"I always try to write a song, I never just want to write a record"
About this Quote
Smokey Robinson is drawing a hard line between craft and commerce, and he does it with the plainspoken confidence of someone who helped invent the modern pop song. “A song” is the durable unit: melody you can hum, a lyric that lands, a shape that holds up when you strip the production away. “A record” is the artifact: the marketplace-ready package, tied to a moment’s studio technology, radio trends, label deadlines, and whatever sound is currently winning.
The intent here is almost protective. Robinson is defending songwriting as a discipline with standards, not just a vibe captured on tape. In the Motown world he came up in, that distinction mattered. Hits weren’t accidents; they were engineered emotions, built to move across audiences and formats. A great record might spike because the drums slap or the mix feels expensive. A great song survives the opposite: it can be sung in a living room, covered by another artist, rearranged into a different genre, and still feel inevitable.
The subtext is a quiet critique of the era when “content” replaces composition. If you “just write a record,” you can chase sonics, collage hooks, and rely on performance charisma. Robinson’s line insists on accountability: does the core idea stand on its own? It’s also a statement about legacy. Records date. Songs travel. By aiming for the latter, he’s telling you what Motown understood early: trend is a tool, not the point. The point is a piece of music sturdy enough to outlive its own release cycle.
The intent here is almost protective. Robinson is defending songwriting as a discipline with standards, not just a vibe captured on tape. In the Motown world he came up in, that distinction mattered. Hits weren’t accidents; they were engineered emotions, built to move across audiences and formats. A great record might spike because the drums slap or the mix feels expensive. A great song survives the opposite: it can be sung in a living room, covered by another artist, rearranged into a different genre, and still feel inevitable.
The subtext is a quiet critique of the era when “content” replaces composition. If you “just write a record,” you can chase sonics, collage hooks, and rely on performance charisma. Robinson’s line insists on accountability: does the core idea stand on its own? It’s also a statement about legacy. Records date. Songs travel. By aiming for the latter, he’s telling you what Motown understood early: trend is a tool, not the point. The point is a piece of music sturdy enough to outlive its own release cycle.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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