UNIT 9

SING YOUR FAVORITE SONG

In this chapter we will learn about :

1. Responding to the social function, generic structure, and linguistic features of song lyrics
2. Identify the meaning of certain expression in a song
3. Explain the moral lesson of asong.

DEFINITION OF SONG

A song is a single (and often standalone) work of music intended to be sung by the human voice with distinct and
fixed pitches and patterns using sound and silence and a variety of forms that often include the repetition of sections.

A. INTRODUCTION
Can you sing an English song? Is it difficult for you or not?  Singing an English song can help us to learn English. It
is a fun way.

Do you have a favorite singer? Who is he/he? Why do you like him/her? Do you like his/her songs, too? One of the
best tools to learn foreign language is using songs. The real songs can be very efective to help us understand
English.

There are some reasons why many people use songs to learn English. First, song are authentic materials. If we want
to learn English, we should listen to English songs. Second, English songs also contain culture and history.

The reason is that song contain repetitions and repetitions enhance learning. The next reason is it’s a good way to
learn voccabulary and pronunciation. An last, English songs are fun and they can easily energize the listeners.

B. SONGS

Song have been an amusing companion for human beings for as long as or even longer than we can speak. Songs are
highly expressive. Some convey love and emotions ; some tell a memorable and moving story; some embody one’s
dreams and ideals; and some reminisce about the golden past. Songs are abundant in themes and expressions which
will echo in the learner’s heart.

1 .  SOSIAL FUNCTION OF SONGS

The social function of song are:
a. To entertain/amuse the listeners.
b. To inspire the listener
c. To teach moral value through the lyrics of the songs.
d. To motivate the listener
e. To express feeling of the song writer
f. To teach a lesson to the listener
g. To criticize environment and condition
h. To provide a way to managing the relationship between public and private emotional life
i. To express personal feeling and cultural values.
j. To share feeling with others

2.  GENERAL STRUCTURE OF SONGS

The general structure of a song consists of verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus. It is better for us to learn more about
the complete structure of songs.

a. Intro
The introduction establishes melodic, harmonic, and/or rhythmic related to the main body of song.

b. Verse

It is the section of the song structure that tells the story. This is the exposition, describing the scene or the person, or
an emotion. There are usually two or three verses in a row that have the same musical structure, the same rhyme and
poetic meter, but different words. The second verse builds on the picture painted in the first verse, etc.

c. Chorus of Refrain
A chorus is the most repeated section, so it’s the easiest remembered. A chorus is the summary of the song’s story.
All the verses have been leading up to the chorus, and is usually the part of the song people sing along with. A
chorus can come at the beginning of the song structure; it can also start in the middle, or come at the end. In fact,
some songs don’t have choruses at all. Some people are usually confused to differentiate between choruses and
refrain. A refrain is any line that repeats in the song lyric, while a chorus is any group of lines that repeat.

d. Break
A break is actually a brief “rest” or “pause” for the core melody within a song used to add further dimension and
excitement. It may include a quick instrumental solo or drum interlude or it may be a brief moment of silence, or a
combination of each of these elements.

e. Bridge
This is the part of the song that shifts. It can suddenly change tempo, or volume, or instrumentation. The bridge is
the section that gives the audience time to reflect on the story, or gives them the “climax” or conclusion of the story
through verses and chorus. Bridges can be used to give the singer a break.

f. Outré or Coda
This is the end of the road for the song. It can repeat the intro, chorus or a refrain as an outré, or a bridge with an
instrumental solo.

Below Are Some Forms of Song’s Structure

Intro-verse-verse-chorus-break-verse-verse-break-bridge-break-out

Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus.

3.  THEME/TOPIC OF THE SONGS

1. Love
2. Friendship
3. Peace
4. Tragedy
 5. Motivation
6. Life
7. Family

C. LANGUAGE FEATURES OF SONGS

Song lyrics can appeal to emotions, and they should also appeal to the ear. It can be assumed that different genres of
songs will exhibit different styles of lyrics. The verse of songs contains the details of the song: the story, the events,
images, and emotions that the writer wishes to express. Song are not always composed of simple sentence structure
or grammar. Lyrics are characterized by the use of rhythms, conversational speech, and poetic expressions. The
following are the leanguage features of songs.

1. Lyrics are written in first, second, or third person given on the specific perspective you choose. Often time
point of views change in lyrics, but only when needed.
2. They use rhyming words. Usually songs use a familiar catchy tune and rhyme. A rhyme is a linguistic style,
based on consonance or similiar sound of two or more syllables or whole words at the end of one line;
rhymes are most commonly used in poetry and songs.
3. They use alliteration. It is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same  first consonant
sound, occur close together in a series, for example: A big bully beats a baby boy.
4. Some songs use poetic devices, such as figure of speech and imagery. While songs can paint a vivid picture
since they are longer mediums, imagery can be found in just a single sentences as well. Imagery is vivid
descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste) for
example : Her blue eyes were as bright as the sun, blue as the sky, but soft as silk. A figure of speech is a
word or phrase that has a meaning something different than its literal meaning.
5. Some songs use amusing word play and slang language. A word play is the manipulation of language (in
particular, the sounds, and meanings of words) with the intent to amuse; verbal wit. Slang is kind of language
consisting of very informal words and phrases. Slang is more common in speech than in writing, for
example: gonna, wanna, ain’t, etc.

TASK 1

A. Fill this table of Old Songs below

N Title Singer Song Writer Theme Moral Lesson

o
1 Bridge over troubled water
2 Somewhere over the
rainbow
3 Longer
4 I wanna dance with
somebody
5 Just once
6 Denpasar moon
7 You are
8 My heart will go on
9 Now and forever
10 Back for good

B. Choose one song in the table to practice and singing it in front of your friends/class

TASK 2
Answer the questions in semester exam 1 and semester exam 2 in the text book
SUMMARY

The parts of a song

Song has some parts that identify the song itself, the parts are :

 Title : Title is the name of song. It is very important and should be memorable, fit the theme, and be
highlighted by placing it within the lyrics of the song.
 Intro : (or introduction) is putting something into use, operation or a place for the first time.
 Chorus : is part of a song which is repeated several times, usually after each verse.
 Bridge : is a contrasting section that prepares for the return of the original material section.
 Interlude : a short period when a situation or activity is different from what comes before and after it.
 Ending : in music, the ending can be in the form of the form of a coda or outro (slang)