---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A bad song, the three best singers in the…"
description: "\"A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that's the bottom line.\" — Quincy Jones"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg"
---

#  A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot…

![“A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that's the bottom line.” quote by Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg)

> “A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that's the bottom line.”

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

States that a song’s quality cannot be rescued by even the best vocalists.

**In simple terms:** A bad song cannot be fixed by singers.

Key Takeaway

Focus on strong songwriting first.

Themes

music quality creativity

Mood

critical direct

Type

musical analytical

When to use this quote

- recording sessions
- artist development
- album reviews

Key Concepts

songwriting production talent management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can a weak song be improved?
- What role does arrangement play?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue performance nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-song-352098/) [Best Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-singers-936975/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Bottom line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Singers World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers-world-1016995/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I think the best singers in the world, historically, are American. Britain's got its fair share, as well, but some of the greatest singers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/i-think-the-best-singers-in-the-world-historically-are-american/)

[Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/)

> [My favorite singers in the world have been black singers, and you can go to any church and hear the best singers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-van-zant/my-favorite-singers-in-the-world-have-been-black-singers-and-you-can/)

[Johnny Van Zant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-van-zant/)

> [I know singers; I've worked with some of the greatest singers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-5/i-know-singers-i-ve-worked-with-some-of-the-greatest-singers-in-the/)

[John 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-5/)

> [The most widely criticised singers in the history of opera, Maria Callas and Franco Corelli, happen also to be the best singers. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-bocelli/the-most-widely-criticised-singers-in-the-history-of-opera-maria/)

[Andrea Bocelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-bocelli/)

> [Everybody I've ever seen live sings out of tune, even the greatest singers in the world. And of course if you make a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/everybody-i-ve-ever-seen-live-sings-out-of-tune-even-the-greatest/)

[Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/)

> [You ever heard of a guy named Jeff Buckley? He's one of the best singers I've ever heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-bach/you-ever-heard-of-a-guy-named-jeff-buckley-he-s-one-of-the-best/)

[Sebastian Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-bach/)

> [For me, there's a tremendous challenge of singing with Faith, who, in my opinion is one of the best singers in the world. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/for-me-there-s-a-tremendous-challenge-of-singing-with-faith-who-in-my/)

[Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/)

> [The best singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-stewart/the-best-singers/)

[Leon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-stewart/)

> [The best songs are stories, and the best singers storytellers. Great singers can make you care about what they're feeling. You have a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ross/the-best-songs-are-stories-and-the-best-singers-storytellers-great/)

[Steve Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ross/)

> [Doris Day was such a big movie and TV star, people overlooked her singing. The proof is in the package. She's one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-whiting/doris-day-was-such-a-big-movie-and-tv-star-people-overlooked-her/)

[Margaret Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-whiting/)

> [“THE BEST SINGERS ARE THOSE WHO WERE TOLD BY "LIFE" THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE A REASON TO SING OR REJOICE BUT THEY SANG ANYWAY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qwana-m-babygirl-reynolds-frasier/the-best-singers-are-those-who-were-told-by-life-that-they-didn-t/)

[Qwana M. "BabyGirl" Reynolds-Frasier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/qwana-m-babygirl-reynolds-frasier/)

> [I love Chris Brown. He's a superstar. He's one of the best singers out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-love-chris-brown-he-s-a-superstar-he-s-one-of-the-best-singers-out/)

[DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/)

> [I've been lucky, because people have done such great versions of my songs, and I've worked with the best singers ever, and I'm lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-warren/i-ve-been-lucky-because-people-have-done-such-great-versions-of-my/)

[Diane Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-warren/)

> [I think the black R&amp;B singers of my day were the best singers of my generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/i-think-the-black-r-b-singers-of-my-day-were-the-best-singers-of-my/)

[B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/)

> [Is there a bad song on 'Sign O' The Times?' There isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/is-there-a-bad-song-on-sign-o-the-times-there-isn-t/)

[Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/)

## More by Quincy Jones

> [It's amazing how much trouble you can get in when you don't have anything else to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/it-s-amazing-how-much-trouble-you-can-get-in-when-you-don-t-have/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [It's easy to get next to music theory, especially between your peers and music classes and so forth. You just pay attention. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/it-s-easy-to-get-next-to-music-theory-especially-between-your-peers/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [It slaps your dignity just right. I loved the idea of these proud, dignified black men, and I saw the older ones wounded, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/it-slaps-your-dignity-just-right-i-loved-the-idea-of-these-proud/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [I was inspired by a lot of people when I was young. Every band that came through town, to the theater, or the dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-was-inspired-by-a-lot-of-people-when-i-was-young-every-band-that/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [“The tragedy of Tupac is that his untimely passing is representative of too many young black men in this country…If we had lost Oprah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/the-tragedy-of-tupac-is-that-his-untimely-passing-is-representative/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [When you're over the hill, that's when you pick up speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/when-you-re-over-the-hill-that-s-when-you-pick-up-speed/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [Imagine what a harmonious world it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/imagine-what-a-harmonious-world-it/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [Thank God, 50 years ago I learned that our entire business is all based on two things; a great song and a great story.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/thank-god-50-years-ago-i-learned-that-our-entire-business-is-all/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [Sidney Poitier and Sidney Lumet were instrumental in helping me get started as the first black composer to get name credit for movie scores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/sidney-poitier-and-sidney-lumet-were-instrumental-in-helping-me-get/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [A person's age can be determined by the degree of pain he experiences when he comes in contact with a new idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/a-person-s-age-can-be-determined-by-the-degree-of-pain-he-experiences/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [I met Ray Charles at 14, and he was 16. But he was like a hundred years older than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-met-ray-charles-at-14-and-he-was-16-but-he-was-like-a-hundred-years/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [ I got to trumpet, finally. That's why I love to write for brass, and \[Count\] Basie and \[Frank\] Sinatra and all that stuff, 'cause… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-got-to-trumpet-finally-that-s-why-i-love-to-write-for-brass-and/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [I'm never in my life going to do a record that's a tribute to myself. I don't need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-m-never-in-my-life-going-to-do-a-record-that-s-a-tribute-to-myself/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [I look back and say, "This must have been somebody else." I am not going to tell you that when I was 4, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-look-back-and-say-this-must-have-been-somebody-else-i-am-not-going/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [I was reading Omar Khayyam, Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, L. Ron Hubbard, all sorts of philosophy. Bebop cats are like that. Curious. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-was-reading-omar-khayyam-kahlil-gibran-rumi-l-ron-hubbard-all-sorts/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

[Explore all 151 Quincy Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

## More Bottom quotes

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/)

[James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/)

> [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/)

[Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/)

[Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/)

> [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/)

[John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/)

> [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/)

[Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/)

> [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

> [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/)

[Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/)

[Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that's the bottom line.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Quincy Jones"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the-world-cannot-save-it-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bottom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the-world-cannot-save-it-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/quincy-jones-2731_bottom_a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the_1613180.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that's the bottom line.” — Quincy Jones",
                "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": "Quincy Jones",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A bad song, the three best...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the-world-cannot-save-it-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/a-bad-song-the-three-best-singers-in-the-world-cannot-save-it-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
