James Brown

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• memorial service
• fitting
• open-casket
• went nuts

• hit
• the splits
• found out
• pay attention

• Rest in peace
• cable

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

If you like to dance, you should thank James Brown.

The music of James Brown influenced various music genres, from rock and reggae to jazz and disco. He had various hits over the decades of his amazing music career. Some of his best known songs are I Feel Good, Say it Loud, I’m Black and Proud and Sex Machine.

James Brown was also known for his dancing during his performances. He was quite a dancer, jumping on stage and even doing the splits!

Listen to Marni and Mason talk about music legend James Brown.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Marni

Mason:  Uh, you know what I just found out?

Marni:  What?

Mason:  James Brown died… I knew he died…

Marni:  Right.

Mason:  But on Christmas.

Marni:  You didn’t know he died on Christmas?

Mason:  No.

Marni:  Oh.

Mason:  Well, I’m Jewish.

Marni:  Oh.

Mason:  So I don’t really pay attention to anything Christmas-related.

Marni:  Yeah.

Mason:  Uh…

Marni:  I was actually visiting my parents’ and they have cable, which I don’t, and so I was inundated with a lot of cable news stories and…

Mason:  Yeah.

Marni:  ... James Brown, very sad to find out he died.

Mason:  Definitely… but what… the thing that weirded me out when I, when I even found out about it was, uh, the Apollo Theater.

Marni:  Mm hm.

Mason:  Um, and they, they had his body on stage.

Marni:  Yes.

Mason:  Like, that’s where they did…

Marni:  That’s where they did the memorial service.

Mason:  Right. And…

Marni:  I thought that was very fitting, actually.

Mason:  It, it was. But at the same time it was really bizarre too. I have a weird thing about, like, the idea of an open-casket funeral.

Marni:  Really? Oh, yeah …

Mason:  I don’t know, it’s… Again, it’s not anything I was raised with.

Marni:  Right.

Mason:  Uh…

Marni:  So are you a fan of James Brown?

Mason:  Oh, of course, you know. Like… he’s, he’s kinda like Michael Jackson to me. Like, you love him through the good times, you love him through the bad times. So he went nuts...

Marni:  Living in America...

Mason:  You still gotta love him, right? It’s like…

Marni:  Yeah. He’s James Brown.

Mason:  He’s James Brown.

Marni:  Godfather of Soul.

Mason:  Godfather of Soul.

Marni:  Really. What more is there to say? Rest in peace.

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Lesson MP3

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