In this video, you’ll learn how to turn world-famous singers
into your very own English teachers.
It may sound hard to believe, but it is totally possible!
I'm Ashley, from X3English self-learning platform,
simple, effective, and successful for everyone.
Today I will tell you about 11 idioms that appear in famous English pop songs
So, stay tuned.
Okay, let’s get stared!
As I said before, we’re going to look at some common idioms found in popular English songs.
Speaking of music, one method many English teachers highly recommend
is learning the language through songs, where you will often hear idioms used.
This is why we want to show you how to make pop-sensations
like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry your personal English teachers.
For each idiom, we’ll see how and why it’s used in the song,
and I’ll also give an additional example of the idiom.
Ready to rock n’ roll?
Country princess and Grammy-award winning singer,
Taylor Swift, has made a name for herself through her many hit-songs,
recognized around the world.
The catchy song, Blank Space is among them.
So, it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames.
Let’s look at our first idiom.
Go down in flames
Go down in flames can be understood as "dropped and burned.
It means failure or a totally unexpected ending.
For example: The woman’s marriage goes down in flames
after the big fight between her and her husband.
This phrase can also be used to describe the failure of someone's career:
He was once a top athlete,
but his career went down in flames when he was caught using drugs.
How does Taylor Swift make something so sad sound so good? Right?
Next we will move on to idiom number 2,
which can be heard in another one of Swift’s songs:
Ooh, we called it off again last night.
But ooh, this time I'm telling you, I'm telling you.
Can you guess which song this idiom appeared in?
It's the hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".
The idiom ‘Call it off’ in the song expresses the ending of the relationship.
Taylor Swift decided to ended and "call it off" with her boyfriend
because he doesn't treat her well.
This idiom: Call it off
It's also used in work and life to express postponing or cancelling something.
For example: The organizer of the concert decided to call it off because it was raining heavily.
Now that you understand "call it off"
let’s continue with the next idiom.
The next idiom comes from a song
that was on the soundtrack of the movie, Hunger Games!
It’s considered one of Taylor Swift’s best ballads.
It’s called, safe and sound.
Come morning light You and I'll be safe and sound
"Safe and sound" means that you are in good condition,
unharmed and have not been in any recent accidents.
You also use "Safe and sound" when talking about the end of a trip.
For example, if you were to call your mom after travelling,
you would say, “Hi mom, don’t worry. I have made it to Paris safe and sound”
Or when welcoming a friend after their long journey,
you could say: " I'm glad you arrived, safe and sound. "
We’ve now looked at idioms in famous songs written by Taylor Swift.
Let’s move on to our next American artist, Lady Gaga!
In addition to her controversial fashion sense,
she has been known to top many world music charts.
Her song, Poker Face, became an instant hit and is interestingly enough,
the next phrase you’ll be learning..
Poker face
Can't read my, can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
Have you ever played poker?
What if there is a good card, or an extremely bad card?
If you’ve played before, you know you cannot show any emotion whatsoever.
Otherwise, it would give up your hand.
If you say someone has a "poker face"
it means it is difficult to read their feelings through their facial expressions.
In the song "Poker face," Lady Gaga said that a man cannot read her face,
which makes it very hard for the man to understand her.
Example: Let's say you get a new haircut, and excitedly ask for your friend's opinion,
but she responded: Oh, it looked nice.
She says it in a way that you can't really read.
You're not sure if she really likes it or not.
Because, she may have on her Poker face. How confusing.
Anyway, let’s move on to number 5!
So, we’ve looked at some songs from Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
Our next artist has equally catchy songs and a very admirable music career.
This talented artist is Katy Perry!
Perry reached her height of fame after releasing fun tunes,
one of them being an instant hit-song, ‘Roar’.
The first verse of the song starts with our fifth idiom, which is:
Bite my tongue
Did Katy Perry mean she literally bit her tongue?
Ouch! It sounds very painful right?
Luckily she didn’t actually do it.
In fact, in English, if you say "I'm going to bite my tongue"
It means you are silent, even though you really want to say something.
You also use the idiom to to avoid problems or confrontation.
For example, let’s say a woman buys a dress and asks her significant other,
like her boyfriend or husband, if he likes it.
Maybe he doesn’t like the color or the style
but he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings,
so he would bite his tongue, meaning keep quiet, and tell her it’s lovely.
Remember though, speaking this phrase aloud should only be used in informal communication
you should not use it in work situations.
Okay, moving on to number 6
The sixth idiom we’re going to talk about can also be heard in Katy Perry’s song ROAR
Hold my breath
Often times this idiom is used in the negative, for example:
If we think that something will not really happen,
we say: "don't hold your breath" or "I wouldn't hold my breath."
