Song: Dynamite Artist: BTS Year: 2020 Album: BE Language Feature: Vocabulary and Reductions
Episode Description
We’re ending 2022 and welcoming 2023. English as a Singing Language has a dynamite song prepared to bring in the new year. Join Ece and Heather to start 2023 with the international smash hit, “Dynamite,” from the K-pop sensation BTS.
In Episode 10, we’re going to talk about all of the cultural references and cool expressions in the song lyrics. We’ll also talk about some of the reductions that can increase our fluency when speaking – and singing – in English!
Episode Transcript
<intro>
E: Hi! I’m Ece.
H: And I’m Heather.
E: And this is the last episode of, “English as a Singing Language.”
H: Wait, what?!?
E: I mean, it’s the last episode for this year!
H: Whew! I’m having such a great time with the podcast, I hope this isn’t the last episode ever!
E: Me too. There are so many more songs that we can learn from -
H: - and sing together!
E: So, this week’s song is full of really interesting vocabulary and useful phrases for everyday conversation, right?
H: It sure is. And there’s also a pronunciation feature that we’re going to learn about.
E: That sounds dynamite!
H: I agree. Let’s get started!
<end intro>
H: (Humming BTS, Dynamite)
E: Hi Heather! Happy New Year!
H: Hi Ece! Happy New Year to you, too! Can you believe that this year is almost over already?
E: It’s gone by so fast! And I think one reason it has passed so quickly is that we have been busy working on this podcast.
H: That’s definitely true. You know what they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”
E: So, Heather, many people make a resolution for the new year. You know, something they want to change or improve about themselves in the coming year.
H: Yes, I always make a new year’s resolution. Next year, I’m going to try to stop snacking before I go to sleep. I have a bad habit of always having a cookie or a little piece of cake or something before bed. I need to stop doing that.
E: Well, maybe you can have a treat one day per week or something. No sweets at all sounds terrible!
H: Good idea. And how about you, Ece, what’s your resolution?
E: I’m going to start each day with a little exercise.
H: That’s a great idea. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it!
E: So, what was that song you were humming just now? I think I’ve heard it before.
H: I know you’ve heard it. It’s the 2020 smash hit, Dynamite, by the Korean K-pop group BTS.
E: That’s it! That’s such a fun song. What kind of music is “K-pop,” though? It’s so popular!
H: So, the “K” in “K-pop” is for “Korean,” so “K-pop” is short for “Korean pop music.” It is characterized by catchy melodies, amazing choreography, or dancing, and generally having a very attractive group of singers.
E: I see. So, what do we know about BTS, Heather?
H: They formed in 2010, and they’re probably the most popular South Korean K-pop band ever. There are seven members of the band, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.
E: And where does the name of the band come from?
H: Actually, BTS is short for – and I apologize for my pronunciation - Bangtan Sonyeodan, or “Bulletproof Boy Scouts.” Bangtan means, “resistant to bullets” in Korean.
E: Why did they choose that name?
H: They believe it shows their philosophy of rejecting negative input, or “bullets,” that they might receive. They want to focus on the positive.
E: That’s a great philosophy. So, don’t they usually sing in Korean?
H: They do. In fact, “Dynamite” is the first song they recorded that is completely in English.
E: That’s amazing. I think they can be an inspiration for our listeners who are working hard to learn English.
H: Definitely! In fact, band member Jungkook has said, “Effort makes you. You will regret someday if you don’t do your best now. Don’t think it’s too late, but keep working on it. It takes time, but there’s nothing that gets worse due to practicing. So practice. You may get depressed, but it’s evidence that you are doing good."
E: Wow! That’s great advice! I know language learning seems really difficult sometimes, but it’s so important to practice.
H: That’s so true! In fact, that’s why we started this podcast, as a fun way for people to practice their grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation in English.
E: We sure did. That can be our motto for the new year, “There’s nothing that gets worse due to practicing.”
H: I totally agree. So, let’s talk about some of the interesting vocabulary in this song.
