---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like…"
description: "\"Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my children with penny loafers\" — Thom Yorke"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg"
---

#  Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my…

![“Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my children with penny loafers” quote by Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg)

> “Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my children with penny loafers”

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

It suggests that rock music, while culturally influential, can be intrusive or harmful, likening it to a harsh discipline method.

**In simple terms:** Rock music as a double‑edged sword.

Key Takeaway

Cultural impact can be both vital and damaging.

Themes

cultural critique paradox artistic influence social commentary musical genre

Mood

ironic critical provocative

Type

aphor social commentary

When to use this quote

- listening to loud concerts
- discussing music's effect on youth
- debating artistic freedom
- examining media influence

Key Concepts

music's societal role artist responsibility audience reception creative expression

Practical Applications

- critical music journalism
- cultural studies curricula

Questions to Reflect On

- Does popularity justify harmful content?
- How do we balance artistic freedom with social impact?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Necessary evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary-evil/) [Rock music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-music/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/)

## Related quotes

> [Alot of my lyrics are about beating my children. 'Hit the bottom and escape' is a cry for help. oh god someone stop me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/alot-of-my-lyrics-are-about-beating-my-children-hit-the-bottom-and/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [The Aly loafer is our modern take on the penny loafer with a subtle slit across the top. I wear loafers with everything these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-olsen/the-aly-loafer-is-our-modern-take-on-the-penny-loafer-with-a-subtle/)

[Ashley Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-olsen/)

> [“He recognized the same frenzy of wild abandon that each of those adults shared while beating their children, as if the important object lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-garden/he-recognized-the-same-frenzy-of-wild-abandon-that-each-of-those/)

[Elizabeth Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-garden/)

> [“Beating children will not make them wise. They will grow wilder and wilder and the cane will feel like paper on their skins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/beating-children-will-not-make-them-wise-they-will-grow-wilder-and/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [I think the church should strive to give parishioners good music. Music is as necessary for worship as a building with a beautiful altar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/i-think-the-church-should-strive-to-give-parishioners-good-music/)

[Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/)

> [“Music is my one necessary tool. I put on music that fits the mood of what I'm writing, to help me stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/music-is-my-one-necessary-tool-i-put-on-music-that-fits-the-mood-of/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [Unfortunately or fortunately, in order to become acquainted with the idiom of country or rock music, it is necessary to occasionally play in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-hudson/unfortunately-or-fortunately-in-order-to-become-acquainted-with-the/)

[Garth Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-hudson/)

> [To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-sing-you-must-first-open-your-mouth-you-must-have-a-pair-of-lungs/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [“I felt like I was beating a rainbow to death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-felt-like-i-was-beating-a-rainbow-to-death/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [My God, he looks like he's beating a chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-nelson/my-god-he-looks-like-he-s-beating-a-chicken/)

[Byron Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-nelson/)

> [I like beating old standardbearers of the N.F.L.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/i-like-beating-old-standardbearers-of-the-n-f-l/)

[George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/)

> [I'm happy out of my mind. I like beating a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wie/i-m-happy-out-of-my-mind-i-like-beating-a-lot-of-people/)

[Michelle Wie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wie/)

> [It hurt, and that is not a euphemism. It hurt like a beating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-hurt-and-that-is-not-a-euphemism-it-hurt-like-a-beating/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Your body is not meant to do the things we do. The girls are brutal. We really punch each other and pull hair because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-kelly/your-body-is-not-meant-to-do-the-things-we-do-the-girls-are-brutal-we/)

[Kelly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-kelly/)

> [I like beating people at their own style, but I would have loved to strike with a Duke Roufus guy. Growing up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-holland/i-like-beating-people-at-their-own-style-but-i-would-have-loved-to/)

[Kevin Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-holland/)

## More by Thom Yorke

> [How come I end up where I started How come I end up where I belong... You used to be alright What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/how-come-i-end-up-where-i-started-how-come-i-end-up-where-i-belong/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [We're at a time when we are being presented with undeniable changes in the global climate and fundamental issues that affect every single one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/we-re-at-a-time-when-we-are-being-presented-with-undeniable-changes/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [When even your fans are writing to tell you to get a life, you know you need to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/when-even-your-fans-are-writing-to-tell-you-to-get-a-life-you-know/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [Space Jam is my favorite movie. Don't ask me why, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/space-jam-is-my-favorite-movie-don-t-ask-me-why-it-just-is/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [My dad spent his whole life getting into fights for telling what he believed to be the truth. Basically it comes from my dad-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/my-dad-spent-his-whole-life-getting-into-fights-for-telling-what-he/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I got into the music business thinking it was really radical, that it wasn't really a business at all, that it was a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-got-into-the-music-business-thinking-it-was-really-radical-that-it/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [People sometimes say we take things too seriously, but it's the only way you'll get anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/people-sometimes-say-we-take-things-too-seriously-but-it-s-the-only/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I'm achingly aware of my own limitations as both part of the human race and as an individual. I'm just, casting this out that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-m-achingly-aware-of-my-own-limitations-as-both-part-of-the-human/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [One little leak becomes a lake, Says the tiny voice in my earpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/one-little-leak-becomes-a-lake-says-the-tiny-voice-in-my-earpiece/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I often fake my death and then just show up at people's houses. They say 'that's a good one Thom' but I know maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-often-fake-my-death-and-then-just-show-up-at-people-s-houses-they/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [There are a lot of things I cannot do, such as eat books and read chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/there-are-a-lot-of-things-i-cannot-do-such-as-eat-books-and-read/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I wanted to live with the \*\*\*\*ing manta rays, but they banned me from Sea World.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-wanted-to-live-with-the-ing-manta-rays-but-they-banned-me-from-sea/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [I often steal sandwiches, eat them, and put the container's back., with a signed autograph of my self in its place. It's my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-often-steal-sandwiches-eat-them-and-put-the-container-s-back-with-a/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

> [If we got into a situation where people start burning our records, then bring it on. That's the whole point. The gloaming has begun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/if-we-got-into-a-situation-where-people-start-burning-our-records/)

[Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

[Explore all 315 Thom Yorke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my children with penny loafers",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thom Yorke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-beating-my-children-with-penny/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-beating-my-children-with-penny/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/thom-yorke-979_children_rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-b_8473.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Rock music is, is a necessary evil, like beating my children with penny loafers” — Thom Yorke",
                "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": "Thom Yorke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Rock music is, is a necessary...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-beating-my-children-with-penny/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/rock-music-is-is-a-necessary-evil-like-beating-my-children-with-penny/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
