This is an All Ears English podcast episode 1948.
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How to talk about music in English.
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Music means a lot to us as human beings.
How can you open a conversation about music with a native speaker in English?
Find out today plus get four recommendations on our favorite bands and why we love them.
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Hello, Aubrey.
How's it going today?
I'm great, Lindsay.
How are you?
Excellent.
Do you have a song in your heart right now?
Yes, there's this new song by Weezer called A Little Bit of Love that I listen to all the time.
It's such a it's just a feel good song puts me in a really good mood.
Very positive.
I love music that that makes me feel happy.
Oh, for sure.
I love music that kind of brings me back to a time you know, brings me back to a certain moment in my life, like high school graduation, college days, traveling the world.
Music can evoke so much in us.
Absolutely.
Right.
I agree.
I was excited.
We're answering a listener question today, you guys.
And I loved reading it because I love music.
I always have.
And Noran Muhammad commented on our YouTube video for the episode when we shared our TV recommendations and said we'd love to hear your recommendations for different types of singers too.
I'm excited because I have so many bands, so many singers that I would love to recommend.
Yeah, guys, don't forget this episode.
If you're listening on the podcast, it's also over on YouTube.
So go to YouTube, hit subscribe on our channel and check it out.
Now, did we talk about music anywhere else on other than the, well, we talked about TV.
What about music?
Yes.
I was able to interview Tommy with Learn English with Tommy.
If you missed it, this was over on the IELTS Energy podcast, but it was really interesting.
He gave a lot of recommendations that would be good for anyone on how to use music, books and film to learn English.
So great for students studying for IELTS, but for everyone listening.
It's so smart to be engaged, to increase engagement, right?
Listen to what you love.
That's our first tip for why.
Why should you learn English through reading music lyrics and listening to songs?
Yeah.
And I think, broadly speaking of music you know, as the connection skill to get to know someone.
People do kind of not in a negative way, but they judge you, they size you up based on what you say, who you say.
Your favorite bands are
I like that expression, Aubrey, size you up.
What does that mean?
Kind of determine something about your personality or what type of person you are.
It's true.
Our music tastes do kind of say something about us, right?
And it also helps us see what we have in common with others.
It is a bridge for connection.
When you ask someone what type of music they listen to, you find out a band that you both love.
It's such a fun bonding moment.
It's also kind of a generational bonding moment because I know there's a friend of mine here, a family friend here in Denver is about my age.
I think she's just a year older than me and she loves Pearl Jam.
But people in our circle who are 10 years younger than us.
They don't like Pearl Jam because it's just another generation, so kind of we share that as a laugh, kind of.
Oh yeah, pearl jam like it makes me feel like i connect with her on an age basis.
Do you know what i mean?
Yes, and then together you could maybe um, have a little jab at like the new pop or rock or rap, that you're like boy bands or whatever it was then and what it is now.
Right exactly, Exactly.
Yes, I agree.
So this is going to be fun.
We're going to first giving you three reasons that you should be learning English through music.
The first I just shared, like this is such a good way to increase engagement, right?
You want to enjoy learning English.
And we've talked about how that means choosing books and TV shows that you love and find interesting.
Same for music.
If you can find music in English, that's your type of music.
You're going to enjoy listening to those songs, reading the lyrics.
It keeps your brain engaged.
Oh my gosh, it's huge.
It's huge.
And then the second reason, Aubrey, is because we get idioms, we get expressions, right?
Exactly.
Slang, interesting phrases metaphors idioms, songs are full of this where musicians are trying to be a little poetic, a little interesting in the way they're bringing across their message.
So you learn so much great vocab.
Yeah, I remember when I taught in New York City, I used to use Hotel California a lot in my classes.
Like we would print out the lyrics and I used to use ironic Alanis Morissette to try to talk about irony.
And that's always...
It's always a hard thing to teach, even with the song, right?
And I did the same in French, where I would get like French rap or interesting French songs.
And my high school students were so engaged because they loved music.
They were excited to listen to some music in French.
And so the same thing.
Yeah, like your English students, it's such an interesting way to learn new vocab.
And it's just fun.
We just like hearing music.
It just feels good to the ears, you know?
Absolutely.
And so the third thing is pronunciation.
Singing along, reading the lyrics, hearing the musician sing it can also help with your pronunciation.
So not only is it fun, but you're getting these great pronunciation classes just by singing along to music.
All right.
So in today's episode, you guys are going to get some of our personal recommendations, right?
So you can size us up and understand who we are as people.
So Aubrey, give it to us.
What is your number one recommendation?
My number one is the Avett brothers.
