"Listen kid, take my advice, never hate a song that has sold half a million copies"

Irving Berlin’s statement offers a pragmatic approach to the relationship between artistic taste and commercial success in the world of music. He suggests that personal preferences and subjective judgments about music should not cloud one's recognition of a song’s mass appeal or its resonance with the public. When a song has sold half a million copies, it has clearly tapped into a widespread cultural mood, desire, or emotion. Such a song has become a part of people’s lives, entertaining or comforting them, or speaking to their experiences.

Berlin, as one of America’s most successful songwriters, understood the unpredictable nature of the music industry. Sometimes, a song an artist personally dislikes achieves overwhelming popularity for reasons that transcend technical merit or artistic complexity. The commercial accomplishment likely means it possesses an accessible melody, catchy lyrics, or an emotional honesty that appeals to a broad audience. Dismissing or “hating” such a song because it doesn’t fit a personal standard is dismissing the tastes, stories, or feelings of hundreds of thousands of listeners who found meaning in it.

Taking Berlin’s advice also serves as a gentle admonition against snobbery or elitism in the arts. It reminds one to respect the public’s choices and the different ways people connect with music. Sales figures, though not the only measure of value, are tangible evidence of a song’s cultural impact. The wisdom here is pragmatic humility: artists, critics, and audiences alike should remain open-minded, recognizing that mass appeal and artistic worth are not mutually exclusive. Instead of rejecting the popular, one can learn from it, study its qualities, and appreciate the ways it bridges the gap between personal creation and collective experience. Berlin’s words encourage both respect for popular success and curiosity about why certain songs resonate so widely.