--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've never tried to make timeless music…" description: "\"We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce Springsteen. But we've come to realize that maybe we've had more of an influence on pop music..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/russell-mael-5251_bruce-springsteen_we-ve-never-tried-to-make-timeless-music_439608.jpg" --- # We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce… ![“We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce Springsteen. But we've come to realize that maybe we've had more of an influence on pop music than we thought.” quote by Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/russell-mael-5251_bruce-springsteen_we-ve-never-tried-to-make-timeless-music_439608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/russell-mael-5251_bruce-springsteen_we-ve-never-tried-to-make-timeless-music_439608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/russell-mael-5251_bruce-springsteen_we-ve-never-tried-to-make-timeless-music_439608.jpg) > “We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce Springsteen. But we've come to realize that maybe we've had more of an influence on pop music than we thought.” [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. Artists may underestimate their cultural impact, discovering later that their work shaped popular music more than expected. **In simple terms:** Musicians often don’t realize how much they influence pop culture. Key Takeaway Recognize and embrace your broader influence. Themes humility influence selfawareness legacy music Mood thoughtful inspirational reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - producing - performing Key Concepts cultural impact creative legacy unexpected reach Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected ways have you influenced others? - How can you stay humble while acknowledging impact? A Different Perspective Overestimating influence can lead to ego inflation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Pop music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pop-music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Timeless music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timeless-music/) ## Related quotes > [We're more of a rock band and we have a punk influence and a pop influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/we-re-more-of-a-rock-band-and-we-have-a-punk-influence-and-a-pop/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [I have tried, in all the ways I can, to make timeless music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-collins/i-have-tried-in-all-the-ways-i-can-to-make-timeless-music/) [Judy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-collins/) > [I don't even have to drop an album and I pack out shows. That goes with timeless music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boosie/i-don-t-even-have-to-drop-an-album-and-i-pack-out-shows-that-goes/) [Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boosie/) > [I don't make summer jams or albums based on time or seasons; my goal is to make quality music, timeless music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-be-lo/i-don-t-make-summer-jams-or-albums-based-on-time-or-seasons-my-goal/) [One Be Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-be-lo/) > [Music is art, it's timeless. Music lovers like us understand that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-lugo/music-is-art-it-s-timeless-music-lovers-like-us-understand-that/) [Mia Lugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-lugo/) > [I always feel like young people are more emotionally in tune with new and timeless music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-younge/i-always-feel-like-young-people-are-more-emotionally-in-tune-with-new/) [Adrian Younge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-younge/) > [I want to write for people that are trying to do some kind of quality music. What I mean by quality music is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/i-want-to-write-for-people-that-are-trying-to-do-some-kind-of-quality/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [Paul's One Way Out is a fresh, intelligently arranged, and satisfyingly complete telling of the lengthy (and unlikely) history of the group that almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-kahn/paul-s-one-way-out-is-a-fresh-intelligently-arranged-and-satisfyingly/) Ashley Kahn > [When you make timeless music - and I like to think that's what I'm doing - the fun part is picking the songs. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheem-devaughn/when-you-make-timeless-music-and-i-like-to-think-that-s-what-i-m/) [Raheem DeVaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheem-devaughn/) > [When you go back and really listen to the legendary rappers, this is timeless music. Guys like Biggie, guys like Pac, timeless music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/when-you-go-back-and-really-listen-to-the-legendary-rappers-this-is/) [Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/) > [I'm constantly trying to create timeless music that many people can gravitate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheem-devaughn/i-m-constantly-trying-to-create-timeless-music-that-many-people-can/) [Raheem DeVaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheem-devaughn/) > [I always had a repulsive sort of need to be something more than human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-always-had-a-repulsive-sort-of-need-to-be-something-more-than-human/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I'm no stranger to making timeless music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaggy/i-m-no-stranger-to-making-timeless-music/) [Shaggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaggy/) > [Great music, timeless music is hard to come by, but there are some that are like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tionne-watkins/great-music-timeless-music-is-hard-to-come-by-but-there-are-some-that/) [Tionne Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tionne-watkins/) > [They're great instrumentalists, singers and songwriters and they have this unique way of blending