This is the Business English Podcast episode 283.
Manic Monday, how native speakers reference music lyrics in conversation.
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Hey Michelle, I have a question for you today.
Lindsay, yeah, what's your question?
So do you have a favorite song about work or working?
I'm going to go with Dolly Parton 9 to 5.
That's a classic, right?
Lindsay, what about you?
Everyone loves Dolly Parton.
She's fantastic. She's done a lot of activist work that I've heard about recently.
And I don't know. Yeah, that's a good one.
That one has been getting stuck in my head lately, actually, for some reason.
Maybe it's just getting played more, but I really like the bangles, you know, manic Monday.
Sometimes just the phrase manic Monday comes into my mind on a Monday morning.
Luckily, I don't really feel that way about Mondays because I have the best job in the world.
You know, it's part of the culture.
So that's why we're going into it today.
That's right. Oh my gosh, we are going to have fun today with songs about work.
So we are going to share, we've already touched on a couple of them, but we're going to share some of the most popular songs about the workplace or just the idea of working hard.
So we are going to get to that today.
But if you haven't listened yet, head on over to episode 271 of the Business English Podcasts.
That was, oh, this was a fun one.
Can you spread the word how to ask it for marketing help in English?
Yeah, we go into lots of interesting topics in business guys.
So go find that episode and then hit the follow button right here, which I am excited to get into these.
What these having come in a lot of them, not all of them, but a lot of them are from kind of the 90s, right?
Or sorry, sorry, the 80s, like older, older, 80s, 70s, that sort of thing.
Yeah. We, yeah. And there are guys.
There are tons more, of course, and more modern ones as well.
But I wanted to use these specifically because they are more classics that you will hear pop into conversations.
So this is pop culture. This is important.
It's really good for connection.
We've talked about things like TV shows and movies and also politics, how to get certain catch phrases into your conversation.
So today we're going to do these work songs that are really good.
Yeah, 100%. So let's start with the first one.
And again, these are songs that have lyrics that are, you know, quoted are known in the English language in connection and communication.
Michelle. So that's why we're talking about them today.
So first one is nine to five by Deli Parton, as we said, right?
What do we need to know about this one?
Yeah, well, this is pretty much, you know, talking about I'm not going to say the lyrics.
We're not going to sing it for you guys.
You'll have to look it up.
But it's definitely. Yeah, we can't, unfortunately, I would love to sing it.
Yeah, I know. But nine to five, it's that typical working those hours of the day.
Yeah, and I think this also sort of marks.
Well, there was recently an episode on I think the journal about the 401k and how it might not be the best solution for helping Americans save for retirement.
And I think that's where they brought up this, the concept of the nine to five work day is an icon in the US, right?
And it wasn't always that way in the 1800s industrial revolution.
I think people worked, I think I was researching this recently.
I think they worked seven days a week, right?
And I think it's about a couple hours a day probably.
When did the nine to five come into style?
It definitely in the 1900s probably the mid 1900s is my guess.
You have to fact check here, but it's not always been that way.
Nine to five, the typical nine to five.
So the nine to five. Are you working a nine to five?
These are chunks in English.
Definitely, absolutely.
With somebody might say, Oh, I don't want the typical nine to five.
Right. That's a conversation.
Exactly. And it means a full time job.
When you say, do you do work a nine to five?
I'm asking you, do you work a full time job?
Like do you have a full time job?
Basically is what that means, right?
That are basically in those hours, right?
Because yeah, just that is what most of the working population.
Yeah, so the nine to five.
Okay, what else? Okay, this one is working for the weekend.
Do you know this one lens?
Yeah. Oh my God, I wish we could sing on this.
I know me too. It's very hard not to sing because it's in context, right?
The context of the song.
Yeah, working for the weekend by lover boy.
I'm pretty sure this is from the 70s or the 80s, right?
This has to be an 80s. Let me look it up right now.
Yeah, 82. Yeah, perfect.
Okay. So to work for something.
81 maybe, whatever, one of those.
Yeah, it's on the radio.
So if you watch a movie that came out in the early 80s, you might hear this the song.
You know, on the radio in the movie, that sort of thing.
Yes. Yeah, working. So, but what does that mean to work for the weekend?
So the idea again coming back to this.
95 idea or even a part time job, but you're just looking forward to the weekend.
You're really living for the weekend.
Okay. Yeah, right. And Lindsay, you talk a lot about how you don't want to be like that.
How you're not working for the weekend.
Yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong.
I love the one. Lindsay hates the weekend.
Lindsay hates the weekend.
And everybody. No, it's not true.
It's just that I don't dread.
I don't feel like it's I did feel like that in school, though.
It was just this big mountain.
I had to climb every week and then Wednesdays, hump day, right?
And you're finally over the hump of the week.
And it's just our journey.
You have to take it. Then you have to start over again on Monday morning.
No, I don't feel that anymore.
Thank goodness. But many people do.
