Song: Under the Boardwalk
Artist: The Drifters
Year: 1964
Album: B-side of “I don’t want to go on without you”
Language Feature: Prepositional Phrases
Episode Description
Both Heather and Ece are ready for a vacation after a long semester of teaching. While Ece is going to a nearby city to visit a friend, Heather is getting ready to go to the beach.
In this episode, they are talking about prepositional phrases in the song, "Under the Boardwalk," by The Drifters. Have fun learning some useful English grammar while listening to this doo-wop classic song from the 1960s!
Episode Transcript
<intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather.
E: And I’m Ece. Welcome to another episode of our podcast,
H: English as a Singing Language!
E: We use all kinds of different songs from different styles, singers and time periods to help our listeners sing their way to better English skills.
H: It’s such a fun way to practice pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency.
E: It sure is. So, what’s the focus of the song in this episode, Heather?
H: We’re going to talk about prepositional phrases.
E: Hmmmmm….I don’t think we’ve had a song where we focus on prepositional phrases before.
H: We haven’t! But prepositions are an important part of English grammar, and we’re going way, way back to the 1960’s for this song.
E: That sounds exciting. I can’t wait!
H: Me neither. Let’s get started.
<end intro>
E + H: (humming The Drifters, “Under the Boardwalk”)
H: Ece! Hey, Ece!
E: Oh, hi Heather! It’s good to see you.
H: You too!
E: But what are you doing here at the store? You look so happy! What’s going on? You hate shopping.
H: You’re right. I do. But I’m here at the store today to pick up a few things for my upcoming beach vacation, so I’m in a very good mood!
E: I see you’ve picked out a pair of flip flops, a hat, some sunblock…
H: Yep. I think that’s just about everything. I can’t believe the semester is over and we finally have time for a vacation.
E: I know! My daughter and I have planned a trip to a nearby city to stay with my friend and visit the museums there.
H: That sounds great!
E: I know. I’m really looking forward to it. And how about you, Heather? Where are you going?
H: My husband and I are going to drive to the ocean and spend a week at the beach. You know, walking on the boardwalk, swimming in the sea, lying on a blanket relaxing. I can’t wait!
E: Sounds great! And you know what? It reminds me of the song they were just playing here in the store.
H: Yes! We were both humming it just now!
E: It’s a very catchy tune. It’s the 1964 song, “Under the Boardwalk.”
H: What’s, “Under the Boardwalk” about, Ece?
E: On the website, Great Songs, the song is described like this [QUOTE}, “Imagine yourself strolling hand-in-hand beneath the boardwalk, the salty breeze in your hair, the rhythm of the waves in your ears. It’s a reminder of a simpler time, a time of innocence and sweet anticipation, a time captured perfectly in this timeless classic by The Drifters.”
H: That’s a really great description of the content of the song.
E: Yes. We’ll put a link to the website in the episode notes, so you can read more of their vivid description of the song.
H: Ok, so who sang, “Under the Boardwalk”?
E: It was sung by the doo-wop, R&B group, The Drifters, with Johnny Moore singing lead vocals.
H: Ece, what kind of music is “doo-wop”?
E: Doo-wop is a type of music that was popular in the US in the 1950s and 60s. It features a group of singers, usually with one main vocalist singing the melody, and the other three to four singers being back-up singers doing the harmony.
H: That sounds very catchy.
E: It is. You really hear the doo-wop style in the song, “Under the Boardwalk.”
H: And the title is an example of the language feature we’re talking about in this episode, right?
E: Yes! It’s a prepositional phrase.
H: A pre-pa wha?
E: Well, you know what a preposition is, right? It’s right in the name - a preposition. A preposition tells you the position, or location of something.
H: Sure! Words like in, on, up, down, over, under…
E: …by, for, of, with, to, out - there are so many prepositions in English!
H: And they are used in so many different ways!
E: That’s true. We have already talked about prepositions back in the first episode of Season Two.
H: Oh! you’re right! The song, “Try Everything.” In that episode we discuss phrasal verbs.
E: And a phrasal verb is a verb combined with a preposition.
H: So, listeners, you should definitely check out that episode if you haven’t already.
E: Definitely.
H: Ok, then what is a prepositional phrase?
E: A prepositional phrase tells us where something is located. For example, “My book is on the table.”
H: Or, “My hat, sunglasses, and sunblock are already in my suitcase.”
E: Exactly. And it sounds like you’re really ready for your vacation.
H: Haha - I am. Let’s take a look at how prepositional phrases are used in this song.
E: In the first line, they sing, “Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof.”
H: Wow! I heard a lot of prepositions in that line. The sun beats down, because the sun is up in the sky.
E: Yes. and it burns the tar - the thick, sticky, dark liquid that is used on roads and on the roof of a house.
H: And the tar is, “up on the roof.” There are two prepositions in that phrase!
E: That’s because the roof is “up” above us, and the tar is “on” the roof.
H: Huh. That’s interesting.