E: Ok. I feel like we’re only going to be able to talk about a small part of the lyrics. There is so much fun and useful vocabulary here.
H: Yes. They start out with, “'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight, so watch me bring the fire and set the night alight.” He’s describing a feeling of excitement and energy using “stars” and “fire.”
E: To “set something alight” means to set it on fire, right?
H: It does. And here it’s used in a positive way like illuminating the night and making it bright.
E: Ok, how about, “King Kong.”
H: The giant gorilla.
E: “Kick the drum.”
H: Use the bass drum. That’s the large drum that is controlled by the drummer’s foot, which is why it’s called a “kick.”
E: “Rolling on like a Rolling Stone”
H: A reference to the legendary rock’n’roll group, “The Rolling Stones.”
E: “Jump up to the top, LeBron”?
H: LeBron James is, of course, a legendary NBA basketball player. So, all of their references are about people -
E: - or music groups
H: haha yes, or music groups who are legends in their field. They are the best at what they do. And how about, “This is getting heavy”? What does that mean?
E: It’s a conversational way to say, “Things are getting serious.” What about when they sing, “Life is sweet as honey, yeah this beat cha-ching like money.” What’s a “cha-ching”?
H: “Cha-ching” comes from the sound that the cash register makes when it opens. It has come to refer to the sound that money makes. Like, I could say, “My boss gave me a raise last month. Cha-ching!”
E: Ok, how about, “I’m into that.”
H: “I’m into that,” means, “That's really interesting to me.”
E: “I’m good to go.”
H: “I’m good to go,” means, “I’m ready to start something or do something.” For example, right before we started recording this episode, you said, “We have our script, our headphones and our microphones. We’re good to go!”
E: You’re right, I did. And how about, “I’m diamond, you know I glow up.” Is that correct? Shouldn’t it be “grow up? With an “r”? Why do they say, “glow up”?
H: Normally yes. We would say that a person “grows up” when they go from being a child to an adult or, grown-up. But, “glow up” is a popular term which means that a person has experienced a major positive transformation in something like their appearance, their physical or mental health or their talent.
E: Like, “Hey Heather! It looks like you got some new clothes, a new hairstyle and new makeup. I love your glow up."
H: Oh gosh, that sounds like a lot of work! I think I’ll stick to my current style.
E: I think you’re fine the way you are, too. But anyway, I think we should talk about the next verse before we talk about the refrain.
H: Good idea. In the next verse, they sing, “Just sing like we off the wall.” As an English teacher, I feel like there’s something missing in this sentence.
E: You’re right. The be verb, “are,” is missing. In grammar class, we would tell students that it should be, “Just sing like we are off the wall,” right?
H: Right. So, why do you think they omitted the “are” in this phrase then?
E: Actually, in many dialects of spoken English, the be verb is often omitted. You will hear it a lot.
H: And I think it also works better with the rhythm of the song, too. It would be harder to sing, “Just sing like we are off the wall.” And, by the way, what does it mean to be “off the wall”? Is that a good thing?
E: Yes! It means to be quirky, unconventional, original, you know, have your own style, but in a little bit of a crazy way.
H: I like that. How about “So you should keep ya eyes on the ball, huh”? What does it mean to “keep your eyes on the ball”?
E: To, “keep your eye on the ball” and we usually use it in the singular, “eye” - “to keep your eye on the ball” means that you should pay careful attention to something. And did you also notice that they sing, “keep ya eyes” instead of “keep your eyes”?
H: Hmmmm yes. That sounds cooler and it fits with the rhythm of the song better. It also sounds a lot more natural.
E: It does. So, how about the refrain of the song? It starts with, “Shining through the city with a little funk and soul.” What are funk and soul?
H: Well, funk refers to a genre or type of music, right? Funk was created by African-American musicians in the 1960’s. It’s known for having a great rhythm and being good for dancing.
E: And soul music is also a genre of music which was created by African American singers around the same time as funk. Generally, soul music contains elements of rhythm and blues, also known as R & B, and gospel music, which is a type of religious singing that people might do at church.
