Adele gets Spotify to stop album shuffle: BBC News Review

Singer-songwriter Adele persuades Spotify

to change the shuffle option on albums.

Hello, this is News Review. I'm Rob

and this is coming to you from BBC Learning English.

And joining me today is Neil. Hi Neil.

Hello Rob and hello everyone.

If you want to test yourself on the vocabulary you hear in this programme,

there's a quiz on our website: bbclearningenglish.com.

Let's find out some more about that story, about Spotify and Adele,

from this BBC News bulletin:

So, the British singer-songwriter Adele has released a new album, called '30',

and she has asked Spotify for them to remove the shuffle function –

for that to appear automatically – she's asked for that to be removed

because she, like a lot of musical artists,

say they put a lot of time and effort

into deciding the running order – the list –

the order that the songs come in.

They think it's part of the artistic process

and that the shuffle ruins that.

She's asked Spotify to change it and they have.

Good. And you've picked three words and expressions

from newspaper headlines about this story, haven't you?

What are they?

I have. We have 'default',

'bows to' and 'obliged'.

That's 'default', 'bows to' and 'obliged'.

OK. Let's have a look at your first newspaper headline please.

Sure. The headline comes from the Times,

which is a British newspaper, and it reads:

That's 'default' – standard; first option.

Yeah. Now, Rob, you know when you get a new mobile phone?

Yeah.

Is it set up in exactly the way you like to use it?

No. No, never. It comes with 'default' factory settings.

It's how the company want it set up.

Yeah, that's right. That's the way that it's set up

and if you want to change it to the way you like,

what do you have to do?

Yeah, I personalise the settings. So, I set it up in a way that...

or the way I want to use it – not the 'default' settings, as you say.

Yeah. So, you personalise – or customise we often say as well – the settings.

The 'default' settings are the ones that... that come as standard.

And sometimes we see this word with 'by' at the beginning: 'by default'.

Yes. Right, and that's slightly different.

When we say that something has happened 'by default',

that means that there has been or there is no other option.

So, what we are left with is as a result of there being no choice.

No options, yeah – a bit like our BBC Learning English football match.

Something happened 'by default' there, didn't it?

Yes. We... we got together a BBC Learning English football team.

Nobody wanted to go in goal but Rob, being the kind of guy that he is –

he volunteered to be the goalkeeper,

so he kind of became the keeper 'by default'.

It wasn't really anybody's choice.

Didn't work out very well, did it, Rob?

No. Well, I'm not the best goalie in the world and I let in ten goals,

but that's what happens when I become goalie 'by default' of course.

It was a disaster.

Yes, yes. Ten – Nil.

Yes, if something happens 'by default', it's not always the best result

because, as we said, it's something that happened

through a lack of choice and option.

And there's a verb form of this word – is that right?

Yes, the verb 'to default'. We 'default on' something.

So, you can 'default on' a loan, for example, in financial terms:

it means that you didn't pay something that you were supposed to pay.

OK. Great. Thanks for that.

Let's have a summary of that word:

Now, many people think that Adele has a beautiful voice.

She sings really well, but apparently you don't have to sing in tune.

Well, that's according to a discussion with Georgina and Neil

on 6 Minute English and you can hear that discussion by... how, Neil?

You've just got to click on the link. Click on the link

to hear about singing even if you have a really bad voice.

Down – yeah, down below. Thank you.

Right, let's have a look at your next headline please.

Yes. The next headline comes from the Bangkok Post and it reads:

That's 'bows to' – agrees to someone's demands.

Yes, 'bows to' – a phrasal verb there –

as you say, agrees to someone's demands.

Now, it's useful to break this up.

The first part is 'bows' or 'bow' and if you 'bow', Rob, what do you do?

Yes. Well, I move from a higher position to a lower position: a bit like this.

I might do it if I bump into the Queen, for example.

If the Queen is out, walking out and about,

I am traditionally supposed to 'bow to' her

because she's in a, sort of... a higher position of authority.

She has more power than me.

Yes, that's right. So, in a lot of cultures

where 'bowing' takes place, it's a sign of respect:

you lower yourself to show that the other person is in some way superior,

sometimes just out of politeness.

But, used in this headline, in this expression, 'bow to' something,

it means to allow the other party, the other person,

to display their power over you.

Could we say we're 'giving in'? We're 'giving in' to the other power –

the other... the higher authority.

Yeah... another way of saying it is 'to give in'–

that means you let somebody else impose their demands on you.

So, Spotify 'bowed', figuratively, 'to' Adele.

It means that Adele had greater power in this situation.

And it's quite a formal phrase.

I mean, would I 'bow to' your demands –

if you asked me to make a cup of tea, would I 'bow to' you?

It would sound very over-the-top, very formal.

It's not really for little incidents like that.

You might use it ironically, to make it sound more important than it was.

OK. Thanks for that. Well, let's have a summary of that phrase:

So, that was 'bows to' – a phrasal verb –

and we have a whole programme about phrasal verbs.

It's English Class and you can watch that... well, tell us how, Neil.

Click the link below.

Down below. Thank you.

Right, let's have a look at your next newspaper headline please.

OK. The next headline comes from NPR,

the American radio station, and it reads:

So that's 'obliged' – agreed or forced to do something.

Yeah, it's basically: do what somebody asks you to do.

And in this expression, in this headline,

it means that Adele asked for this thing

and Spotify did what she asked:

they 'obliged', as a verb there.

And that comes from a noun word: an 'obligation' –

when you have to do something.

Yes. So, 'obligation' is the noun that describes this kind of situation.

So, for example, Rob,

you and I work for BBC Learning English

and therefore it is our 'obligation' to do News Review.

Indeed. Indeed. Yeah, it means we have to do it.

We could also say, could we, that we 'feel obliged' to do it,

as an adjective form – is that right?

'Feel obliged' to do something –

yes, it means that you feel that you have to do something.

You feel that it's your responsibility to do something.

And we also have this expression 'much obliged'.

Yes, it's got a... an old-fashioned expression, isn't it?

Tell us more about that.

Yeah, well, that's slightly different.

That is basically another way of saying 'thank you'.

So, if somebody does a favour for you, or does something for you,

and you feel 'obliged', you feel 'thanks' towards them,

we can say: 'Much obliged.'

Like if you help me out with my biscuit shortage

and you provided your biscuits,

I'd go: 'Much obliged, Neil.'

Exactly, Rob. Exactly.

That's a brilliant example, as ever.

Right. Well, 'much obliged' Neil.

Let's have a summary of that word:

OK. Neil, could you recap the vocabulary

that we've been talking about today please?

Yes. We had 'default' – standard; first option.

'Bows to' – is persuaded to do something.

And 'obliged' – agreed or forced to do something.

Thank you. And don't forget you can test yourself

on these words and expressions in a quiz that's on our website

at bbclearningenglish.com.

And don't forget – you can check us out on all the main social media platforms.

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for watching us.

See you again next time. Bye bye.

Goodbye.