AMY MACDONALD

Today we are going to dedicate some lines to this Scottish singer and songwriter whose debut album This is the life ,just 20 months after its original release ,has sold more than two and half million copies worldwide.

She was born  on 25th August 1987 in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. Her first single , Poison Prince,was released on  7th May 2007.She played shows at music festivals such as Glastonbury, Hyde Park, T in the park, and V festival. Amy is signed to record company Vertigo. Amy´s vocal range is contralto.

She is a self-taught musician who started playing in pubs and coffee houses around Glasgow.

Reviewers have described her as softly spoken but with a booming singing voice. Despite her Scottish origins, her singing voice is described as partly Irish and similar to Dolores O´Riordan of The Cranberries.

Macdonald won the Best International Album and The Best international song at the Swiss Music Awards.

 She has stated she will start working on a new album in 2009.

The title track to her ‘This Is The Life’ album has understandably become an anthem but did you know it only took her 10 minutes to write?

If you want to know more about her discography, life, concerts, lyrics you can go to her official website:

http://www.amymacdonald.co.uk/

Here you are two lyrics of two of the songs of her album, This is the Life (we worked with it in 2^nd of Bachillerato in the practical lesson, click on here to listen to it ) and Youth of Today .

A) This is the Life shows a kind of “party” life , the feeling of not really knowing what to do or where to go later on that night probably because  of a hangover. It simply describes the normal life of a person who goes out partying to pubs or discos as well as staying at  a different friend´s house every night.

Below you´ll find some definitions or synonyms for the words in bold of the song.

This is the Life

Oh the wind whistles down
The cold dark street tonight
And the people they were dancing to the music vibe
And the boys chase the girls with the curls in their hair
While the shy tormented youth sit way over there
And the songs they get louder
Each one better than before
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
So you're heading down the road in your taxi for four
And you're waiting outside Jimmy's front door
But nobody's in and nobody's home 'til four
So you're sitting there with nothing to do
Talking about Robert Riger and his motley crew
And where you're gonna go and where you're gonna sleep tonight
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and you're head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?

Vibe-vibration

Your head feels twice the size- my hair spins (in a way in which describes the feeling after having drunk too much )

Motley crew -heterogeneous group (grupo de gente variopinto)

You´re heading down the road-you´re going down the road with some direction.

*Gonna-is the way “going to” is spoken in informal language, so sometimes it is actually spelt like that. Especially in pop lyrics there is a tendency to conform to everyday language, which of course is in tune with the genre itself. It is not grammatically accepted.

Here you are some of colloquial words or expressions connected with the topic from the song:

I´m mega dry-estoy superseco

Blootered, wazzed, pissed(UK), hammered-borrachos

To go for a bevvy-to go for  a drink( salir a tomar una copa)

To be blotto-estar pedo

Byob-(acronym meaning bring your own beer)

Booze-priva,alcohol

Elbow bending-empinar el codo

Get busy-bailar, mover el esqueleto.

Go partying at night –salir de marcha

Hangover-resaca

B) Youth of today is an statement of intentions and claims  aimed to those of older generations who try to put down the youngster´s feelings and are not understanding with them.  

 Youth of Today - Amy Macdonald

Maybe if you were some spearheaded guy
I would listen to what you have to say
But you're just some incapable figure
Thinking you're bigger than me, but you're not
Yet you don't know a thing about the youth of today
Stating your opinion making it ring in my head all day

And you say,
"My children weren't the same"
"My children's children they're the ones to blame"
And you say,
"In my day we were better behaved"
But it's not your day no more...

And we are the youth of today
Change our hair in every way
And we are the youth of today
We'll say what we wanna say
And we are the youth of today
Don't care what you have to say at all

And maybe if you had a true point of view
I would listen to you
But it's just your one sided feelings
They keep getting in my way making it ring in my head
And you don't know a single thing about the youth of today
Stating your opinion making it ring in my head all day

And you say,
"My children weren't the same"
"My children's children they're the ones to blame"
And you say,
"In my day we were better behaved"
But it's not your day no more...

And we are the youth of today
Change our hair in every way
And we are the youth of today
We'll say what we wanna say
And we are the youth of today
Don't care what you have to say at all

And you say,
"My children weren't the same"
"My children's children they're the ones to blame"
And you say,
"In my day we were better behaved"
But it's not your day no more...

And we are the youth of today
Change our hair in every way
And we are the youth of today
We'll say what we wanna say
And we are the youth of today
Don't care what you have to say at all

Below you´ll find some definitions or synonyms for the words in bold of the song.

Spearheaded- a leader, someone who leads or initiates an activity (attack or campaign etc.).

 making it ring in my head-making it sound in my head in a sense it sounds very repetitive.

getting in my way-interponiéndose en mi camino

*wanna- is the way “want  to” is spoken in informal language, so sometimes it is actually spelt like that.It is not grammatically accepted.