--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Singer-songwriters should be playing…" description: "\"Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't background music.\" — Jack Savoretti" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg" --- # Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't… ![“Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't background music.” quote by Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg) > “Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't background music.” [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music should be foreground, not just ambience, demanding active listening and emotional engagement. **In simple terms:** Songs should be central, not background. Key Takeaway Create music that commands attention. Themes creativity music attention Mood thoughtful inspirational Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - Live performance - album production - radio playlists - personal listening habits Key Concepts Artistic integrity listener engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can artists make their work unavoidable? - What makes a song stand out as foreground? A Different Perspective Listeners may still use music as background despite intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Background](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background/) [Background music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Playing Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-songs-357439/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Singer songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singer-songwriters/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs/) [Songs Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songs-aren-366789/) [Songwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriters/) [Songwriters Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriters-playing-4177203/) ## Related quotes > [When I first was trying to play the clubs around Houston to start playing my own songs, songwriters like Eric Taylor and Vince Bell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/when-i-first-was-trying-to-play-the-clubs-around-houston-to-start/) [Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/) > [ The confessional singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s was in full swing, and Bob Dylan's emotional album \[ Blood on the Tracks\] resonated with the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-confessional-singer-songwriter-movement-of-the-1970s-was-in-full/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [If you look at most of our roster, we've got great singer/songwriters. I'm always attracted to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-borchetta/if-you-look-at-most-of-our-roster-we-ve-got-great-singer-songwriters/) [Scott Borchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-borchetta/) > [We love the great Disney songs - they have always inspired us in our work and in our lives! But for 'Let It Go,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/we-love-the-great-disney-songs-they-have-always-inspired-us-in-our/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [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 Jack Savoretti > [It's great to go to theme parks but going to an arboretum with small children is incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/it-s-great-to-go-to-theme-parks-but-going-to-an-arboretum-with-small/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [Since moving to Oxfordshire I've never felt more Italian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/since-moving-to-oxfordshire-i-ve-never-felt-more-italian/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [I didn't study music and I didn't go to music school, but my education came with two films: 'Woodstock' and 'The Last Waltz.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/i-didn-t-study-music-and-i-didn-t-go-to-music-school-but-my-education/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [My drive very much comes from the belief that, if I work really hard, I'll never have to get a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/my-drive-very-much-comes-from-the-belief-that-if-i-work-really-hard-i/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [Basically, I think what stops an album from getting boring is if it takes you through the ups and downs, in the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/basically-i-think-what-stops-an-album-from-getting-boring-is-if-it/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [I was very lucky to be able to hang out with Paul McCartney for two hours and he's just an absolute legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/i-was-very-lucky-to-be-able-to-hang-out-with-paul-mccartney-for-two/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [You couldn't show up to a session with Quincy Jones in your flip flops and jeans and a T shirt - that wouldn't happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/you-couldn-t-show-up-to-a-session-with-quincy-jones-in-your-flip/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [There are moments in your life when the strangest things happen and you don't quite believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/there-are-moments-in-your-life-when-the-strangest-things-happen-and/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [I'm a Mediterranean boy at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/i-m-a-mediterranean-boy-at-heart/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [I think my children have definitely made me more romantic, in the sense that I feel a lot more since having my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/i-think-my-children-have-definitely-made-me-more-romantic-in-the/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [Lots of the time when I do find that real bond from a male audience I've noticed a lot of it is about songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/lots-of-the-time-when-i-do-find-that-real-bond-from-a-male-audience-i/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [My influences have been mainly Californian and Mediterranean music, so I guess you could call it spaghetti western.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/my-influences-have-been-mainly-californian-and-mediterranean-music-so/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [For weeks we literally lived 'Europiana.' The band would arrive and I'd make a big lunch, eaten outside with loads of rose. Then we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/for-weeks-we-literally-lived-europiana-the-band-would-arrive-and-i-d/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [The reason I liked music because it wasn't competitive. I definitely have a show-off side to me, but that's not why I do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/the-reason-i-liked-music-because-it-wasn-t-competitive-i-definitely/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) > [What I've learnt from this business is, don't be afraid to make mistakes because you are going to learn so much from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/what-i-ve-learnt-from-this-business-is-don-t-be-afraid-to-make/) [Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) [Explore all 100 Jack Savoretti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/) ## More Background quotes > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [I grew up with a religious background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-caruso/i-grew-up-with-a-religious-background/) [Alex Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-caruso/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [My first album, 'Get Lifted,' was a hip-hop soul album that had some of its roots in the church, as far as the sonic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/my-first-album-get-lifted-was-a-hip-hop-soul-album-that-had-some-of/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Mark Zuckerberg is a rich white dude from a really privileged background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sunde/mark-zuckerberg-is-a-rich-white-dude-from-a-really-privileged/) [Peter Sunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sunde/) > [Once you know the background of an individual, you can connect better with his or her music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/once-you-know-the-background-of-an-individual-you-can-connect-better/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [I have no filmi background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wamiqa-gabbi/i-have-no-filmi-background/) [Wamiqa Gabbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wamiqa-gabbi/) > [I have a crazy background in music, both as a performer and writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-itzler/i-have-a-crazy-background-in-music-both-as-a-performer-and-writer/) [Jesse Itzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-itzler/) > [Maybe it's just my improv and sketch background, but I'm a lot more comfortable in a group. I like sharing focus and populating an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mantzoukas/maybe-it-s-just-my-improv-and-sketch-background-but-i-m-a-lot-more/) [Jason Mantzoukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mantzoukas/) > [I started my cycling academy to try and get more people from a BAME background into cycling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/i-started-my-cycling-academy-to-try-and-get-more-people-from-a-bame/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [A coach's role, effectively speaking, is to stay in the background and let the onus be on the players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/a-coach-s-role-effectively-speaking-is-to-stay-in-the-background-and/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > ['Billy Elliot' embodies the idea that anyone can achieve anything regardless of their socio-economic background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/billy-elliot-embodies-the-idea-that-anyone-can-achieve-anything/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) [Browse all 698 Background quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't background music.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Savoretti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-songs-that-aren-t-background/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Background" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-songs-that-aren-t-background/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/jack-savoretti-6132_background_singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-son_2097775.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that aren't background music.” — Jack Savoretti", "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": "Jack Savoretti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Singer-songwriters should be playing songs that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-songs-that-aren-t-background/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/singer-songwriters-should-be-playing-songs-that-aren-t-background/#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 } } ] } ```