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!