Song: That’s What Friends Are For
Artist: Rod Stewart and Dionne Warwick and Friends (Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Elton John)
Year: 1982, 1984
Album: Night Shift, Dionne and Friends
Language Feature: Season Two Finale
Episode Description
When we started the podcast, “English as a Singing Language” back in 2022, it seemed almost impossible. There were so many new skills to learn and so many tasks to do. Luckily, we work well together, support each other, and enjoy the creative process. In fact, we believe that’s what friends are for! Friends are for encouragement, kindness and of course, lots of laughs. This belief led us to choose the 1980s hit song, “That’s What Friends are For,” for the final episode of Season Two.
There are useful pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary in this song, but most of all, we wanted to say, “Thank You!” to all of you who have taken the time to listen to the podcast, learn English and sing with us. That’s what the podcast is for - to connect us through song all over the world. We hope you enjoy this episode.
Until Season Three, have fun and … just keep singing!!
Episode Transcript
<Intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather.
E: And I’m Ece.
H: We’re the hosts of the music-themed,
E: language-learning podcast,
E + H: English as a Singing Language!
H: What started as a fun extracurricular activity for our students, developed into an online activity during the pandemic.
E: And now we are reaching people all around the world, encouraging them to enjoy practicing English pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency with music.
H: That’s right. Over the past two years, we’ve had listeners in over 90 countries and territories.
E: And over 4,000 total plays across different platforms.
H: And don’t forget our YouTube channel. We’ve gotten a lot of plays there, too.
E: Creating this podcast together has been such an amazing experience.
H: I agree. Just recently someone asked me if I felt like creating the podcast was a lot of work.
E: And what did you say?
H: I said that it is a lot of work. We put a lot of effort into making each episode, but it never feels like work. It’s just so much fun.
E: Definitely. Ok Heather, what’s the focus of this episode?
H: Well, this episode is the final episode of Season Two. Can you believe it?
E: No! I can’t believe we’ve already created two seasons of the podcast.
H: Yep. So, we’ve chosen this song to show our appreciation for each other as co-hosts.
E: And also to show how much we appreciate our listeners.
H: Yes. We really appreciate our listeners. We’ll be talking about different language features like pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, but mostly we just felt that this song perfectly expresses our feelings here at the end of Season Two.
E: Exactly. I can’t wait to talk about this song.
H: Me neither. Let’s get started.
<end intro>
H + E (humming That’s what friends are for)
E: You know, Heather, I’ve been thinking back on the past two seasons of the podcast, and I just want to tell you how much I enjoy working with you.
H: Oh my gosh, Ece, me too. I am always so impressed by the work you do. You do such a fantastic job recording and editing the episodes.
E: I really enjoy that part. I actually find it very relaxing.
H: And you created and maintain our website and our YouTube channel. It’s so incredible to me!
E: What about you, Heather? You wrote all these words we’re saying right now! You write useful and engaging content. Without you, I’d have nothing to record and edit!
H: And we both work together on our Instagram account. I love creating images and text for each post.
E: Me too! Listeners, if you don’t follow us on Instagram, you definitely should. You can find us @singinglangauges.
H: Ok, so it sounds like we’re a pretty good team. We work well together.
E: We support each other.
H: Encourage each other when we’re feeling down.
E + H: And that’s what friends are for!
E: And that’s the name of the song for this final episode of Season Two.
H: The 1982 song first recorded by Rod Stewart?
E: That’s the one. Rod Stewart recorded the song in 1982, and it became popular in 1985 when it was recorded by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.
H: Wow! That’s quite a group of singers. What made them get together to record, “That’s What Friends are For”?
E: Dionne Warwick recorded this song as a charity single to raise money for AIDS research and prevention.
H: How much money did they raise for the cause?
E: The song raised over 3 million dollars for AIDS research and prevention. It was the number one single in the US in 1986.
H: It won several awards, too, right?
E: It did. It won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.
H: And in 2021, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Dionne Warwick said, “Being the nosy person that I am, I wanted to know what was going on and took the time to find out. That’s the humanity side of being a human being and caring about other people.”
