Song: Dancing in the Street
Artist: Martha and the Vandellas
Year: 1964
Album: Dance Party
Language Feature: Contractions and Reductions
Episode Description
Ece is planning a block party in her neighborhood, and she needs the perfect song for her summer playlist. Heather suggests the 1964 Motown hit, “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas. It’s the perfect song for a summer party that is, or that’s, full of singin’ and dancin’!
This episode focuses on contractions and reductions. You may have noticed when talking with proficient English speakers, (people who have a very high level of English), that they do not, or don’t, pronounce every sound of every word carefully. This song provides great practice with how and where to use contractions and reductions, and it’s perfect for dancin’ in the street!
Episode Transcript
<Intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather.
E: And I’m Ece. We’re the cohosts of the podcast, “English as a Singing Language.”
H: That’s right. In each episode, we discuss one song and we talk about the language features in the lyrics.
E: We talk about pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency.
H: And what is the focus of today’s song, Ece?
E: We are, or I should say, we’re going to be talking about contractions and reductions in pronunciation.
H: Oh! That is, I mean, that’s great. Singing songs is a great way to practice using contractions and reductions.
E: I’m really excited about this song.
H: Me too! Let’s get started!
<end intro>
H: (humming “Dancin’ in the Streets”)
E: Hi Heather! What’re you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you at the park today.
H: Hi Ece! It’s a beautiful summer day today. I wanted to enjoy the bright sunshine and the warm weather.
E: It’s a perfect summer day, and I know how m-m-miserable you feel when it’s cold outside.
H: That’s true. Season 1, Episode 9, “Let it Snow,” seems like a long time ago. I prefer the weather today, for sure.
E: But listeners, you should definitely go back and check out that episode if you enjoy snowy, winter weather and you’re interested in practicing linking words and adjectives.
H: Brrrrr…I don’t miss the cold at all! So, where’re you going, Ece?
E: I’m on my way to the city office for special events to apply for a block party permit.
H: You’re going where to apply for a what?
E: Every year in the summer, my neighbors and I apply for a permit from the city to hold a block party.
H: What do you do at a block party?
E: Well, the permit allows us to close the street in front of our house. That way there will not, or won’t, be any cars driving on our block.
H: Wow! So the children can play safely, and the adults can sing and dance and have fun.
E: Exactly! Everyone prepares food and drinks and there’s always music, sweet music, there will or there’ll, be music everywhere.
H: Wait a minute! Those are lyrics from the song I was just listening to! Do you know that song?
E: I do! The song is, “Dancing in the Streets,” the 1964 hit song by Martha and the Vandellas.
H: That’s right! And in 1985, David Bowie and Mick Jagger recorded a popular version of the song to raise money for charity.
E: I am definitely adding this song to the playlist for the block party. Do we know anything else about this song, Heather?
H: Well, it was written by Motown songwriters Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter, and William "Mickey" Stevenson after Gaye and Stevenson saw a group of children who were playing together in the street in the city of Detroit, Michigan on a hot summer’s day.
E: That sounds like a block party!
H: It does. The children were playing in the water from an open fire hydrant, and their jumping and running looked like dancing to the two men. The children came from all different backgrounds, and the way they played and got along together gave them the idea to write this song.
E: That’s really inspirational. I love the idea of everyone getting along together.
H: Me too. In a 2019 interview with NPR, lead singer Martha Reeves said, “The song is about love and feeling free enough to dance in the street. You don't have to worry about cars hitting you. You don't have to worry about policemen coming and telling you you can't dance in the street.”
E: Wow! I hope our block party will be just like that!
H: I hope so, too. Another interesting fact about Dancing in the Street is that although it started out as a summer party song, it gained another meaning during the summer of 1965.
E: Hmmmm…there were a lot of demonstrations in support of equal treatment for Black Americans in 1965.
H: Yes. There have been demonstrations for racial justice - treating everyone equally - throughout the history of the United States. The song, “Dancing in the Streets,” was seen as a call for people to go to the streets and protest. The lines, “Calling out around the world" and "Summer's here and the time is right" especially were seen as a call for people to go out and protest, to stand up for equality.
E: It’s a really wonderful song, with many layers of meaning.
H: And do you know what interesting language feature it has?
E: I think I do know. Are you talking about practicing contractions and reductions?
H: I am! Contractions are two words that we push together to make into one word. For example, “can” plus “not” becomes “can’t.”
E: Or, “we” plus “will” becomes “we’ll.”
H: Right! And a reduction happens when we don’t pronounce a word completely. We reduce it or make it smaller, as in “playing” becomes “playin’.”
E: Let’s look at the first line of the song that we just mentioned, “Callin' out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?” Instead of “calling,” Martha sings “callin’” with a reduction in the -ing.
H: We have mentioned that -ing reduction before in other songs. And there’s another example when she sings “There’ll be swingin' and swayin' and records playin.’”
E: And there is a contraction there, too. “There will” becomes “there’ll.”
H: So, instead of singing, “There will be singing and swaying and records playing,” she sings, “There’ll be singin’ an’ swayin’ an’ records playin’,” and it sounds a lot more natural.
E: And easier to sing!
H: Definitely! And by the way, Ece, how are the actions “swinging” and “swaying” different?
E: Well, they both mean to move from side to side, like when you hear a great song and you start to move to the beat, but swinging means that the top is fixed, or not moving, and the bottom moves back and forth.
H: Ah! And swaying means the bottom doesn’t move, and the top is moving from side to side. That’s an interesting difference.
