--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just wanted to write about stuff that…" description: "\"I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in real life, and that's not just love songs about your girlfriend.\" — Rick Nielsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg" --- # I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in… ![“I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in real life, and that's not just love songs about your girlfriend.” quote by Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg) > “I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in real life, and that's not just love songs about your girlfriend.” [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expresses a desire to write authentic, real-life content rather than clichéd love songs. **In simple terms:** Write about real life, not just love songs. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity in songwriting. Themes authenticity music creativity Mood creative reflective Type artistic musical When to use this quote - music production - artistic expression - journalism Key Concepts songwriting realism Questions to Reflect On - What real-life topics inspire you? - How do you balance authenticity with audience appeal? A Different Perspective May undervalue love song tradition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-songs/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I think that I write about stuff that others don't write about. I don't have a bunch of love songs cuz I don't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/i-think-that-i-write-about-stuff-that-others-don-t-write-about-i-don/) [Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/) > [My life is now a constant assessment of whether what's happening in real life is more entertaining than what's happening on my phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-fahey/my-life-is-now-a-constant-assessment-of-whether-what-s-happening-in/) [Damien Fahey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-fahey/) > [We can postpone thinking about something that's gonna happen in the future, but we can't stop it happening for real..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/we-can-postpone-thinking-about-something-that-s-gonna-happen-in-the/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [I love acting. It's an interesting challenge to make something that doesn't exist appear like it's happening, and to do it in a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-liotta/i-love-acting-it-s-an-interesting-challenge-to-make-something-that/) [Ray Liotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-liotta/) > [“I repeat one of my mantras. 'This is not happening. This is not real. This did not happen to you. That was someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-andrews/i-repeat-one-of-my-mantras-this-is-not-happening-this-is-not-real/) [Emily Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-andrews/) > [As the writer you are the puppet-master and can control everything. Believe me, that is a whole lot of fun because it ain't something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/as-the-writer-you-are-the-puppet-master-and-can-control-everything/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [I know all this bad stuff is happening because I'm being negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-all-this-bad-stuff-is-happening-because-i-m-being-negative/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm supporting anything that we can do to find out how this stuff is happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/i-m-supporting-anything-that-we-can-do-to-find-out-how-this-stuff-is/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [I don't like to talk about myself. I like to talk about stuff that's happening, stuff that's going to happen, and the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-don-t-like-to-talk-about-myself-i-like-to-talk-about-stuff-that-s/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [There's lots of interesting stuff happening in the world. Lots of good and bad things, and there's interest in music still, which there always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/there-s-lots-of-interesting-stuff-happening-in-the-world-lots-of-good/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [“The thing is, I'm not the only one this consciousness stuff is happening to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wiseman/the-thing-is-i-m-not-the-only-one-this-consciousness-stuff-is/) [Sara Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-wiseman/) > [TV's great. I think the best stuff is happening on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/tv-s-great-i-think-the-best-stuff-is-happening-on-television/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [I wanted to show that pop music can be about something else other than the big love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid/i-wanted-to-show-that-pop-music-can-be-about-something-else-other/) [Sigrid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid/) > [There's a certain feeling of giving, a certain feeling of generosity in love songs. When you sing a song of love, you're actually giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/there-s-a-certain-feeling-of-giving-a-certain-feeling-of-generosity/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I love love songs. But I love pop music as well: Girls Aloud, Kylie, the Spice Girls, East 17, Mika.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-love-love-songs-but-i-love-pop-music-as-well-girls-aloud-kylie-the/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) ## More by Rick Nielsen > [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I took one guitar lesson, and they wanted me to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-took-one-guitar-lesson-and-they-wanted-me-to-play-mary-had-a-little/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I got to meet Keith Moon!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-got-to-meet-keith-moon/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [If you start having to tell people you're cool, you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/if-you-start-having-to-tell-people-you-re-cool-you-re-not/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I knew the guys in the Allman Brothers way back in the day, before they were famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-knew-the-guys-in-the-allman-brothers-way-back-in-the-day-before/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [Look at Bob Dylan: his voice is not a great sound, but it gets the idea across... and that is what's really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/look-at-bob-dylan-his-voice-is-not-a-great-sound-but-it-gets-the-idea/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I think every one of our songs could be a Top 10 record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-think-every-one-of-our-songs-could-be-a-top-10-record/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I'm kind of a goony guy, a dweeb or a geek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-m-kind-of-a-goony-guy-a-dweeb-or-a-geek/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I always thought of myself as more of a rhythm player than a big soloist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-more-of-a-rhythm-player-than-a-big/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I started out as a drummer, and when I was 9, my drum teacher had an album out. He was the rudiment king! He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-started-out-as-a-drummer-and-when-i-was-9-my-drum-teacher-had-an/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I've seen bands come out and begin their concerts with these long, slow, boring songs. Are they kidding, or what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-ve-seen-bands-come-out-and-begin-their-concerts-with-these-long/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [Madison Square Garden sounds like crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/madison-square-garden-sounds-like-crap/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [Some bands, they're too snooty, or they think they're too this or that and wouldn't talk to us. And some other bands are afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/some-bands-they-re-too-snooty-or-they-think-they-re-too-this-or-that/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I love guitars, and guitars love me, but sometimes they need new homes where they can live to rock another day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-love-guitars-and-guitars-love-me-but-sometimes-they-need-new-homes/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [If you're going to be ridiculous, be over-the-top ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/if-you-re-going-to-be-ridiculous-be-over-the-top-ridiculous/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) [Explore all 118 Rick Nielsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in real life, and that's not just love songs about your girlfriend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Nielsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that-was-happening-in-real-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that-was-happening-in-real-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/rick-nielsen-3997_life_i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that_1983695.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I just wanted to write about stuff that was happening in real life, and that's not just love songs about…” — Rick Nielsen", "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": "Rick Nielsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I just wanted to write about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that-was-happening-in-real-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-just-wanted-to-write-about-stuff-that-was-happening-in-real-life/#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 } } ] } ```