E: That was at the showing of the documentary about her life, “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over.” The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
H: Right, but what does mean when she says she is a “nosy” person?
E: If you’re “nosy” it means you are curious and you always want to know what’s going on. Sometimes, you want to know about things that are not really your business, but Dionne Warwick is using it in a positive way. The HIV/AIDS crisis was happening in the US, and she wanted to know about the problem and see how she could help.
H: What an inspiring story. It’s easy to forget that HIV/AIDS was often overlooked in the 1980s.
E: And people like Dionne Warwick played an important role in raising awareness and generating money to help find a cure.
H: Ok, so the lyrics start, “And I never thought I’d feel this way, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m glad I got the chance to say that I do believe I love you.”
E: What a great way to start a song.
H: I agree. And there’s a very useful phrase in these lines, “as far as I’m concerned.”
E: You can use, “as far as I’m concerned,” as another way to say, “I think,” “I believe,” or “I feel,” right?
H: Yes! For example, I could say, “As far as I’m concerned, ‘English as a Singing Language’ is one of the best language learning podcasts.”
E: And I would say, “As far as I’m concerned, you’re right!”
H: And the next lines are, “And if I should ever go away, well, then close your eyes and try to feel the way we do today, and then if you can remember…”
E: The first part of that line is interesting, “If I should ever go away,” I don’t think that we use “should” and “ever” together very often.
H: Right. “Should” and “ever” can be used in the same way for a conditional sentence, for example, I can say, “If anyone wants to find me, I’ll be in my office.”
E: And that means the same thing as, “Should anyone want to find me, I’ll be in my office.”
H: Exactly. Although I think using “if” in conversational English is more common.
E: So, in these lyrics we could have, “If I ever go away,” or, “Should I ever go away,” but combining them, “If I should ever go away,” is a little unusual.
H: I think so. And sometimes songwriters or poets use language in a way that fits a particular rhythm or creates a special feeling.
E: Nice. Now in the refrain she sings, “Keep smilin’, keep shinin’.” First, I notice the common -ing reduction. Instead of “smiling” and “shining,” she sings, “smilin’” and “shinin’.”
H: We hear that a lot in conversational English and in song lyrics.
E: That’s true. And I also like the figurative language she uses in, “keep shinin’.”
H: Yes. Normally, we use “shining” to describe bright objects like the sun or a diamond or something like that.
E: So, if we describe a person as “shining” it means they are bright and cheerful, like a sunny day.
H: Yep. Then it goes on, “Knowing you can always count on me, for sure.”
E: There’s a great phrasal verb, “count on” in that line. What does it mean to “count on” someone, Heather?
H: If you “count on” someone, it means you can depend on them. You can trust them to always be there to help you if you need it.
E: You know you can always count on me, Heather.
H: And you can always depend on me, Ece. The only difference between these two sentences is that “count on” is a little less formal and more conversational than “depend on.”
E: The next line, “For good times and bad times, I’ll be on your side forever more.”
H: I really like the expression, “to be on someone’s side.” It means to support someone or defend them, right?
E: Exactly. If I say, “I’m on your side,” it means I agree with you. It’s always good to have someone on your side.
H: And then the last line of the refrain is the title of the song, “That’s what friends are for.”
E: This is actually a useful sentence pattern. It means that this is the purpose of this thing. This is what this thing is supposed to be used for.
H: Mmm-hmm. I can say, “Why are you eating your noodles with a fork, Ece?”
E: And I would say, “That’s what forks are for, Heather. They’re for eating noodles.” Or, I could ask you why you sing songs all day.
H: I do like to sing songs all day, so I could answer you, “That’s what songs are for, Ece, they’re for singing!”
E: Well, and they’re also for learning languages.
H: Yes. Songs are also for learning languages!
E: Ok. In the second verse, it starts, “Well, you came and opened me and now there’s so much more I see.”
H: There’s another good example of figurative language, using the verb “to open” to talk about a person.
