--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I originally wrote \"Jealousy,\" it…" description: "\"When I originally wrote \"Jealousy,\" it was more like an exercise to try to write a girl-group kind of pop song. It was really contrary to most of the m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/natalie-merchant-15980_attention_when-i-originally-wrote-jealousy-it-was_2996431.jpg" --- # When I originally wrote "Jealousy," it was more like an… ![“When I originally wrote "Jealousy," it was more like an exercise to try to write a girl-group kind of pop song. It was really contrary to most of the material I'd ever written. I didn't pay much attention to the song after I'd recorded it. I didn't really perform it at all the last 20 years. When…” quote by Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/natalie-merchant-15980_attention_when-i-originally-wrote-jealousy-it-was_2996431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/natalie-merchant-15980_attention_when-i-originally-wrote-jealousy-it-was_2996431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/natalie-merchant-15980_attention_when-i-originally-wrote-jealousy-it-was_2996431.jpg) > “When I originally wrote "Jealousy," it was more like an exercise to try to write a girl-group kind of pop song. It was really contrary to most of the material I'd ever written. I didn't pay much attention to the song after I'd recorded it. I didn't really perform it at all the last 20 years. When it came time to make the new record, I decided to make peace with the song and have fun with it.” [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how a song once dismissed became a source of fun and acceptance later, highlighting artistic evolution. **In simple terms:** Old work can become enjoyable later. Key Takeaway Revisit past work with fresh eyes. Themes creativity acceptance revisiting Mood thoughtful inspired Type reflective creative When to use this quote - songwriting - performance - career reflection Key Concepts artistic evolution self-forgiveness Questions to Reflect On - What old project could you revive? - How does time change your view of art? A Different Perspective May ignore that some works remain irrelevant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Girl groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-groups/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Having fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-fun/) [Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealousy/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Making peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-peace/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Originally Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originally-wrote-2345682/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pop song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-song/) [Pops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pops/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Song Recorded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song-recorded-405011/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Wrote Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-jealousy-4736035/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [In a sense, one can never read the book that the author originally wrote, and one can never read the same book twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-wilson/in-a-sense-one-can-never-read-the-book-that-the-author-originally/) [Edmund Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-wilson/) > [Artists don't always know. Almost every song I ever recorded that was a hit at the majors that the promotional people picked I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/artists-don-t-always-know-almost-every-song-i-ever-recorded-that-was/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [The first song I ever recorded is called 'ODA' it was a thrilling experience. I was scared and anxious when I stepped into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polo-g/the-first-song-i-ever-recorded-is-called-oda-it-was-a-thrilling/) [Polo G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polo-g/) > [ \[A\]s soon as you try and take a song from your mind into piano and voice and into the real world, something gets lost… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/a-s-soon-as-you-try-and-take-a-song-from-your-mind-into-piano-and/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [Whether it be current or past, every single song that I recorded is about me. It's a peek into my life, past and present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/whether-it-be-current-or-past-every-single-song-that-i-recorded-is/) [Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/) > [Once the song is done and recorded, I like to go back and then cut the drums, because then I know exactly what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/once-the-song-is-done-and-recorded-i-like-to-go-back-and-then-cut-the/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I wouldn't have made it past the first round of American Idol auditions. It was months before our first song was recorded. The guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malin-akerman/i-wouldn-t-have-made-it-past-the-first-round-of-american-idol/) [Malin Akerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malin-akerman/) > [In a song you can kind of stage-manage everything so that it puts you in a good light. And once a song is recorded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/in-a-song-you-can-kind-of-stage-manage-everything-so-that-it-puts-you/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [After much inner debate, I can safely proclaim that Mungo Jerry's 'In the Summertime' may, in fact, be the best song ever recorded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/after-much-inner-debate-i-can-safely-proclaim-that-mungo-jerry-s-in/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [I like the old days when, if I wrote a song and I recorded it, it didn't mean somebody else couldn't record it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stapleton/i-like-the-old-days-when-if-i-wrote-a-song-and-i-recorded-it-it-didn/) [Chris Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stapleton/) > [ The last song I recorded with \[Hank Williams, Sr.