Song: Let it Go Artist: Idina Menzel Year: 2013 Album: Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Language Feature: Verbs and Rhyming
Episode Description
Are you ready for even more winter fun? In Episode 11 of English as a Singing Language, Ece is trying to get Heather to relax and not get so upset about small, unimportant things. In other words, Ece thinks she should, “Let it Go!”
This song, originally featured in the Disney animated film, “Frozen,” is full of descriptive verbs and brilliant imagery. It’s also a great song to practice some rhyming words. Join us for the first episode of 2023!
Episode Transcript
<intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather.
E: And I’m Ece.
H: Welcome to the first episode of the new year!
E: Yes. How is your new year’s resolution going so far, Heather?
H: Well, maybe I’ve had one or two cookies so far this year...
E: So, not too bad. I’m doing very well with mine. I have been exercising every morning before I leave for work.
H: It looks like we are going to be having more winter fun in this episode. Is that right, Ece?
E: It sure is. We’ve got a song that is full of interesting verbs.
H: Mm-hm. We do.
E: And there’s also some interesting vocabulary and rhyming words.
H: Wow! All of that in one song? We’d better not waste any time.
E: I agree! Let’s get started.
<end intro>
E: (Humming Let it Go) Hey Heather! What are you up to?
H: Agh! I’m very frustrated. I have been trying to upload this document from my computer for over an hour. I’ve tried everything.
E: Hmmmm.... It seems like maybe you need to listen to, “Let it Go,” the song I was just listening to.
H: You might be right. To “let it go” means to forget about something that isn’t very important. You don’t let it bother you. Right?
E: That’s right. Like maybe that computer problem you have isn’t actually that important.
H: Maybe you’re right. And what else do we know about the song, “Let it Go,” Ece? I really like that song.
E: Well, it was in the 2013 Disney animated movie, “Frozen.”
H: Right! The one with the two sisters, Anna …
E: ...and Elsa. Yep. That’s the one. So, in the movie Elsa has just decided she is going to use her magic powers and not hide them anymore. She’s decided she’s not going to pay attention to what other people think or say about her.
H: That sounds like a very healthy attitude.
E: It does. So, she’s alone on this icy mountain and she starts singing this song.
H: Ok, but it’s not actually an animated character singing the song, right? Who sings, “Let it Go”?
E: “Let it Go,” is sung by American performer, Idina Minzel. She is a very famous Broadway actor and singer.
H: Oh yeah, that’s right.
E: I think something she said in the past is related to this song. She said, “You can't get it all right all the time, but you can try your best. If you've done that, all that's left is to accept your shortcomings and have the courage to try to overcome them.”
H: You’re right! If I try my best, and I still can’t make something work, like my computer problem, that’s ok. I can just accept it. Thanks, Ece. Now, tell me about some of these descriptive verbs.
E: Sure. The song starts with, “The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen.”
H: Wow! What a great description. She could say, “Hey! It’s pretty snowy here,” but instead she uses the verb, “to glow.”
E: Right. “To glow” means to shine or give off light.
H: Oh! Remember, “You know I glow up” from the BTS song, Dynamite, in the last episode? That totally makes sense now.
E: Yes. I remember. And here’s that word again. Cool.
H: How about the next line, “A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the queen.”
E: “Isolation” means, “to be alone or separated from other people.”
H: Hmmmm....so she is feeling very lonely.
E: It seems like it. And then she sings, “The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside.”
H: So, Ece, what animal do you usually think of when you hear the verb, “to howl?”
E: I will say a wolf.
H: Me too. So, the wind is making that, “Oooo, ooo, ooooh!” sound like a wolf.
E: Yes. And the storm is spinning and twisting around in circles, just like her feelings.
H: Wow. There’s a lot of emotion in this song.
E: How about in the next verse when she sings, “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know.” “Conceal” means “to hide or not show something.”
H: So, she has all these strong emotions, but she can’t reveal them to anyone. She has to conceal them.
E: Yep, but let’s move on to the next verse before we talk about the refrain.
H: Good idea.
E: In the next verse, she sings, “It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through.” So, “break through” is a useful phrasal verb. It’s the verb “break” plus the preposition, “through.”
H: “Break” can be paired with lots of prepositions, right? Like, “break up.”
E: Well, that could be a sad one.
H: You’re right. As in, “After many years together, the band broke up.” Meaning that they’re not together anymore.
E: Maybe we should just stick with, “break through.”
H: You’re right.
E: “Break through” means that you’ve made or forced your way through something difficult.
H: Cool. So, “test the limits and break through” refers to her trying to see just how powerful she can be. That’s really inspiring.
E: It is. And the next verse has some really outstanding vocabulary and images. It’s like painting a picture with words. The verse starts out with, “My power flurries through the air into the ground.”
H: So, you know how I feel about snow....
E: Yes, in Episode 9 “Let it Snow,” you made it clear that you do not like snow at all.
