--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a complex song, and it's fascinating…" description: "\"“It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the creative process as they went back and forth and finally created it over a few months. Lennon w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg" --- # It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the… ![“It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the creative process as they went back and forth and finally created it over a few months. Lennon was always my favorite Beatle. [ He laughs as Lennon stops during the first take and makes the band go back and revise a chord.] Did you hear that…” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg) > ““It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the creative process as they went back and forth and finally created it over a few months. Lennon was always my favorite Beatle. \[ He laughs as Lennon stops during the first take and makes the band go back and revise a chord.\] Did you hear that little detour they took? It didn't work, so they went back and started from where they were. It's so raw in this version. It actually makes the sound like mere mortals. You could actually imagine other people doing this, up to this version. Maybe not writing and conceiving it, but certainly playing it. Yet they just didn't stop. They were such perfectionists they kept it going This made a big impression on me when I was in my thirties. You could just tell how much they worked at this. They did a bundle of work between each of these recording. They kept sending it back to make it closer to perfect.\[ As he listens to the third take, he points out how instrumentation has gotten more complex.\] The way we build stuff at Apple is often this way. Even the number of models we'd make of a new notebook or iPod. We would start off with a version and then begin refining and refining, doing detailed models of the design, or the buttons, or how a function operates. It's a lot of work, but in the end it just gets better, and soon it's like, " Wow, how did they do that?!? Where are the screws?”” [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Iterative refinement in creative work leads to increasingly polished results, reflecting dedication and perfectionism. **In simple terms:** Repeatedly improving a product makes it better. Key Takeaway Embrace iterative refinement. Themes creativity perfectionism design process iteration Mood inspired reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - product development - software engineering - music production - team collaboration - learning from failure Key Concepts incremental improvement feedback loops prototype refinement Questions to Reflect On - How can teams balance speed with perfection? - What limits does perfectionism impose? A Different Perspective Iterative refinement can be time‑consuming and costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Maturation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturation/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [Let's say honorary favorite New Yorker is John Lennon, and favorite real New Yorker is Biggie, because he's the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/let-s-say-honorary-favorite-new-yorker-is-john-lennon-and-favorite/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [John Lennon was definitely my favorite Beatle, hands down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/john-lennon-was-definitely-my-favorite-beatle-hands-down/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Every night I fell asleep to a different Beatles album. So I'm very familiar with the Beatles; Ringo was my favorite Beatle until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/every-night-i-fell-asleep-to-a-different-beatles-album-so-i-m-very/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [A lot of people I know hate Paul McCartney in general. I guess I understand, but I'm a fan. I think he's a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikal-cronin/a-lot-of-people-i-know-hate-paul-mccartney-in-general-i-guess-i/) [Mikal Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikal-cronin/) > [“It is in building the best of our abilities that we ultimately destroy the worst of our liabilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-in-building-the-best-of-our-abilities-that-we-ultimately/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Maturation is the development from environmental support to self-support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/maturation-is-the-development-from-environmental-support-to-self/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“You ironically have to have a very strong ego structure to let go of your ego. You need to struggle with the rules more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-ironically-have-to-have-a-very-strong-ego-structure-to-let-go-of/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“Lily appeared, wearing her nightclothes, in the doorway. She gave an impatient sigh. 'This is certainly a very LONG private conversation,' she said. 'And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/lily-appeared-wearing-her-nightclothes-in-the-doorway-she-gave-an/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [“Maturation in the psychological realm involves the differentiation of the elements of consciousness — thoughts, feelings, impulses, values, opinions, preferences, interests, intentions, aspirations. Differentiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/maturation-in-the-psychological-realm-involves-the-differentiation-of/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The willingness to become greater than you are is itself becoming greater than you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-willingness-to-become-greater-than-you-are-is-itself-becoming/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“I take account of my life and find that I have lived a lot and learned very little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-take-account-of-my-life-and-find-that-i-have-lived-a-lot-and/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [“So it was a crossroads summer, when the universe seemed to stand perilously still like an egg wobbling on a precipice, a regular rite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/so-it-was-a-crossroads-summer-when-the-universe-seemed-to-stand/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Much like life, you don't complete a puzzle by throwing away the pieces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/much-like-life-you-don-t-complete-a-puzzle-by-throwing-away-the-pieces/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [We make stupid mistakes when we're young; we do our best to make amends for them as we get older. We survive by learning;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-steele/we-make-stupid-mistakes-when-we-re-young-we-do-our-best-to-make/) [Allen Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-steele/) > [“(Bonhoeffer's) change was not an ungainly, embarrassing leap from which he would have to retreat slightly when he gained more maturity and perspective. