--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My attempt at really doing classic sort…" description: "\"My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.\" — James Mercer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png" --- # My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is… ![“My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.” quote by James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png) > “My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.” [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares his songwriting approach to the style of The Shins, aiming for classic, melodic structures. **In simple terms:** He tries to write songs like The Shins. Key Takeaway Embrace influences while finding your own voice. Themes songwriting influence creativity Mood reflective hopeful Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - writing new songs - learning from favorite bands - studio sessions Key Concepts musical style artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - How do you blend influence with originality? - What makes a song feel “classic” to you? A Different Perspective Balancing originality with imitation can be tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempt/) [Attempt Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempt-really-286879/) [Classic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Shins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shins-1098011/) [Shins Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shins-stuff-5225348/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Songwriting Shins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting-shins-5225347/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Sort Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort-songwriting-5225349/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) ## Related quotes > [My attempt has been really to, beyond making a record of contemporary life, which is what you inevitably do, is trying to make beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/my-attempt-has-been-really-to-beyond-making-a-record-of-contemporary/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Every day, attempt to do more of what really matters and less of what doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-day-attempt-to-do-more-of-what-really-matters-and-less-of-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember being in high school, and you had to draw those lines and define yourself. 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It is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-sometimes-a-mistake-to-climb-it-is-always-a-mistake-never-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Realizing that they can't get their agenda across: against religious liberty, against a culture of life, they can't get those issues across through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/realizing-that-they-can-t-get-their-agenda-across-against-religious/) [Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/) > [I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-m-not-technically-proficient-enough-to-attempt-all-kinds-of-music/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) ## More by James Mercer > [I do like talking with friends about big concepts, you know, the stuff that will ruin a party. To me, the party hasn't begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-do-like-talking-with-friends-about-big-concepts-you-know-the-stuff/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [Horrible dates are when you're with people who are immature and can't really be comfortable in their own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/horrible-dates-are-when-you-re-with-people-who-are-immature-and-can-t/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [I'm real happy. I've been lucky in love, and I've got a wonderful kid now, and things have been going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-m-real-happy-i-ve-been-lucky-in-love-and-i-ve-got-a-wonderful-kid/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [The fact that I'm often pushing my voice as hard as I can is from playing in nightclubs in Albuquerque where you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/the-fact-that-i-m-often-pushing-my-voice-as-hard-as-i-can-is-from/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [ I really \[enjoy\] working with new people and just sort of the freshness of it. ... I \[want\] to have those new conversations, musically… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-really-enjoy-working-with-new-people-and-just-sort-of-the-freshness/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [Meeting Perry Farrel was kind of cool. 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Before the Shins, I would tell myself, 'Oh, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/for-the-longest-time-i-didn-t-even-want-to-admit-i-was-serious-about/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [Humans are social creatures that really crave intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/humans-are-social-creatures-that-really-crave-intimacy/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [I tend to write a pretty half and half split of, like, slow, morose things and then sort of more upbeat stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-tend-to-write-a-pretty-half-and-half-split-of-like-slow-morose/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [If you're 14 and you're skinny, you can't be on the football team, basically. It's just not even really possible. But skating is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/if-you-re-14-and-you-re-skinny-you-can-t-be-on-the-football-team/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [I think that what's funny is that I seem to be taking up the roles that I remember my dad having - for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-think-that-what-s-funny-is-that-i-seem-to-be-taking-up-the-roles/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [One thing that I've struggled with has been a certain amount of animosity toward the whole human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/one-thing-that-i-ve-struggled-with-has-been-a-certain-amount-of/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [For some reason, it seems like pop writers, it's like they just get worse or something over time. And then you're really jealous of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/for-some-reason-it-seems-like-pop-writers-it-s-like-they-just-get/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [I think that was going on with bands like The Strokes was that the idea of the band, a real band, was making a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-think-that-was-going-on-with-bands-like-the-strokes-was-that-the/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) [Explore all 63 James Mercer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) ## More Attempt quotes > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. 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It is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-sometimes-a-mistake-to-climb-it-is-always-a-mistake-never-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I will never attempt to even begin to make excuses for what I did in football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-storey/i-will-never-attempt-to-even-begin-to-make-excuses-for-what-i-did-in/) [Peter Storey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-storey/) > [“We all perish in our last attempt to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/we-all-perish-in-our-last-attempt-to-live/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [There was an attempt on my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovenel-moise/there-was-an-attempt-on-my-life/) [Jovenel Moise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovenel-moise/) > [The publishing of a book is a worldwide event. The attempt to suppress a book is a worldwide event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-publishing-of-a-book-is-a-worldwide-event-the-attempt-to-suppress/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Advocacy groups in the USA, as in other countries, may not be able to silence this hateful, cowardly and deceitful attack upon people’s humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/advocacy-groups-in-the-usa-as-in-other-countries-may-not-be-able-to/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [For purposes of marketing, writers are designated as poets, novelists, or something else. 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Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-moran/) [Browse all 516 Attempt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Mercer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort-of-songwriting-is-shins-stuff/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attempt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort-of-songwriting-is-shins-stuff/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/james-mercer-10889_attempt_my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort_2264954.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.” — James Mercer", "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": "James Mercer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My attempt at really doing classic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort-of-songwriting-is-shins-stuff/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/my-attempt-at-really-doing-classic-sort-of-songwriting-is-shins-stuff/#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 } } ] } ```