Janelle Monae: Tightrope

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My exciting news this week is that we’re moving to Berlin. Helmut has a new job. He told me a few years ago that he didn’t want to climb the social ladder (Karriere machen), but here he is, with new challenges. So babe, this song is dedicated to you, with all of my love. Keep it in the middle. You can rock or you can leave.

When you get elevated,
They love it or they hate it
You dance up on them haters
Keep getting funky on the scene
While they jumpin’ round ya
They trying to take all your dreams
But you can’t allow it

Cause baby whether you’re high or low
Whether you’re high or low
You gotta tip on the tightrope

The lyrics

Talking this through with business English students:

  1. Does the first video remind you of any films you’ve seen?
  2. Janelle Monae uses some slang you may not be familiar with. Can you guess what it means? How would you summarize what she’s singing about?


Janelle Monáe – Tightrope [feat. Big Boi] von Warner-Music

How do you like this one?
Tightrope (Wondamix) ft. B.o.B & Lupe Fiasco

Janelle Monae | MySpace Music Videos

personal song of the week 🙂 englisch lernen mit liedern

Comments

13 Responses

  1. Hi Anne

    What exciting news for you! Wish you and Helmut all the best for your move to Berlin.

    I love your selection of clips above. I think I prefer the first one.

    Janet

  2. We never can tell what’s around life’s corners. We do have to go round them to find out, but it often has some delightful surprises.
    Sure that your life will be full of great interesting things and look forward to hearing about them.

  3. That’s brilliant!
    Surely there’s an element of – if you are going to live in Germany it’s got to be Berlin?

  4. Thank you so much, Janet and Vicki! Your friendship and encouragement in this village will make moving and starting over a lot easier! This move will be so different from the one we made 10 years ago from Siegen to Munich.
    One thing I’m looking forward to is finding a flat with a proper guestroom/ bath so people can really stay and we don’t wake them on our way to get an early morning coffee 🙂

  5. Yes, Chris, I’m looking forward to the excitement of a real city. Here in Munich and in Bavaria in general the economy is so good and life is so rarified that it’s sometimes a bit of a shock to get back into the “real world”. When we came here, we had visions of sugarplums dancing through our heads, and they all came true.

    But you know, I’ll miss the down-to-earth vitality of the Bavarian people, the beergardens where people with very different mindsets sit next to each other, peacefully enjoying life, their can-do mentality, and of course the rolling hills, tall mountains and bubbling streams. Just thinking about leaving all that makes me homesick.

    And my friends. Hence, the guestroom.

  6. So, dear Anne, when is it all – so weit?
    We’ll miss you here in the millionen Dorf – the bit about the roomy flats sure is attractive.
    Well, good luck for the moment!
    Jxx

  7. It could just be a coincidence but it might be an open – today just after i read your post the postwoman arrived and among the mail was a postcard from Berlin, someone who hasn’t written to me for as long as you have been in Munich.
    There is a picture of a pig and the two words Viel Gluck.

  8. Great song! And sounds like great news. I’m sure you’ll be happy in Berlin Anne. I’m sure you can be happy most places if you’re with the people you love… might sound sickly sweet but it’s true.

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