E: That’s true, but a person can open you up to a new idea or a new way of thinking.
H: So, in the song, she’s happy that her friend has made her see so many new things. Her friend opened her to new ideas.
E: That’s definitely what good friends are for.
H: Ece, I feel like you open me up to new ideas all the time.
E: I feel the same way about you. And I really, really like the next line, “And so by the way I thank you.”
H: Me too. This whole episode is about thanking each other, and especially thanking our listeners.
E: And using “by the way” is a useful phrase, too.
H: It is. We usually use, “by the way,” when we’re adding some extra information or maybe changing the topic a little bit.
E: Like maybe we’re talking about recording a new episode, and I think to tell you, “By the way, Heather, I really like your shirt.”
H: Or we could be talking about our next Instagram post, and I could say, “By the way, Ece, don’t forget we have that meeting next week!”
E: Exactly. And the last lines of the second verse are, “Oh and then for the times when we’re apart, well, then close your eyes and know these words are coming from my heart and then if you can remember…”
H: Oh! This line really makes me think about our listeners.
E: Me too! Sometimes we do get to hold in-person events where we can practice English and sing songs together in the same space, but most of our listeners are far, far away from us!
H: That’s true. But if we close our eyes, we can imagine all of us listening to music, practicing English and…
E: …and you’re going to say singing together, right? I think it’s time to sing together!
H: It’s definitely time to sing together!
E: There’s a link to the Rod Stewart 1982 version, and the Dionne Warwick and Friends 1985 version of the song in the episode notes.
H: Don’t forget to sing out loud and think about the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary we’ve talked about in this song.
E: But most of all, think about all of those special people in your life that you can count on.
H: Close your eyes and think about them as you sing.
E + H: That’s what friends are for!
<outro>
H: You know, Ece, back in 2022 when you said we should create a podcast, I thought it was a great idea, but honestly, I thought it would be impossible.
E: It did seem like it was going to be extremely difficult.
H: But then we met our friends Anna and Shey, and they told us about their experience creating, “The Teacher Think-aloud Podcast,” and suddenly it seemed doable.
E: We’ve made so many connections and met so many new friends while creating, “English as a Singing Language.”
H: I guess that’s what podcasts are for!
E: They’re for making new friends and learning new information! And for our listeners who are English teachers, you should listen to, “The Teacher Think-aloud Podcast.” That podcast is for promoting reflective teaching practices.
H: You know, thinking about your teaching in a meaningful way. Well, Ece, I have had an amazing experience so far creating the first two seasons of the podcast.
E: Me too. And don’t worry listeners, we are already hard at work on new episodes for Season Three of the podcast.
H: And you can always go back and listen to episodes from Seasons One and Two while you wait for new content.
E: Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long. And if you have an idea for a song for an episode, you can email us at singinglanguages@gmail.com.
H: And if you follow us on Instagram @singinglanguages, you’ll be the first to know when the first episode of Season Three is released.
E: You should also subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to us.
H: And that includes our YouTube channel!
E: Thank you, Heather.
H: Thank you, Ece.
H + E: Thank you, listeners.
E: Until Season Three, have fun and…
H + E: … just keep singing!
Official YouTube Video for original Rod Stewart Version
Official YouTube Video for Dionne Warwick and Friends Version
Complete Lyrics
And I never thought I'd feel this way
And as far as I'm concerned
I'm glad I got the chance to say
That I do believe I love you
And if I should ever go away
Well, then close your eyes and try
To feel the way we do today
And then if you can remember
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
Well, you came and opened me
And now there's so much more I see
And so by the way I thank you
Oh and then for the times when we're apart
Well, then close your eyes and know
These words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember
Oh, keep smilin' and keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
That's what friends are for
In good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
Oh, that's what friends are for
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
'Cause I tell you that's what friends are for
For good times and for bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for (that's what friends are for, ya)
On me for sure (count on me for sure, count on me for sure)
That's what friends are for
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Songwriters: Burt Bacharach / Carole Sager
That's What Friends Are For lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
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