--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music blows lyrics up very quickly, and…" description: "\"“Music blows lyrics up very quickly, and suddenly they become more than art. They become pompous and they become self-conscious ... I firmly believe th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/stephen-sondheim-1556_art_music-blows-lyrics-up-very-quickly-and-s_1789116.jpg" --- # Music blows lyrics up very quickly, and suddenly they… ![“Music blows lyrics up very quickly, and suddenly they become more than art. They become pompous and they become self-conscious ... I firmly believe that lyrics have to breathe and give the audience's ear a chance to understand what's going on. Particularly in the theater, where you not only have…” quote by Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/stephen-sondheim-1556_art_music-blows-lyrics-up-very-quickly-and-s_1789116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/stephen-sondheim-1556_art_music-blows-lyrics-up-very-quickly-and-s_1789116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/stephen-sondheim-1556_art_music-blows-lyrics-up-very-quickly-and-s_1789116.jpg) > ““Music blows lyrics up very quickly, and suddenly they become more than art. They become pompous and they become self-conscious ... I firmly believe that lyrics have to breathe and give the audience's ear a chance to understand what's going on. Particularly in the theater, where you not only have the music, but you've got costume, story, acting, orchestra. There's a lot to take in.”” [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lyrics should breathe and not dominate; they must serve the overall theatrical experience. **In simple terms:** Lyrics need space within music and drama Key Takeaway Balance lyrics with other theatrical elements. Themes songwriting theatre artistic balance Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - musical productions - stage rehearsals - ly reviews Key Concepts integration audience perception self‑consciousness Questions to Reflect On - When do lyrics enhance vs distract? - How to ensure lyrics complement visuals? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on lyrics can alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [I firmly believe lyrics have to breathe and give the audience's ear a chance to understand what's going on. Particularly in the theater, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-firmly-believe-lyrics-have-to-breathe-and-give-the-audience-s-ear-a/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [I wrote out the lyrics that I would do at MAMA 4~5 days in advance. After I said that, Zico hyung told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-nam-joon/i-wrote-out-the-lyrics-that-i-would-do-at-mama-4-5-days-in-advance/) [Kim Nam-joon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-nam-joon/) > [“The Music blows wherever Music pleases, you hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where the Music comes from or where the Music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/the-music-blows-wherever-music-pleases-you-hear-it-s-sound-but-you/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [I love audiences. They are my oxygen. I only breathe with audience. When I'm alone, I am normally a miserable you-know-what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charo/i-love-audiences-they-are-my-oxygen-i-only-breathe-with-audience-when/) [Charo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charo/) > [In some ways, what I learned is that you can take a character and breathe with them, and its up to the audience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aden-young/in-some-ways-what-i-learned-is-that-you-can-take-a-character-and/) [Aden Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aden-young/) > [One difference between poetry and lyrics is that lyrics sort of fade into the background. They fade on the page and live on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/one-difference-between-poetry-and-lyrics-is-that-lyrics-sort-of-fade/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [We like to take pop songs that have really cool, complex melodies or lyrics and strip away all that fluff and electronic noise, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinkx-monsoon/we-like-to-take-pop-songs-that-have-really-cool-complex-melodies-or/) [Jinkx Monsoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinkx-monsoon/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [When you are happy you enjoy music but when you are sad you understand the lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-happy-you-enjoy-music-but-when-you-are-sad-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [No matter how many quotes you read, songs lyrics you hear, or how much you write your heart out, sometimes words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-many-quotes-you-read-songs-lyrics-you-hear-or-how-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. 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I don't set out to say anything very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-lyrics-are-constructed-as-empirically-as-the-music-i-don-t-set/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/) [Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/) ## More by Stephen Sondheim > [I have, by nature, an analytical mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-have-by-nature-an-analytical-mind/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [“They all deserve to die. Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why. Because in all of the whole human race Mrs Lovett, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/they-all-deserve-to-die-tell-you-why-mrs-lovett-tell-you-why-because/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [It's not so hard to be married, I've done it three or four times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/it-s-not-so-hard-to-be-married-i-ve-done-it-three-or-four-times/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [I don't find my life that interesting. The shows, maybe. But not me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-don-t-find-my-life-that-interesting-the-shows-maybe-but-not-me/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [“Careful the things you say, Children will listen. Careful the things you do, Children will see. And learn. 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Then bang! Crash! And the lightning flash! And- well, that's another story, Never mind- Anyway...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-was-watching-him-crawl-back-over-the-wall-then-bang-crash-and-the/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [I'm always conscious of what I'm writing, conscious of what the actor may ask me. I have a defense for nearly every line in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/i-m-always-conscious-of-what-i-m-writing-conscious-of-what-the-actor/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) [Explore all 228 Stephen Sondheim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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