Language Teachers’ Music Playlist
By: Tim Murphey
I did my PhD on the use of songs in language learning over a 7-year period in Switzerland (of course, with a bit of skiing too!). In my research corpus of the top 50 songs in a hit parade from England, I found that the top three words in the corpus were “you,” “love,” and “I,” quite often in the opposite order and together: “I love you.” It was quite rare for there to be actual names of people and places, and usually no times or dates. Thus, we started calling songs “ghost discourse,” which was language that could fit in almost any situation because it named no names, times, or places. You sing it in your time and place imagining your people and conditions. Songs can set you free, or at least your imagination. Pop songs become the “motherese” of adolescence and continue throughout our lives.
Love You Forever
A wise woman once said: “Words don’t have meanings; people make meanings for words.” We probably develop our meanings across time and space, through life experiences both wondrous and horrible. Words in songs often have a special place in our minds and hearts that grow us up, and sometimes down. In the “children looking” storybook Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch, the story unrolls over generations, and so, too, does love. There is a short, 4-line song that appears every few pages, first sung by a mother to her baby son, then later by the grown-up son back to his elderly mother, and then to his own baby daughter: “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, My baby you’ll be.” I have read the book and sung the song over and over again to dozens of classes. It was so popular that I developed a habit of asking my students to ask each other periodically the question, “Who do you love?” and they would sing the song in pairs to each other, which really deepened the emotional caring depth in the classroom. It was as if they all were saying, “Hey it’s just a song. Of course I can sing ‘I’ll love you.’” In my classes, students make new partners every class if possible, and I ask them to ask their partner “Who do you love?” and they just love to sing the answer to each other, as if the depth of the words were what they really needed. It often created a great atmosphere in classes and in me, the teacher too! Remember: “words don’t have meanings, people make meanings for words.”
References
Munsch, R. (1986). Love you forever. Firefly Books.
Murphey, T. (1990). Song and music in language learning. Peter Lang.
Editors' Note:
Tim Murphey’s reflection is a reminder of music’s most enchanting characteristic: taking ordinary words and weaving them into something extraordinary. Songs slip through the cracks of our everyday lives, sneaking meaning into places we didn’t know needed it, leaving behind a bit of magic.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a playlist—an eclectic mix of tunes shared by editors and readers alike. These are the songs that sparked unexpected lessons, created unplanned laughter, or made a dull Tuesday afternoon unforgettable. Some have found their way into classrooms; others have simply stayed in our hearts, humming quietly in the background.
Whether you play these tracks to inspire your students or just to brighten your day, this playlist is a celebration of music’s power to teach, connect, and surprise. So, press play, and let the magic do the rest.
Love You Forever
Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw | Children's Books Read Aloud
Tim Murphey
I have read the book “Love You Forever” and sang the song over and over again to dozens of classes. After introducing the book and song to a class, I periodically had students pair up to sing the song to one another, deepening the emotional caring in my classes.
Please note that I do not sing the same melody as the one in the YouTube recording, and you can make up the tune as you like it best when reading the book to someone.
Fantasia on Greensleeves
Ralph Vaughan Williams | Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Heather Kretschmer, an unabashed classical music fan
In “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” Ralph Vaughan Williams drew on melodies from familiar folk songs but wove his own musical touches into his composition. For me, Vaughan William’s piece embodies what teachers do. We can’t help but draw on the experiences we had in our own school time and the knowledge we gained as student teachers. Yet, we don’t simply replicate those experiences in our classrooms. Instead, we add our own unique melodies, harmonies, and rhythms to create beautiful learning opportunities for our students.
White & Nerdy
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Nicky De Proost, whose own taste in music is too wild for classrooms
Lead-ins are an often overlooked yet important cornerstone of any lesson. After all, without capturing students’ engagement, there is no foundation for learning. In this example, I used “White and Nerdy” by “Weird Al” Yankovic as a humorous introduction to a vocabulary lesson on hobbies and leisure activities. Students identified hobbies from the song, discussed their own, and considered how often they engaged with them. This set the stage for practising adverbs of frequency in meaningful contexts, encouraging students to connect personal experiences to language use.
Jordan Simons | Dr. Seuss Rap
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Nicky De Proost, trying to stay relevant in a sea of memes
Onomatopoeia provides a sensory bridge between sound and meaning, enhancing comprehension and fluency. Even at the university level, these words are crucial for building more natural language use and cultural literacy. To make this engaging, I incorporated a modern rap rendition of Dr. Seuss’ Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?—a meme that resonates with younger learners. This creative approach not only modernises traditional material but also invites students to actively explore sound symbolism, helping them internalise these words and expressions through memorable, multimodal learning.
Teenagers
My Chemical Romance
Nicky De Proost, stuck in the early 2000s
For me, teaching will always be linked to My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers”. Perhaps an unlikely pick for the classroom, but it definitely addresses things all students grapple with: peer pressure and self-discovery. The song’s raw energy and themes can create a bridge for discussions about healthier outlets for emotions through music. Years ago, I used it in a project on emotional resilience.
