Music and the Environment

There have been many songs over the years that have been about environmental problems. Here are some examples:

Listen to this song about the 3R's by Jack Johnson (2006). What do you think the three R's stand for? Some of you may recognize it from a commercial for 

    

One of the most famous songs regarding the environment is Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" (1982). The video shows images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution, poaching, poverty and war. Jackson unites the world's people to sing "Earth Song" which summons a force to heal the world. 

 

  Earth Song  by Michael Jackson 

  What about sunrise?  What about rain?

  What about all the things that you said we were to gain? 

  What about killing fields? 

  Is there a time? 

  What about all the things that you said was yours and mine? 

  Did you ever stop to notice all the blood we've shed before? 

  Did you ever stop to notice this crying Earth, these weeping shores? 

   Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh 

  What have we done to the world? 

  Look what we've done 

  What about all the peace that you pledge your only son? 

  What about flowering fields? 

  Is there a time? 

  What about all the dreams that you said was yours and mine? 

  Did you ever stop to notice all the children dead from war? 

  Did you ever stop to notice this crying Earth, these weeping shores? 

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh 

  I used to dream

  I used to glance beyond the stars 

  Now I don't know where we are

  Although I know we've drifted far 

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah 

Hey, what about yesterday?         (What about us?)

What about the seas?                   (What about us?) 

The heavens are falling down      (What about us?) 

I can't even breathe                     (What about us?) 

What about apathy?                     (What about us?) 

I need you                                     (What about us?) 

What about nature's worth?         (Ooh)

It's our planet's womb                (What about us?)

What about animals?                   (What about it?) 

We've turned kingdoms to dust   (What about us?) 

What about elephants?                (What about us?) 

Have we lost their trust?             (What about us?)

What about crying whales?         (What about us?) 

We're ravaging the seas              (What about us?) 

What about forest trails?             (Ooh) 

Burnt despite our pleas                (What about us?) 

What about the holy land?           (What about it?) 

Torn apart by creed                      (What about us?)

What about the common man?     (What about us?) 

Can't we set him free                    (What about us?) 

What about children dying?          (What about us?) 

Can't you hear them cry?             (What about us?) 

Where did we go wrong?              (Ooh)

Someone tell me why                    (What about us?)

What about baby boy?                   (What about it?) 

What about the days?                    (What about us?)

What about all their joy?               (What about us?) 

What about the man?                  (What about us?)

What about the crying man?        (What about us?)

What about Abraham?                 (What about us?)

What about death again?             (Ooh) 

Do we give a damn?     

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah  Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh   Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah   Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Check out these sites for more songs about the environment. Some may surprise you. How many of these are you familiar with? 

Genntracks "30+ Songs about Nature, Earth, and the Environment in 2022"

Rolling Stone's "Earth Day: 15 Pro-Environment Songs

The Nature Conservancy's "7 Songs about Climate Change"

udiscovermusic's "Best Earth Day Songs: 30 Save the Environment Classics"

Do you know of any other songs or sites?  Please share them in the comments section below. 

Art and Music- Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh (Post-Impressionist, 30 March 1853 - 29 July 1890) was famous for his bold, dramatic brush strokes which expressed emotion and added a feeling of movement to his works. 

For more detailed information, check out this short biography and video:

 

 See this site with 24  songs about art that paint beautiful pictures. Are you familiar with any of these songs?

One of Van Gogh's most famous works is The Starry Night (oil on canvas, painted in June of 1889), which depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Remy-de-Provence (France), just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village.  It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1941. 

Vincent (1972) is a tribute by American songwriter, Don McLean, to Van Gogh and this painting. 

For more information on this inspiration, click here

Watch the video with the Italian translation. 

Invalsi practice

 Listening

News  Reports  

Audio   

B2 Reading exercise: Did Mona Lisa have a thyroid problem? 

Oliver Asks for More

 From   Oliver Twist   by Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Which adjectives would you use to describe the characters' responses to Oliver's request?   
disproportionate  /  adequate / acceptable / fair (just)  / unfair / merciful / harsh 

Find expressions that describe the children's extreme hunger. 

Traduzione Italiano 

Watch the scene from Oliver, a film (1968) made from the Broadway musical .

At a Restaurant

   

Do you know what "out to lunch" means as an idiom? "

"too strange or confused to know what is really know what's happening"  

A conversation 

                     

Are you as fussy / picky as this woman when you go out to eat? 

Invalsi exercises

 1) Listening Fake News - a common problem?   AUDIO fake news

2) Using your English sentence transformations1

3) Reading (grammar / use your English)

You are what you eat

Do you have a healthy diet? 

What are your favorite foods? 

  The moldy Whopper

What do you think about this ad? 

  

How did the teens react when they were served crickets? 
What would you do if someone offered you some crickets to eat?
How are crickets eaten? 

    Where is it fairly common to find these insects on the dinner table?
Why do some people think crickets will be the future of nutrition?
What do you think about this?
Have you ever tried any bizarre or unusual foods?
What's the most disgusting food you've ever tasted? 

How about some Cricket Pesto for lunch? 

 

The Flame Burns On

Listen to the song, "We didn't start the fire" by Billy Joel,  and see how many historical people and events you can list.  Why do you think they've been included in this song? How many are you familiar with? Do you think some are more significant than others?  

Now watch the video with the lyrics to check your list and add more.