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"Happy" - Pharrell Williams

Learn English with this happy English lesson

Date: May 12 2021

Themes: Celebrity, Music, Pop Culture

Grammar: Present Progressive Tense

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Intro

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

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What makes you happy?

American singer Pharrell Williams produced a catchy song in 2013 that took the world by storm. Williams’ song “Happy” has topped the charts in over 20 countries, proving that people all around the globe are looking for ways to genuinely celebrate and enjoy the good things in life.

“Happy” was featured in the movie Despicable Me 2, and the song also has a 24-hour music video that allows the song to loop while people all over the world dance to the tune. It’s undeniably a song that millions of people love. However, like most popular music, “Happy” has also been overplayed. While many people still love it, others are tired of hearing it.

Learn Brian and Marni’s opinions about “Happy” in this English lesson about popular music.

Dialog

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

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

Marni

Brian

Marni: I’m happy…

Brian: Are you doing that “Happy” song?

Marni: I am. It’s so catchy, I just love it.

Brian: It is undeniably catchy, but I am tired of that song.

Marni: Oh, how can you be tired of it? It puts such a spring in my step. It makes me happy.

Brian: When I first heard it, I would genuinely smile, but now I just think it’s overplayed all the time.

Marni: But it’s so cheerful, and it’s just so joyful, and I just love it.

Brian: I can appreciate how happy it makes other people, but it’s the same five notes over and over again. Even the song doesn’t have much change. I don’t know why they would need a 24-hour website to loop that song.

Marni: Oh, please. People all over the world have made their own videos for this song, and it brings joy to people’s lives. And people are dancing all over the world to this one song. And it’s from a movie. Got to love that.

Brian: I guess.

Marni: Oh, you need to get happy.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Discussion

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When Brian hears Marni humming a popular song, he knows what it is right away. She’s singing “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Marni loves “Happy.” The music makes her cheerful. It’s a simple song that genuinely makes her happy.

Brian agrees that “Happy” is catchy, but he also thinks it’s overplayed. He says that the music just has five notes, and they’re played over and over and over. He’s not sure why the song needs to loop for 24 hours in a music video, either. In fact, Brian doesn’t want to hear the song even one more time.

Marni doesn’t agree with Brian’s opinion, and she doesn’t change her mind. She starts humming the song again as she walks away.

Do you like “Happy”? Would you describe the song as catchy or overplayed?

Comments

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mohamma

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Exactly

princessanika

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I love it:)

beacause i’m happy clap along if u feel like a room without a roof =)

Ivy1314

China

I didn’t listen to the music yet,maybe I will like it when I have watched the movie Despicable me 2. Who has the movie? Send me,please.My e-mail: 1194384271@qq.com

ola33

Japan

Alex, Polish people know how to dance! I’m gonna learn some movements ;)

yeahlivia

Brazil

yeah it’s a catchy song

sunny_ling88

China

I and my son like the song, it is gay music made us happy.

AlexKR

Poland

I don’t listen to the radio a lot so for me this song isn’t overplayed definitely … rather it’s catchy. I also like the videos that differnt people put on the youtube with the ‘Happy’ soundtrack. This is one of the examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdhwkkyM66Y

(Kaszebi tez sa HAPPY) :).

By the way Kaszebi is an ethnic group living in the northern Poland in the vicinity of my city i.e Gdansk :)

zy_

China

i konw this movie ‘despicable me’ but i havent seen it,and the little yellow toy in the movie is so popular in my coutry,my cousin recently gave her GF a box of dolls,and right now the yellow dolls’picture is on my cousin’computer desktop

neginrezaei2013

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i really like them it’s prefect ♥ ;)

Sandara_Dada

Thailand

Well , 3 weeks ago I went to the island in Thailand and there was a big beach party ! and Happy is the most famous song that they keep playing it all night long. Yeah , I agree that this is catch and joyful song ever :) but sometime It just too much lol maybe I’m one of the pepple who is tired of hearing this song all the time in everywhere.

but I love this song by the way :D

cmoriwaki

United States

I often hear this song on the car radio.

The Over-played song is sometimes boring. But we people all over the world can share the same song and same topics. On this point, it’s happy.