Sign O' the Times by PRINCE

FACTS

Sign O’ The Times was the lead single of Prince’s 1987 album of the same name. The times described in the song are certainly bad times including references to issues such as AIDS, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and drug abuse.

The video for the song was an early example of a lyric video where the words to the song are the main element of the video.

In 1989 the band Simple Minds released an interesting version of this song.

THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE

The author or masterpiece Purple Rain, a whizz kid, a charismatic performer; Prince was a prolific songwriter with a studio full of unreleased songs which the company (Warner Bros) refused to publish.

As a result, a legal battle began in 1993 when Prince appeared in public with the word SLAVE written on his cheek, and subsequently he decided to change his artistic name -which was trademarked by the company- to an unpronounceable symbol, combination of the gender symbols for man and woman, thus forcing the media to refer to him as “The Artist Formerly known as Prince”.

He was not able to use his own name until 2000 when the contract with Warner expired.

THE TIMES OF RONALD REAGAN

Ronald Reagan was president of the USA from 1981 to 1989. This meant a conservative era for the politics of the USA. He cut social program funds and increase defence spending. In 1982 the country falls into the biggest economic recession since the Great Depression with a consequent increase of unemployment.

The decade was also characterised by other aspects and events. Some lines of the song show references to these.

A BIG DISEASE WITH A LITTLE NAME

Yes indeed, AIDS is a big disease with a little name, which is an acronym of “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”.

A syndrome caused by a virus, HIV, the initials of “Human Immunodeficiency Virus”.

AIDS alters the immune system making it vulnerable to infections and diseases. There is no vaccine and it doesn’t have a cure but can be treated with antiretroviral therapy.

The discovery of the existence of the disease was in 1981 when a medical publication issued a report on a number of infections with a high Case Fatality Rate. At the beginning it was considered a gay-related immune deficiency.

In 1985 American actor Rock Hudson announced that he was suffering from the virus. Another notable casualty of AIDS was Freddie Mercury in 1991.

1985 - Rock Hudson "Mystery Illness" 

In 1990 Red Hot + Blue was released, a benefit album to raise money for AIDS research. This was a compilation of Cole Porter’s songs performed by some contemporary artists such as Talking Heads, Erasure, U2 or Neneh Cherry.

WHEN A ROCKET SHIP EXPLODES

On 28 January, 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean 73 seconds after launching. All seven crew members of the spacecraft were killed and 17% of USA’s population were witness to the accident as it was being broadcast on TV.

Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion LIVE TV

FROM TRYING A REEFER TO DOING HORSE

In the song Prince tells us that his cousin tried a reefer in September. A reefer is a cannabis cigarette, but this word is sort of obsolete, nowadays joint would be a more common word.

Nine months later his cousin is doing horse, horse is the slang word for heroin.

With these lines Prince is implying that trying any type of drugs increases the chances to become addicted to highly addictive substances.

In the following video you can learn some more slang related to drugs.

SOME SAY MAN AIN'T HAPPY TRULY UNTIL A MAN TRULY DIES

The following quote is attributed to Solon, one of the Seven Sages of Greece:

“Call no man happy until he is dead”.

What should not be misunderstood as it would be the same as saying that death is the end for all human suffering, thus it is at this point that we can ascertain that someone has been happy as from now on they can suffer no more.

In the song Prince paraphrases this aphorism:

“Some say man ain't happy truly until a man truly dies”.

Englishman in New York by STING

FACTS

Englishman in New York is a song from Sting’s second solo album Nothing Like The Sun. It was released as a single in 1988.

In the video you can see and listen to saxophone player Branford Marsallis. In March 1996 Sting says to The Baltimore Sun:

“On 'Englishman in New York', Branford plays 'God Save the Queen' in a minor key at one point.”

In April, he says to The Guitar:

"One of my favourite little jokes is from an 'Englishman In New York', where at one point we're playing 'God Save The Queen' in a minor key. It really tickles me but nobody else hears it!"

Can someone hear “God Save The Queen” in this song?

Or is Sting taking us for a ride?

ORIGINAL VIDEO

LYRICS VIDEO

In 2007 the artist Tiken Jah Fakoly released a version of the song. In the form of a letter, he tries to comfort his mother telling her about his new life as an immigrant in Paris.

