20 Times Pop Music Taught Us to be Better People

[1] Everyone has those songs: the ones they know every word to, every key change and crescendo. No matter if you're tidying your room or in the club at 3AM, if that track comes on there is nothing that can stop you from singing along. Responses like that aren't only due clever rhyme schemes and catchy melodies, they're about something bigger. These are the tracks that you play again and again to comfort and protect yourself, that offer much more than the usual banger. Who needs to pay for a life coach when you've got Drake, Lana Del Rey and TLC to guide you through your day-to-day? Here are 20 life lessons gleaned from our favorite songs.

crescendo渐强

The noise rose to a crescendo.

噪音逐渐变强。

along沿着

We walked along the beach.

我们沿着海滩走。

catchy好记的

I can't think of a catchy name for my blog.

我想不出来很上口的博客名。

The new slogan isn't as catchy as the old one.

新的标语没有之前的那个好记。

Definition of comfort安慰

1:  to give strength and hope

2:  to ease the grief or trouble

Examples of comfort in a sentence

We can comfort ourselves with the thought that the worst is over.

我们可以安慰自己说，最糟糕的已经结束了。

guide导游／导师

We hired a guide for our trip to the mountains.

我们雇了一个导游领路上山。

He was my friend and my guide in the early years of my career.

他是我早期职业生涯中的朋友和导师。

[2] Dizzee Rascal, Bonkers

"Some people think I'm bonkers, But I just think I'm free/ Man I'm just living my life there's nothing crazy bout me"

In arguably one of the most catchy songs of 2009, Dizzee gives us a lesson in not giving a shit about what other people think.

bonkers疯子

You have to be bonkers to gamble that much.

你疯了才会赌那么大。

I was driven bonkers by the noise.

我简直要被噪音给逼疯了。

[3] Kelis, Millionaire

"Can't just put the cap on the old bottle once you pop it that will spoil it, go on, drink it and enjoy it."

This track teaches us that even though being super rich may not be everything you imagined, at some point it was all you ever wanted, so you'd better just embrace it and enjoy the ride. Okay, not immediately relatable, but the moral is there: Life is for living, so you may as well have a good time.

pop 突然间；砰地一声

We heard the sound of corks popping as the celebration began.

庆祝会开始时我们听到了砰砰开酒塞的声音。

One of the buttons popped off my sweater.

我的一个毛衣扣突然掉了。

spoil 破坏

The fight spoiled the party.

那场打斗毁了整个聚会。

Exposure to air will spoil the wine.

在空气中暴露太久会破坏红酒口感。

embrace拥抱

They embraced one last time before going their separate ways.

他们分别前最后一次拥抱了一下。

It's a subject that embraces many areas of learning.

这是一个含括多领域知识的学科。

[4] Ke$ha, We R Who We R

"You know we're superstars, we are who we are"

Ke$ha's Pride anthem, aimed at LGBTQ+ teens having a hard time finding their place in society, speaks volumes about self-acceptance and belongingness. Not bad for a song that rhymes "us" with "neck-a-lus."

rhyme 押韵

Please find the two lines that rhyme.

请找出押韵的那两行。

She rhymed “moon” with “June.”

她用moon和June来押韵。

[5] Drake, Doing It Wrong

"When a good thing goes bad it's not the end of the world, It's just the end of a world, that you had with one girl"

In one of the most underrated ballads from this decade, Drake discusses the realization that his relationship is no longer fulfilling. He warns against leading people on if your heart is no longer in it, as sometimes the noblest thing to do is walk away, even if that means breaking the other person's heart… you can break our hearts any day, Drake.

decade十年

The war lasted nearly a decade.

战争持续了大约十年。

The bridge was built a decade ago.

桥大概是十年前建成的。

fulfill满足；实现

She fulfilled her life's ambition when she started her own business.

她实现了她人生目标，开了自己的公司。

[6] Frank Ocean, Super Rich Kids

"Sleeve rips off, I slip, I fall, The market's down like 60 stories/And some don't end the way they should, My silver spoon has fed me good/A million one, a million cash, Close my eyes and feel the crash"

This is one of those songs where the meaning can slip by you on an early listen. But really pay attention and you'll be rewarded. Ocean's comment on the darker side of wealth suggests the grass is not always greener on the other side. He uses the desolate image of a rich kid taking their own life to show having people around you who care is more important than money.

slip滑倒 desolate孤立

[7] Kanye West, All Falls Down

"It seems we living the American dream, The people highest up got the lowest self esteem/The prettiest people do the ugliest things, For the road to riches and diamond rings"

Okay, there is a bit of a theme here. Kanye also notes there's more to life than being rich and famous. This 2004 lyric is over a decade old but still strikes a chord in the Instagram age: the "good life" is often just a false image, masking something a lot darker — the real life.

strikes a chord引起共鸣;扣动心弦

false假的

He registered at the hotel under a false name.

