--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music, you know, true music not just rock…" description: "\"Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you.\" — Lester Bangs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg" --- # Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll… ![“Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you.” quote by Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg) > “Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you.” [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music can feel like a living force that selects the listener, not just a genre to enjoy. **In simple terms:** Music chooses you. Key Takeaway Listen attentively to what moves you. Themes music choice identity Mood reflective introspective Type observational cultural When to use this quote - concerts - personal playlists - creative work - music therapy Key Concepts aesthetic experience subjective perception Questions to Reflect On - What music makes you feel chosen? - How does music shape your identity? A Different Perspective Not all music resonates equally; personal taste varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chooses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chooses/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Know True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-true/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-know/) [Rock n roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-n-roll/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [True Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-music-236217/) ## Related quotes > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“true music never dies, never dissipates, never grows old, never is lost, never…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-skeem/true-music-never-dies-never-dissipates-never-grows-old-never-is-lost/) [Stephanie Skeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-skeem/) > [I must be true to myself within my music or I would be a liar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nneka/i-must-be-true-to-myself-within-my-music-or-i-would-be-a-liar/) [Nneka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nneka/) > [“Yes, if he is to have true music in him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/yes-if-he-is-to-have-true-music-in-him/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Sooner or later you’ve heard all your best friends have to say. Then comes the tolerance of real love. The same holds true for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/sooner-or-later-you-ve-heard-all-your-best-friends-have-to-say-then/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gershwin/true-music-must-repeat-the-thought-and-inspirations-of-the-people-and-2/) [George Gershwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gershwin/) > [It's a beautiful thing to build your own fan base and pay the bills knowing that you're staying true to your music at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahki/it-s-a-beautiful-thing-to-build-your-own-fan-base-and-pay-the-bills/) [Rahki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahki/) > [Lemmy is, I think, for anybody in the world of rock n' roll - you don't have to be a bass player - he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trujillo/lemmy-is-i-think-for-anybody-in-the-world-of-rock-n-roll-you-don-t/) [Robert Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trujillo/) > [True Music, like all true Art, is an experience to be shared, not judged, for praise cannot make it better, as blame cannot make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-martino/true-music-like-all-true-art-is-an-experience-to-be-shared-not-judged/) [Pat Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-martino/) > [I am most proud that I stayed true to the music of my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynonna-judd/i-am-most-proud-that-i-stayed-true-to-the-music-of-my-soul/) [Wynonna Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynonna-judd/) > [A true music, that is to say, spiritual, a music which may be an act of faith; a music which may touch upon all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-messiaen/a-true-music-that-is-to-say-spiritual-a-music-which-may-be-an-act-of/) [Olivier Messiaen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-messiaen/) > [“What is true about music is true about life: that beauty reveals everything because it expresses nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-slade/what-is-true-about-music-is-true-about-life-that-beauty-reveals/) [Mandy Slade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-slade/) > [I've always been a really really big Sheryl Crow fan. I just respect what she does in a way that she just remains true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-voegele/i-ve-always-been-a-really-really-big-sheryl-crow-fan-i-just-respect/) [Kate Voegele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-voegele/) > [True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gershwin/true-music-must-repeat-the-thought-and-inspirations-of-the-people-and/) [George Gershwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gershwin/) > [I think I've tried to stay true to my music since the beginning. It's kind of hard because of the access and technology but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/i-think-i-ve-tried-to-stay-true-to-my-music-since-the-beginning-it-s/) [Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/) ## More by Lester Bangs > [I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-think-that-if-most-guys-in-america-could-somehow-get-their-fave/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [I can guarantee you one thing, we will never agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-can-guarantee-you-one-thing-we-will-never-agree-on-anything-as-we/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [ “Like almost all of Beefheart's recorded work, \[Trout Mask Replica\] was not even "ahead" of its time in 1969. Then and now, it stands… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/like-almost-all-of-beefheart-s-recorded-work-trout-mask-replica-was/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Here we are in the 70's when everything really is horrible and it really stinks. The mass media, everything on television everything everywhere is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/here-we-are-in-the-70-s-when-everything-really-is-horrible-and-it/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/the-ultimate-sin-of-any-performer-is-contempt-for-the-audience/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [I don't see that there are any particular changes in popular music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-don-t-see-that-there-are-any-particular-changes-in-popular-music/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“Look at it this way: there are many here among us for whom