Javier’s English Corner

This is a historic time for America and the rest of the world. There is a new wave of optimism and hope after eight horrible years. I have followed this campaign with great interest and both presidential candidates have not disappointed me. Just last night I got two emails from the best friends I made in the US. One of them voted for Obama and the other did so for McCain, but both of them share the same hope and wish that the now President-elect will do his best to see his country through these difficult times.

I intend to show you here two more videos on these past elections because I believe they can be interesting and useful for your English learning, but today I’ve decided to share the joy I feel at this historic moment by posting the music video “Yes, We Can”, based on Obama’s already historic speech at the New Hampshire primary. I must admit it touches me every time I watch it…

Wow! I have received quite a few comments with lots of suggestions for our song-about-the-rain challenge, and I promise I will post all those songs on this blog in an orderly fashion.

I was really surprised to get a comment from Cristina, an EFL teacher from Madrid who was very kind about this blog, and the song she contributed is called ‘Banana Pancakes’, by Hawaiian song-writer Jack Johnson, whom I didn’t know until now. It is a beautiful song indeed, which I’m sure you will enjoy.

Well, no more classes until next September, which means I’ll be devoting most of the space on this blog to uploading some of the music I have grown to love over the years and which can help you improve your English in a fun way, so I promise I’ll also post a listening comprehension activity with every song.

Now that I think of it, I haven’t posted anything by the great Simon and Garfunkel, and it’s been almost a year since I started this blog, so it’s about time I shared one of their classic masterpieces with you all. It’s The Sounds of Silence, their first major hit which slowly climbed the charts until it reached number one on New Year’s Day 1966. You can figure out the meaning of the lyrics for yourselves, but Paul Simon once explained the song as “a societal view of the lack of communication.”

You can now watch this live performance on American television in the 60s, in which you can fully appreciate this duo’s fine voices and artistic sensibility. You can also access a listening comprehension activity here.