation intention prediction Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - songwriting - music production - teaching composition Key Concepts aesthetic theory creative process Practical Applications - Unexpected influences can alter the final sound. Questions to Reflect On - analytical - inspir A Different Perspective How does planning affect artistic freedom?;What role does improvisation play? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I don't have a special place or ritual for writing songs, basically I write songs whenever an idea hits me, in my hotel room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-jones/i-don-t-have-a-special-place-or-ritual-for-writing-songs-basically-i/) [Kelly Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-jones/) > [A lot of people start by learning other people's songs, but the idea of singing someone else's music didn't excite me. I just wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/a-lot-of-people-start-by-learning-other-people-s-songs-but-the-idea/) Shura > [Most of my songs are about Jesus. Most of my songs are about the idea that there is salvation, and that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/most-of-my-songs-are-about-jesus-most-of-my-songs-are-about-the-idea/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [Some people come into your life to make you fall in love with songs you had no idea existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/some-people-come-into-your-life-to-make-you-fall-in-love-with-songs/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Then I decided I couldn't just crawl in the corner and die, so I started putting pen to paper and wrote some songs. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-tipton/then-i-decided-i-couldn-t-just-crawl-in-the-corner-and-die-so-i/) [Glenn Tipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-tipton/) > [If it's not going to sound like Terrapin Station, what's the point of playing Terrapin Station?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branford-marsalis/if-it-s-not-going-to-sound-like-terrapin-station-what-s-the-point-of/) [Branford Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branford-marsalis/) > [An mp3 is a compressed form of data. It's not the full spectrum. It's never going to sound as good as a record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-e-clark/an-mp3-is-a-compressed-form-of-data-it-s-not-the-full-spectrum-it-s-2/) [Annie E. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-e-clark/) > [The producer should decide what kind of music is being made, what it's going to sound like - all of it: the why, when,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-martin/the-producer-should-decide-what-kind-of-music-is-being-made-what-it-s/) [Max Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-martin/) > [Obviously I try to make the best music that I can, but after about two years of making an album, you start to worry:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/obviously-i-try-to-make-the-best-music-that-i-can-but-after-about-two/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [I only want to play shows if I think we are going to sound good and I only want to release albums if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kerr/i-only-want-to-play-shows-if-i-think-we-are-going-to-sound-good-and-i/) [Jim Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kerr/) > [If you're not Prince, you're never going to sound like Prince.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-stefani/if-you-re-not-prince-you-re-never-going-to-sound-like-prince/) [Gwen Stefani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-stefani/) > [I am never going to sound like Johnny Mathis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/i-am-never-going-to-sound-like-johnny-mathis/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [“Please... Please ... Please tell this people after few more words you are going to cry.. ... You sound like you are on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/please-please-please-tell-this-people-after-few-more-words-you-are/) Deyth Banger > [I'm going for sound really, and my fingers just go places. It's very, very strange, especially when something really good is happening, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-cullum/i-m-going-for-sound-really-and-my-fingers-just-go-places-it-s-very/) [Jamie Cullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-cullum/) > [ We mixed the sounds ourselves. If they were going to put the sound back onto our film \[Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii.\], we wanted… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gilmour/we-mixed-the-sounds-ourselves-if-they-were-going-to-put-the-sound/) [David Gilmour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gilmour/) ## More by Fred Frith > [We play melodic music, we play songs, we play all kinds of things and when you improvise you don't just shut out different languages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/we-play-melodic-music-we-play-songs-we-play-all-kinds-of-things-and/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [Some things don't wind up sounding like you'd expect, which is just as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/some-things-don-t-wind-up-sounding-like-you-d-expect-which-is-just-as/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [We played some gigs in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I really felt the group was really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/we-played-some-gigs-in-switzerland-a-couple-of-weeks-ago-and-it-was/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [We went through this business of me writing out all the parts for these old songs from Gravity and Speechless and we'd been performing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/we-went-through-this-business-of-me-writing-out-all-the-parts-for/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [I think that one of the things that influences me most as a composer is to what extent I can deconstruct and reconstruct the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/i-think-that-one-of-the-things-that-influences-me-most-as-a-composer/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [And so many of the kinds of labels you get stuck with don't really tell the story; Progressive, Art Rock, Noise Music, Downtown -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/and-so-many-of-the-kinds-of-labels-you-get-stuck-with-don-t-really/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [It's like learning a language; you can't speak a language fluently until you find out who you are in that language, and that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/it-s-like-learning-a-language-you-can-t-speak-a-language-fluently/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [You could say that everything the musicians have learned and known over the years, all of their technical resources, are in a dialogue with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/you-could-say-that-everything-the-musicians-have-learned-and-known/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [I started getting interested in the notes that I could hear being generated when I hammered on while playing a classical guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/i-started-getting-interested-in-the-notes-that-i-could-hear-being/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [Well, I think music for kids is never anything but experimental is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/well-i-think-music-for-kids-is-never-anything-but-experimental-is-it/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [There's an awful lot of resources that can be drawn upon in an improvised music concert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/there-s-an-awful-lot-of-resources-that-can-be-drawn-upon-in-an/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [One of the things I particularly enjoyed doing was taking raw sound from locations during the film, like the candy machine, and writing pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/one-of-the-things-i-particularly-enjoyed-doing-was-taking-raw-sound/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [...what's always exciting is when you hear something amazing when you least expected it. Every now and then I'll hear something for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/what-s-always-exciting-is-when-you-hear-something-amazing-when-you/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [I don't know if I'm striving for anything that I can put into words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-striving-for-anything-that-i-can-put-into-words/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) > [I remember playing football dressed in peculiar costumes with some friends in France and laughing so hard we couldn't even stand up, let alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/i-remember-playing-football-dressed-in-peculiar-costumes-with-some/) [Fred Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) [Explore all 25 Fred Frith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [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/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Frith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how-they-re-going-to-sound/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Music" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how-they-re-going-to-sound/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/fred-frith-24018_music_if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how_395718.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.” — Fred Frith", "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": "Fred Frith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-frith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you write songs you have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how-they-re-going-to-sound/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-frith/if-you-write-songs-you-have-an-idea-how-they-re-going-to-sound/#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 } } ] } ```