--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The music comes first. Final lyrics are…" description: "\"The music comes first. Final lyrics are usually written very close to recording the vocals.\" — Tobias Forge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6c/tobias-forge-6470_close_the-music-comes-first-final-lyrics-are-u_1350751.jpg" --- # The music comes first. Final lyrics are usually written… ![“The music comes first. Final lyrics are usually written very close to recording the vocals.” quote by Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6c/tobias-forge-6470_close_the-music-comes-first-final-lyrics-are-u_1350751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6c/tobias-forge-6470_close_the-music-comes-first-final-lyrics-are-u_1350751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6c/tobias-forge-6470_close_the-music-comes-first-final-lyrics-are-u_1350751.jpg) > “The music comes first. Final lyrics are usually written very close to recording the vocals.” [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing music over lyrics leads to more authentic songs. **In simple terms:** Music guides lyrics. Key Takeaway Focus on melody first. Themes creativity process songwriting Mood inspired reflective Type artistic process When to use this quote - recording sessions - songwriting workshops - album production Key Concepts musical composition artistic hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How does melody shape lyrical themes? - Can lyrics ever lead music? A Different Perspective Lyrics may feel forced if rushed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Vocals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocals/) ## Related quotes > [Recording vocals has the same kind of physical demands as you experience a lot in theater work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/recording-vocals-has-the-same-kind-of-physical-demands-as-you/) [Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/) > [Sometimes I'll get a burst when I write lyrics, it usually happens in 20 minutes and I'll write the whole song, and that's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/sometimes-i-ll-get-a-burst-when-i-write-lyrics-it-usually-happens-in/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [We let the lyrics be the focus of the song. Which is not what you hear with some of the zeitgeisty bands, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-goldsmith/we-let-the-lyrics-be-the-focus-of-the-song-which-is-not-what-you-hear/) [Taylor Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-goldsmith/) > [The lyrics are usually the last take. So after like five times, saying it over and over again, your voice starts to relax and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galcher-lustwerk/the-lyrics-are-usually-the-last-take-so-after-like-five-times-saying/) [Galcher Lustwerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galcher-lustwerk/) > [Folk music usually has an emphasis on the lyrics and melody. And those lyrics are usually relevant in some way. And it's populist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/folk-music-usually-has-an-emphasis-on-the-lyrics-and-melody-and-those/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [I write my songs usually while I'm walking around. Or in a car. Or in a bus, a plane, something like that. I jot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-radin/i-write-my-songs-usually-while-i-m-walking-around-or-in-a-car-or-in-a/) [Joshua Radin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-radin/) > [ \[The lyrics and melody\] usually come a little simultaneously, but I would say the lyrics are first; usually I have the idea for a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/the-lyrics-and-melody-usually-come-a-little-simultaneously-but-i/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [I write all my own songs and they are just simple melodies with a lot of lyrics. They usually have to do with current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/i-write-all-my-own-songs-and-they-are-just-simple-melodies-with-a-lot/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [With lyrics for me, it's usually musically-based. It's not really poetry- or writer-based. It's rock-based. 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I sing a minimum of three layers of the same line every time, and then it's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/i-always-layer-my-vocals-a-lot-i-sing-a-minimum-of-three-layers-of/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [The music comes alive when you actually perform it in front of a crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-wilson/the-music-comes-alive-when-you-actually-perform-it-in-front-of-a-crowd/) [Cindy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-wilson/) > [Our music comes from our hearts - and it always has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/our-music-comes-from-our-hearts-and-it-always-has/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [Music comes from the heart and returns to the heart... music is spontaneous, impulsive expression... its range is without limit... music is forever growing...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-stokowski/music-comes-from-the-heart-and-returns-to-the-heart-music-is/) [Leopold Stokowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-stokowski/) > [For me, music comes naturally. I always just get in the studio and I feel like, wow, this is my heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/for-me-music-comes-naturally-i-always-just-get-in-the-studio-and-i/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) ## More by Tobias Forge > [Even in my hometown of Linkoping where I grew up... the church we had was very lavish - very boasty. So it ticked most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/even-in-my-hometown-of-linkoping-where-i-grew-up-the-church-we-had/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [I like horror movies that have a degree of coziness to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/i-like-horror-movies-that-have-a-degree-of-coziness-to-them/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [Even though I like speaking freely, I don't really have a desire anymore to profile myself as the individual wanting to be recognized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/even-though-i-like-speaking-freely-i-don-t-really-have-a-desire/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > ['Dance Macabre' feels like one of those songs that you want to play forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/dance-macabre-feels-like-one-of-those-songs-that-you-want-to-play/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [As a young teen, Satan and the idea of some sort of world that you could be in touch with that could empower you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/as-a-young-teen-satan-and-the-idea-of-some-sort-of-world-that-you/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [By sheer luck, we did our first tour of America as a headlining act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/by-sheer-luck-we-did-our-first-tour-of-america-as-a-headlining-act/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [The original idea of being anonymous - it was a great, naive idea on paper in 2008, not knowing to what degree we'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/the-original-idea-of-being-anonymous-it-was-a-great-naive-idea-on/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [So many people have opinions based not on fact but spite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/so-many-people-have-opinions-based-not-on-fact-but-spite/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [There are many artists that I know exactly where they are born and what their names are and where they live, which are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/there-are-many-artists-that-i-know-exactly-where-they-are-born-and/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [I don't want to do Ghost as a normal, unmasked band standing around in, like, denim jackets. 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