--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today's folk song is rock and roll…" description: "\"Today's folk song is rock and roll. Although it happened to emanate from America, that's not really important in the end because we wrote our own music..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/john-lennon-322_america_today-s-folk-song-is-rock-and-roll-altho_38177.jpg" --- # Today's folk song is rock and roll. Although it happened… ![“Today's folk song is rock and roll. Although it happened to emanate from America, that's not really important in the end because we wrote our own music and that changed everything.” quote by John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/john-lennon-322_america_today-s-folk-song-is-rock-and-roll-altho_38177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/john-lennon-322_america_today-s-folk-song-is-rock-and-roll-altho_38177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/john-lennon-322_america_today-s-folk-song-is-rock-and-roll-altho_38177.jpg) > “Today's folk song is rock and roll. Although it happened to emanate from America, that's not really important in the end because we wrote our own music and that changed everything.” [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote asserts that rock and roll, though rooted in American culture, became a global, self-created musical expression that transformed the industry. **In simple terms:** Rock and roll reshaped music worldwide. Key Takeaway Cultural origins matter less than creative ownership. Themes cultural diffusion musical innovation globalization identity formation artistic agency Mood reflective inspirational Type observation cultural commentary When to use this quote - music historians analyzing genre origins - artists seeking authenticity - educators teaching music history - cultural critics discussing globalization Key Concepts genre evolution cultural appropriation creative autonomy Practical Applications - Developing curricula on music evolution - Guiding artists on cultural influences Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural ownership affect artistic expression? - What defines originality in a globally shared art form? A Different Perspective Some argue that American cultural context remains essential to understanding rock's impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk/) [Folk songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-songs/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Rock and roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-and-roll/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [It's like a little folk song. I think it might've been Harry Belafonte or someone like that who did it. And "Merry Christmas, Everybody"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lowe/it-s-like-a-little-folk-song-i-think-it-might-ve-been-harry-belafonte/) [Nick Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lowe/) > [Certain songs are almost like folk songs, which I love. I love folk music, and if you listen to 'Live Bullet,' there's 'Jody Girl,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/certain-songs-are-almost-like-folk-songs-which-i-love-i-love-folk/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [“Hah!" said Granny Weatherwax. "I should just say it is a folk song! I knows all about folk songs. Hah! You think you're listenin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hah-said-granny-weatherwax-i-should-just-say-it-is-a-folk-song-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Alan Lomax is the person who I think should be given major credit for what has been called the "Folk Song Revival." My father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/alan-lomax-is-the-person-who-i-think-should-be-given-major-credit-for/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [I was working for Alan Lomax in the Library of Congress folk song archive, and starting to realize what a wealth of different kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/i-was-working-for-alan-lomax-in-the-library-of-congress-folk-song/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Folk songs are evasive-the truth about life, and life is more or less a lie, but then again that's exactly the way we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/folk-songs-are-evasive-the-truth-about-life-and-life-is-more-or-less/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [A folk song is what's wrong and how to fix it or it could be who's hungry and where their mouth is or who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/a-folk-song-is-what-s-wrong-and-how-to-fix-it-or-it-could-be-who-s/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) > [I used to go to the school folk club with my songs when I was only 13 or so and say "this is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/i-used-to-go-to-the-school-folk-club-with-my-songs-when-i-was-only-13/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [The whole trouble with a folk song is that once you have played it through there is nothing much you can do except play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constant-lambert/the-whole-trouble-with-a-folk-song-is-that-once-you-have-played-it/) [Constant Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constant-lambert/) > [If it was never new and it never gets old, then it's a folk song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/if-it-was-never-new-and-it-never-gets-old-then-it-s-a-folk-song/) [Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/) > [In a way it's the emotional feeling that you get in a good rock song or folk song, there's just nothing that rivals that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/in-a-way-it-s-the-emotional-feeling-that-you-get-in-a-good-rock-song/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [Cornelius Cardew's folk songs were very, very literal, and they were just about workers smashing their chains. It was like reading Das Kapital over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-maclean/cornelius-cardew-s-folk-songs-were-very-very-literal-and-they-were/) [Alasdair MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-maclean/) > [A song stylist is, like, to take an old folk song like "Delia's Gone" and do a modern white man's version of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/a-song-stylist-is-like-to-take-an-old-folk-song-like-delia-s-gone-and/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [Every week, Dennis Day sang an old Irish folk song. And next day in the fields, I'd be singing that song if I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/every-week-dennis-day-sang-an-old-irish-folk-song-and-next-day-in-the/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) ## More by John Lennon > [Well, I don't want to be king, I want to be real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/well-i-don-t-want-to-be-king-i-want-to-be-real/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [ We went to America a few times and \[Brian\] Epstein always tried to waffle on at us about saying nothing about Vietnam. So there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/we-went-to-america-a-few-times-and-brian-epstein-always-tried-to/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I never went to high school reunions. My thing is, out of sight, out of mind. That's my attitude toward life. So I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-never-went-to-high-school-reunions-my-thing-is-out-of-sight-out-of/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [If you want to get peace, you can get it as soon as you like if we all pull together. ... 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I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-wasn-t-saying-whatever-they-re-saying-i-was-saying-i-m-sorry-i-said/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. 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