H: Oh my gosh, Ece. You know what? This is our second winter-themed episode. We had Episode 9 about, “Let it Snow,” and now this episode about, “Let it Go.” Pretty cool.
E: It sure is. And I guess we can take this opportunity to encourage listeners to go back and listen to any previous episodes they may have missed!
H: Good idea. Ok, so, back to “flurries.” Flurries are a type of snow. Brrrrrrrrrr
E: Yes. A type of light snow that is blown around - it’s swirling around – everywhere.
H: And we usually use it as a noun, don’t we? Like, you’ll hear in the weather report, “There will be flurries and a high temperature of 2 degrees Celsius tomorrow.”
E: But, here she’s using it as a verb to describe her power. It’s swirling all around her.
H: How about, “My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around”? “To spiral” is to move in a circle and the circle is either getting gradually larger or smaller. I imagine here it’s getting larger and larger.
E: And a “fractal” is a continuously repeating pattern. So, this line makes me think of her power and the snowflakes spinning and swirling and spiraling all around her. What a great image that is.
H: And the last two lines of that verse are, “And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back, the past is in the past!”
E: Again using the verb, “crystallize” to describe the snow and her ideas.
H: Even for me, a “winter-hater,” I feel like this is such a beautiful description of Elsa’s power and the winter weather.
E: And now for the refrain!
H: “Let it Go!”
H & E: “… Let it Go! Can’t hold it back anymore!”
E: Ok. How about “hold back”? Another phrasal verb?
H: Yes! The verb “hold” plus the preposition “back.”
E: There are lots of phrasal verbs with “hold,” too, right?
H: There are. But hold on a minute, what does this one mean? “Can’t hold it back anymore.”
E: “To hold back” means to prevent something from happening or making progress. So, what do you think she’s holding back?
H: She’s probably talking about her power, right? She’s not going to hold her power back any more.
E: She’s just going to let her power go.
H: Then she sings, “Turn away and slam the door.”
E: Oh! “Slam” is such a great verb. It sounds like what it means.
H: It sure does. When I’m really mad, sometimes I slam things. Bam! And it feels pretty good.
E: Yeah, me too sometimes. But then she sings, “I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on.”
E & H: “The cold never bothered me anyway.”
H: Ok first, I usually think of the word “rage” as a noun. Like, instead of saying, “He was very angry,” you could say, “He was filled with rage.”
E: Right. But here, it’s being used as a phrasal verb, “to rage on.” Like just let the storm continue in a really angry, violent way.
H: And, although this is not true for me personally, “The snow never bothered me anyway.” The verb “to bother” is a useful one.
E: It is. To bother means, “to irritate, worry or upset someone.” Like, “I hope my singing doesn’t bother you.”
H: Haha – You know your singing never bothers me. I love when we get to sing together!
E: And speaking of that, are we ready to sing?
H: There’s just one more thing we should mention about this song.
E: Is that the rhyming?
H: Yes! There are so many rhyming words that we can use to practice pronunciation.
E: Like in the part where she sings, “I am one with the wind and sky”
H: “You'll never see me cry.”
E: Or, “That perfect girl is gone,”
H: “Let the storm rage on.”
E: Or in the first verse, “Not a footprint to be seen,”
H: “And it looks like I’m the queen.”
E: There’s a lot to pay attention to in this song. There are so many useful verbs.
H: And a lot of fun rhyming words to look out for.
E: I think now we’re ready to sing!
H: Ok listeners, there are links to the two official Disney YouTube videos in the episode notes.
E: One of them is a karaoke version with the lyrics on the screen. So, don’t forget to sing out loud!
H: That’s great. It’s even easier to sing along then. And do you remember that computer file I was so upset about?
E: Nope!
H: Me neither! It seems like I have, “Let it go!...”
E & H: “...Let it go!”
<ending>
E: Thank you as always for joining us on this episode of “English as a Singing Language.”
H: We hope you are enjoying the podcast.
E: And, if you want extra practice, check out the “English as a Singing Language” website.
H: There are transcripts for all of the episodes, and activities that you can do for extra practice.
E: You can also follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
H: And be sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen. That way you’ll know as soon as the latest episode is available.
E: Ok Listeners! Have fun and...
E & H: … just keep singing!
Official YouTube Video
Official YouTube Video (sing-along version)
Listening Activity
Directions: Complete the lyrics with the correct form of the verb that you hear.
The snow ________________ white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I'm the queen
The wind ________________like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried
Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
________________, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Refrain:
Let it go, let it go
Can't ________________ anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm ________________
The cold never ________________ me anyway
It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and ________________
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand and here I stay
Let the storm rage on
My power ________________ through the air into the ground
My soul ________________ in frozen fractals all around
And one thought ________________ like an icy blast
I'm never going back, the past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
When I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand in the light of day
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
Complete Lyrics
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I'm the queen
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried
Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Refrain:
Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand and here I stay
Let the storm rage on
My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back, the past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
When I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand in the light of day
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
Songwriters: Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez
Let It Go lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Walt Disney Music Company