It's spelled A-V-E-T-T.
There are two brothers and it's a very much a bluegrass folk type of sound which is a little bit like American country, but sort of older sounding.
And really quick, just to talk about those types of music.
You're going to hear classical, traditional instruments, right?
There's a lot of banjo ukulele, harmonica drums.
Sometimes they play the saw, where it's just like a saw you would cut a tree and they're playing it like an instrument.
So it's this sort of older sounding classical, acoustic type sound.
Yeah, i think about the differences between bluegrass and country in my mind.
For some reason bluegrass is a little cooler.
That might be because i'm not a country music listener, but it's got some.
It's got some appalachia to it.
It makes me think a little bit of nashville although of course country music comes from nashville but but it makes me think of cool kind of backwoods, but also cool at the same time.
Hip but also sort of I don't know.
How would you describe bluegrass?
It has a certain something.
This is an interesting native expression where we'll say it just has a certain something, when we don't quite know how to put our finger on something.
I agree.
It has this cool, unique sound.
So I feel like country music all originated from the same sound, like what you're talking about that kind of backwoods with just these very basic instruments.
And then it sort of splintered off to become folk music, bluegrass, or that country, American country that we think of more with like the South in the United States yeah and they each have a very distinct sound now and we hear a sound and you'd say like okay that's country western or that's bluegrass right but it's a little hard to describe because they're sort of using the same instruments but the lyrics sort of change and the style has changed Well, I was going to say, could some of it be a little less twangy, number one, but country music has also become a little less twangy.
But I wonder if some of it is the lyrics, the focus of the story, because a lot of country music is really just um, it's about like kind of tragedy sort of sometimes, or like a truck and this and my dog and this.
This kind of thing does seem to have certain themes, right.
I feel like bluegrass is a little less like that.
Yes, I agree.
And it's interesting to see how some of them merge, right?
Some bands will pull in aspects of all of it because no one is really pigeonholed.
Like we say, no one is really stuck in a certain genre or certain style.
So sometimes they experiment and one album will sound more country and then the next one will sound more folk or bluegrass.
So it's interesting.
But Avett Brothers is very much indie folk.
Some people would call it bluegrass.
I want to recommend it to you guys because, first of all, it's just beautiful.
The two songs i would recommend listening to first are i and love, and you is the song, and the second one is head full of doubt.
The lyrics are very easy to understand right, because it's more of an acoustic sound with the music.
It's beautiful with the instruments, but you can understand the lyrics.
So you do want to, it's always good to follow along with the lyrics that you can find online.
But most of these songs, you are going to understand the lyrics as they sing.
It's a little more of like a talking style with the singing.
A little more approachable.
A lot of people say the reason they love country music, and maybe bluegrass too, is that they can relate to the lyrics.
Right.
They feel like it's talking about their own lives.
Yes.
And I think you're going to find that with these songs.
Right.
It is about love and these two songs and about doubting yourself and things that it's the human experience.
Everything experiences these.
Yeah, exactly.
Okay, what else, Aubrey?
So my second recommendation is a band that I've loved since I was very young.
My first CD was Weezer.
I talked about that new song, A Little Bit of Love.
They're a very prolific band, which means they come out with so much music multiple albums each year.
And they've done so since 1992.
They have so many albums.
My two top recommendations are two of their newest songs, that one, A Little Bit of Love.
And the second one's called All My Favorite Songs, which that continues.
And it says all my favorite songs are slow and sad, which I love because it's like a rock song and it's pretty poppy.
But the message is like, all my favorite songs are really slow and sad.
But it's such an irony song.
It's really funny.
I don't think I know Weezer, but that doesn't mean anything.
My music knowledge is very, very shallow.
I'm ashamed sometimes.
People ask me, what do you like to listen to?
Like, oh, I don't know.
Here's a few bands.
I'm not a huge music person, to be honest, and I should be.
I listen to podcasts when I'm walking, not so much music music, but i should.
Are you usually listening to music or podcast or nothing?
When you're, i think you go for a walk.
I think a pretty even blend, right.
If i'm running, for sure, music with a beat that keeps me going.
Um, i do like a stationary bike, the peloton and also music while the teacher.
Yeah, But if I'm just on a kind of a leisurely stroll, I'm going to put on a podcast, or if I'm driving, I'm going to listen to a podcast.
So I get a pretty even blend of both.
Interesting.
OK, good to know.
Good to know.
Well, these are good recommendations.
So your number one, it's Avid Brothers, right?
Not Avid.
Avid.
Avid Brothers and then Weezer.
Oh, okay.
And that one's definitely rock and roll, right?
Weezer's kind of pop rock.