the life force is best represented by the livid twitching of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/look-at-it-this-way-there-are-many-here-among-us-for-whom-the-life/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“Art", "Bop" and "rock and roll" and whatever is all just a joke and a mistake, just a hunka foolishness so stop treating it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/art-bop-and-rock-and-roll-and-whatever-is-all-just-a-joke-and-a/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Don’t ask me why I obsessively look to rock ’n’ roll bands for some kind of model for a better society. I guess it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/don-t-ask-me-why-i-obsessively-look-to-rock-n-roll-bands-for-some/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [No, I see it as meaning very little at the moment because none of the groups are about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/no-i-see-it-as-meaning-very-little-at-the-moment-because-none-of-the/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [A young woman is dead. I don’t care. You probably don’t care. The police don’t care. The papers don’t care. The punks for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/a-young-woman-is-dead-i-don-t-care-you-probably-don-t-care-the-police/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Sexual chaos reigns currently, but out of chaos may flow true understanding and harmony, and either way Elvis almost singlehandedly opened the floodgates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/sexual-chaos-reigns-currently-but-out-of-chaos-may-flow-true/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [When kids can't afford to see it anymore maybe we'll have a whole resurgence of garage bands all over America and this New Wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/when-kids-can-t-afford-to-see-it-anymore-maybe-we-ll-have-a-whole/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [The Mekons are the most revolutionary group in the history of rock 'n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/the-mekons-are-the-most-revolutionary-group-in-the-history-of-rock-n/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“But since death is inevitable we don’t have to deal with it (it’ll deal with us when it decides to). What we do have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/but-since-death-is-inevitable-we-don-t-have-to-deal-with-it-it-ll/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) [Explore all 70 Lester Bangs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) ## More Chooses quotes > [“Who flies high, easily chooses his target.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/who-flies-high-easily-chooses-his-target/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [You do not want to talk to me on the phone. How do I know? Because I don't want to talk to you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/you-do-not-want-to-talk-to-me-on-the-phone-how-do-i-know-because-i/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [What sort of philosophy one chooses depends on what sort of person one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-gottlieb-fichte/what-sort-of-philosophy-one-chooses-depends-on-what-sort-of-person/) [Johann Gottlieb Fichte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-gottlieb-fichte/) > [What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-the-heart-loves-the-will-chooses-and-the-mind-justifies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ We all choose things, and we also all choose against things. I want to be the kind of person who chooses for more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/we-all-choose-things-and-we-also-all-choose-against-things-i-want-to/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-choose-l-arche-l-arche-chooses-me-i-would-be-dead-if-i-weren-t-here/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Hope for the best, get ready for the worst, and then take what God chooses to send.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/hope-for-the-best-get-ready-for-the-worst-and-then-take-what-god/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [You got two chooses 1 take me as me 2 LEAVE THERE THE DOOR if you want me for me BYE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luna-rj/you-got-two-chooses-1-take-me-as-me-2-leave-there-the-door-if-you/) [Luna\_Rj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luna-rj/) > [It is the woman who chooses the man who will choose her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-woman-who-chooses-the-man-who-will-choose-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-choose-him-over-and-over-again-and-he-chooses-me/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [America's addiction to violence is partly evident in the heroes it chooses to glorify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/america-s-addiction-to-violence-is-partly-evident-in-the-heroes-it/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Like many works of literature, Hollywood chooses for its villains people who strive for social dominance through the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/like-many-works-of-literature-hollywood-chooses-for-its-villains/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [Some like to believe it's the book that chooses the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/some-like-to-believe-it-s-the-book-that-chooses-the-person/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [You don't choose your public; your public chooses you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/you-don-t-choose-your-public-your-public-chooses-you/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [Wisdom chooses the unknown to be its reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/wisdom-chooses-the-unknown-to-be-its-reason/) [Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/) [Browse all 157 Chooses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chooses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lester Bangs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock-n-roll-chooses-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chooses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock-n-roll-chooses-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/lester-bangs-9750_chooses_music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock_2629441.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Music, you know, true music not just rock 'n' roll, chooses you.” — Lester Bangs", "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": "Lester Bangs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Music, you know, true music not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock-n-roll-chooses-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/music-you-know-true-music-not-just-rock-n-roll-chooses-you/#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 } } ] } ```