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/bonhoeffer-s-change-was-not-an-ungainly-embarrassing-leap-from-which/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) ## More by Walter Isaacson > [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) [Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## More Creative process quotes > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Any creative process is about being in a territory which isn't secure, isn't necessarily familiar, and isn't convenient in any sort of way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/any-creative-process-is-about-being-in-a-territory-which-isn-t-secure/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [ “\[A\]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-possible-i-always-feel-the/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Use the creative process - singing, writing, art, dance, whatever - to get to know yourself better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catie-curtis/use-the-creative-process-singing-writing-art-dance-whatever-to-get-to/) [Catie Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catie-curtis/) > [Fear is a killer, when it comes to the creative process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/fear-is-a-killer-when-it-comes-to-the-creative-process/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [The impresario function is about intervening with the company's more administrative management structure. It is about trying to establish a sense of boundaries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-impresario-function-is-about-intervening-with-the-company-s-more/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [“I’m a big believer in cooking your own meals. It makes it much easier not only to ensure that you eat fresh foods but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-hofmekler/i-m-a-big-believer-in-cooking-your-own-meals-it-makes-it-much-easier/) [Ori Hofmekler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-hofmekler/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [There just is exponentially more money in the movie business than in the music business. As a result there are more people involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/there-just-is-exponentially-more-money-in-the-movie-business-than-in/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/) [Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) Dave Stevens > [With music I get to feel real ownership with what I do. I write it, I perform it and even if it is crap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/with-music-i-get-to-feel-real-ownership-with-what-i-do-i-write-it-i/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [It is not enough to have a talented designer; the management must be inspired too. The creative process is very disorganised; the production process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-arnault/it-is-not-enough-to-have-a-talented-designer-the-management-must-be/) [Bernard Arnault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-arnault/) [Browse all 691 Creative process quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the creative process as they went back and forth and finally created it over a few months. Lennon was always my favorite Beatle. [ He laughs as Lennon stops during the first take and makes the band go back and revise a chord.] Did you hear that little detour they took? It didn't work, so they went back and started from where they were. It's so raw in this version. It actually makes the sound like mere mortals. You could actually imagine other people doing this, up to this version. Maybe not writing and conceiving it, but certainly playing it. Yet they just didn't stop. They were such perfectionists they kept it going This made a big impression on me when I was in my thirties. You could just tell how much they worked at this. They did a bundle of work between each of these recording. They kept sending it back to make it closer to perfect.[ As he listens to the third take, he points out how instrumentation has gotten more complex.] The way we build stuff at Apple is often this way. Even the number of models we'd make of a new notebook or iPod. We would start off with a version and then begin refining and refining, doing detailed models of the design, or the buttons, or how a function operates. It's a lot of work, but in the end it just gets better, and soon it's like, \" Wow, how did they do that?!? Where are the screws?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Isaacson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating-to-watch-the-creative/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative process" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating-to-watch-the-creative/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e60/walter-isaacson-384_creative-process_it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating_1971226.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a complex song, and it's fascinating to watch the creative process as they went back and forth and…” — Walter Isaacson", "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": "Walter Isaacson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It's a complex song, and it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating-to-watch-the-creative/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/it-s-a-complex-song-and-it-s-fascinating-to-watch-the-creative/#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 } } ] } ```