--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a song is is a subjective thing…" description: "\"What a song is is a subjective thing. There's no one real definition for it.\" — The Edge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/the-edge-23429_definition_what-a-song-is-is-a-subjective-thing-the_2777551.png" --- # What a song is is a subjective thing. There's no one real… ![“What a song is is a subjective thing. There's no one real definition for it.” quote by The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/the-edge-23429_definition_what-a-song-is-is-a-subjective-thing-the_2777551.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/the-edge-23429_definition_what-a-song-is-is-a-subjective-thing-the_2777551.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/the-edge-23429_definition_what-a-song-is-is-a-subjective-thing-the_2777551.png) > “What a song is is a subjective thing. There's no one real definition for it.” [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music’s definition is personal and fluid, lacking a single universal meaning. **In simple terms:** Song meaning is subjective. Key Takeaway Accept varied musical interpretations. Themes art subjectivity culture Mood thoughtful open‑minded Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - concerts - personal playlists - music education Key Concepts aesthetic theory listener perception Questions to Reflect On - What defines a song for you? - How do cultural backgrounds affect musical meaning? A Different Perspective Commercial markets often push a single narrative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Subjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjective/) ## Related quotes > [I try to be genuine. I try to be real. It's such a subjective thing, but I try to convey an emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/i-try-to-be-genuine-i-try-to-be-real-it-s-such-a-subjective-thing-but/) [Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/) > [“Sure one could argue the naturalist's case that the mind experiences an external reality in which it participates. But how can this account really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janna-levin/sure-one-could-argue-the-naturalist-s-case-that-the-mind-experiences/) [Janna Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janna-levin/) > [Happiness is a very subjective thing - it comes to people in different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/happiness-is-a-very-subjective-thing-it-comes-to-people-in-different/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [I always felt like I could combine good pop songs that are easy for people to like with a real person and a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/i-always-felt-like-i-could-combine-good-pop-songs-that-are-easy-for/) [Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/) > [Truth is such a subjective thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tickell/truth-is-such-a-subjective-thing/) [Josh Tickell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tickell/) > [Truth is the most subjective thing on the planet. So, how can something so subjective, NOT have shades of grey?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yourmaj3sty/truth-is-the-most-subjective-thing-on-the-planet-so-how-can-something/) YourMaj3sty > [Sadly there is no real definition behind love. It is made with our own imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/sadly-there-is-no-real-definition-behind-love-it-is-made-with-our-own/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [Everyone has different ideas about love, but the real definition of love is: ever lasting and never ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-has-different-ideas-about-love-but-the-real-definition-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Defining art is huge; I feel like it's such a subjective thing. It's more like what's not art. You know what I mean? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/defining-art-is-huge-i-feel-like-it-s-such-a-subjective-thing-it-s/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [Beauty matters. It is not just a subjective thing but a universal need of human beings. If we ignore this need we find ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-matters-it-is-not-just-a-subjective-thing-but-a-universal-need/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I just pretty much love from 1966 to 1972, that's my time. I think everything that needs to be said was said within that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/i-just-pretty-much-love-from-1966-to-1972-that-s-my-time-i-think/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [Humor is a very personal, subjective thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/humor-is-a-very-personal-subjective-thing/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [It's such a personal, subjective thing, the voice. But really, it wasn't the essence of me. The essence of me is what I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-root/it-s-such-a-personal-subjective-thing-the-voice-but-really-it-wasn-t/) [Rebecca Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-root/) > [Art is a subjective thing, and it should be a subjective thing. And the difficulty of subjectivity is that it becomes hugely problematized when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crouch/art-is-a-subjective-thing-and-it-should-be-a-subjective-thing-and-the/) [Tim Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crouch/) > [I can't really iterate what I look for in a script. It's a very subjective thing. Like an organic attachment you have with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/i-can-t-really-iterate-what-i-look-for-in-a-script-it-s-a-very/) [Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/) ## More by The Edge > [Jamming is really the most awful, excruciating experience for me; I really don't enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/jamming-is-really-the-most-awful-excruciating-experience-for-me-i/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Advertising and art are getting all mixed up. I think some of the most exciting pieces of TV are the commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/advertising-and-art-are-getting-all-mixed-up-i-think-some-of-the-most/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [The problem for most people as they get older is that they start to buy into their own bullshit to the extent