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Royals by Lorde

Song lyrics can stir the imagination of the learner. Rhythm & criptic allusions can immerse the listener in a hazy atmosphere in which eyes must be open wide to try to catch a glimpse of the meaning of the lines. Undestanding song lyrics is always a challenge.  Listen to this song by Lorde, try to guess its message and discuss your guesses with your partner, if you can talk to someone. Here, there is a the gap-filling exercise to help you follow the song.




Your guess may be right or wrong initially, when you are learning a foreign language, that is not too important.  What is really important is that you have activated your guessing skills in your brain, which are essential to reconstruct fragmentary understanding of the flow of speech and the fact that you have produced some sentences to discuss your guesses with a partner. 



Here, you can find a link to a Wikipedia article that gives some insights into the lyrics of the song.

In short, the song expresses "detailed disapproval of the luxiourious lifestyle of contemporary artists".  Lorde criticises pop, rap and hip hop singers like Kanye West, Jay-Z or Lana del Rey because they often talk about luxury cars (Cadillacs, Maybach), expensive alcohol (Grey Goose, Crystal), jewellry (diamonds, gold teeth) etc, which is very far from her own reality: her house, her neighbourhood and her friends ("I'm not proud of my address", "no post code envy", "we'll never be royals" "my friends and I [...] count our dollars on the train to the party", "we didn't come from money").



Now, for a change, you can watch an acapella cover of the same song, by the Florida State University AcaBelles.  Which version do you like better?



Here you have the compete lyrics of the song, which can be used as a key to the fill-in the gaps exercise above.



This task can be done by B2 students and above.




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