Learning English Through Song Lyrics: A Fun and Effective Method
Did you know that while singing karaoke, you can learn an incredible amount of English? If you already use songs and lyrics to learn English, karaoke will take that learning one step higher for you. Learning English with karaoke can help you improve your fluency, become more confident in your speaking, use words and phrases you might not know well yet, and help you practice your pronunciation.
Why Use Songs to Learn English?
Sometimes it can be difficult to stay inside and study English in the traditional ways. Learning through song lyrics is an engaging alternative that can make the process more enjoyable. Songs provide exposure to natural language, idioms, and cultural references. The repetitive nature of music aids memorization, and singing along improves pronunciation and fluency.
Karaoke: Taking it to the Next Level
If you already use songs and lyrics to learn English, karaoke will take that learning one step higher for you. Karaoke combines the fun of singing with the focused practice of reading and understanding lyrics. It encourages active participation and provides immediate feedback on pronunciation.
Song Recommendations for English Learners
Here are some songs that are great for learning English, categorized by difficulty and focus:
Pop Hits for Vocabulary and Idioms
- “Let It Go” - Demi Lovato (from Frozen): Disney’s most recent movie “Frozen” captured people’s hearts, and the song “Let It Go” was one of the biggest hits from it. This song is great for learning vocabulary related to:
- Being completely alone and removed from the rest of the world.
- When a wind blowing very strong, it sounds like it’s howling like a wolf.
- To hide.
- To feel sad about something that happened (like a death).
- To prevent something from happening.
- “Blank Space” - Taylor Swift: In Taylor Swift’s popular song “Blank Space,” the girl has a reputation of being with many guys and getting her heart broken a lot. This song is great for learning vocabulary related to:
- Stories people tell, usually about other people, that may not be true.
- Doing something without thinking it through, or without caring about the results, even if it’s dangerous.
- “Demons” - Imagine Dragons: This is a sad song about a man who sees evil, greed, and bad people all around him. He believes that he is one of those bad people, and that he hides his demons deep inside of him so he won’t hurt the one he loves. Useful vocabulary includes:
- Hail can mean icy rain, but in this song it’s used as a verb that means to say good things about people.
- A safe place to hide from nature or people.
- A party where everyone wears masks.
- Wanting more than what you have, especially when it’s something others have and you don’t.
- Something you’re not sure about.
- “She Will Be Loved” - Maroon 5: This song is about a boy that loves a girl who sees him as just a friend.
- When the rain is so strong, it’s almost like someone is pouring it out.
- Someone who doesn’t feel confident about themselves.
- “I’m Yours” - Jason Mraz: Life is short, so when you meet someone you think you love, you should just go with it and tell them!
- To guess or imagine, although this word is not used that often outside movies showing southerners from the United States.
- Move a little closer.
- “Hey There Delilah” - Plain White T’s: Delilah is living in New York City, but the singer of this song is not.
- When you try to look like someone or something else, using a mask or outfit. You can also disguise your feelings by making it seem like you’re feeling something different from what you really are.
- “Just Give Me a Reason” - Pink, featuring Nate Ruess: The female in this song feels like her relationship with the man is ending because of little things (he doesn’t lie close to her in bed anymore), and asks for just one reason to try and keep the relationship going.
- Someone who has been hurt or harmed, in this case emotionally.
- An idiom that means to go bad or crazy. If your head is running wild, you’re having thoughts you can’t control.
- “Spell” - Marie Digby: This beautiful song tells the story of a girl who is just a simple girl when she’s offstage. But the moment she gets up on stage and starts to sing, she gets everyone’s attention and changes the way they think about her.
- A light that shines on someone who is on stage. This can also mean to put someone in the center of everyone’s attention.
- To make your feelings obvious.
- When lights, sounds, or other kinds of forces (in this case, beauty) are created by a person or thing (like a house).
- Someone who is good at using words.
- “Still Into You” - Paramore: A lot of songs talk about relationships coming apart, but this one talks about a relationship that’s been strong for a long time and is still doing great.
- To put the fingers of two hands between each other (like clasping them).
- To tell the story of something.
- “Face Down” - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: “Face Down” describes a relationship in which the man is hurting the woman.
