Season 1 Episode 6

Updated: Aug 7, 2023

Song: The Way You Do The Things You Do Artist: The Temptations Year: 1964 Album: Meet the Temptations Language Feature: Rhyming

Episode Description

In this episode, Ece and Heather are going back in time to 1960’s Motown with a song by The Temptations called,

“The Way You Do the Things You Do.”

We’re going to have some good times, because this song is full of rhymes! In addition to rhyming words, we’ve also included some sentence intonation and even a little bit of grammar! We hope you’re enjoying learning English with the podcast and singing out loud after every episode.

Episode Transcript

<intro> E: Hi! I’m Ece. H: And I’m Heather. We’re your hosts for the language-learning, music-loving, sing-along podcast, English as a Singing Language. E: This is a podcast for anyone who enjoys learning – H: -or teaching E: - that’s right, or teaching English. So, Heather, are we staying in the 21st century for this episode? H: Actually, we’re traveling back to the 1960’s to the US city of Detroit, Michigan. E: That sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait. H: Me neither. Let’s get started. <end intro> E: (Humming The Temptations, The way you do the things you do) Oh! Hi Heather! How’s it going? H: I’m doing really well. I was listening to you humming that song and I was thinking, Ece, you’ve got a lovely voice. You know, you could have been a singer! E: Haha. I don’t think so! I think I made the right choice with “language teacher.” I do love using music to learn English, though. H: Me too! And speaking of that, what song were you humming just now? E: It’s called, “The way you do the things you do.” It was written by Smokey Robinson and recorded by the famous Motown group, The Temptations, for their 1964 album, “Meet the Temptations.” H: So, is “Motown” a style of music, Ece? E: That’s a good question, Heather. Actually, “Motown” refers to any type of music that was recorded in or had the style of the Tamla Motown recording studio. The Motown studio was founded in 1959 in Detroit, Michigan, and it was the first recording studio with an African-American owner, Berry Gordy. H: Wow! That’s really interesting. And, are there any special characteristics of the Motown sound? E: Motown music is often described as “pop-soul,” or a sort of, “upbeat, pop, rhythm and blues or R&B.” So, there are a number of influences which give it its unique sound. H: And who are some of the most famous Motown artists? E: There were so many incredible singers and bands who recorded songs at the Motown Studio. Berry Gordy signed Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder - and I’m sure you’ve heard of them. H: I have. They’re all very well-known singers. E: Berry Gordy also worked with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and Smokey Robinson was the one who wrote, “The way you do the things you do,” the song we’re talking about today. H: And I’m guessing then that The Temptations, who recorded it, also recorded at the Motown Studio? E: That’s right, they did! H: Is there anything else we should know? E: Well, Otis Williams, who was a member of The Temptations, told Mojo magazine in February of 2009, "The first time we heard the song, we loved it. The melody swung, and the lyrics had lots of charm. They were silly in a way, talking about a girl you loved as a candle, a handle, a schoolbook, a cool crook, a broom, a perfume, but, typical Smokey, he made it work.” H: Ok. I’m sorry, but that does sound a little silly. Candle/handle? Schoolbook/cool crook? Broom/perfume? That doesn’t sound like a typical romantic song. E: No, it doesn’t, but you know what’s interesting about those words? H: You mean, that they rhyme? E: Exactly. Words that rhyme have the same ending, but a different letter or sound at the beginning of the word. Rhyming is used a lot in songs or poetry. H: So, words like, “bright” E: And “sight” H: And “light” E: And “night” H: I can definitely see how that would work in a song, right? E: Exactly. So, when the lead singer sings, “You’ve got a smile so bright” H: “You know you could’ve been a candle.” E: “I’m holding you so tight.” H: “You know you could have been a handle.” E: Every other line of the song rhymes. There’s bright. H: and tight E: and candle H: and handle E: That’s really catchy. And it’s also fun pronunciation practice. H: It is. There are more verses, too. “As pretty as you are, you know you could've been a flower.” E: And, “If good looks were a minute, you know you could’ve been an hour.” H: So, “flower” and “hour” rhyme. E: That’s right. And I think that’s a really cute comparison. If “attractive” is one minute, then you are a whole 60-minute hour of good looks. H: How about, “The way you swept me off my feet, you know you could've been a broom.” What does that one mean? E: You know, if you “sweep someone