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” [Gayageum version]
Luna Lee
Curtis Kelly, willing to rock till the end
Luna Lee is an undiscovered genius, and I love putting one of her many songs on in the classroom as my Japanese students come in or go out. She blends the beauty of a truly ancient instrument with the creativity of great rock. Her “Voodoo Child” grabs their attention too. Other starters and stoppers include:
pre_cision (jaw dropping)
Evolution of Dance (waker upper)
Oba Funk (Osaka lovers)
Birthday Song (for birthdays)
Chosen Family
Rina Sawayama
Amanda Gillis-Furutaka, who lives with her chosen family in Japan
This song is about feelings of belonging and identity. Rina is Japanese but has lived in the UK since she was a child. I came to Japan 36 years ago in my thirties. My experience is similar to hers, but in reverse. Rina also identifies as bisexual and Elton John loved the song so much that he asked her to re-record it as a duet. This is the version I use in class with the lyrics. It can lead to great discussions. And then, to spice things up, I follow this up later with “STFU!” – a metal rock song of hers about the microaggressions that Asian people experience daily in the UK. She has made two videos about how she wrote the song and how they made the video, which provide fascinating insights into her creative process and into the ways in which she is both Japanese and British.
In Case You Didn't Know
Brett Young
Glenn Magee, I loved music back then as much as I do now
Brett Young’s song is a perfect introduction to discussing emotion in class. The lyrics are simple and straightforward. We start by looking at the song title and imagining what it might be about. Then, we listen and react by jotting down words or doodling how the music makes us feel. Finally, we look at the lyrics and pick out phrases we want to share and discuss such as how we express love or appreciation and how emotions are generally expressed in different cultures. My hope is also that students will see songs as a way of reflecting on different perspectives.
I'm Henry the 8th, I Am
Herman's Hermits
Tom Wyatt, phonologically and tonologically deaf
I often teach elementary 3rd grade students and I used this song to introduce the target language “I am ____”. Admittedly, I use it because it just slaps (How do you do fellow kids?). I remember preparing a pptx for a lesson that used the song, getting really caught up in singing only to notice that everyone else in the office (including the school vp) were watching with great amusement. I think it endeared me to them – and the mental association has stuck with me ever since.
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
John Lennon
David Kluge, born into a wonderful era of great music
I chose this song because it is tied to watching my daughter grow up, and reminds me of the wonder of each of my students.
Little Miss Magic
Jimmy Buffett
David Kluge, agrees with his students when they say, "No music, no life!"
This is linked to my daughter showing me the magic power of a baby to learn and explore and charm, just like the magic of our students.
What's Up?
4 Non Blondes (Linda Perry)
David Kluge, interested in people who are unusual
From the beginning of the music video you see Linda Perry, looking unique, unusual, singing
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination”
And she shouts, “Hey, what’s going on?”
This is similar to many of our students who wonder how they fit into life.
After the group put out one album, Linda Perry left and founded two record labels, composed/produced songs for artists like Christina Aguilera; Gwen Stefani; Pink. Adele, Alicia Keys, Courtney Love, and James Blunt. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. Pretty good for someone looking for a destination! Like our students, I hope.
If I had $1,000,000
Barenaked Ladies
Sean H. Toland, likes to use song lyrics and music videos in his creative writing seminar class
After listening to “If I had $1,000,000” and examining the lyrics, I divide my class into six groups. Each team is required to discuss how they would spend $100,000,000 and write one verse. Each verse begins with the following line: “If we had $100,000,000”. When the verses are completed, each team writes their part of the song on the board. The students then discuss the six verses, rearrange them to their liking, and select appropriate images for the collaborative song. Lastly, the teams put their work on an online platform (e.g., Google Docs), download the song, and add it to their individual learning portfolios. This activity helps students write an original song for their favorite artist during a subsequent lesson.
Imagine
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Mark Brierley, who hopes most of all to be remembered as a harmonica player
There are various Japanese translations of this song from Kiyoshiro Imawano’s version to online lyrics, which can be used along with machine translations and AI translations in a kind of Turing test where students are given two, then four and then eight versions at random to judge which translations are best and which ones are human generated and which are machine generated. For advanced classes there is a joke about the sign on the wall of the baggage claim department in John Lennon airport in Liverpool.
Ode to Billie Joe
Bobbie Gentry
Steve Louw, teaches teens in Siem Reap, Cambodia
The song is about a mysterious suicide. The story about Billie Joe is told around the dinner table. There is quite a lot of culture about rural America. Because there are two stories being told, the students have to unpack both of them, and then there is a good discussion about what exactly happened on the bridge. It’s a good song for upper-intermediate students.
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Zoot Suit Riot
Chris Regier, who moves to the music
Music in the classroom offers students a chance to broaden their understanding of what music can be, and upbeat music 5 minutes before class starts can release feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which can elevate mood. What a great way for students to start the class. This particular song does both exceptionally well.