--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write songs about real things... The…" description: "\"I write songs about real things... The subject dictates the mood and it goes from there, really.\" — John Mayall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/john-mayall-33058_mood_i-write-songs-about-real-things-the-subj_2788435.png" --- # I write songs about real things... The subject dictates… ![“I write songs about real things... The subject dictates the mood and it goes from there, really.” quote by John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/john-mayall-33058_mood_i-write-songs-about-real-things-the-subj_2788435.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/john-mayall-33058_mood_i-write-songs-about-real-things-the-subj_2788435.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/john-mayall-33058_mood_i-write-songs-about-real-things-the-subj_2788435.png) > “I write songs about real things... The subject dictates the mood and it goes from there, really.” [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Songwriting follows the subject’s mood, shaping the music’s direction. **In simple terms:** Subject determines song mood. Key Takeaway Let the topic guide your music. Themes creativity subjectivity musical mood Mood inspirational creative Type musical artistic When to use this quote - album concept - live performance - collaborative writing Key Concepts artistic inspiration emotional expression genre selection Questions to Reflect On - How do you choose a subject? - What mood does your subject evoke? A Different Perspective Rigid structures may limit expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When me and Gucci sit down, I make tracks real fast, and he can write songs real fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaytoven/when-me-and-gucci-sit-down-i-make-tracks-real-fast-and-he-can-write/) [Zaytoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaytoven/) > [All the songs that were written for that album are just all our first sophomore songs. So they're all from real life. Very sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/all-the-songs-that-were-written-for-that-album-are-just-all-our-first-2/) [Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/) > [Freddie Mercury wrote songs that were real and true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/freddie-mercury-wrote-songs-that-were-real-and-true/) [Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/) > [The biggest lesson is that you write the best songs when you're being real, an honest and you mean what you're saying, not trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-emery/the-biggest-lesson-is-that-you-write-the-best-songs-when-you-re-being/) [Roxanne Emery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-emery/) > [I get to express myself in my songs more than I can ever do in real life or in talking to somebody. I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cavalera/i-get-to-express-myself-in-my-songs-more-than-i-can-ever-do-in-real/) [Max Cavalera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cavalera/) > [You try to be arrogant in songs because you can't be in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/you-try-to-be-arrogant-in-songs-because-you-can-t-be-in-real-life/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [All the songs that were written for that album are just all our first sophomore songs. So they're all from real life. Very sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-wilson/all-the-songs-that-were-written-for-that-album-are-just-all-our-first/) [Ann Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-wilson/) > [We're a band's band. We have real songs, real players, real problems. Real ups, real downs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/we-re-a-band-s-band-we-have-real-songs-real-players-real-problems/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [It's a pretty crazy thing in which I tried to make songs, real songs, not the quick stuff like on a tape. A dose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-thug/it-s-a-pretty-crazy-thing-in-which-i-tried-to-make-songs-real-songs/) [Young Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-thug/) > [I'm wallowing in the whole idea of just being a guy out there with a band, with songs. It's a real enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-wallowing-in-the-whole-idea-of-just-being-a-guy-out-there-with-a/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [My musical heroes are people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie who wrote and sang real songs for real people; for everyone, old, young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-chapin/my-musical-heroes-are-people-like-pete-seeger-and-woody-guthrie-who/) [Tom Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-chapin/) > [I love to write honest songs that name real people, then get up onstage and live out those emotions in front of 15,000 people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-love-to-write-honest-songs-that-name-real-people-then-get-up/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [When I look at my streams on Spotify, and I just see it's hundreds of millions of streams, I think, 'Wow, that's amazing.' But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-larsson/when-i-look-at-my-streams-on-spotify-and-i-just-see-it-s-hundreds-of/) [Zara Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-larsson/) > [That's why I've always loved country music. Whether it's sad, pumps you up, or it's breakup songs, it's all real-life things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swindell/that-s-why-i-ve-always-loved-country-music-whether-it-s-sad-pumps-you/) [Cole Swindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swindell/) > [I don't just want to sing about simplistic things all the time. It's good to have a mix of songs that have a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/i-don-t-just-want-to-sing-about-simplistic-things-all-the-time-it-s/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) ## More by John Mayall > [Check out the albums, ... Check out the live performances. That's the reality of it all. Music is such an energizing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/check-out-the-albums-check-out-the-live-performances-that-s-the/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [Joe's been my drummer for 14 years, and we've been buddies for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/joe-s-been-my-drummer-for-14-years-and-we-ve-been-buddies-for-six/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I get most of my news from the Jon Stewart Daily Show. It's the most level commentary you can find. You have to laugh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-get-most-of-my-news-from-the-jon-stewart-daily-show-it-s-the-most/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I also went to art school and learned to play a piano there, but I play by ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-also-went-to-art-school-and-learned-to-play-a-piano-there-but-i/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [Once you start collecting records you learn more and more about jazz and blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/once-you-start-collecting-records-you-learn-more-and-more-about-jazz/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I do the best I can with any instrument I get attracted to. But they're just tools in order for you to express yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-do-the-best-i-can-with-any-instrument-i-get-attracted-to-but-they/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I keep healthy and I'm always very active and always have been so. I don't really see any signs of aging yet. Music keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-keep-healthy-and-i-m-always-very-active-and-always-have-been-so-i/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [The way I look at it, they're all part of my musical diary, and I can listen to any one of them and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/the-way-i-look-at-it-they-re-all-part-of-my-musical-diary-and-i-can/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [Working with people, the musical part is one thing but the personal part is totally different and just as critical. If the friendship is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/working-with-people-the-musical-part-is-one-thing-but-the-personal/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I always make it a point to pick songs on which players really shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-always-make-it-a-point-to-pick-songs-on-which-players-really-shine/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [Everybody I know in England was raised on Mose Allison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/everybody-i-know-in-england-was-raised-on-mose-allison/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [To me, they are equally important, as they represent a certain period in my life and times. With that in mind, it really is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/to-me-they-are-equally-important-as-they-represent-a-certain-period/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [You have to pack as much as you can in an hour or 70 minutes. This time around it was 15 songs, so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/you-have-to-pack-as-much-as-you-can-in-an-hour-or-70-minutes-this/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) > [I never really thought about becoming a professional musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayall/i-never-really-thought-about-becoming-a-professional-musician/) [John Mayall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) [Explore all 15 John Mayall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayall/) ## More Mood quotes > [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Got those moods a swinging, tears a slinging, nothing fits me, when it hits me, ranting, raving, misbehaving, PMS blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/got-those-moods-a-swinging-tears-a-slinging-nothing-fits-me-when-it/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [During script narrations, if I feel the screenplay mood jumping abruptly, I tell the director, and they work on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/during-script-narrations-if-i-feel-the-screenplay-mood-jumping/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [It's woman's spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-woman-s-spirit-and-mood-a-man-has-to-stimulate-in-order-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ David Cameron was wrong on this \[Brexit\]. He didn't get the mood of his country right. He was very surprised to see what happened. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/david-cameron-was-wrong-on-this-brexit-he-didn-t-get-the-mood-of-his/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/we-must-always-work-and-a-self-respecting-artist-must-not-fold-his/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [Wouldn't it be nice if your iPod could detect your mood and make a playlist for it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-if-your-ipod-could-detect-your-mood-and-make-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood & no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Wait for those unguarded moments. Relax the mood and, like the child dropping off to sleep, the subject often reveals his truest self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/wait-for-those-unguarded-moments-relax-the-mood-and-like-the-child/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) [Browse all 2,467 Mood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write songs about real things... 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