off their feet,” it means that they fall “head over heels” in love. H: That doesn’t sound very romantic. It sounds kind of dangerous. E: Haha. Well, “falling in love” can be dangerous, I guess, but those two expressions, “to sweep someone off their feet” and “to fall head over heels in love” can both be used to describe that feeling. And what about, “And baby you smell so sweet, you know you could've been some perfume.” H: That is a very sweet thing to say. Actually, I read that the inspiration for this song came from when the band members of The Temptations were talking with the band members from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and they were trying to come up with the best pick-up lines. E: The best what? H: Haha The best pick-up lines. Before there were dating apps or social media, if you wanted to find a romantic partner, you actually had to go out and talk to a person in real life. E: I remember those days. H: So do I. But anyway, a pick-up line is used to get a conversation started with a person who catches your eye. A person that you think might be interesting to talk to – in a romantic, dating kind of way. E: I wonder how successful these lines were. I can’t imagine anybody using them nowadays. H: I don’t know, Ece. Some of them are pretty adorable. “The way you stole my heart, you know you could have been a crook.” E: “And baby you're so smart, you know you could have been a school book.” H: And another cool rhyme, “heart” E: “Smart” H: “Crook” E: “Book.” And, a “crook” is another word for somebody who steals things, right? H: Yep. Like a robber. E: You know what else I’m noticing about these lyrics? “You make my life so rich, you know you could've been some money.” H: “And baby you're so sweet, you know you could have been some honey.” Are we talking about more rhyming? Money? Honey? E: Those are great rhymes, and great comparisons, but I’m also noticing that all of these sentences are really good examples of sentence intonation. H: Oh my gosh. You’re right. I didn’t notice that before. So, “You’ve gotta smile so bright.” The beginning of the sentence is unstressed and reduced. They don’t sing. “You have got a smile,” but what happens naturally is that it becomes, “You gotta” and the stress is on “smile.” “You gotta smile so bright.” Cool. E: And same thing with, “ya know ya coulda been a candle.” They don’t sing, “You know you could have been.” That part gets reduced, and the stress is on candle. H: Wow. There are a lot of interesting language features to practice in this song. E: There are. There’s just one last thing I want to point out before we sing. H: What’s that? E: Did you hear how in each comparison they use, “could have been”? Or, “coulda been”? H: I did. Is there a special situation where we can use, “could have plus the past participle”? E: There is! We use “could have” to talk about something that either was or was not possible in the past. H: Like, when I said you could have been a singer? I still think that’s possible, Ece. E: Nah! I think I’ll stick with podcasting. So, are we ready to listen? H: I think we are! You’ll find a link to two versions of this song in the episode notes. The first one is the original 1964 version by the Temptations. The second is the 1989 cover by the reggae band, UB40. There are many other covers by different groups. You can listen – E: - and sing! H: Yes! Listen and sing out loud and see which version you like best. Just be sure to pay attention to the rhyming, the reductions and the sentence stress as you sing. E: And if you would like more of a challenge, there’s an activity for you to do. You can find it on the English as a Singing Languages website. There’s a link in the episode notes. <ending> H: That was a lot of fun! E: It was! You know, if we had more time, we coulda talked about this song even longer! H: That’s true, I feel like I coulda talked about it forever, but it’s probably best to stop talking and start singing! One last thing, if you like the podcast, make sure to give us 5 stars and tell all your language-loving friends to listen. E: Yes, we greatly appreciate that! We also love to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram, contact us via our website or email us at singinglanguages@gmail.com. Tell us what songs have helped you learn English. H: Until then, have fun and – just keep singing! E: - just keep singing.

YouTube Video - The Temptations

Official YouTube Video - UB40

Activity

Listen to the song and complete the lyrics with the missing rhyming words.

You got a smile so bright You know you could've been a candle I'm holding you so ________________________ You know you could've been a ________________________ The way you swept me off my feet You know you could've been a broom And baby you smell so ________________________ You know you could've been some ________________________