Music and Lyrics

We were in the car listening to a CD full of old songs. Gillian was very taken with 'Streets of London' by Ralph McTell and 'Same Auld Lang Syne' by Dan Fogelberg. She concentrated hard to listen to the lyrics and said at last that she could not hear everything but thinks there are stories in there.

I agree.

Call me an old fogey but I like the old songs - simply because there are stories in there. I grew up on songs like "Tell Laura I Love Her" which had corny lyrics and told a cheesy story of a boy who loved a girl so much that he died in a stock car race to win the prize money to get her a diamond ring. Stupid chap. But it sure kept me round-eyed as a little girl. (Now you know where I get my diehard romantic streak from!) And who can forget songs like Conway Twitty's "Joni Please Don't Cry" which was about love lost, love that came too late.

Sure, today's songs do have stories but they are less of a narrative nature. And there's something about putting a story to music, seeing the story unfold before your mind's eye. I also think it is easier for someone learning a language to listen to narrative stories.

All this gives me an idea - to teach Gillian English using what she loves - song lyrics. Why not use this for listening comprehension, composition, vocab work?

I'll let her listen to it, read the lyrics, discuss the story, write out what she feels about the song, re-write the story in her own words in a short 'composition' and discuss the issues found in there eg in Ralph McTell's "Streets of London", the song speaks of loneliness - different types of loneliness, forgotten people, and also of optimism. Dan Fogelberg's "Same Auld Lang Syne" is poignant and speaks of yearning. Both deal with the issue of loneliness in different forms.

New project!! I like...