"And we just went with Julie because that name hadn't been used in any other popular songs at the time"
About this Quote
The intent is disarmingly simple: explain a creative choice. The subtext is sharper. In an era when teen idols were packaged as sincere heartthrobs, Sherman casually reveals the machinery behind the curtain. Pop songs sell intimacy, but they’re also products built to travel: a name has to feel specific enough to trigger a listener’s fantasy and generic enough to fit anyone’s. Picking a name “that hadn’t been used” is about market differentiation, not romance—an early, plainspoken version of branding logic.
Context matters. Late-’60s and early-’70s pop was crowded with girl-name songs, each trying to own a small emotional territory on radio. Sherman’s comment hints at how competitive that ecosystem was: not just fighting for chart space, but for semantic space, too. If “Julie” is untouched, it’s a fresh hook, a clean association, a chance to make a name mean your song first.
What makes the line work is its tonal shrug. It punctures the myth without bitterness, turning the industrial side of pop into a charming backstage anecdote—one that quietly reframes “authenticity” as something you can manufacture with the right, unused syllables.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sherman, Bobby. (2026, January 15). And we just went with Julie because that name hadn't been used in any other popular songs at the time. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-we-just-went-with-julie-because-that-name-142226/
Chicago Style
Sherman, Bobby. "And we just went with Julie because that name hadn't been used in any other popular songs at the time." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-we-just-went-with-julie-because-that-name-142226/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And we just went with Julie because that name hadn't been used in any other popular songs at the time." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-we-just-went-with-julie-because-that-name-142226/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.


