Intro


Everyone wants to listen to music that resonates with them. We want to listen to songs about life… the joys, pain, and everything in between. Especially when we go through a breakup, we want to listen to songs about love and heartache. In fact, singers can make beaucoup bucks with these songs. One famous example is Adele.

Adele wrote many famous songs about her ex. But now her ex isn’t very happy. She made a lot of money singing about him, and he wants a slice of the pie. Singers can sing about their lives, but there are laws that protect the identities of people, even the person’s ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. And if the person inspired the song, should they get some of the money?

Marni loves Adele. Listen as she and Romeo talk about her and her ex in today’s English lesson.

Dialogue



Marni: So, I was just listening to Adele, and I love her voice.
Romeo: I love her voice.
Marni: She’s so talented.
Romeo: She’s awesome.
Marni: And it occurred to me that there’s all this chatter.
Romeo: Uh-huh.
Marni: You know because she’s become very famous…
Romeo: Right.
Marni: ... because of her breakup songs and her broken heart.
Romeo: Yeah, it’s like 80 percent of her songs.
Marni: Sure. Right? And so many people can relate to those, and it resonates with so many people.
Romeo: OK. So, what were you gonna say?
Marni: So, I’m hearing that there’s talk of uh… people thinking that Adele should then compensate her ex monetarily because she has profited off of the heartbreak that he caused.
Romeo: Ohh, right, right, so it’s like he inspired that so he should get a slice of the pie.
Marni: Right.
Romeo: I mean, if they were still together, then maybe, she’d be making all these happy, non-breakup songs, and then, he would still think he’s entitled to a slice of the pie.
Marni: Sure. I mean, I guess that could happen.
Romeo: Right.
Marni: But, you know, the reality is she became famous, a lot of her songs are about this past relationship. I think it’s just ludicrous myself!
Romeo: Right.
Marni: Right?
Romeo: Uh-huh.
Marni: ‘Cause she overcame the heartbreak. She had the talent and the voice to overcome all that. Right?
Romeo: Mm-hmm.
Marni: So uh… I say, you know, her ex… screw him! He’s not entitled to anything.
Romeo: So, he doesn’t get beaucoup bucks?
Marni: No!
Romeo: No?
Marni: He doesn’t get anything!

Discussion


Marni was just listening to Adele and loves her voice. She has heard lots of rumors and chatter about Adele and her success. She became famous for her breakup songs. So, people think that she should compensate her ex-boyfriend monetarily because he inspired her. He wants a slice of the pie.

Romeo thinks that’s a little ridiculous. Even if they did not break up, Adele could have written songs about him anyway. As a singer, you write about your life! Either way, he would probably still feel entitled. Marni thinks Adele worked hard to overcome her sadness. She is the talented one, so she deserves the beaucoup bucks!

Do you think Adele’s ex-boyfriend deserves a slice of the pie? What do you think of Adele’s music?

Grammar Point


Future in the Past



Romeo is talking about Adele and her ex-boyfriend. He says, “I mean, if they were still together, then maybe, she’d be making all these happy, non-breakup songs, and then, he would still think he’s entitled to a slice of the pie.” He uses future in the past.

Future in the past is used when you want to discuss something in the past that you thought would happen in the future. It doesn’t matter whether the thing actually ended up happening. You use future in the past to discuss a plan or a promise from the past.

You can use would to form future in the past. Use would + verb when you are talking about something in the past that someone promised or volunteeredto do. For example, you might say, “He said he would call when he arrived.” If the call happened, it happened after he said he would.

Romeo is talking about how Adele’s ex-boyfriend would feel in the past. No matter what, her ex would still feel the same: ”... he would still think he’s entitled to a slice of the pie.”

Which of the following is the correct use of the future in the past, “He said he would sue her,” or “He sued her”?