- Fall apart into pieces, like a cake or a wall.
- This can mean to literally push someone, or it can mean to order someone around and tell them what to do.
- “Taking Chances” - Celine Dion: Sometimes when you meet a person you just want to forget everything and take a chance on being with them.
- Something that will probably end soon.
Classics for Pronunciation and Rhythm
- “I Got You Under My Skin” - Frank Sinatra: In this song, the singer talks about a woman who means a lot to him, even if she’s not the right person for him.
- To give something up that means a lot to a person in return for something that’s for the better.
- To resist, but finally say yes without really wanting to.
- “Shattered” - The Rolling Stones: New York City is a huge city of opportunities for some, but to The Rolling Stones it was a place full of people wanting to steal your money.
- Broken in pieces, like glass.
- Ripped up, usually talking about clothes or fabrics.
- Hit by hard blows.
Unusual Choices
- “Dumb Ways to Die” - Tangerine Kitty: This song is actually a commercial! It was created for Australian Metro Trains, and it’s supposed to teach train safety.
- Crazy, insane.
- The gates meant to stop cars from driving over train tracks when a train is coming.
Songs for Grammar Practice
- “Fireball” by Alan Smith Robertson: Practise the verb TO BE in the ESL classroom with this exhilarating EDM song. This song contains 22 different uses of the verb TO BE in the present simple and past simple tenses, and in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms.
- “What a Wonderful World!” by Louis Armstrong: Practise colours & adjectives as well as the basic present simple tense in your ESL class with this classic song.
- “All Together Now” by The Beatles: Practise numbers, the pronunciation of letters, and colours in your ESL class with this classic song.
- “Older”: This is a song written for English teachers to practise basic-level grammar and vocabulary the fun way in the ESL classroom, and it comes with an easy-to-use worksheet! The lyrics of this song use the following basic-level English vocabulary and grammar: This song comes with a worksheet and is available for download in mp3.
- “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure: Practise the days of the week in your ESL class with this classic song. These song lyrics include all the days of the week. This song is appropriate for basic level learners if you ignore the bridge.
- “Just the way you are” by Bruno Mars: Practise the present simple, and especially the third person singular, in your ESL class with this classic song. The lyrics of this song contain 24 examples of the present simple tense, and it is appropriate for basic level learners.
- “Yes, I do” by Shakin’ Stevens: Practice basic level yes/no questions and short answers in your ESL class with this song.
- “For No One” by The Beatles: Practise the present simple, and especially the third person singular, in your ESL class with this classic song. The lyrics of this song contain 26 examples of the present simple tense, and it is appropriate for basic level learners.
- “Hello, Goodbye” by The Beatles: One of the best songs for elementary-level ESL students. Practice the simplest of language and vocabulary in your ESL class with this fun song.
- “Calendar” by Boney M: Practice months in your ESL class with this song. These song lyrics include all the months of the year.
- “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone: Practice the topic of “nature” in your ESL class with this song. This song’s lyrics contain the following 15 nature-related vocabulary words: birds, sun, sky, breeze, dawn, fish, sea, river, blossom, tree, dragonfly, butterfly, world, stars & pine. It is also appropriate for beginners.
- “Summer Holiday” by Cliff Richard: Practice the topic of summer holidays with your basic level class with this song.
How to Use Karaoke for Language Learning
- Choose a song: Select a song that interests you and matches your English level.
- Find the lyrics: Search online for the lyrics of the song.
- Listen to the song: Listen to the song multiple times to familiarize yourself with the melody and pronunciation.
- Sing along with the lyrics: Use a karaoke version of the song and sing along while reading the lyrics. Pay attention to the pronunciation of each word.
- Look up unfamiliar words: Identify any words or phrases you don't understand and look them up in a dictionary or online.
- Practice regularly: The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with the language.
Additional Resources
- FluentU: Find English videos with interactive subtitles that you can follow along with. Learn vocabulary with quizzes and personalized review.
- YouTube and Vimeo: Search for karaoke versions of your favorite songs.
- Online dictionaries: Use online dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or Oxford Learner's Dictionaries to look up unfamiliar words.
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