--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got this book called 'How to Write the…" description: "\"I got this book called 'How to Write the Popular Song.' I read that and went through all the things they suggested, and I learned how to do it.\" — Leon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/leon-russell-8247_book_i-got-this-book-called-how-to-write-the_2701004.jpg" --- # I got this book called 'How to Write the Popular Song.' I… ![“I got this book called 'How to Write the Popular Song.' I read that and went through all the things they suggested, and I learned how to do it.” quote by Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/leon-russell-8247_book_i-got-this-book-called-how-to-write-the_2701004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/leon-russell-8247_book_i-got-this-book-called-how-to-write-the_2701004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/leon-russell-8247_book_i-got-this-book-called-how-to-write-the_2701004.jpg) > “I got this book called 'How to Write the Popular Song.' I read that and went through all the things they suggested, and I learned how to do it.” [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning structured songwriting techniques can transform a novice into a competent creator. **In simple terms:** Studying songcraft improves writing ability. Key Takeaway Study and practice songwriting methods. Themes music creativity learning Mood motivational practical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - personal songwriting - music education - collaborative projects Key Concepts songwriting skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What songwriting technique will you try? - How can you add personal voice to learned methods? A Different Perspective Technique alone doesn't guarantee originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Popular song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-song/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I learned that lesson a long time ago. When you write popular fiction, you're going to get bashed by critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/i-learned-that-lesson-a-long-time-ago-when-you-write-popular-fiction/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [I would be the worst person on earth to be called to write an account of someone else's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-would-be-the-worst-person-on-earth-to-be-called-to-write-an-account/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I wrote a song, but I can't read music so I don't know what it is. Every once in a while I'll be listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-wrote-a-song-but-i-can-t-read-music-so-i-don-t-know-what-it-is/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Without you hearing a melody or music or anything like that, it would say something to you. So, that's what a song is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/without-you-hearing-a-melody-or-music-or-anything-like-that-it-would/) [Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/) > [I wrote a song, but I can't read music. Every time I hear a new song on the radio I think, Hey, maybe I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-wright/i-wrote-a-song-but-i-can-t-read-music-every-time-i-hear-a-new-song-on/) [Stephen Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-wright/) > [“One should, each day, try to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if possible, speak a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/one-should-each-day-try-to-hear-a-little-song-read-a-good-poem-see-a/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The moon upon the ocean is swept around in motion but without ever knowing the reason for its flowing in motion on the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enya/the-moon-upon-the-ocean-is-swept-around-in-motion-but-without-ever/) [Enya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enya/) > [My eyes adored ya Though I never laid a hand on you My eyes adored ya Like a million miles away from me you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-valli/my-eyes-adored-ya-though-i-never-laid-a-hand-on-you-my-eyes-adored-ya/) [Frankie Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-valli/) > [Memory. All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/memory-all-alone-in-the-moonlight-i-can-smile-at-the-old-days-i-was/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) > [You had my heart inside of your hand but you played it to the beat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/you-had-my-heart-inside-of-your-hand-but-you-played-it-to-the-beat/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [If you said good-bye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-you-said-good-bye-to-me-tonight-there-would-still-be-music-left-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Shower the people you love with love Show them the way that you feel Things are gonna work out fine if you only will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/shower-the-people-you-love-with-love-show-them-the-way-that-you-feel/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [I'm in the mood to get faded, so please bring your finest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-m-in-the-mood-to-get-faded-so-please-bring-your-finest/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose Once there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-m-so-afraid-to-love-you-but-more-afraid-to-loose-clinging-to-a-past/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [I'm on the edge with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-on-the-edge-with-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) ## More by Leon Russell > [California always struck me as a police state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/california-always-struck-me-as-a-police-state/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [For years, when I was popular, I would face the blank page to write, and I couldn't think of anything that I thought was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/for-years-when-i-was-popular-i-would-face-the-blank-page-to-write-and/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I studied classical music for a long time, maybe 10 years, and I realized finally I was never going to have the hands to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-studied-classical-music-for-a-long-time-maybe-10-years-and-i/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I'm just concerned with going about my business and making the records I want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-m-just-concerned-with-going-about-my-business-and-making-the/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I've always felt I struck out with Doris Day. Her son, Terry Melcher, was a producer I worked for at Columbia, and one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-ve-always-felt-i-struck-out-with-doris-day-her-son-terry-melcher/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I'm happy to have a job. I play a little, write a little, perform some. It's not like it's an engineered, well-manufactured plan or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-m-happy-to-have-a-job-i-play-a-little-write-a-little-perform-some/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I started out playing 'Chopsticks.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-started-out-playing-chopsticks/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [Oklahoma was a dry state, and consequently, there was no liquor laws. And I was able to take advantage of that by playing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/oklahoma-was-a-dry-state-and-consequently-there-was-no-liquor-laws/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I would have to say Sam Cooke is the one I admired most. His artistry and vocal, just the way he did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-would-have-to-say-sam-cooke-is-the-one-i-admired-most-his-artistry/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I was always trying to write standards, songs that anybody can sing. I figured that's where the money was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-was-always-trying-to-write-standards-songs-that-anybody-can-sing-i/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I'm kind of the Forrest Gump of rock n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-m-kind-of-the-forrest-gump-of-rock-n-roll/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I have a certain amount of difficulty dealing with too much limelight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-have-a-certain-amount-of-difficulty-dealing-with-too-much-limelight/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [Sometimes one misses the sign posts as you're going down the road. They aren't as obvious as they become when you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/sometimes-one-misses-the-sign-posts-as-you-re-going-down-the-road/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I was on the road with Jerry Lee Lewis when I was 15 - I can't imagine not doing it. That's what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-was-on-the-road-with-jerry-lee-lewis-when-i-was-15-i-can-t-imagine/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [When I was in grade school, I had a little duet act with a guy who was a beautiful singer, and somebody recorded it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/when-i-was-in-grade-school-i-had-a-little-duet-act-with-a-guy-who-was/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) [Explore all 82 Leon Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I got this book called 'How to Write the Popular Song.' 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