--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was…" description: "\"Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record business, there was pressure on anyone who was fortunate to have a few hits on a major label t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg" --- # Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record… ![“Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record business, there was pressure on anyone who was fortunate to have a few hits on a major label to continue that success.” quote by John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg) > “Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record business, there was pressure on anyone who was fortunate to have a few hits on a major label to continue that success.” [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists with early hits feel pressure to sustain commercial success, often leading to creative constraints. **In simple terms:** Success pressure can limit artistic freedom. Key Takeaway Balance commercial expectations with creative integrity. Themes music industry career pressure creativity Mood anxious determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - album production - tour planning - label negotiations - branding decisions Key Concepts commercial success artist identity market expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain artistic integrity under label pressure? - What strategies help balance success and creativity? A Different Perspective Commercial demands may stifle innovation and authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [All through the kind of late '80s and '90s, every A&R record company man was saying, 'Now what we want is another record like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/all-through-the-kind-of-late-80s-and-90s-every-a-r-record-company-man/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [To take pressure off myself, I realize how fortunate I am to be playing a sport for a living. If I take that mentality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-isner/to-take-pressure-off-myself-i-realize-how-fortunate-i-am-to-be/) [John Isner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-isner/) > [Music has become a bigger business, and with that there is more pressure to succeed; I think that it creates a negative pressure for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-harrison/music-has-become-a-bigger-business-and-with-that-there-is-more/) [Jerry Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-harrison/) > [It's the high-pressure stakes of qualifying; you go out there, you've got one lap to do the business, the pressure is on and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-russell/it-s-the-high-pressure-stakes-of-qualifying-you-go-out-there-you-ve/) [George Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-russell/) > [I grew up idolizing these men, like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I loved Sly (Stallone). I loved Bruce Willis. These guys embodied everything that action was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katee-sackhoff/i-grew-up-idolizing-these-men-like-arnold-schwarzenegger-i-loved-sly/) [Katee Sackhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katee-sackhoff/) > [In the '80s and '90s, there was some degree of compassion for people with HIV because there was visible human suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-strub/in-the-80s-and-90s-there-was-some-degree-of-compassion-for-people/) [Sean Strub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-strub/) > [In the '80s and '90s we started to have economic problems because society became more conservative. So we didn't have the wherewithal for expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/in-the-80s-and-90s-we-started-to-have-economic-problems-because/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I grew up in the '80s and '90s listening to Public Enemy and Mobb Deep and the Smashing Pumpkins. I don't even know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-grew-up-in-the-80s-and-90s-listening-to-public-enemy-and-mobb-deep/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [It was a different sexual situation going on than it is in the '80s and '90s, and I did a very poor job of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilt-chamberlain/it-was-a-different-sexual-situation-going-on-than-it-is-in-the-80s/) [Wilt Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilt-chamberlain/) > [I was not even allowed to mention the name Madonna in my household - just because I think the '80s and '90s were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-was-not-even-allowed-to-mention-the-name-madonna-in-my-household/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I think the action movies in the 80s and 90s were different. It was a testosterone age. Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/i-think-the-action-movies-in-the-80s-and-90s-were-different-it-was-a/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The trumpet player, Ronnie Hughes, has still got his chops today but for some strange reason the culture doesn't call him because he's 83-years-old.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/the-trumpet-player-ronnie-hughes-has-still-got-his-chops-today-but/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [The difference between me and other people in my generation is instead of saying the Internet's killing the record business, I say, 'Who cares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/the-difference-between-me-and-other-people-in-my-generation-is/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [The record business sucks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tionne-watkins/the-record-business-sucks/) [Tionne Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tionne-watkins/) ## More by John Mellencamp > [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-thought-i-knew-a-lot-about-music-then-you-start-digging-and-the/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [You shouldn't even be in a band if you can't play Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/you-shouldn-t-even-be-in-a-band-if-you-can-t-play-buddy-holly-s-not/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Oh, I think country has changed tremendously. I think country has totally changed. Country music when I was a kid was Hank Williams. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/oh-i-think-country-has-changed-tremendously-i-think-country-has/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I'm looking for trouble. A lot of people get to be a certain age and they just kind of lose interest or they give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-m-looking-for-trouble-a-lot-of-people-get-to-be-a-certain-age-and/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I know there's a balance/I see it when I swing past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-know-there-s-a-balance-i-see-it-when-i-swing-past/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Growing up leads to growing old and then to dying And dying to me don't sound like all that much fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/growing-up-leads-to-growing-old-and-then-to-dying-and-dying-to-me-don/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [This is not a rock opera. This is not Tommy. I can write songs that emote, and that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/this-is-not-a-rock-opera-this-is-not-tommy-i-can-write-songs-that/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Hold on to 16 as long as you can,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/hold-on-to-16-as-long-as-you-can/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Country sure has changed in the last 10 years. It was one thing, then it was another. Country has slowly marched toward a rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/country-sure-has-changed-in-the-last-10-years-it-was-one-thing-then/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I just think if the song's good, sing it. I don't care who's doing it. I don't care if it's a country act. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-just-think-if-the-song-s-good-sing-it-i-don-t-care-who-s-doing-it-i/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I'm not a nostalgic person. I'm not nostalgic about much of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-m-not-a-nostalgic-person-i-m-not-nostalgic-about-much-of-anything/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Most people in life, give up too early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/most-people-in-life-give-up-too-early/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [My voice has gotten better from smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-voice-has-gotten-better-from-smoking/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Music actually meant something when I started doing it. Too bad I wasn't mature enough to write anything that meant anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/music-actually-meant-something-when-i-started-doing-it-too-bad-i-wasn/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) [Explore all 100 John Mellencamp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) Justus Kohncke > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) Lou Lumenick > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) Browse all 488 80s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record business, there was pressure on anyone who was fortunate to have a few hits on a major label to continue that success.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Mellencamp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-still-a-record-business-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-still-a-record-business-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/john-mellencamp-5745_80s_back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-s_3063140.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Back in the '80s and '90s, when there was still a record business, there was pressure on anyone who was…” — John Mellencamp", "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": "John Mellencamp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Back in the '80s and '90s,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-still-a-record-business-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/back-in-the-80s-and-90s-when-there-was-still-a-record-business-there/#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 } } ] } ```