--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to write songs that were as good…" description: "\"I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.\" — George Thorogood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg" --- # I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers. ![“I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.” quote by George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg) > “I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.” [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A desire to create original music that matches the quality of existing popular versions, reflecting artistic ambition and self‑improvement. **In simple terms:** Striving for original work equal to admired covers. Key Takeaway Aim for originality without sacrificing quality. Themes creativity artistic ambition self‑improvement music composition inspiration Mood determined reflective aspirational Type motivational artistic reflective When to use this quote - songwriting sessions - recording studio work - performing live - music education - creative workshops Key Concepts originality quality standards musical influence Practical Applications - benchmarking new songs against successful covers - using covers as a learning tool for composition Questions to Reflect On - What defines a 'good' cover versus an original? - How can you measure progress toward that standard? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have always felt that effect covers are very good covers. They bring you into the story if you pay attention to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-adams/i-have-always-felt-that-effect-covers-are-very-good-covers-they-bring/) [Neal Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-adams/) > [I'd like to write some songs that are so good that nobody understands them. Not even myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/townes-van-zandt/i-d-like-to-write-some-songs-that-are-so-good-that-nobody-understands/) [Townes Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/townes-van-zandt/) > [I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-started-to-play-the-guitar-for-a-couple-of-years-which-was-fun-i/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I think a lot of our songs are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-sandoval/i-think-a-lot-of-our-songs-are-good/) [Hope Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-sandoval/) > [ The \[2012 covers album\] 2120 \[South Michigan Ave.\] was different. We covered a lot of classics there. But most of the time when we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/the-2012-covers-album-2120-south-michigan-ave-was-different-we/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I was in a really crummy pop-punk band. I think we did a whole bunch of Blink-182 covers, and we were on the fringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-ruess/i-was-in-a-really-crummy-pop-punk-band-i-think-we-did-a-whole-bunch/) [Nate Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-ruess/) > [Sometimes, but the year I lived in France I started to write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-but-the-year-i-lived-in-france-i-started-to-write-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I don't really write songs anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-don-t-really-write-songs-anymore/) [Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/) > [I write songs from the heart, and I don't hold back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/i-write-songs-from-the-heart-and-i-don-t-hold-back/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [I want to write songs with meaning. I have high standards for my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/i-want-to-write-songs-with-meaning-i-have-high-standards-for-my-work/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [I know a lot of artists say this, but it's hard to put myself in a box. I just write songs that I strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/i-know-a-lot-of-artists-say-this-but-it-s-hard-to-put-myself-in-a-box/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [Music is chaos. When I write songs, I'm opening the door to madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/music-is-chaos-when-i-write-songs-i-m-opening-the-door-to-madness/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I think sometimes - not always - I write songs that are accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-think-sometimes-not-always-i-write-songs-that-are-accessible/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [It was a lot easier to write songs before I had a record deal, because the record labels and the industry doesn't mean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-shepherd/it-was-a-lot-easier-to-write-songs-before-i-had-a-record-deal-because/) [Ashton Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-shepherd/) > [When I write songs, it's very random. I get influenced by the most random things! Sometimes it just comes to me in my sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roshon-fegan/when-i-write-songs-it-s-very-random-i-get-influenced-by-the-most/) [Roshon Fegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roshon-fegan/) ## More by George Thorogood > [ The \[2012 covers album\] 2120 \[South Michigan Ave.\] was different. We covered a lot of classics there. But most of the time when we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/the-2012-covers-album-2120-south-michigan-ave-was-different-we/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I knew I had the right material and I knew what I was going after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-knew-i-had-the-right-material-and-i-knew-what-i-was-going-after/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Whatever title you want to lay on me is fine. I am still working; you know what I'm saying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/whatever-title-you-want-to-lay-on-me-is-fine-i-am-still-working-you/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [You can't rely on luck. I've had some stages in my career where I've said we're going to wing it, and we've always ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/you-can-t-rely-on-luck-i-ve-had-some-stages-in-my-career-where-i-ve/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Radio is paid by advertising. They decide what songs to play that'll keep people listening. And that's what promoters and the Classic Rock people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/radio-is-paid-by-advertising-they-decide-what-songs-to-play-that-ll/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Classic Rock radio gave us our longevity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/classic-rock-radio-gave-us-our-longevity/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I hate categories. Hank Williams is a great artist, period. Bob Dylan is a great artist, so is Marty Robbins. They just classify