Tag Archives: song

Nothing Else Matters

General, Music, Students' Corner, ,

This is the speech given in class by Olaya Cruz, a student in the Pre-intermediate level. Thank you very much Olaya, it was  beautifully done. 

“Nothing else matters” is a song written in 1991 by Metallica, a band of Thrash metal. This song is considered the best hit in history of metal ballads.

James Hetfield, vocals and guitar of Metallica wrote this song. It was written when he was talking on the phone with his girlfriend. While he was talking to her, at the same time he was playing the strings of his guitar at random with the other hand. He heard a rhythm that he really loved, so he hang up and started to compose this beautiful song.

James initially wrote this song for his family, for the homesickness because he spent almost all his life in tours and concerts -he says in the song “so close no matter how far”- so he couldn’t dedicate so much time to them

In the beginning he didn’t want to publish this song because he considered it very personal, but Kirk Hammett, another member of Metallica, listened to it and loved it, so finally they decided to include the song in the “Black Album”.

This song was played with the Symphonic Orchestra of San Francisco and it was also played in a concert dedicated to Fredie Mercury when he died.
Since this song has been published a lot of artists, like Apocalyptica, Lucie Silvas and White Raven recorded new versions of the original song.

Nowadays this song is considered, according to James H. a song dedicated to all his fans who fall in love.

Tons of music

Audio, Music, Students' Corner, , ,

This link was sent to me some days ago by one of my students, Jose Manuel Hildalgo. Many thanks to you for sharing!!  Add it to your favourites if you are keen on music, and even if you are not, to learn some English.

How does it work? Easy !! Just click on any  letter of the alphabet, and a list of all the singers whose name begins with this letter will be displayed . Click on the one you want, (strictly forbidden to click on any singer other than the English -speaking ones) and the screen will be filled with the lyrics of the song on one side and the video on the other one.

 

 

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Music on my Mind

Music, Students' Corner,

I am one of those teachers who think that playing music is as good a way to improve listening as it is playing any other piece of information.
That’s why every Monday you’ve been doing listening based on lyrics. It’s not always easy to choose the song and even more difficult to choose which lines you will be able to understand. What’s more, I’m also quite aware of the fact that the music I like is probably not everyone’s cup of tea (I know, I know… you’ve never complained). So , now it’s your turn. Have you been listening to some tracks lately and thought… “Cristina should be playing this track” ?
Yes…. Then, let me know. Send me a reply to this post with your suggestion. It should include the following information

Singer/ Band:
Song Title
A few lines:

and thanks for your help. This blog is written for you and with you.

Pixie Lott … fit as a fiddle and other music related idioms

Music, Word of the Day, , ,

Although I can’t say I’m a music junkie I spend a lot of my time listening to music. The kind of music I listen to largely depends on my mood.N ormally, on my way to work I’m full of energy and anticipation so the songs I like listening to are of that kind … but when I am coming back home I need something a bit more relaxing, so I go for classical music, ballads, chill out … and all that jazz. And sometimes if my day’s been crap and I have to think about the best way to face the music, then I appreciate the silence.

Anyway, what I want to say is that I like this chick. I think she’s got a very nice voice, powerful but sweet at the same time .. When I first listened to her, her voice kind of struck a chord; she is somewhere between Amy Winehouse and Kate Perry with a touch of Dufy. Her first album has just been released and I anticipate it’s going to sell like hot cakes.
Her debut single ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh Uh Oh)‘ was a success but, in my humble opinion, there are other very good tracks. By the way, her album is called Turn it Up.


Want to see what these idioms mean ?
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/cat/23.html

As we are learning about the weather..

In the Computer Room, Lesson Plan: Advanced, Listening, ,

As we are learning about the weather …I thought it might be a good idea to teach with rhythm.
It’s Raining Men was originally recorded by The Weather Girls ,who were the duo formed by Martha Wash and Izora Rhodesand. The song went number 1, selling over 6million copies worldwide. Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross were both offered this song and turned it down, I guess they are still regretting it.

 

Geri Halliwell, formerly a member of The Spice Girls, also recorded this song in 2001. Her version was used on the soundtrack to the movie Bridget Jones’ Diary. When released, the single shot straight to number 1 for 2 weeks.
If you want to do the listening we did in class, click here https://www.cristinacabal.com/advanced/itsrainingmen1.htm

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