E: It is. And here it just means that everyone is moving in time to the music - dancin’ and having fun.
H: There’s a contraction in the next line, too. “Summer is” becomes, “Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the street.”
E: And, “They are” is pronounced, “They’re dancin’ in Chicago, down in New Orleans, in New York City.”
H: How about some of the other contractions in the song? For example in the line, “Oh it doesn't matter what you wear just as long as you are there,” “does” and “not” become “doesn’t.”
E: That sounds like the kind of party I want to have, one where you don’t have to dress up and wear something fancy. And you know what? There’s a really useful sentence pattern, too. “It doesn’t matter what [X], just as long as [Y].”
H: Oh! You’re right, it is. Like, “It doesn’t matter what kind of music you play at the block party, just as long as it’s good to dance to.”
E: Or, “It doesn’t matter what type of food we prepare for the party, just as long as it’s delicious.”
H: There’s an interesting reduction in the next line, “So come on ev'ry guy grab a girl, everywhere around the world,” The word “every” looks like it should have three syllables “e-ve-ry,” right? But, it’s pronounced with two, “ev’ry,” as in “ev’ry guy.”
E: And how about, “It’s an invitation across the nation, a chance for folks to meet.” “It is” is pronounced, “It’s.”
H: And what does the word “folks” mean here, Ece?
E: “Folks” here is an informal way to say “people.” Like, “Lots of folks are coming down to the block party.”
H: Then she sings about a few more cities, “Across the nation, Philadelphia, PA , Baltimore and D.C., Can't forget the Motor City.”
E: Ok, I know all of those cities, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Washington D.C.; but the Motor City? Where is that?
H: The city of Detroit, Michigan is known as the Motor City, because it was the heart of the car manufacturing industry in the 20th century. It is still home to the top three US automobile companies.
E: And it’s also home to Motown, which is a style of rhythm and blues music that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
H: If you like this Motown song, you should go back and check out Season 1, Episode 6, “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” which is another hit song by a Motown group, The Temptations.
E: I think we are, or we’re ready to sing and dance to this song.
H: I certainly am! There is, there’s a link to the original Martha and the Vandellas version as well as the 1985 Mick Jagger and David Bowie version in the episode notes.
E: Don’t forget to sing out loud as you listen, and practice the pronunciation of those reductions we talked about.
H: Looking back at the song, “Dancing in the Streets,” Martha Reeves said, “It was fun, it was art, it gathered a deeper meaning, all of which makes “Dancing In The Street” 60s pop perfection.”
E: I agree. It’s “60s pop perfection.”
<outro>
H: So, Ece, are you ready for the block party?
E: I sure am. There’ll be food, games, music and dancing.
H: That’s all you need for a great party.
E: We’ll be havin’ fun all day.
H: We’ll also be workin’ on new episodes of the podcast.
E: We’re always workin’ on the podcast. It’s so much fun.
H: Definitely. Let’s remind everyone to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to us.
E: Yes! And follow us on Instagram so you’ll get clues to upcoming episodes and fun facts about what we’re doin’.
H: We’ll be back in a few weeks with a new episode.
E: But until then, have fun and ..
H + E… just keep singin’!
YouTube Video - Martha and the Vandellas
Official YouTube Video - David Bowie & Mick Jagger
Activity
Instructions: Listen to the song and complete the lyrics with the missing contractions.
Callin' out around the world Are you ready for a brand new beat? ________________ here and the time is right For dancing in the street
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street) Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street) In New York City (dancing in the street) All we need is music, sweet music ________________ be music everywhere
________________ be swingin' and swayin' and records playing Dancing in the street
Oh it ________________ matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on every guy grab a girl Everywhere around the world
________________be dancing (dancing in the street) ________________ dancing in the street Dancing in the street
________________ just an invitation across the nation A chance for folks to meet ________________ be laughing, singing and music swinging Dancing in the street
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street) Baltimore and D.C. now (dancing in the street) ________________ forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
All we need is music, sweet music ________________be music everywhere ________________ be swingin', swayin' and records playing And dancing in the street
Oh, it ________________________________ matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on, every guy grab a girl Everywhere around the world
________________ dancing ________________dancing in the street (dancing in the street) Way down in L.A., every day, ________________ dancing in the street ________________ form a big, strong line, get in time (________________ dancing in the street) Across the ocean blue, me and you (________________ dancing in the street)
Complete Lyrics
Callin' out around the world Are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer's here and the time is right For dancing in the street
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street) Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street) In New York City (dancing in the street) All we need is music, sweet music There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin' and swayin' and records playing Dancing in the street
Oh it doesn't matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on every guy grab a girl Everywhere around the world
There'll be dancing (dancing in the street) They're dancing in the street Dancing in the street
It's just an invitation across the nation A chance for folks to meet There'll be laughing, singing and music swinging Dancing in the street
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street) Baltimore and D.C. now (dancing in the street) Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
All we need is music, sweet music There'll be music everywhere There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playing And dancing in the street
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on, every guy grab a girl Everywhere around the world
They're dancing They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street) Way down in L.A., every day, they're dancing in the street Let's form a big, strong line, get in time (they're dancing in the street) Across the ocean blue, me and you (we're dancing in the street)
Songwriters: Marvin Gaye / Ivory Joe Hunter / Stevenson Dancing in the Street lyrics © Stone Agate Music, Nmg Music, Mgiii Music, Fcg Music, Jobete Music Co Inc
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