these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-hate-categories-hank-williams-is-a-great-artist-period-bob-dylan-is/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I saw the movie Sid & Nancy. It was a pretty good movie. It didn't really make me a punk rock fan. But anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-saw-the-movie-sid-nancy-it-was-a-pretty-good-movie-it-didn-t-really/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Rock and roll never sleeps. It just passes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/rock-and-roll-never-sleeps-it-just-passes-out/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Did I think it would last 30 years? No, I didn't think it would have those kind of legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/did-i-think-it-would-last-30-years-no-i-didn-t-think-it-would-have/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Not to this extent but from day one I had an awful lot of confidence when I got started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/not-to-this-extent-but-from-day-one-i-had-an-awful-lot-of-confidence/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [The other day I got invited to a party, but I stayed home instead. Just me and my pal Johnny Walker and his brothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/the-other-day-i-got-invited-to-a-party-but-i-stayed-home-instead-just/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I'm talking like 10, 12 years old. Either junior brings Mom and Pop or Mom and Pop bring the kids. I'm talking young here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-m-talking-like-10-12-years-old-either-junior-brings-mom-and-pop-or/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [ After the Ed Sullivan Show, Feb. 9, 1964, at approx. 8:04pm \[laughs\], after that moment every album, every guitar, evey set of drums that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/after-the-ed-sullivan-show-feb-9-1964-at-approx-8-04pm-laughs-after/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [I mean, you could have said Elvis Presley was new wave when it happened. I heard Willy DeVille and Tom Petty and to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-mean-you-could-have-said-elvis-presley-was-new-wave-when-it/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) [Explore all 65 George Thorogood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) ## More Covers quotes > [All books are judged by their covers until they are read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/all-books-are-judged-by-their-covers-until-they-are-read/) [Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/) > [Very few people do covers of my tunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/very-few-people-do-covers-of-my-tunes/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Cover versions, that's my forte, that's all I ever used to do. When you play your own songs, it's quite scary, 'cause I'm quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-goulding/cover-versions-that-s-my-forte-that-s-all-i-ever-used-to-do-when-you/) [Ellie Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-goulding/) > [I was in a really crummy pop-punk band. I think we did a whole bunch of Blink-182 covers, and we were on the fringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-ruess/i-was-in-a-really-crummy-pop-punk-band-i-think-we-did-a-whole-bunch/) [Nate Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-ruess/) > [I do covers for CDs and LPs of music that I like, reissues of old-time music, and then I'm inspired to make some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-do-covers-for-cds-and-lps-of-music-that-i-like-reissues-of-old-time/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [“Love covers all sins”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-covers-all-sins/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ The \[2012 covers album\] 2120 \[South Michigan Ave.\] was different. We covered a lot of classics there. But most of the time when we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/the-2012-covers-album-2120-south-michigan-ave-was-different-we/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [We determine whether a book is for boys or girls long before the reader gets a chance to decide: we package them with soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/we-determine-whether-a-book-is-for-boys-or-girls-long-before-the/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [This record has a lot of influences that I'd love to cover, like Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind and Fire. Maybe I'll do some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/this-record-has-a-lot-of-influences-that-i-d-love-to-cover-like/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [I'm happy that I don't have to do covers anymore, because that's not what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-m-happy-that-i-don-t-have-to-do-covers-anymore-because-that-s-not/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [I am not one of those people who string their exes along. Instead, I run and hide: under the covers, behind my computer screen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-am-not-one-of-those-people-who-string-their-exes-along-instead-i/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [If you've been on the covers of some magazines and been in a few movies that have been seen by people, for some reason,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-vaughn/if-you-ve-been-on-the-covers-of-some-magazines-and-been-in-a-few/) [Vince Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-vaughn/) > [If you walk into any magazine store, I guarantee that nine out of 10 covers will feature white, blonde, blue-eyed, slim women because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/if-you-walk-into-any-magazine-store-i-guarantee-that-nine-out-of-10/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [“Aspiring authors, get this through your head. Cover art serves one purpose, and one purpose only, to get potential customers interested long enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-correia/aspiring-authors-get-this-through-your-head-cover-art-serves-one/) [Larry Correia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-correia/) Browse all 214 Covers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Thorogood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Covers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/george-thorogood-10443_covers_i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-goo_26012.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wanted to write songs that were as good as the covers.” — George Thorogood", "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": "George Thorogood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wanted to write songs that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-wanted-to-write-songs-that-were-as-good-as-the-covers/#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 } } ] } ```