Songwriting - 6 Minute English

Hello.

This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

[Singing] Du du dum dum!

Da-da-da!

What's that song you're singing, Neil?

Is it The Rolling Stones?

Well, I've had this song stuck

in my head all day!

It's a real earworm – you know,

a song you keep hearing over

and over again in your head.

Well, The Rolling Stones, for example,

are famous for their catchy songs.

But writing a memorable song isn't easy.

Not only do you have to write a good tune,

you also need to match it to

the lyrics - the words of the song.

In this programme, we'll be discussing

the art of songwriting –

combining lyrics and music

to make a hit song.

And of course,

we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

But first I have a question for you, Neil.

Every week from 1964 until it

ended in 2006, the BBC television programme,

Top of the Pops, had a countdown of the

most popular songs in the British music charts,

from number forty up to number one.

So who's had the most number

one hit songs in the UK over

the years?

Is it:

a) The Rolling Stones?

b) The Beatles?

or,

c) Elvis Presley?

You're showing your age there, Sam

– those musicians were famous decades ago!

I'm going to go for c),

the King of rock'n'roll, Elvis Presley.

OK, Neil.

I'll reveal the answer

later in the programme.

Professor Adam Bradley is

the author of The Book of Rhymes,

a study into the lyrics of hip-hop music.

He knows a lot about how words

and music combine to make hit songs.

When he spoke to BBC Radio 4 programme,

Word of Mouth, the presenter,

Michael Rosen, asked Adam what

music he was listening to at the moment.

These days I have a little

bit of a nostalgic streak,

so I go back to some of the

earliest music that mattered to me

as a young person, music that

my mother played for me, things

like Crosby, Stills and Nash

'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'...

things like the earliest music

that I discovered as an independent

tastemaker for myself, things like

De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

Adam says he's currently listening

to the music his mother played

him when he was young because

he has a nostalgic streak -

an affectionate feeling for

a happy time in the past.

His mum liked 1960s American

singer-songwriters like Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Adam is also listening to hip-hop

groups like De La Soul -

the music he chose when he started

finding his own taste in music,

becoming a tastemaker for himself.

A tastemaker is someone who influences

what is considered fashionable

or popular at the moment.

As well as hip-hop, Adam also

loves rock'n'roll music, and

– like me – is a big fan of The Rolling Stones

whose singer, Mick Jagger, and guitar player,

Keith Richards, are two of the most

successful songwriters ever.

Here Adam tells BBC Radio 4's,

Word of Mouth, how the rock stars

worked together to write

some of the best known songs

in rock'n'roll history:

Often Keith Richards would

go on one of his historic benders

and wake up with a recording device

next to him in the morning

where he had put the melody down

for a song, and had the chord structure

and everything in place.

And he might take that to Mick,

and Mick would listen through

and he would write lyrics...

And in Mick's mind, as he said

in an interview once,

he would impose his melodies as a singer

on Keith's chord structure.

So there would be this give and

take, this tension.

Keith Richards is famous

for going on benders –

a period of time spent in heavy

alcohol drinking and non-stop partying.

During these, he often thought up

the chord structure for a song.

A chord is three or more musical

notes played together, so

a chord structure is a sequence

of chords played one after the other.

Later, Mick Jagger would listen

to the music Keith had thought up,

and write lyrics to match.

Adam describes this relationship

as give and take – a compromise

where you are willing to accept

suggestions from another person

and give up some ideas of your own.

Mick and Keith's legendary friendship

has certainly been up and down over

the years, and there's no doubt

they've written some of the best

rock songs ever.

But have they been

top when it comes to number one hits?

It's time to reveal the answer to my question…

Yes, you asked who has had the

most number one hits in the UK music charts,

and I said it was Elvis Presley.

Which was... the correct answer, Neil!

With twenty-one number one hits, Elvis,

the King of rock'n'roll,

is the most successful chart-topper,

followed by The Beatles with seventeen number ones,

and further down the list,

The Rolling Stones with eight.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've

learned starting with earworm -

a song that you can't stop hearing

over and over in your head.

A nostalgic streak is an affectionate

or bittersweet feeling you have

for a happy time in the past.

A tastemaker is a person that influences

what people think is popular

or fashionable at the moment.

If you go on a bender,

you spend time drinking alcohol heavily.

A chord structure is a

sequence of musical chords.

And finally, give and take between

two people is a compromise in which

they are willing to accept suggestions

from each another, and give up

some of their own ideas.

Don't forget that there is

more to BBC Learning English than

6 Minute English!

Why not try

to improve your vocabulary through

the language in news headlines?

Try the News Review video on our website

or download the podcast.

And, of course, we have a free app –

it's full of useful programmes and

activities to help you improve your English.

Once again, our six minutes are up.

Bye for now!

Bye!