H: Cool. And then they sing, “So Imma light it up like dynamite.” I get that they mean they’re going to do something really big, maybe even dangerous, but definitely explosive and exciting, but, why do they use the pronunciation “Imma” instead of “I am going to” or even “I’m gonna”?
E: Right. “I’m gonna” as in “I’m gonna go to the store,” is already reduced. This is a very common reduction. Using “Imma” is an even bigger reduction. It’s very common in casual conversation, especially among younger people.
H: So, I could say, “Imma get a haircut tomorrow”?
E: Yep. Or, “Imma go to the store after this.” It’s not what we might call “academic” or “formal” pronunciation, but it’s very common, and very popular.
H: I think I’m gonna stick to “gonna.”
E: Me too. And you notice there are a lot of other reductions in this song.
H: There are! In the very first line they sing, “’Cause I’m in the stars tonight” using “’cause” instead of “because.” It sounds cooler and it’s easier to sing and say.
E: They also use, “whoever wanna come along” instead of “whoever wants to come along.” Again, sounds cooler, and much easier to sing.
H: This is such a fun, upbeat song. I feel like it’s perfect for ending one year and bringing in a new one. By the way Ece, what are you gonna do tonight to celebrate the new year?
E: I think Imma stay home and watch the celebrations on TV. How ‘bout you, Heather?
H: Imma go downtown and watch the fireworks. And tomorrow starts a new year!
E & H: And Imma light it up like dynamite woah-oh-oh!
E: It definitely sounds like we’re ready to sing!
H: Absolutely! There’s a link to the 2020 hit song, Dynamite, by the K-pop group BTS in the episode notes.
E: Don’t forget to sing out loud. Pay attention to all of those new phrases and expressions.
H: And try out those pronunciation reductions, too!
<conclusion>
E: I really enjoyed this episode. It was fun learning a song from a K-pop band that has “a little funk and soul.”
H: It sure was. And I’m looking forward to many more episodes with many more different kinds of music in the new year!
E: Me too! And hey, listeners! Follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
H: And also make sure to subscribe to English as a Singing Language wherever you listen to us. That way you’ll be the first to know when a new episode is released.
E: You can also check out our website for resources like listening activities and transcripts for all the episodes.
H: Until next time, Happy New Year!...
E: Have fun and...
H & E: … just keep singing!
Official YouTube Video
Complete Lyrics
'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight
Shoes on, get up in the morn'
Cup of milk, let's rock and roll
King Kong, kick the drum, rolling on like a Rolling Stone Sing song when I'm walking home Jump up to the top, LeBron Ding dong, call me on my phone Ice tea and a game of ping pong, huh
This is getting heavy Can you hear the bass boom? I'm ready (woo hoo) Life is sweet as honey Yeah, this beat cha-ching like money, huh Disco overload, I'm into that, I'm good to go I'm diamond, you know I glow up Hey, so let's go
'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight (hey) Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite, whoa oh oh
Bring a friend, join the crowd Whoever wanna come along Word up, talk the talk Just move like we off the wall Day or night, the sky's alight So we dance to the break of dawn Ladies and gentlemen, I got the medicine So you should keep ya eyes on the ball, huh
This is getting heavy Can you hear the bass boom? I'm ready (woo hoo) Life is sweet as honey Yeah, this beat cha-ching like money Disco overload, I'm into that, I'm good to go I'm diamond, you know I glow up Let's go
'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight (hey) Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite, whoa oh oh
Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite, whoa oh oh
Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Light it up like dynamite
Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na, ayy Light it up like dynamite
'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite (this is ah)
'Cause I-I-I'm in the stars tonight So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight (alight, oh) Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite, whoa (light it up like dynamite)
Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite Dy-na-na-na, na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na, life is dynamite Shining through the city with a little funk and soul So I'ma light it up like dynamite, whoa oh oh
Songwriters: Jessica Agombar / David Alexander Stewart
Dynamite lyrics © Stellar Songs Limited