Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
USA
Stevie Salas and Christina Fon talk about striking the right balance between entertainment and a political message, and what they hope their film will achieve.
Difficulty: Beginner
United Kingdom
Ed Sheeran performs his song live at the Brit Awards. During an interview for MTV, he revealed that the song was about his late grandmother saying, "She was in a hospital near my house where I was making the album so I saw her quite a lot while making the album and she passed away while I was in the studio. So that's my first reaction for anything that happens to me — good or bad — pick up a guitar."
Difficulty: Beginner
United Kingdom
"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears, written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal (with Curt Smith duetting on the chorus).
Difficulty: Beginner
Ireland, USA
Artist and composer Michael Patrick Kelly performs a song that appears on "i.D.," his third album. Kelly was a past member of the Kelly Family band, a troupe of nine Irish-American siblings who toured the continent with their parents.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Canada, USA
The filmmakers talk about some of the people they wanted to interview for the documentary. Sometimes it just took time, and in a few cases it didn't work out at all. For Christina, one highlight was getting to interview writer and activist John Trudell before his death in 2015.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
USA
The two filmmakers who created Rumble talk about how Native American musicians like Link Wray were idols in the eyes of famous performers, but totally unknown to the general public.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
The video for British artist Dua Lipa's breakup song "New Rules" is staged at The Confidante, a hotel in Miami. It looks at the power of female friendship and female allies in dealing with difficult situations.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Ride is a song written and recorded by hugely popular American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, from their fourth studio album, Blurryface. The chorus is "I'm falling so I'm taking my time on my ride." When you take your time, you relax and slow down. But in slowing down, he's also asking questions about life and "thinking too much."
Difficulty: Beginner
Canada
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain is a country pop song about female empowerment.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Filmmakers Christina Fon and Stevie Salas are interviewed about Rumble, their documentary exploring how Native American musicians have influenced rock n' roll.
Difficulty: Beginner
USA
The song "Pumped up Kicks" by Los Angeles band Foster the People was a response to school shootings in the United States. It contrasts an upbeat melody with a dark message.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Jack Johnson performs live on the Jimmy Kimmel show. His song My Mind is for Sale has sharp lyrics, but he delivers them gently, over what Rolling Stone calls "an effervescent instrumental groove."
Difficulty: Beginner
Canada
This video featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the Best Pop Video category. Without being explicit, the song addresses abuse and violence in relationships.
Difficulty: Beginner
United Kingdom
In this music video, clips from home videos show Ed Sheeran throughout his childhood. As an adorable ginger-haired kid, he plays with cats and is seen busking on the streets before stardom.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
From 2009, this punk rock song from the album "21st Century Breakdown" was a hit single, and nominated for a Grammy. This music video also won several MTV awards in 2009.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? You will not be able to recover it.