that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/the-problem-for-most-people-as-they-get-older-is-that-they-start-to/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Bono is chairman and founding member of Over-Achievers Anonymous. He has an irrepressible drive to be great. He wants to achieve it all, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/bono-is-chairman-and-founding-member-of-over-achievers-anonymous-he/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [I might have to take the 12 steps to Workaholics Anonymous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/i-might-have-to-take-the-12-steps-to-workaholics-anonymous/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Clarity of vision - what you've been looking at from the wrong angle and not seen at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/clarity-of-vision-what-you-ve-been-looking-at-from-the-wrong-angle/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Jazz came out of New Orleans, and that was the forerunner of everything. 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If a song doesn't need a solo, I'm not going to force one into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/i-m-a-minimalist-at-heart-if-a-song-doesn-t-need-a-solo-i-m-not-going/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [One of the good things about globalization is it has created a single international music community, and I feel very much part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/one-of-the-good-things-about-globalization-is-it-has-created-a-single/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [U2 albums never get finished. They just get released.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/u2-albums-never-get-finished-they-just-get-released/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [For me, looking back is akin to being on a tightrope and looking down. It doesn't help you in the present moment to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/for-me-looking-back-is-akin-to-being-on-a-tightrope-and-looking-down/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Starting a band is the easy part. Once you've formed the band, you have to tell a story, and that story requires songs. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/starting-a-band-is-the-easy-part-once-you-ve-formed-the-band-you-have/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [You see, rock and roll isn't a career or hobby - it's a life force. It's something very essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/you-see-rock-and-roll-isn-t-a-career-or-hobby-it-s-a-life-force-it-s/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) > [Rock and roll isn't a career or hobby - it's a life force ... it's just something I have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-edge/rock-and-roll-isn-t-a-career-or-hobby-it-s-a-life-force-it-s-just/) [The Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) [Explore all 26 The Edge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-edge/) ## More Definition quotes > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/) Alan Sheinwald > [Biggest man law - be a man. Simple: be a man, definition of being a man is being a man. And don't let your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/biggest-man-law-be-a-man-simple-be-a-man-definition-of-being-a-man-is/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) > [A lot of the album 'The Definition' was made from two things: Pixar movies and J. Dilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bellion/a-lot-of-the-album-the-definition-was-made-from-two-things-pixar/) [Jon Bellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bellion/) > [By definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/by-definition-when-you-make-something-no-one-hates-no-one-loves-it/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Everyone's definition of an open relationship is different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-malley/everyone-s-definition-of-an-open-relationship-is-different/) [Sean O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-malley/) > [My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/my-own-definition-of-leadership-is-this-the-capacity-and-the-will-to/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [ My definition \[of genius\] would be about being completely involved in your art form. So that's outside of sciences. Within the arts it's about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/my-definition-of-genius-would-be-about-being-completely-involved-in/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [Everyone has their own definition of a healthy lifestyle, and mine has come to mean making health a priority but not an obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/everyone-has-their-own-definition-of-a-healthy-lifestyle-and-mine-has/) [Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/) > [Definition of a best friend; The person you cant be mad at for even an hour because you have something important to tell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/definition-of-a-best-friend-the-person-you-cant-be-mad-at-for-even-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somewhere down the line, the evil ones stole the legacy of hip hop and flipped it to a corporate type of hip hop. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrika-bambaataa/somewhere-down-the-line-the-evil-ones-stole-the-legacy-of-hip-hop-and/) [Afrika Bambaataa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrika-bambaataa/) > [Senseless violence is, almost by definition, hard to understand. Not that I can understand terrorists who kill from hate, but at least we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/senseless-violence-is-almost-by-definition-hard-to-understand-not/) [Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/) > [The definition of hate speech in some countries is problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-stamos/the-definition-of-hate-speech-in-some-countries-is-problematic/) [Alex Stamos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-stamos/) > [Our definition of the alt-right is younger people who are anti-globalists, very nationalist, terribly anti-establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/our-definition-of-the-alt-right-is-younger-people-who-are-anti/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) Browse all 524 Definition quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What a song is is a subjective thing. 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