I don't like, but it just says rock when I looked it up online.
So I have a feeling Weezer would not call themselves pop at all.
It's definitely more just like classic rock and roll, but also really great melodies and beats, because I don't love all rock and roll, but I love a Weezer.
I love it.
All right.
Well, I could make a recommendation here, Aubrey.
Should I go ahead and throw it out there?
Yes.
I want to hear two from you as well, Lindsay.
I think we should share two.
Okay.
So one band that I really love is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
So I just saw a special on him last night on the news.
I think he passed away a few years ago.
Yes.
But their last tour happened in San Francisco.
And just the way they were interviewed and what the band said about playing.
It feels like their music is very pure and that they love it for the music.
Not so much for the fans or for being rock stars on tour.
They actually love the music itself.
I get that feeling when I listen to Tom Petty.
I feel like and the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I always loved them.
It's very melodic and a lot of emotion, right?
I feel the feels that they're feeling when they sing.
So that makes sense to me.
Exactly.
And for me, a big part of why I love Tom Petty is more the time in my life when I was really listening to him heavily.
And that was in high school when I got my first car.
Right.
And he has all these fun songs that kind of make you want to drive driving music, road trip music.
Yes, so many times with my friends being the first driver among all my friends and just going out there on the open road and getting that freedom.
So for me, tom petty is freedom.
Yeah oh, i love that.
I love the word heartbreakers in their title.
This is kind of a very idiomatic word, right.
To talk about someone being a heartbreaker really just means that they're very good looking and like people like them.
Like they easily be like, oh, she's going to be a heartbreaker.
We say that about kids that are like cute or whatever.
And you know they're going to grow up and like break a lot of hearts, meaning they're gonna probably like date a lot of people and then leave them by the wayside, exactly.
And and the lyrics are thoughtful yeah, it's just pure music in some way for me.
Yeah, i would say that.
And then the second recommendation aubry, is credence clearwater, revival.
All the names of the bands i like are kind of long names but Interesting names.
CCR.
We call them CCR.
And they've done some songs like Fortunate Son.
Grapevine.
Heard it through the grapevine.
I'm not sure if they were the original creators of that one.
Or if it was a cover.
I don't know if it was a cover.
But check them out.
So I would put them into the classic rock category.
I've had people try to tell me it's country, but I don't buy that.
I agree.
It's classic rock because my dad hates country and he listened to CCR.
So it must be classic rock.
So it sounds like you and I both connected with our dads over CCR.
Same with me.
I remember being in the car, listening to CCR with my dad coming back from skiing.
So again, music goes back to our connections with people actually.
And that's something you guys could tie into your conversations with native speakers around music.
Absolutely.
Right.
Music, especially what you listen to when you were younger, brings up so much nostalgia.
I'm the same.
I think about hanging out with my dad, listening to CCR because he had it on all the time.
And that is such a great thing to ask people about.
What kind of music did you listen to as a kid?
Has it changed?
What do you listen to now?
This is such an interesting topic of conversation.
Yeah, this is so good.
So what should we leave our listeners with today?
We've covered a few bands here and talked about styles of music, bluegrass, country, classic rock.
Where should we leave our listeners?
Yeah, we definitely recommend you listen to music in English to improve your engagement with what you're listening to, but also your vocabulary, your pronunciation.
Get recommendations from many different English speakers from different cultures, as well as other language learners who are also listening to music in English.
I feel like everyone will have a great recommendation for music.
Yeah, they absolutely will.
And share your personal connections with this music.
Don't overshare.
Don't share too much.
Make sure you see the other person and see if they're engaged.
Are they interested in what you're saying?
But ask them too.
What's your connection with this song?
When did you first hear it?
When did you like to listen to it?
Were you a teenager?
Were you a young adult?
Right?
Get into that stuff.
This is the stuff of connection, Aubrey.
Yes, absolutely.
I think one of my favorite questions for someone to ask me is about what music I like or if I have a recommendation.
I get so excited about it.
Music and podcast.
I get so excited to recommend something.
So I think that's one of the best things you can ask a coworker, a friend, a family member is to ask them can you recommend?
You know music.
Can you tell me what's something new that I should be listening to?
Or what's something maybe I missed from the past?
Yeah, this is a true connection skill.
So guys, if you want more connection skills here at All Ears English, we focus on connection, not perfection.
How can we use English not to obsess over our mistakes or to curl up, but to connect with who's right in front of us in any given moment?
Then hit, follow on, All Ears English to get more episodes like this one.
Aubrey.
Awesome.
Thanks for hanging out.
Talk to you soon.
See you later.
Bye.
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