And you want to have words to express this.
Right. Right. Exactly.
And well, this is another song that deals with that feeling, which was Lindsay, you brought up this manic Monday.
By the bangles. What is what do we mean by manic Monday?
So manic. Well, what is the word manic even mean, Michelle?
That's a good question.
I think it's a little like crazy, like a little hectic.
Yeah. Related mania. If I if I Google it says showing wild apparently deranged excitement energy.
So kind of like you just feel crazy on Mondays, everything is, you know, coming back to haunt you maybe your job.
So email inbox. Exactly.
So what does that website that we I think it's let's sing it.com where you can find internet lyrics database.
Let's sing it.com. If you go there and you turn this song on, which you can totally do follow the lyrics.
This would be a great one for like goes along with the lyrics.
Yeah. I didn't know. I'm just showing you.
Oh, I know what I'm doing the rest of the day.
I believe so. Yeah, you can find the lyrics and just follow along and you'll learn some nice chunks.
But manic Monday, common term.
We're going to show you how we do use it in language in just a minute.
Right. But what's another one, Michelle?
Okay. We're going to bring it forward.
Yeah, going to the 90s. Yeah, this is independent women part one by destinies child.
Lindsay, remember this one.
I do. Yeah, I forget how it goes.
But I can't tell you. Yeah.
Of the air. I'll sing it.
Yeah. And then yeah. So this one focuses on feminine feminism.
Right. Women working. She's independent.
She's earning her own paycheck.
She doesn't need the man.
Right. Exactly. Yes. Yeah.
And then the last one we're going to mention.
Lindsay, what is it? Taken care of business.
I feel like we're going back to the 80s again.
Right. Now we're going back.
Yeah. I don't know when the 80s are.
But yeah. Yeah. And this is by Bachman Turner overdrive.
And it's about getting work done again, a common phrase.
You could apply this even to doing yard work on a Saturday at your house.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
If you have some work to do, you know, yeah, you're.
Well, Lindsay, I know that both of us don't like to listen to music when we work.
But if we were doing work in the yard, maybe we could go on to take care of business.
Yeah. 100%. I feel like these songs.
I do wonder on a cultural level.
If there are as many songs and other cultures about work, you know, references to work because we're a very work oriented culture.
With a super productive economy, I guess, or at least until now we have been.
Yeah. Yeah. And I just wonder because I feel like the songs reflect the culture and the values of the culture.
Yeah. So that is that is that's interesting.
I mean, I overall, I feel that this music dealing with work, it has a lot of emotions to it.
I mean, it's a pride. Pride for your job, pride for taking money or even just this longing for the weekend, even this more apathetic feeling about your job, which is a feeling.
That's really good. So just this encapsulates so many different ways that people might feel about work.
That's a good point, Michelle.
So pride, apathy, longing, suffering, independence, for example, in the case of the Destiny's Child Song, women's rights.
There's a lot here. So you're not just quoting a lyric from any old song.
Yeah. When you're doing this, you're actually saying something, you're making a reference to something that people get what you're feeling is.
So yeah, in just a minute, we're going to actually show you how to do this, right?
Yeah. How to reference them or quote them.
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All right, Michelle. We're back.
So we've been alluding to this throughout the whole episode.
Why it matters what the songs are.
Let's show it in language.
Yeah, so just for example, so you could come in after a weekend and say, how's it going?
Oh, it's just another manic Monday, isn't it?
If things are a little bit crazy, that's actually that is a lyric from the song.
It's called manic Monday, but that's it's just another manic Monday.
I quote one part of the song.
Don't say I won't say. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
So that's directly from the song or another way you might shorten this.
You might say manic Monday, huh?
Yeah, something like that.
Yeah, people want to know what you're talking about.
People know exactly what you're talking about.
You're saying it's Monday.
You wish it were not Monday.
Yeah. And create a sense of connection with your coworker because you're in this together.
It's Monday for everyone.
This is the connection opportunity.
Yes, especially after a long weekend.
It can always that Monday can feel a little hectic.
So definitely. Yes. So good way to connect.
What's another way we could use another one.
I think we're all working for the weekend.
And again, this comes back to the song working for the weekend by lover boy.
Also from the 80s, we said.
So I mean, it's straightforward.
You're working together.
You're working hard. You might make this come into a colleague that you're working on a project with or something like that.
All right. And then the next one is so you can even reference just the artist.
People know what you're talking about.
You could say something like, where is Dolly Parton when you need some motivation for the work week.
I like that. That's higher level.
That's even higher level.
Yeah. We could do. Yes. There could be another episode we could do maybe over on all ears English about doing that.
Siting an artist. And then you don't even use the quote or the piece of art or whatever they created.
You actually just refer to a feeling by citing the artist.
That is super high level.
And we will do that. Michelle.
That's a good idea. It's showing it's showing that you have that confidence that people know the song.
So you're not even to say the song because you know that people know.