E: It is. And I’ve heard that The Drifters included that line, “up on the roof,” because it refers to their 1962 hit song called…”Up on the Roof.”
H: Wow! That’s cool. I didn’t realize that. Listeners should check out that song, too.
E: They should. We’ll include a link to it in the episode notes!
H: Then the next line is, “And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fireproof.”
E: I think we have all experienced a day like that, when it’s so hot the shoes on your feet feel like they are on fire!
H: And if something is “fireproof,” it means that it can’t be affected or burned by fire.
E: Yes. If you add “proof” to the end of a word, it means that it cannot be accessed or affected by something. For example, the sunblock you’re buying for the beach is “waterproof.” It won’t be washed off by water in the pool or in the ocean.
H: And the bottle of headache medicine in your cart is “childproof,” which means your daughter won’t be able to open it by accident.
E: Exactly. Now in the refrain, there are several prepositional phrases. “Under the boardwalk, down by the sea. On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be.”
H: I guess we should talk about what a boardwalk is first.
E: A boardwalk is a kind of path or almost even a small road made out of wood, which is located at the beach.
H: And people can walk on the boardwalk and find restaurants selling food and drinks as well as activities and games to play.
E: Except that in the song, the singer won’t be “on the boardwalk,” he’ll be “under the boardwalk, on a blanket.”
H: And the boardwalk is, “down by the sea.”
E: That’s another phrase with two prepositions, same as “up on the roof.”
H: Next he sings, “with my baby is where I’ll be.” So, instead of being up with the people and the restaurants and the games, they want to be under the boardwalk.
E: Maybe they want to be alone.
H: Or maybe they just want to be, “out of the sun.”
E: In the next part of the song, you hear the backup singers sing, “under the boardwalk” together, and then, Johnny Moore sings the next part of the line, “We’ll be havin’ some fun.”
H: And he uses the reduced form of “havin’” instead of “having some fun.”
E: Right. “People walking above,” with the preposition “above,” so we can picture them, “under the boardwalk” with all the people above them “on the boardwalk.”
H: “People walking above, we’ll be fallin’ in love.” <sigh> That sounds very romantic. I wonder if my vacation will be like that.
E: I hope so, Heather.
H: Me too! In the next verse, he sings, “From the park you hear the happy sound of the carousel.”
E: The carousel is in the park, so the sound is coming from the park and they can hear it.
H: A carousel is a kind of machine that has wooden animals, usually horses, that go around and around. At the boardwalk, you can buy a ticket, and sit on a wooden horse, and ride around in a circle while happy music plays.
E: My daughter loves the carousel, except that we call it a merry-go-round.
H: Me too! There are different names for this ride. It’s also called a roundabout or a whirligig.
E: Whatever you call it, a carousel is a lot of fun, and there is one at almost every boardwalk by the sea.
H: This song is really making me realize how often we use prepositional phrases in every-day English.
E: Right? They are in almost every sentence!
H: And what’s the last line of the song?
E: “You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they sell.”
H: Those are definitely two kinds of food that people sell at the boardwalk, on the beach.
E: Hotdogs, hamburgers, French fries, ice cream, cotton candy, cold drinks….
H: Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to go to the beach!
E: Before you go, it’s time to sing!
H: Don’t forget to sing out loud, listeners!
E: And pay attention to the prepositional phrases while you sing.
H: There’s a link to the official YouTube video of The Drifters 1964 song, “Under the Boardwalk.”
E: And over the years, many other singers and bands have done their own version of the song.
H: The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, and The Beach Boys are just a few of the groups that have sung a version of, “Under the Boardwalk.”
E: So, you can check out different singers and see which one you like best.
H+E Under the boardwalk, out of the sun. Under the boardwalk, we’ll be havin’ some fun!
<outtro>
H: Ok, I think I have everything I need for my vacation.
E: I hope you have a great time.
H: You too, Ece! We worked hard this semester, and we both need a little break!
E: But don’t worry, listeners. We’re always working on the podcast.
H: Even if we’re on vacation, we’re still going to be creating episodes of, “English as a Singing Language.”
E: Let us know if you have an idea for a song for an episode. You can email us at: singinglanguages@gmail.com.
H: You can also follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages.
E: Make sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to us.
H: And that includes on our YouTube channel.
E: Until next time, have fun and…
H + E: …just keep singing!!
Official YouTube Video of Under the Boardwalk
YouTube Video of Up on the Roof (mentioned in the episode)
Complete Lyrics
Oh, when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fireproof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
Out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) People walking above
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be fallin' in love
(Under the boardwalk) Yeah (boardwalk)
From the park you hear the happy sound of the carousel
You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they sell, yes you can
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
Out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) People walking above
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be fallin' in love
(Under the boardwalk) Yeah (boardwalk)
Yeah, under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be
Out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) People walking above
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be fallin' in love
(Under the boardwalk) Yeah (boardwalk)
Songwriters: Arthur Resnick / Kenny Young
Under the Boardwalk lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Hipgnosis Songs Group
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