You should say:
- What it is
- Which country the song comes from
- What story the song tells
- And explain why you think it is interesting
Band 9.0 Sample Answer
I love listening to music, so I like a multitude of songs. However, one of my favorite songs that I want to talk about today is “Hall of Fame” by The Script and Will.i.am. This song was written for the 2012 Olympic Games.
When it came out, it quickly became a hit on every single music chart throughout the world, not just because of its catchy melody, but also for its meaningful lyrics. The song talks about how each of us can be a champion or anything we want to be as long as we dedicate our time and efforts to doing what we are passionate about. The song is played at big athletic events to pump up the crowd, but you can easily relate to the song at other times as well, especially when you are about to give up.
I think this song has such a powerful message that whenever I was tired or had decided to quit, it would lift me up right away. It made me think about why I had started in the first place and that I needed to finish the job that I was currently doing.
Vocabulary & Useful Expression
- became a hit: when a song becomes a hit, it means that it is super popular and that people are listening to it on the radio and buying it on iTunes or elsewhere.
- Example: Taylor Swift‟s song “Bad Blood” became a hit instantly.
- catchy melody: the melody is the part that you sing along with and if it is catchy, it means that it is easy to sing along with and people like it, you easily remember it and it sticks in your mind.
- Example: The song “Uptown Funk” has a catchy melody that people love to sing.
- meaningful lyrics: lyrics are the words in a song and if they are meaningful, it means that they actually mean something or have some sort of importance or significance; they aren‟t just silly, meaningless words.
- Example: His sister writes meaningful lyrics for her songs.
- champion: someone who wins, a winner.
- Example: He didn‟t see himself as a champion until he had reached his goals.
- dedicate: to commit your time to doing something; to make a promise to yourself to do something.
- Example: You were able to get a high score on the test because you dedicated 2 hours every day to studying and preparing yourself.
- effort: the work that you put into doing something.
- Example: The time and effort he spent improving his English paid off when he got a $10,000 raise.
- passionate: if you are passionate about something it means you have a strong desire to do something or a strong interest in something.
- Example: Elite athletes are passionate about their sport and want to become the best.
- played at: to play a song at an event means to broadcast it over loudspeakers so everyone can hear it.
- Example: They always play the song “We Are the Champions” at basketball games.
- to pump up the crowd: to get the people excited about the game or event.
- Example: The cheerleaders tried to pump up the crowd during the football game.
- relate to: to see yourself in something or to understand it in a personal way.
- Example: She can relate to the lyrics of that song about love and loss.
- give up: to quit; to stop doing something.
- Example: He decided to give up smoking after 10 years.
- quit: to stop doing something; to give up.
- Example: She convinced her son not to quit the soccer team.
- lift me up or lift someone up: to make someone feel better.
- Example: His brother is good at lifting others up when they are feeling down.
