"I really get inspired by songs. Like, if I hear a thug "Want to kill ya" song, I'm ready to go out and get crazy. Or if you hear this really sexual, sensual slow song, I want to go have sex. I'm very animalistic when it comes to stuff like that. Very basic emotions"
About this Quote
The intent feels disarming. Celebrities are trained to perform “taste” and “depth,” to talk about music as identity curation or artistry. Tatum dodges that whole prestige economy and sells a simpler brand: body first, brain second. It’s the same persona that powered his rise - the dancer, the himbo-with-charm, the guy whose appeal is physical confidence more than verbal sophistication. Calling it “animalistic” and “basic emotions” is a preemptive self-roast, a way to make the vulnerability feel like a joke you can laugh with.
The subtext is also a tidy bit of cultural negotiation around masculinity. He’s giving himself permission to be impressionable without sounding weak: it’s not sensitivity, it’s instinct. And in the background is a modern anxiety about media’s influence. He’s not making a policy argument about violent lyrics, but he’s flirting with that logic, framing music as a switch that flips behavior. That tension - between accountability and impulse, irony and sincerity - is why the quote sticks. It’s an actor admitting the soundtrack runs the scene.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Tatum, Channing. (2026, January 17). I really get inspired by songs. Like, if I hear a thug "Want to kill ya" song, I'm ready to go out and get crazy. Or if you hear this really sexual, sensual slow song, I want to go have sex. I'm very animalistic when it comes to stuff like that. Very basic emotions. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-really-get-inspired-by-songs-like-if-i-hear-a-42903/
Chicago Style
Tatum, Channing. "I really get inspired by songs. Like, if I hear a thug "Want to kill ya" song, I'm ready to go out and get crazy. Or if you hear this really sexual, sensual slow song, I want to go have sex. I'm very animalistic when it comes to stuff like that. Very basic emotions." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-really-get-inspired-by-songs-like-if-i-hear-a-42903/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I really get inspired by songs. Like, if I hear a thug "Want to kill ya" song, I'm ready to go out and get crazy. Or if you hear this really sexual, sensual slow song, I want to go have sex. I'm very animalistic when it comes to stuff like that. Very basic emotions." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-really-get-inspired-by-songs-like-if-i-hear-a-42903/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







