Click on the image to download this week’s Weekly English Practice from English Coaching Projects.
The successful singer finally decided to admit the truth about ‘You’re Beautiful’
Look at the following vocabulary before you read and listen to the story:
topped charts: was at the top of lists
leading: causing
over-emotional: too emotional
appeal: be attractive
dudes: (colloquial) men
slow jams: slow, romantic songs
quit: leave, abandon, give up
career: profession
former: ex- (previously)
come under fire: to be heavily criticized
posh: upper class, elegant
upbringing: how your parents treat/instruct you in childhood
widely: by a lot of people, in a lot of places
mocked: imitated, laughed at, criticised
Listen to the audio and read the text (refresh the page if it’s not visible).
The track, which featured on the singer-songwriter’s 2004 bestselling debut album Back to Bedlam, topped charts in ten countries, sold more than four million copies around the world, received a Grammy nomination and won an Ivor Novello award.
But Blunt has at last admitted that it was “force-fed down people’s throats”, leading music fans to think of him as an “insanely serious person” and get bored, damaging his reputation.
The accompanying music video for “You’re Beautiful”, in which Blunt appears sad, shirtless and shoeless in the snow, only made things worse.
“I have a couple of over-emotional miserable songs that I’m known for, but I think it’s turned that corner now,” he told Hello! magazine, adding that his music was first marketed to appeal to “women during Desperate Housewives commercials” when “dudes also love slow jams about lost loves and things being beautiful”.
Here are some of the lyrics:
My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I’m sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won’t lose no sleep on that,
‘Cause I’ve got a plan.
You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful, it’s true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don’t know what to do,
‘Cause I’ll never be with you
…
Blunt temporarily quit the music business in 2012 because he wanted to “take more time for himself”, stop writing songs and “chill out” in Ibiza, before returning to resume his career with last year’s Moon Landing.
The 40-year-old former Harrow student and NATO soldier had come under fire for his “posh” upbringing and was widely mocked on social media.
Let’s chat!
- Have you heard James Blunt’s famous song?
- What do you think of it?
- What about the music video?
- What do you think are the consequences of making a public apology like this?
- Why do you think people dislike Blunt’s “poshness”?
- Have you ever sung a song in public?
This story was adapted from:
Go to ‘iLook iThink Speak’ to see some funny ‘tweets’ about James Blunt