Let’s say you are waiting for your friend, Sally, to arrive to your birthday party.
You say to the people at the party that you hope Sally will be on time.
Your friends then reply, “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
Okay, now that you already understand how to use "Hold my breath".
Let's look at our next idiom which is also in the verse from Katy Perry’s song, ‘Roar’.
Who knew she was the queen of idioms?
So, number 7 is
Rock the boat
Imagine that you are on a small boat with four other people in the middle of the ocean.
And one of those people that stands up
and tries to move the boat to scare and splash everyone.
Everyone would probably be very angry and shout at the person who stood up.
If you say that someone is rocking the boat,
it means that they are causing trouble,
deliberately causing difficulties or being provocative.
For example: Sit down and stop rocking the boat.
You’ll just upset everyone.
If you say "I don't want to rock the boat,"
it also means you want to avoid problems.
The next idiom is by the lovely pop queen,
Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first season of American Idol.
She has written incredible songs about the power of love- heartbreak, and strength.
Her song, ‘Stronger’ sold 5 million copies when it debuted
and became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Stand a little taller.
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
Wow, even though Kelly Clarkson was facing a bad break-up,
the melody and the lyrics of the song are so upbeat and inspirational..
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is our 8th idiom,
and it likes a powerful affirmation to keep moving
and to stay positive through the tough times..
This idiom is basically saying that if you are going through something very difficult
- like losing a loved one, the ending of a relationship, getting fired from your job,
or recovering from a terrible accident or sickness
- you will eventually get through it, and you will come out a better person for it.
For example: I know you are having a really hard time right now
dealing with the loss of your grandfather.
But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?
I really love this idiom and Clarkson’s touching lyrics.
That’s why our ninth idiom is also from a good ol’ Kelly Clarkson song.
Without further ado,
the next idiom on the list is from Kelly Clarkson’s song, ‘Because of You’.
Because of you, I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Do you like its melody?
It has gentle melodies, and meaningful lyrics,
which makes it a very touching one
compared to the other fast and upbeat songs on our list.
The idiom "to be on the safe side"
is the ninth idiom that I want to share with you today .
In the song, witnessing the squabbles of her parents,
a girl has learned how to guard herself from the hurt.
Or in other words, to keep herself safe,
by being ready for any bad things that may come her way.
It basically means to always be prepared for the worst.
For example: I don’t think it’s going to rain,
but I'll take an umbrella just to be on the safe side.
So now you have it. Now let's move on to the next idiom.
Life always holds challenges,
like feeling overwhelmed at work
or having money problems that never seem to go away.
But despite how hard times can be, you should always try to remain optimistic.
This is exactly the meaning of the song
Keep Your Head Up from the handsome singer Andy Grammer
But, you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh
which is also the tenth idiom on our list.
Keep your head up
That means always keep your head held high,
lead a positive life, and try to continue having a good attitude
even when you're having the worst of times.
For example, let’s say your baseball team just played a terrible game
and you’re feeling down.
Your upbeat and cheerful coach might encourage you like this
Mike, how did your baseball game go?
We lost again. We're the worst team ever!
Keep your head up, Mike.
You still have the whole season a head of you.
Sometimes it’s difficult to keep your head up.
But it gets easier when you realize just how many opportunities there are in life!
So enjoy it and don’t be so hard on yourself!
Anyway, this brings us to our final idiom.
Did you recognize the eleventh idiom in the lyrics just then?
It is: Let your hair down
Let your hair down
It means that you should take a break from stressful moments; relax and enjoy life.
And don't drown yourself in your work.
So if someone tells you to "Let your hair down"
you should take a break from whatever is overwhelming you,
and do something you really love to loosen up.
It’s important to take care of yourself.
For example: I haven't been out to a party for ages –
I've been too busy with my new job.
So, tonight I'm going to let my hair down and enjoy myself.
It’s always good to let your hair down every once in a while, don’t you think?
Okay, so there you have it!
You've learned about 11 idioms found in famous English songs.
To learn more effectively, you can also apply the catching up technique
with 2 kinds of speed: slow speed and the native speed
in order to practice the idioms you’ve just learned.
You can watch our tutorial video right here
or go to the link I put in the description below the video.
Don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel right now.
It is absolutely free.
And now it's your turn.
Which idiom in any song today do you like most?
Do you know any idioms in other English songs?
Please let us know by leaving a comment below.
Ashley: That means something specific.
Oh, I need to to that again.
Sorry do that again.
Oh that's gonna be so difficult to remember, ok
Dropped and burned
Often