--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a…" description: "\"Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.\" — Russell Mael" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg" --- # Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along… ![“Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.” quote by Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg) > “Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.” [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A rare song can suddenly capture attention and awaken the listener’s senses. **In simple terms:** Unexpected music sparks heightened awareness. Key Takeaway Powerful music jolts perception. Themes aesthetic impact emotional resonance attention sensory awakening Mood surprise excitement Type observation insight When to use this quote - listening to new tracks - discovering a song on the radio - attending a live performance Key Concepts music perception Practical Applications - curating playlists - designing soundtracks for media Questions to Reflect On - What makes a song stand out instantly? - How does unexpected music affect mood? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [Whats more beautiful than the lyrics coming from the music, the words coming from the lyrics, the beat that comes from the music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whats-more-beautiful-than-the-lyrics-coming-from-the-music-the-words/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you sit down and write a song, you kind of have the idea for the song, and you sit there at the piano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/when-you-sit-down-and-write-a-song-you-kind-of-have-the-idea-for-the/) [Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/) > [Certainly in the case of having to answer questions about where a song comes from, it's a hell of a lot easier when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/certainly-in-the-case-of-having-to-answer-questions-about-where-a/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [I hate when my favorite song comes on the radio as I get out of the car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuts-and-scars/i-hate-when-my-favorite-song-comes-on-the-radio-as-i-get-out-of-the/) Cuts And Scars > [I hate that if you do one style of music or become really well known for that one song, that everything that comes after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/i-hate-that-if-you-do-one-style-of-music-or-become-really-well-known/) [Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/) > [When I get into the studio, it's not about trying to get a good song, it's about whatever comes naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/when-i-get-into-the-studio-it-s-not-about-trying-to-get-a-good-song/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [You never know until a song comes out and becomes what it becomes, obviously you can't predict how the masses will react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly/you-never-know-until-a-song-comes-out-and-becomes-what-it-becomes/) [Nelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly/) > [I mean every song comes from an experience to an extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruel/i-mean-every-song-comes-from-an-experience-to-an-extent/) Ruel > [While the concert is instant communication with the audience, composing is a creative process where a song comes up out of nowhere and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shankar-mahadevan/while-the-concert-is-instant-communication-with-the-audience/) [Shankar Mahadevan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shankar-mahadevan/) > [Each one of us is called to become that great song that comes out of the silence, and the more we let ourselves down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steindl-rast/each-one-of-us-is-called-to-become-that-great-song-that-comes-out-of/) [David Steindl-Rast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steindl-rast/) > [A successful song comes to sing itself inside the listener. It is cellular and seismic, a wave coalescing in the mind and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brockmeier/a-successful-song-comes-to-sing-itself-inside-the-listener-it-is/) [Kevin Brockmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brockmeier/) > [Don't you hate when a song comes on and is WAY too emotional for the current situation. Fucking dying here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-worsnop/don-t-you-hate-when-a-song-comes-on-and-is-way-too-emotional-for-the/) [Danny Worsnop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-worsnop/) > [When I get all focused on songwriting, I get into all the marketing and promotion that we do to make it happen. Then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-dunn/when-i-get-all-focused-on-songwriting-i-get-into-all-the-marketing/) [Ronnie Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-dunn/) > [It's always that one song that gets to you. You can hide, but the song comes to find you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/it-s-always-that-one-song-that-gets-to-you-you-can-hide-but-the-song/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [I don't do every song that comes my way; I'm very choosy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-tyler/i-don-t-do-every-song-that-comes-my-way-i-m-very-choosy/) [Bonnie Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-tyler/) ## More by Russell Mael > [There are all these safety nets in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/there-are-all-these-safety-nets-in-pop-music/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [The unfortunate thing with COVID is that Ron's been working separately from me, but it hasn't stopped the flow of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/the-unfortunate-thing-with-covid-is-that-ron-s-been-working/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [I sing and Ron doesn't want to be the singer of the band, he's the keyboard player and predominant writer of the band. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/i-sing-and-ron-doesn-t-want-to-be-the-singer-of-the-band-he-s-the/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [We loved the Beach Boys, bands like that, but our originality came out of our lack of ability as copiers. They did mostly complicated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/we-loved-the-beach-boys-bands-like-that-but-our-originality-came-out/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [A lot of people build up a backlog of songs and you can kind of go, 'Let's explore that song we did six years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/a-lot-of-people-build-up-a-backlog-of-songs-and-you-can-kind-of-go/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [I like when somebody is able to create their own universe, have a consistency to it and not break from character - that's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/i-like-when-somebody-is-able-to-create-their-own-universe-have-a/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [There are still some people - it's hard to believe - that aren't aware yet of Sparks. So we still kind of go at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/there-are-still-some-people-it-s-hard-to-believe-that-aren-t-aware/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [There was nothing radically different about what we were doing musically or image-wise, and yet in L.A. there'd been total indifference, so to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/there-was-nothing-radically-different-about-what-we-were-doing/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [Having an image was really important to us and that was kind of contrary to the bands in L.A. that we had grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/having-an-image-was-really-important-to-us-and-that-was-kind-of/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [As long as it elicits some kind of thought on the listener's part, that's good. 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And we don't think so much that they are;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/a-lot-of-times-people-ask-about-sparks-songs-are-they/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [Yeah, we've been offered lots of advice over the years about not moving on from something that is successful, but it's just in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/yeah-we-ve-been-offered-lots-of-advice-over-the-years-about-not/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [We feel that you kind of learn about our political views and our stance on things in a more general way by what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/we-feel-that-you-kind-of-learn-about-our-political-views-and-our/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) [Explore all 102 Russell Mael quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) ## More Ears quotes > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Somehow the river is louder when you cover your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-williams/somehow-the-river-is-louder-when-you-cover-your-ears/) [Niall Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-williams/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [Men trust rather to their eyes than to their ears; the effect of precepts is therefore slow and tedious, whilst that of examples is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-trust-rather-to-their-eyes-than-to-their-ears-the-effect-of/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [The more that you act on your intuition fearlessly, the more your intuition will serve you. Intuition is the ear of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/the-more-that-you-act-on-your-intuition-fearlessly-the-more-your/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) Browse all 2,987 Ears quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Mael" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ears" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/russell-mael-5251_ears_occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a_41655.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.” — Russell Mael", "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": "Russell Mael", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/#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 } } ] } ```