\] was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." I remember thinking, "Hoss, you're not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-atkins/the-last-song-i-recorded-with-hank-williams-sr-was-i-ll-never-get-out/) [Chet Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-atkins/) > [I like 'Goodbye My Lover' because it's a really personal song and I recorded it in my landlady's bathroom in Los Angeles. She had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blunt/i-like-goodbye-my-lover-because-it-s-a-really-personal-song-and-i/) [James Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blunt/) > [It used to be that youd have a song recorded by a major country artist and if it was a hit, you could buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-t-hall/it-used-to-be-that-youd-have-a-song-recorded-by-a-major-country/) [Tom T. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-t-hall/) > [There's one song that I recorded called 'Saviour' and every single sound from that song was actually recorded in a shipyard on my iPhone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-collier/there-s-one-song-that-i-recorded-called-saviour-and-every-single/) [Jacob Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-collier/) > [No matter what song I recorded or sang, I did it my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jones/no-matter-what-song-i-recorded-or-sang-i-did-it-my-way/) [George Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jones/) ## More by Natalie Merchant > [By calling it a memoir, I meant is as a collection of memories. I thought it was (a more) artful (title) than documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/by-calling-it-a-memoir-i-meant-is-as-a-collection-of-memories-i/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I don't have a lot of thrilling anecdotes about my career or personal life. All the stuff that is interesting is private and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-don-t-have-a-lot-of-thrilling-anecdotes-about-my-career-or-personal/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I feel we all have the obligation, myself. I want to live in a more humane, civilized society, and I feel like the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-feel-we-all-have-the-obligation-myself-i-want-to-live-in-a-more/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [It's funny, I remember doing the Johnny Carson show, and, uh, I couldn't afford my rent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/it-s-funny-i-remember-doing-the-johnny-carson-show-and-uh-i-couldn-t/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I've found out how overwhelming the media is and the way it drills things into your head, it's almost like a mind control. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-ve-found-out-how-overwhelming-the-media-is-and-the-way-it-drills/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I wish I had appreciated my youth - I should have worn tighter clothing when I could have!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-wish-i-had-appreciated-my-youth-i-should-have-worn-tighter-clothing/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [My mother was a single working mother; she started having children very young. There was a tension inside her about who she wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/my-mother-was-a-single-working-mother-she-started-having-children/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I don't think women's prisons are environments for dance routines, and I don't think mass murder is humorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-don-t-think-women-s-prisons-are-environments-for-dance-routines-and/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [Be true to yourself, and, um, don't worry about some large companies' quarterly profit index.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/be-true-to-yourself-and-um-don-t-worry-about-some-large-companies/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I've never sold my publishing. I have 100% control of all of my publishing and that includes everything, every use of my songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-ve-never-sold-my-publishing-i-have-100-control-of-all-of-my/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [For your kindness, I'm in debt to you. For your selflessness, my admiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/for-your-kindness-i-m-in-debt-to-you-for-your-selflessness-my/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [For they told you life is hard Misery from the start, It's dull, it's slow, it's painful But I tell you life is sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/for-they-told-you-life-is-hard-misery-from-the-start-it-s-dull-it-s/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [When it came time to sequence the album, the new arrangements really demanded a different order. They were so different than they were before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/when-it-came-time-to-sequence-the-album-the-new-arrangements-really/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I don't want to live in a culture of despair. I'd like to live in a culture of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-don-t-want-to-live-in-a-culture-of-despair-i-d-like-to-live-in-a/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I've raised my daughter with no television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-ve-raised-my-daughter-with-no-television/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) [Explore all 41 Natalie Merchant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I originally wrote \"Jealousy,\" it was more like an exercise to try to write a girl-group kind of pop song. 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