Learning English

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Try our new music series - My Song, My Home

Download a free 6 Minute English worksheet

Download a free transcript!

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Introduction

Ever wanted to be a musician? Learn about life as a musician from some people around the UK who want to be successful musicians. Hear one of their songs and learn some useful vocabulary with Neil and Pippa.

This week's question

Which artist has the most number one songs in the UK charts? Is it:

a)    The Beatles
b)    Ed Sheeran
c)    Elvis Presley

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

open mic nights
events where anyone can sing or play music

songwriters' circles
meetings for people interested in writing their own music

a bunch of people
a group of people

take (someone) under your wing
protect or guide someone

busking
performing in a public place for money

busker
someone who performs on the street or in public places

main earner
main source of income

gigs
musical concerts

owe a lot (to someone or to something)
have success or happiness because of that person or thing

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Pippa
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Pippa.

Neil
And I’m Neil.

Pippa
Now, Neil, have you ever wanted to be a musician?

Neil
Oh yes, Pippa, I still want to be a musician. I've been playing my guitar since I was 14.

Pippa
Wow. Well, maybe one day you'll, you'll manage it. Who knows?

Neil
What about you?

Pippa
I don't think I'd like to be a musician. I think it would be a bit stressful. Especially if you had lots of fans and were really successful.

Neil
Yeah. I wonder what life as a musician is actually like? We’ll be finding that out in this programme as we hear from some people around the UK who would like to become successful musicians, and we’ll even listen to some of their music too.

Pippa
But first, I have a question for you, Neil.

In the UK, we have a weekly chart of the best-selling songs in the country. And the top selling song is called the number one. But which musical artist do you think has had the most UK number one songs?

a) The Beatles
b) Ed Sheeran
c) Elvis Presley

Neil
Oh well, I think that's easy. It must be, surely, The Beatles.

Pippa
Well, I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

Now, getting a number one song is a dream for many musicians. But if you want to become a musician, where do you start?

Bailey Tomkinson
I grew up in a really rich music scene in St Ives. I was going to open mics from the age of about 11.

Neil
This is Bailey. She lives in St Ives in Cornwall on the south-west coast of England. She says she was going to open mic nights from a young age. Open mic nights are events where anyone can sing or play music.

Pippa
Bailey talked about her life as a musician to BBC Learning English programme My Song, My Home.

Bailey Tomkinson
I would go to these songwriters' circles at the Kettle and Wink on, like, a Friday night after school where I'd be, like, the youngest person by, like, 50 years. But I'd sit in a circle with a bunch of old men, and they'd play James Taylor and Carole King and The Eagles and lots of 70s music, and I guess that's influenced me massively. But I guess, you know, everyone kind of took me under their wing growing up.

Neil
When she was younger, Bailey went to songwriters' circles. These are meetings for people interested in writing their own music.

Pippa
Bailey remembers sitting with a bunch of old men. A bunch is an informal way to talk about a group of people.

Neil
The older men in the group would play music from the 1970s, and Bailey says they took her under their wing. If you take somebody under your wing you decide to protect them or guide them.

Pippa
Let’s meet another musician, Josh.

Josh Robinson
So, I learnt my first proper song on guitar when I was about 13. I literally started busking the moment I could kind of do that.

Pippa
Josh lives in London and is a busker. This means that he performs on the street or in public places to earn money.

Neil
Busking is a common way for musicians to make money and perform to more people. And as Josh told BBC Learning English programme My Song, My Home, it can help musicians to get new opportunities.

Josh Robinson
It's been kind of like my main earner that's kept me going for the last ten or so years. From that, it's then got me various different opportunities. It's got me all my gigs, it's got me all my connections. So I owe a lot to busking.

Pippa
Busking is Josh’s main earner, it’s his main source of money.

Neil
He says that busking has got him all his gigs and connections. Gigs are musical concerts. It’s an informal, slang word.

Pippa
Josh says he owes a lot to busking. If you owe a lot to someone or something, you have success or happiness because of that person or thing.

So, would you like to listen to some of Josh’s music, Neil?

Neil
Of course I would.

Pippa
Well, here’s a bit of his song That Side of the Wall, which he performed for BBC Learning English programme My Song, My Home.

Clip from song
Can you leave me something
Can you leave it by the door
So I know there's something
Or someone
That side of the wall

Stop the heat from coming
'Cause I always liked the cold
I need some belonging
Or someone
That side of the wall

Neil
Wow. Josh is pretty good, isn't he?. I’d love to hear more.

Pippa
Well you can find performances by the musicians in the series on our website – bbclearningenglish.com. We’ll also put a link in the notes below this episode!

Neil
OK. So, what about your question, Pippa?

Pippa
Yes, I asked which artist had the most number one songs in the UK charts? The Beatles, Ed Sheeran or Elvis Presley?

And you said The Beatles, Neil. But the answer is actually Elvis Presley. He's had 21 number one songs and The Beatles have had 18.

Neil
Really? Well that's OK, I love 'the King' as well.

Pippa
OK.

Neil
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned in this musical episode, starting with open mic nights, events where anyone can sing or play music.

Pippa
Songwriters' circles are meetings for people interested in writing their own music.

Neil
A bunch of people is a group of people.

Pippa
The expression take someone under your wing means to protect or guide someone.

Neil
Busking is performing in a public place for money, and a busker is someone who performs on the street for money.

Pippa
Your main earner is your main source of income.

Neil
Gigs are musical concerts.

Pippa
And the expression to owe a lot to someone or something, means to have success or happiness because of that person or thing.

Neil
Once again our six minutes are up, but you can find My Song, My Home on our website – bbclearningenglish.com. Watch the songs and sing along, and learn more about the vocabulary in the lyrics!

Pippa
We’ll see you again soon for some more trending topics and useful vocabulary. Bye for now!

Neil
Goodbye!