The sweet sound of music is probably the most fun way to learn, so we don't we do more of it?

We can! That's why we're back with more Broadway musicals that you can use to learn English.
4. "There’s No Business Like Show Business"
"There’s No Business Like Show Business" was featured in the 1946 musical "Annie Get Your Gun."

In this song, a group tries to convince Annie to join them.
As you listen to this song, pay attention to the rhyming words.

Thrilling, filling and billing are rhymed near the end of the song.

By paying attention to the song’s rhyming patterns you’ll start to recognize the "-ing" sound, which is extremely common in English.
This will help you pronounce other English words ending in "-ing" that you encounter in the future.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • thrilling (exciting)
  • spotlights (lighting used in theatrical performances)
  • baggage (luggage or suitcases)
5. "One Day More"
"One Day More" from the musical "Les Misérables" is an emotional song performed by most of the show’s cast.
Since this song is performed by multiple singers, use this to practice understanding different English accents.

Also, the song switches between the past tense and future tense.
As you listen, try to recognize which words and verb conjugations are used to talk about events in the past versus the future.
Interesting English Words in the Lyrics:
  • barricades (obstacle, usually to stop an enemy)
  • dare (to do something bold or courageous)
  • revolution (uprising or movement for change)
6. "Don’t Rain on My Parade"
"Don’t Rain on My Parade" is an iconic ballad from the show "Funny Girl."

This song has been covered (recorded by a different artist from the original) many times, so if you have trouble understanding Barbara Streisand’s accent in this version, try listening to a cover (another version).

While this song makes a powerful statement in the show, the lyrics are fairly simple.

Use this song to start learning some basic, short English words.

Write down any words you’re unfamiliar with and look up the definitions after listening to the song.

Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • freckle (small mark on the skin)
  • juicy (filled with juice, like a fruit / interesting, filled with drama)
  • drummer (someone who plays the drums)
7. "All That Jazz"
"All That Jazz" from "Chicago" has become a classic Broadway song.
The text in this song is pronounced clearly and sung slowly. Unlike in lots of other Broadway music, some of the lyrics are repeated multiple times in this song.
Pay attention to the repetition and try to learn the words you hear multiple times.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • paint (to cover or decorate with a colored liquid)
  • noisy (making a lot of noise)
  • buckle (object that attaches two loose ends of material)
8. "Defying Gravity"
Idina Menzel performed "Defying Gravity" in the Tony-award winning Broadway show "Wicked."

Menzel’s character uses this song to express her desire to break free from expectations.
In addition to belting (loudly singing) the lyrics, Menzel speaks some of the words.

Listen to her well-pronounced words and try to write down any that you’re unfamiliar with.
It’s easy to get lost in the beautiful performance, but try to focus on actively listening to each individual word in the song.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • defying (breaking away from)
  • gravity (the force that pulls objects towards the ground)
  • flying (moving in the air, like a bird)
9. "Seasons of Love"
"Seasons of Love" from the show "Rent" (which also featured Idina Menzel) is another classic Broadway song that has been sung by many different artists.
Use this song to practice listening to English pronunciations of numbers.

The number five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred (525,600) is repeated throughout the song.
Listen for this and use it as inspiration to start learning other English numbers, too.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • sunset (when the sun falls below the horizon and day turns to night)
  • daylight (light from the sun during the day)
  • measure (the process of determining the weight, height, amount, etc. of something)
10. "Suddenly Seymour"
"Suddenly Seymour" is performed by the characters Seymour and Audrey in the show "Little Shop of Horrors."

This is a conversation between the couple that helps shape their relationship.
Like many Broadway songs, "Suddenly Seymour" is a conversation that’s sung instead of spoken.

Most of the words aren’t repeated, so listen to this song and notice how many new words you hear.
Feel free to keep a list of the words you don’t recognize and look these up later.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • pretend (to make believe)
  • condescend (talk to someone like you’re superior to them)
  • snap (noise made when two fingers are quickly pressed together)
11. "Tomorrow"
"Tomorrow" is perhaps one of the most famous English songs ever.

It’s performed by a main character in the musical "Annie." She sings this cheerful song to help remind those around her to have a positive attitude.
"Tomorrow" is an easy English song that’s performed slowly.

The song is fairly short, so listen a few times in a row to help learn the words.

Use the associations in this song to help you remember what certain words mean.

For example, "sun," "love" and "grin," which are all associated with happiness, are grouped together.
Interesting English words in the lyrics:
  • lonely (feeling of sadness brought on by being alone)
  • grin (smile)
  • chin (the pointed part of the face below the mouth)

We'll send you more song tips next week, but if you want to learn English with music in an easy, fun and organized way, you'll love FluentU.

FluentU provides real English videos—including music videos as well as movie trailers, news reports, inspiring speeches and more.

The FluentU app makes it really easy to watch English videos.

There are subtitles that are interactive. That means you can click on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.
For example, when you click on the word "brought," you see this:

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning.

It recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned.

You have a truly personalized experience.
Try it now with a 14-day free trial!
Get started with FluentU
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