contemporary with traditional. The result is this beautiful mix of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-cashdollar/they-re-great-instrumentalists-singers-and-songwriters-and-they-have/) Cindy Cashdollar ## 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/) > [Occasionally and all-too-infrequently a song comes along that jolts you and you prick up your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/occasionally-and-all-too-infrequently-a-song-comes-along-that-jolts/) [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. If no one's paying attention to the lyrics it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/as-long-as-it-elicits-some-kind-of-thought-on-the-listener-s-part/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [Bands can get lazy after 20 albums. But that's not us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/bands-can-get-lazy-after-20-albums-but-that-s-not-us/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [We'd been approached various times during our career about a documentary, but we always hesitated to say yes, because what we do musically speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/we-d-been-approached-various-times-during-our-career-about-a/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [A lot of times people ask about Sparks songs: are they autobiographical in a way? 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/) [Explore all 102 Russell Mael quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) ## More Bruce springsteen quotes > [I would love to play a show with Kanye West. That would be amazing. I want to play a show with Tom Petty or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-ruess/i-would-love-to-play-a-show-with-kanye-west-that-would-be-amazing-i/) [Nate Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-ruess/) > [“Bruce has wrestled with his moods, and a psyche genetically prone to extremes, for most of his adult life. Decades of psychotherapy helped reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ames-carlin/bruce-has-wrestled-with-his-moods-and-a-psyche-genetically-prone-to/) [Peter Ames Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ames-carlin/) > [I would say, from an all-around point of view, Bruce Springsteen is one of the two great poet lords of America, Bob Dylan, coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-davis/i-would-say-from-an-all-around-point-of-view-bruce-springsteen-is-one/) [Clive Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-davis/) > [“Bruce has always been so nice to me, which is crazy, because he's one of my heroes. I'll never forget being at a Rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/bruce-has-always-been-so-nice-to-me-which-is-crazy-because-he-s-one/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [Neil Young, who isn't really evident when you listen to my music, is probably my favorite of the legends, besides Dylan. They're all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/neil-young-who-isn-t-really-evident-when-you-listen-to-my-music-is/) [Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/) > [Back 20 years ago, I was recording with Bruce Springsteen, and his producer called me and said I had to be in the studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-spector/back-20-years-ago-i-was-recording-with-bruce-springsteen-and-his/) [Ronnie Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-spector/) > [The label of liberalism is hardly a sentence to public ignominy: otherwise Bruce Springsteen would still be rehabilitating used Cadillacs in Asbury Park and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-label-of-liberalism-is-hardly-a-sentence-to-public-ignominy/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [“Bruce Springsteen settled down. He used to run around with lots of women and now all he wants to do is hang out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/bruce-springsteen-settled-down-he-used-to-run-around-with-lots-of/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [I have actual dreams of Bruce Springsteen calling me up on stage to wear a bandanna and play rhythm guitar next to Little Steven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-have-actual-dreams-of-bruce-springsteen-calling-me-up-on-stage-to/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I remember writing '5 Dollars' out of intense listening sessions of Bruce Springsteen. I don't know if it's obvious, but I was obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/i-remember-writing-5-dollars-out-of-intense-listening-sessions-of/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [I listen to all kinds of music. The Calling, Blink 182, Bruce Springsteen, I mean, it's everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-lundqvist/i-listen-to-all-kinds-of-music-the-calling-blink-182-bruce/) [Henrik Lundqvist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-lundqvist/) > [Bruce Springsteen gave people faith in rock & roll and in themselves again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/bruce-springsteen-gave-people-faith-in-rock-roll-and-in-themselves/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [For me or a Bruce Springsteen to sit up in our ivory towers and make comments about racism, well, were not really in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/for-me-or-a-bruce-springsteen-to-sit-up-in-our-ivory-towers-and-make/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [I'm a big fan of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, they're my two favorites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shue/i-m-a-big-fan-of-bruce-springsteen-and-tom-petty-they-re-my-two/) [Andrew Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shue/) > [I had a long talk with Bruce Springsteen on a rooftop during the Vote for Change tour (in 2004). And it boiled down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-had-a-long-talk-with-bruce-springsteen-on-a-rooftop-during-the-vote/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) Browse all 93 Bruce springsteen quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've never tried to make timeless music like, say, Bruce Springsteen. 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