The Englishman: QUENTIN CRISP

Quentin Crisp, Wilde’s reincarnation, author of his own memoir The Naked Civil Servant, actor and raconteur. The saying goes that an Englishman’s house is his castle. But what happens when he moves to a foreign country?

Quentin Crisp moved from London to Manhattan in 1981 and the details of his charismatic personality and intense life are worth a whole encyclopedia. As a result, I will redirect you to the Quentin Crisp Archives where you can find interviews, recordings and innumerable articles.

CRISPERANTO

You can also see the two TV movies about his memoir both of them starring John Hurt (God bless you wherever you are).

This is the opening Title sequence of The Naked Civil Servant of 1975.

And this is the trailer for An Englishman In New York of 2009.

However, as the proof is in the pudding, you should have a bite of his wit:

MANNERS MAKETH MAN

In the song Sting repeats the well-known expression: "manners maketh man”. This means that your way of speaking or behaving reflects the kind of person you are, but beware, you shouldn’t’ judge a book by its cover.

I’ll give you some evidence: the following is a scene from the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service starring (among other) Colin Firth, who at some moment says the expression “Manner maketh man.” You will understand why.

GREEN ALIENS AND LEGAL CARDS (Oops! The other way round): LEGAL ALIENS AND GREEN CARDS

You certainly know that Alien is a 1979 Sci-Fi film famous for the “chestburster scene” in which a monster bursts out of John Hurt’s chest. But if you are imagining that the monster is Quentin you are wrong.

The World Law Dictionary Project defines legal alien as
a person who is living in a country legally but who is not a citizen of that country.

The term includes temporary residents with a visa and who are allowed to stay in a country for a period of time for study or business, and permanent residents. In the USA, if you are a lawful permanent resident that means that you have a green card which is valid for 10 years

John Lennon’s green card. Another Englishman in New York.

In 1990 romantic comedy Green Card, Gerard Depardieu plays the role of an illegal alien from France who enters into a marriage of convenience with an American, played by Andie MacDowell, in order to obtain a Green Card.

DEBATE

• In the song Sting mentions some values; modesty, propriety, gentleness and sobriety, which are not very common today.
• Some think that  we are living the times of celebrities, vacuous fame, verbal abuse and intemperance.
• Another  important issue dealt with in the song is that our mannerism and the choices we make define us as individuals.
• The fear of criticism, prejudices and  alieantion hinders our initiatives.
• Everyone of us has their own views and morals but most of us opt to go with the flow. 

Be yourself. No matter what they say.

Tom Diner's by SUZANNE VEGA

FACTS

The song was written by Suzanne Vega and appeared in her 1987 album Solitude Standing.

Tom’s Diner refers to Tom’s Restaurant in NYC where she used to be a frequent patron when she was a student at the university.

In this article from the archive of Vega’s official website you can read more facts about the composition of the song including the identity of the dead actor appearing in the newspaper.

⇨ The Exact Day Of The Composition Of The Song

But Tom’s Restaurant would later become famous for being the location for the exterior scenes of Monk’s Café, the place where a group of friends in the popular 90’s sitcom Seinfeld would meet for a coffee or a meal.

In this scene the friends are sitting at the counter waiting for a free booth:

This is a short documentary about the location:

LANGUAGE:

The Present Continuous

Very often, this song is used by teachers to explain the present continuous tense.

One of the main uses of this tense is to express actions happening at the time of speaking and it is also common when we want to describe the setting of an event.

You can revise and practice the use of this tense here:

⇨https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/present-continuous-basic

British and American English

George Bernard Shaw once said: “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

This is true to some extent. The former British colonists brought the language to the country, but these settlers mingled with migrants from other places speaking different languages. This melting pot created a language of their own with different grammar structures and a different accent and intonation.

Watch this Voanews video to check the main differences:

⇨ Voanews: 6 differences between British and American English

But the most outstanding difference is found in the vocabulary. American and British English speakers need some time to adapt to the language when they move from one country to the other. Most words belong to the lexical fields of food, transport, shopping or clothes, which are related to common everyday activities.

