Song: Eight Days a Week
Artist: The Beatles
Year: 1964
Album: Beatles for Sale
Language Feature: Present Simple and Imperative Verbs
Episode Description
Love and music are in the air! In this special Valentine’s Day episode of the podcast, Heather is worried that she doesn’t have enough days in the week to finish all of the things on her to-do list. Ece introduces The Beatles’s 1964 hit song, “Eight Days a Week,” and we talk about simple present and imperative verbs. We also talk about how great it would be to actually have eight days in a week!
Listeners, eight days in a week is not enough to show you how much we care about you! We did, however, make a video version of this episode for our YouTube channel. We hope you enjoy this episode and we wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
Episode Transcript
<Intro>
E: Hi! I’m Ece.
H: And I’m Heather. Welcome to “English as a Singing Language!”
E: This is our podcast about using songs to improve your English.
H: And also just singing songs to have fun.
E: Yes. We definitely want to have fun while learning different aspects of English.
H: Such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency.
E: Yep. And in this episode, we’re going to be talking about the simple present tense and imperative.
H: Oooh! That sounds interesting!
E: You know we always think grammar is interesting!
H: You mean, there are people who don’t love grammar?
E: It’s funny you mention the word “love,” Heather.
H: Why is that?
E: Well, a certain holiday is coming up…
H: Oh my gosh! Is this a love song for Valentine’s Day?
E: It sure is!
H: Grammar and a love song? Now I really can’t wait!
E: Me neither. Let’s get started!
<end intro>
E: <humming Eight Days a Week> Hey Heather! How’s it going?
H: Oh Ece! I’m so busy! I feel like I’m never going to get everything done!
E: I know the feeling. I was just on my way back from the post office.
H: Oh yeah? What were you doing at the post office?
E: I was mailing out Valentine’s Day cards to all of my family and friends.
H: That’s so wonderful. You know, many people only think about romantic love when they think about Valentine’s Day.
E: There’s definitely that part of it, but there are so many other kinds of love. I write cards to all of my friends and family to tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me.
H: That’s a great idea. I guess I’ll just add ‘write Valentine’s Cards’ to my to-do list. Honestly, Ece, I’m never going to finish everything!
E: Even if you had eight days in a week?
H: Haha, good one Ece. Wouldn’t that be great? I sure wish I had an extra day this week. But wait a minute, you’re talking about the song you were just humming, weren’t you?
E: Haha! You figured it out! Yes. I was just listening to the Beatles’ 1964 hit song, “Eight Days a Week” from their album, “Beatles for Sale.”
H: Well, I could really use 8 days a week. I wonder where they got the idea for the song from.
E: In fact, Paul McCartney tells this story about how he came up with the idea. He was on his way to the house of fellow Beatle, John Lennon and, “on this particular day I was chatting to the chauffeur and, at the end of the journey, I just happened to ask him what he’d been doing. He said, ‘Oh, I’ve been working eight days a week.’ I ran into John’s house saying, ‘Got the title.'”
H: That’s a great title. And I definitely know how Paul McCartney’s driver felt! Sometimes, there’s just too much to do. But, what’s the song about?
E: Well, unlike you, and Paul McCartney’s chauffeur, the song is not about having many things to do. It is about how the singer loves someone SO much that they need eight days to show how much they care.
H: That’s really sweet! And much better than needing eight days a week to finish reports, grading, and cleaning!
E: Agree. And you’ll notice in the song that all of the verbs are in the simple present tense.
H: That makes sense. We use the simple present tense when we talk about things that are habits.
E: Or things that are facts. And if you tell someone you love them, it’s like stating a fact.
H: Right. So, the first line is, “Ooh I need your love babe”
E: The verb “need” is in the simple present tense.
H: And the second line, “Guess you know it’s true.”
E: The simple present verb is “guess.” And I notice that the subject “I” is missing. He doesn’t sing, “I guess you know it’s true.”
H: That’s right. Sometimes we can delete the subject “I” when we are talking to another person. It happens again in the next line when he sings, “Hope you need my love, babe, just like I need you.” It’s just “Hope you need,” and not, “I hope you need.”
E: Like I could say, “Hope you get better soon!” and we both understand that I am the person who hopes you get better. And in the song lyrics, the verbs “hope” and “need” are both in the simple present.
H: In the next line, he’s actually using the imperative tense. We use that tense for commands like, “Stand up, sit down, or give me that!”
E: So he sings, “Hold me, love me, hold me, love me,” and there is no subject like “You hold me!” or “You love me!” In a command, you don’t use a subject. The subject is understood to be “you.”
H: In the next two lines there is no subject either.
E: Yes. He sings, “Love you ev’ry day girl, always on my mind.”
H: Just like in the example of, “hope you love me too,” the subject is “I.”
E: Now we get to the refrain, “Eight days a week, I love you. Eight days a week is not enough to show I care.” And before you say anything, Heather. I will point out that what we would teach in grammar class is, “Eight days a week ARE not enough to show I care.”
H: I’m glad you mentioned that, Ece. Yes! I would say, “Eight days are not enough” for sure.
E: “Days” is plural, so it has to agree with the verb, “are.”
H: Right. So, what’s the next verse?
E: That’s it.
H: Wait, what? There are no more lyrics? No more verses?
E: Nope. This might be the shortest song we’ve talked about on the podcast.
H: I guess the song has said it all. Basically, “I love you so much that even if I had eight days a week, it wouldn’t be enough to show you how much I care about you.”
E: A wonderful, short-but-sweet love song, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
H: And there are several useful examples of simple present tense verbs used to state a fact and examples of giving a command, which doesn’t use a subject, “you.”
E: Like using the simple present to say, “I love our podcast!”
H: Or giving a command, “Listen to our podcast!”
E: And don’t just listen to the podcast, “Sing out loud as you listen!”
H: That’s a good command. Ok listeners, think about all the wonderful people in your life, and sing out loud as you listen!
E: There is a link to the YouTube video for the Beatles 1964 hit song, “Eight Days a Week,” in the episode notes.
H: And remember,
E + H: “Eight days a week, we lo-o-o-o-ove you!”
<outtro>
E: So, are you going to get back to work?
H: You know what? I have already worked all day, so I think I’m going to stop and call it a day.
E: “Call it a day?” Do you mean, “It’s Thursday!”
H: Haha No, the phrase, “call it a day,” means that you have done enough work for one day, and you’re going to stop.
E: That sounds good. I think you need a break.
H: Maybe I do. I think I’m going to go home and start writing some Valentine’s Day cards. That’s a good way to relax.
E: Good idea. And let’s remind our listeners to like and subscribe to the podcast.
H: And, Check out our website. The website has useful materials like transcripts and activities.
E: We should also say, “Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
H: Or, “Follow us on Instagram!”
E: Those are all great ideas.
H: They sure are. Until next time, have fun and …
E + H: … just keep singing.
Official YouTube Video
Complete Lyrics
Ooh I need your love babe,
Guess you know it's true.
Hope you need my love babe,
Just like I need you.
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.
Ain't got nothin' but love babe,
Eight days a week.
Love you ev'ry day girl,
Always on my mind.
One thing I can say girl,
Love you all the time.
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me.
Ain't got nothin' but love babe,
Eight days a week.
Eight days a week
I love you.
Eight days a week
Is not enough to show I care.
Ooh I need your love babe, ...
Eight days a week ...
Love you ev'ry ...
Eight days a week. Eight days a week. Eight days a week.
Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney
Eight Days a Week lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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