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The '90s Are Back

The '90s Are Back

Date: Aug 04 2008

Themes: Music, Pop Culture

Intro

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

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

Is there still a pair of baggy jeans in your closet? If so, you must be excited that Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins and The Verve all have new albums out. Why? Because each of those bands achieved fame in the ‘90s, back when the more material went into your pants and the less you washed them, the cooler you were.

But now that those pants and flannels are long gone, what does music from ‘90s artists mean? Listen to Devan and Jason wonder what it means for our decade that so many of the top artists right now first became popular more than 10 years ago.

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.

Devan

Devan

Jason

Jason

Devan:  So the other day I bought a Rolling Stone Magazine. I was looking at the back page. I was reading the names of the artists that are the top 50 selling artists right now. It was like, it could just as easily have been 1996 as now because it was the same artists. Isn’t that crazy that over at least a 10-year period, the same artists are still topping the charts?

Jason:  I feel like our decade really has no music personality. Looking back, what are people going to say about this decade?

Devan:  Do you think that just maybe because of downloading stuff that new artists are being downloaded, they’re not really selling records?

Jason:  Oh that’s a good question. Those people’s fans are just people who are still buy records. There could be that. I think it’s just that, for some reason, it became fashionable in this decade to do a comeback tour and a reunion tour and a comeback album, you know? And I don’t know why that never happened before. Do you?

Devan:  No. I don’t know. It seems…I guess maybe comebacks are happening sooner now too because in the ‘90s the bands doing comeback tours were bands from the ‘60s that do comeback tours 30 years later, but now it’s 10 years later you do a comeback tour.

Jason:  I know. It’s kind of a shame. We’re just still rehashing all that stuff, I think.

Devan:  Yeah.

 

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Discussion

Devan was looking at the back of a music magazine and noticed that many of the top artists in the country were popular in the ‘90s. This upsets Jason. He says that he’s not sure if the current decade has a music personality that people will remember at all.

But Devan points out that maybe the reason older artists are doing so well is just because their fans still buy CDs. Fans of newer bands download their music instead. But Jason says he thinks so many older bands are on the charts again because it’s popular right now to do a reunion tour or album.

What’s your favorite ‘90s artist? What’s your favorite decade of music history to relive or revisit?

 

Comments

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lesmarie-javout

Senegal

i don' t savoir really what am i doing here

03:49 PM Aug 11 2008 |

chushing

chushing

China

iam great with you.

06:36 AM Aug 10 2008 |

tkr225

Taiwan

I don't like the past decades' songs. I only love some classical old songs. Frankly I rarely bought CD. I usually listent to music on online radio or some music webs.

01:14 AM Aug 09 2008 |

celikberksoy

Turkey

 I like always download music especially today's music..

02:57 PM Aug 06 2008 |

lesmarie-javout

Senegal

it s good but i not listenning Embarassed

06:37 PM Aug 05 2008 |

maggie200888

China

I prefer classical music~~
When I am sad ,they can help me recover@@

12:54 PM Aug 05 2008 |

yirufeihan

China

  I like the music of the 1970s and 1980s

08:53 AM Aug 05 2008 |

markus_007

markus_007

Peru

good topic¡

05:11 AM Aug 05 2008 |

christina.7

China

music is the gift of God,nice music always gives people  infinite enjoyment.  different  music style bring people inequable  fellings.light music makes people quite;rock ,energetic.when I am alone ,i 'd ike  listening  to the soft music of the past decade.it reminds me of the old unfogetable days ,thoes things,thoes people,emerging in my mind all the time…

01:39 AM Aug 05 2008 |

SÉRGIO

SÉRGIO

Brazil

It's called "cliché"

06:18 PM Aug 04 2008 |

Ocean Chang

Taiwan

I like listen to music , i usually listen to radio
only when i think collect music.
i wii buy cd’s

03:51 PM Aug 04 2008 |

merllan

merllan

Bulgaria

I like music and I prefer buying the albums than downloading them. I like today's music and from '80s.

10:58 AM Aug 04 2008 |

anii

anii

Georgia

"immerse your soul in love. ." and in music. .

09:06 AM Aug 04 2008 |

1 person likes this

anii

anii

Georgia

especially i adore album "the bends"  it's the sunshine

09:05 AM Aug 04 2008 |

1 person likes this

anii

anii

Georgia

hallo! exciting topic. . . music is an important part of my life. .i think the band "radiohead" is gorgeous! they do good music and what is the main thing they write beautiful lyrics as well. .guys are just musical nuts!  "where do we go from here?the planet is a gunboat in the sea of fear. ." 

09:03 AM Aug 04 2008 |

1 person likes this

范迪

China

I like today's music

08:54 AM Aug 04 2008 |

VOLTS

VOLTSSuper Member!

Brazil

the best way you can know if one music is good or not , it is for time. if one music came out a lot of time ago, and sometimes is played with success on the radio, this music is a good music.

 for me , the best music is from '80s.

07:35 AM Aug 04 2008 |

1 person likes this

dofkele15

dofkele15

Lithuania

Usually I download music from the Net cause it's more convenient.

06:23 AM Aug 04 2008 |

195854255

195854255

United States

music no matter old or new, as long as you can taste the feelings inside the tune, it is good music~

06:00 AM Aug 04 2008 |

195854255

195854255

United States

Downloading is a good way  to enjoy today's music. People prefer downloading instead of buying CDs, cuz it is easier and cheaper.    There are surely some artisits whose music wont die even after decades. Those are so called " the greatest artisits".

05:59 AM Aug 04 2008 |

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