In the song we can find the following examples:

Diner: in the US, a small informal and inexpensive restaurant, often (but not always) at the side of the road. British would say “café” or “restaurant.”

The funnies: drawings, especially in a newspaper or magazine, that tell a joke or make a humorous criticism. In British English they prefer to say “cartoons.”

Gotten: another form of the past participle of “get” with the meaning of “become” as in: “her hair has gotten wet”. In the British Islands it’s more common to hear: “her hair has got wet.”

You will find more examples of the differences between British and American English here:

⇨ British Vs American English: 100+ Differences Illustrated

MEANING AND DEBATE

The “Observer”

Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

In the song, the narrator observes the people at the diner; the bartender, the customers, a woman outside the window, etc. She also listens to or overhears a conversation.

To overhear means to listen just by chance, without an intention. When you listen on purpose and secretly, for example behind a door, you eavesdrop.

• Have you ever sat at a café and just observe or "overhear" the people around you?
• What are they doing? Are they chatting? What are they thinking? How do they feel? Do they have any problems?
• Who are they? What are their pleasures and concerns?
• And you, what do you usually do when you sit alone at a café?

SHANGRI-LA by THE KINKS

Shangri-La was released in 1969. It was one of the singles from the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), which was initially conceived as the soundtrack to a sort of soap opera for Granada television and that was never produced.

The song is clearly ironical as it identifies spiritual concepts with material belongings. Ray Davies’  inspiration came during the visit of the Davies brothers to their sister in Australia. Her family had previously moved to Adelaide where they had been offered better working prospects and living conditions.

In fact, they lived in a semi-detached house in a designed or planned community whose description matches the setting of the song.

The name Shangri-LA was taken from the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton and describes an ideal imaginary place in the Far East. The expression was subsequently used to describe heaven on earth or a Utopian civilisation.

MIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA

The first migrants who arrived in Australia were convicts “transported” from Britain at the end of the XVIII century.  Transportation was a common punishment for criminals and dissidents who were previously sent to other British colonies such as the USA territories before the declaration of the Independence.

In the beginning of the XX century the Immigration Restriction Act was passed by which priority was given to British and Irish migrants. This was called the “White Australia policy”.

You can find more information about migration to Australia along the history here:

http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/belongings-home/about-belongings/australias-migration-history/index.html

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=17

HOUSING IN BRITAIN AND THE “BACK YARD LAVATORY”

Every country has its own housing idiosyncrasy and this is not an exception for the UK. Terraced houses are characteristic of Britain and they date back to the industrial revolution. Built as a way to offer a dwelling to the emerging working class in the industrialised cities, they consisted of rows of identical houses sharing supplies such as toilets or water, thus the reference to the “lavatories in the back yard”.

You can read about types of property characteristic of The UK here:

https://www.sellhousefast.uk/blog/7-types-property-exist-uk/

IS SHANGRI-LA A REAL PLACE?

Have you already found your paradise? Do you feel satisfied with the “comforts of the cage”?

Or would you like to migrate to Shangri-La?

Some people have found paradise on earth as you can see in these videos.

 

DISCUSSION:

Have you already found your paradise?

Describe you particular Shangri-La. 

Boys Don't Cry by THE CURE

Boys Don't Cry by THE CURE was released in the UK in 1979.It deals with the idea that men in general are reluctant to show their feelings.

In this video some men are asked when was the last time they cried. 

You can listen to this BBC Radio4 Soul Music podcast in which some guests talk about their life experiences in relation with the meaning of the song. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09lyhmv

D
extension.
Poorna Bell saw the song's lyrics echo her husband's struggle with expressing his emotions, and describes the devastating impact which that can have.
Runner Derek Redmond recalls the moment he lost his 'game face' at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and Sara Pacella and Jeffrey Axt chart the changing fortunes of a giant Boys Don't Cry poster.
Producer Sally Heav

If you happen to be a fan of The Cure, I recommend this book, which is the autobiography of Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of the band.

DISCUSSION:

What does usually make you cry?

When was the last time you cried? What for?

What's the use of crying? Is it worth?

Is sometimes crying an effective way to achieve what you desire?

Are men who cry really despised by society? How is it so?