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Tuning into the rhythms of English

Here we say how valuable it is to listen to English-language songs if you want to improve your spoken English. The songs that are the most valuable are those you like and listen to a lot - those are the songs that really "get under your skin". The song we've chosen here ("Starz in their eyes" by Just Jack) demonstrates the sort of thing we're talking about.

By the way, when we talk about the stress pattern of a sentence we are referring to the way certain sounds in the sentence are given extra emphasis when the sentence is said aloud.

There are three audio files in this activity, plus the lyrics of the song with some notes to explain the words and phrases that are a bit tricky.


Intro: The value of songs for language students.

The song by Just Jack.

Lyrics

Just Jack - Starz In Their Eyes

They'll be making sure you stay amused
They'll fill you up with drugs and booze1
Maybe you'll make the evening news

And when you're tripping2 over your dreams
They'll keep you down by any means
and by the end of the night you'll be stifling3 your screams

Since you became a VIPerson4
It's like your problems have all worsened
Your paranoia casts aspersions5
On the truths you know

And they'll just put you in the spotlight
And hope that you'll do alright
Or maybe not

Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
So why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Starz in their eyes?

Remember they said you'd show them all
Emphasise the rise and not the fall
And now you're playing a shopping mall

Your mum and dad they can't believe
What you appear to have achieved
While the rest of these users are just laughing in their sleeves

Since you became a VIPerson
It's like your problems have all worsened
Your paranoia casts aspersions
On the truths you know

And now the tabloids6 use your face
To document your fall from grace
And then they'll tell you that that's just the way it goes7
That's just the way it goes

Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
It's the same old story well they just didn't realise
And it's a long way to come from the Dog and Duck8 karaoke machine
And Saturday night's drunken dreams

Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
It's the same old story well they just didn't realise
And it's a long way to come from your private bedroom dance routines
And Saturday night's drunken dreams

Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
So why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
Starz in their eyes?

Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?
It's the same old story well they just didn't realise
And it's a long way to come from the Dog and Duck karaoke machine
And Saturday night's drunken dreams

(When I grow up i wanna be famous)


Notes on the song
  1. "Booze" is a slang word for alcoholic drinks.
  2. You "trip" when you fall or nearly fall over something that is in your way.
  3. You "stifle" a scream or a yawn, for instance, when you try to stop yourself from doing it perhaps because you don't want others to know you want to scream or yawn.
  4. Normally we just say "V.I.P." (i.e. vee eye pee) meaning very important person, but Just Jack change this so the phrase fits better with the music.
  5. You "cast aspersions" when you make criticisms of someone that might damage their reputation.
  6. Tabloids are low-quality newspapers (those that like to print gossip, for instance).
  7. Instead of saying "that's life" when things are not going well, you can say "that's just the way it goes".
  8. British pubs often have names like"the dog and duck".

Lines worth talking about a bit more

Discuss these phrases to try to work out what they refer to in the song:

  1. you'll make the evening news
  2. tripping over your dreams
  3. they'll just put you in the spotlight
  4. to document your fall from grace
  5. your private bedroom dance routines

Looking at the stress patterns in the song.