--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surf is that music which is entirely…" description: "\"Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking something. There's never any vocals, so it's not about the lyrics, it's about the reverb.\" — Stephin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/stephin-merritt-18370_music_surf-is-that-music-which-is-entirely-abo_1832771.jpg" --- # Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking… ![“Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking something. There's never any vocals, so it's not about the lyrics, it's about the reverb.” quote by Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/stephin-merritt-18370_music_surf-is-that-music-which-is-entirely-abo_1832771.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/stephin-merritt-18370_music_surf-is-that-music-which-is-entirely-abo_1832771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/stephin-merritt-18370_music_surf-is-that-music-which-is-entirely-abo_1832771.jpg) > “Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking something. There's never any vocals, so it's not about the lyrics, it's about the reverb.” [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music can be designed to evoke feelings without words, using sound textures like reverb as the expressive medium. **In simple terms:** Sounds can convey emotion without lyrics. Key Takeaway Focus on sonic texture to create mood. Themes sound emotion instrumental reverb evocation Mood contemplative ambient Type artistic theoretical When to use this quote - film scores - ambient playlists - meditation music - sound design workshops Key Concepts acoustic space psychology of sound non‑verbal communication Questions to Reflect On - How does reverb shape your emotional experience? - What non‑lyrical elements move you most? A Different Perspective May not resonate with listeners who prefer lyrical content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Vocals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocals/) ## Related quotes > [The magic that you find in surf music, I think, is really timeless. You know, when I was very young, I was in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/the-magic-that-you-find-in-surf-music-i-think-is-really-timeless-you/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [Now that I'm older, I like almost anything that's done well, even surf music and instrumentals; I really enjoyed the interviews with the Ventures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fogerty/now-that-i-m-older-i-like-almost-anything-that-s-done-well-even-surf/) [John Fogerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fogerty/) > [Your people I do not understand, so to you I shall put an end, and you'll never hear surf music again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/your-people-i-do-not-understand-so-to-you-i-shall-put-an-end-and-you/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [I usually listen to surf music, not much instrumental music, and when I was younger I listened to jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/i-usually-listen-to-surf-music-not-much-instrumental-music-and-when-i/) [John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/) > [Jimi Hendrix once said, 'You will never hear surf music again.' Well, tonight, you will hear 'serf' music again - S-E-R-F music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/jimi-hendrix-once-said-you-will-never-hear-surf-music-again-well/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [What I play now isn't surf music. It's too powerful. I used to go through paper bags; now I go through brick walls. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/what-i-play-now-isn-t-surf-music-it-s-too-powerful-i-used-to-go/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [Surf music is played through a Showman amp with a Stratocaster guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/surf-music-is-played-through-a-showman-amp-with-a-stratocaster-guitar/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [Surf music is actually just the sound of the waves played on a guitar: that wet, splashy sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/surf-music-is-actually-just-the-sound-of-the-waves-played-on-a-guitar/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [I think that there's a proliferation of music that is done entirely in the bedroom for an Internet audience, but there's no way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/i-think-that-there-s-a-proliferation-of-music-that-is-done-entirely/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) > [After so many years of whispery, DIY vocals, there's this new generation of voices that are really starting to burst through the seams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/after-so-many-years-of-whispery-diy-vocals-there-s-this-new/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) > [The boarders have changed. My vocals explore different elements and you know it was really important for me to transfer the atmosphere of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-nova/the-boarders-have-changed-my-vocals-explore-different-elements-and/) [Heather Nova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-nova/) > [Sometimes when you cut your bed tracks right off the bat, you don't really know where the vocal is landing and where the background…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/sometimes-when-you-cut-your-bed-tracks-right-off-the-bat-you-don-t/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I like adding little elements into the final mix. I'm more fond of the '70s glam than '80s. I have that style of vocals...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lambert/i-like-adding-little-elements-into-the-final-mix-i-m-more-fond-of-the/) [Adam Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lambert/) > [When you do a remix, obviously you get a beautiful melody, you get the beautiful vocals - everything is already set up. You already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-gervais/when-you-do-a-remix-obviously-you-get-a-beautiful-melody-you-get-the/) [Cedric Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-gervais/) > [I've recorded a lot of vocals so far and I think they're kinda still in my own world, but I do have that urge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-krug/i-ve-recorded-a-lot-of-vocals-so-far-and-i-think-they-re-kinda-still/) [Spencer Krug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-krug/) ## More by Stephin Merritt > [The adventure is when people don't know what they're doing at all. Like, I think that the first pop band to use synthesizers as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/the-adventure-is-when-people-don-t-know-what-they-re-doing-at-all/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [I gave up music criticism because of the increasingly obvious conflict of interest. I couldn't say anything bad about the records when I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/i-gave-up-music-criticism-because-of-the-increasingly-obvious/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [Well, things hold up even if they sound dated. It can be very difficult to listen to 80s pop songs with really, really gigantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/well-things-hold-up-even-if-they-sound-dated-it-can-be-very-difficult/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [There are only so many instruments you can layer on top of each other that aren't perfectly electronically programmed. "Long Vermont Roads" just cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/there-are-only-so-many-instruments-you-can-layer-on-top-of-each-other/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [Popular music of the last 50 years has failed to keep in step with advances in musical theater, namely Stephen Sondheim. But the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/popular-music-of-the-last-50-years-has-failed-to-keep-in-step-with/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [Well, hardcore is so much about the body, in that you have to play as fast as possible. I'm not sure it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/well-hardcore-is-so-much-about-the-body-in-that-you-have-to-play-as/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [I write songs by sitting around in bars, so drinking songs are a little obvious. It's surprising that I don't write entirely drinking songs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/i-write-songs-by-sitting-around-in-bars-so-drinking-songs-are-a/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [There's a whole kind of melancholy that you can only attain with reverb. That's an example of a technology introducing a whole new meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/there-s-a-whole-kind-of-melancholy-that-you-can-only-attain-with/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [You know, most love songs are not cheesy and corny. Most love songs are complaints, I think. Or about unrequited love, coming at it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/you-know-most-love-songs-are-not-cheesy-and-corny-most-love-songs-are/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [I don't think there are any clichés I try to avoid. As soon as I spot a cliché, I go for it. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/i-don-t-think-there-are-any-clich-s-i-try-to-avoid-as-soon-as-i-spot/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [Okay, a truly great song is a song that makes its own aesthetic intentions clear and then lives up to them and exceeds them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/okay-a-truly-great-song-is-a-song-that-makes-its-own-aesthetic/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [If you want to write a love song, you need to not try to write it for a particular person in a particular situation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/if-you-want-to-write-a-love-song-you-need-to-not-try-to-write-it-for/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [My mother says I have boring percussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/my-mother-says-i-have-boring-percussion/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [I can imagine lyrics becoming better written by smart machines rather than stupid musicians. Songwriters generally have nothing to say. They may as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/i-can-imagine-lyrics-becoming-better-written-by-smart-machines-rather/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) > [Serious music isn't listened to in a casual setting. You don't want to listen to that in headphones on the subway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/serious-music-isn-t-listened-to-in-a-casual-setting-you-don-t-want-to/) [Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) [Explore all 35 Stephin Merritt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/) [Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [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/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surf is that music which is entirely about evoking something. 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