Yeah. And sometimes it can get a little too well to sing songy to say.
Right. Right. So you can feel a little laborious to just say, like, let me go and say the lyric instead.
Even cooler. You just say the artist.
And then everyone knows.
Right. Oh my gosh. Let's do that episode.
I'm super excited. How do you mean?
So you want to do how to use a celebrity to reference anything in a feeling of feeling an event.
It not just singers, but artists or builders, creators, celebrities.
I mean, there's so much we could do here.
Wow. All right. I don't know.
That might be an all ears English episode.
Let's make sure you hit all a follow on all ears English.
Yes. Yeah. And we're going to be talking more on all three shows about pop culture.
And we're going to be actually launching some exciting new quizzes coming out to test your pop culture knowledge.
Not your knowledge. Michelle, but our listeners.
To see because actually that's part of being an interesting conversationalist is referring to culture and culture as music movies podcast, politics, sometimes events, societal changes.
There's a lot there. I think that's so key.
I think it's everything really is to be able to get to that next level.
It just really, really will make you strong.
Yes. And feel confident with your speaking.
Yeah. So exciting. So guys, stay tuned to all those English and business English will let you know when the first quiz is available.
So. Michelle, we should let our listeners know though what is going on this summer for all ears English.
Oh, well, if you are taking a break from work or maybe you're going on a business trip and you need to write exactly.
So maybe you are on a plane on a lift tons of airlines or maybe you're going.
And let us come with you.
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It's incredible. But all ears English is included in in flight entertainment in Liftonza this summer guys.
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And what's our challenge for our listeners.
Michelle, what should they do?
We want to see pictures of you guys on Liftonza this summer.
We want to see a selfie with maybe the screen from that shows that you're listening to all there's English through Liftonza.
Love it. So send it into Lindsay at all ears English calm and we will make a board of all of our selfies will be super fun.
Michelle. Yeah. So excited.
Ready for a role play. I am ready.
Okay. So you are at your desk late on a Friday and I am walking out.
All right. Are you going home?
Yeah. Soon. I'm definitely working for the weekend.
So go home and joy. I have some stuff to finish.
Taking care of business.
Definitely. I'm an independent woman.
You know. Well, you better finish up soon because before you know it, it will be just another manic Monday.
I didn't use Dolly Parton.
I'm sorry, Dolly. Yeah.
And one thing that I noticed that's the consistent thread here is we're dropping the I and G and we're saying in.
So I actually wasn't in the script, but I did it.
I said, I'm definitely working for the weekend.
Working for the weekend.
And then you actually wrote it into our script.
And you said taking care of business.
Yeah. Yeah. So what? So what is the feeling when we're doing that?
It's kind of what? Well, we're playing off of each other.
It's almost like we're in a little cute competition of throwing out the songs.
And right in the context of our discussion.
Yeah. But also the fact that we're shortening the words instead of working and taking taking work in.
It to me, it feels kind of folksy kind of casual down to earth relating to each other.
We're not trying to elevate ourselves.
Yeah, we're kind of having fun.
Yeah. That's not having fun.
There should do it again.
We're having fun. So we'll talk about that in another episode, probably in all our English.
When we drop the I and G and make it in, what does that actually mean?
Right? Yeah. Super interesting.
Okay. So I said, you said, aren't you going home?
You know, it's Friday afternoon.
You said, yeah, soon. I'm definitely working for the weekend.
Yeah, that's like you just want it to be the weekend.
And I just said, go home and joy.
And then you said you have stuff some stuff to finish.
And I said, take and care of business.
Right. So you're saying that I'm working hard as sort of a compliment that you're making to me, right?
You're seeing, hey, you're working hard.
You're taking care of things.
Good job. Right. Right.
Right. Exactly. And then I said, definitely, I'm an independent woman, you know, this is referring to the destiny's child.
Right. It's not exactly.
Yep. And I said, well, you better finish up soon because before you know it, it will be just another manic Monday.
Yeah. So that is the bangles.
So first thing our listeners should do today.
Michelle, go and listen to these songs.
Yes. They're good. They're good.
They're good. They're all catching.
They're fun. They're catchy.
They're 80s. We love it.
Go listen and then check out the lyrics and learn with them and learn about the culture.
Right. Our culture has always been at least post World War II.
I guess our post industrial revolution.
We've always been very work forward.
We orient ourselves around our careers for better or for worse.
Right. Michelle. Yep. So that means it's in our music.
It's in our movies. It's in our lyrics.
That matters when you decide to use references.
Yeah. And you will also hear these songs in movies in TV shows.
Because especially ones that are about work.
You will you will hear these.
So these are very popular.
We gave you the most popular ones we could think of and let us know which one is your favorite.
Yeah, this has been a really fun episode.
Thanks for bringing this door.
Show Michelle. Oh, good.
All right. Well, thank you.
Thanks for chatting and thanks guys for listening.
Talk soon. Bye. All right.
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