他用假名字在酒店登记。

[8] Justin Bieber, Cold Water

"Save me from my rocking boat, I just want to stay afloat I'm all alone/ And I hope, I hope Someone's gonna take me home, Somewhere I can rest my soul/ I need to know you won't let go."

Bieber reminding us that no matter how down or depressed you get, if you reach out and ask for help, there will probably be someone there to be your lifeline. All of this set to an upbeat tropical dance track that lifts your spirits a bit in itself.

reach out 伸出

ask for help 求助；请求帮助；寻求帮助

lift spirits 振奋精神

[9] Grandmaster Flash, White Lines (Don't do it)

"White lines go a long way/either up your nose or through your veins/with nothing to gain except killing your brain"

Don't take cocaine kids, it's really not good for you and it's super expensive. We must say though, Grandmaster Flash does bring the mixed messages later on when he sings: "Get higher, baby! And don't ever come down!"

high 快感

a : filled with or expressing great joy or excitement high spirits

b : intoxicated; also : excited or stupefied by or as if by a drug getting high on heroine

[10] Beyoncé, Irreplaceable

"You can pack all your bags, We're finished/ Cause you made your bed, Now lay in it/ I can have another you by tomorrow, Don't you ever for a second get to thinking/ You're irreplaceable"

Bey couldn't have said it better. That cheating ex of yours who stole your Jaguar and drove another woman around in it behind your back? Well he is replaceable. Or more realistically, the dude who took four days to reply to your text? He can go too. Bad manners are bad manners, no matter what form they take.

[11] Jason Derulo, Whatcha Say

"Girl, I was caught up in her lust, When I don't really want no one else/ I know I should've treated you better, But me and you were meant to last forever/ So let me in, Give me another chance/ To really be a man"

In something of a response to the previous Beyonce submission, here Jason takes on the role of the cheating partner. But in a refreshing change he's taking responsibility for his actions. Best not to cheat, but at least own your mistakes if you do.

caught up赶上；把…缠住

We'll do our best to catch up with the advanced world levels.

我们将努力赶上世界先进水平。

treat对待

Treat everyone as an equal.

一视同仁。

Let's go out to dinner. I'll treat.

咱们出去吃饭，我请客。

[12] U2, Beautiful Day

"It's a beautiful day, Don't let it get away"

Bono lays down a simple yet effective line to live by. Advice we're sure many of us have skipped out on when waking up on a beautiful Sunday morning, and opting for an all-day Netflix binge.

skipped out溜走，跳过

Are you're gonna skip out on your family reunion?

你不去参加家庭聚会吗?

[13] Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

"Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you've got till it's gone"

A poetic song about taking things for granted, and then missing them once it's too late. Joni said she wrote the song on her first trip to Hawaii, "I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart..."

[14] Spice Girls, Stop

"Stop right now thank you very much, I need somebody with a human touch/ Hey you always on the run, Gotta slow it down baby, gotta have some fun"

Honestly, this whole list could be Spice Girls songs, but we have a soft spot for Stop. Everyone needs a reminded to prioritize human connection sometimes.

[15] Green Day, Good Riddance (Time of your life)

"It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right/ I hope you had the time of your life"

Since its release, this song has soundtracked countless breakups and high school graduations. And why not? It's literally about making peace with change, even when it's painful, and trusting that life has something new waiting for you around the corner. Lead Singer, Billie Joe, actually wrote Good Riddance for his girlfriend when she moved to Ecuador, later adding "Time of your life" as a subtitle to appear less bitter.

make peace with同…讲和

[16] TLC, Waterfalls

"Don't go chasing waterfalls, Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to/ I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all, But I think you're moving too fast."

TLC use chasing waterfalls as a metaphor for someone who goes full force into a situation without considering the consequences. An idea exemplified in the song's music video by a drug dealer who goes against his mother's wishes and ends up getting shot, and a guy who cheats on his partner and ends up contracting HIV. Your life choices might not be so dire, but the advice to take things slow still stands.

shot 小杯酒；尝试

a : a small measure or serving (as one ounce) of undiluted liquor or other beverage vodka shots a shot of espresso

b : attempt, try give it a shot

Examples of shot in a sentence

let's take another shot at the puzzle.

咱们再试一次拼这个拼图。

[17] Lorde, Team

"We live in cities you'll never see onscreen, Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things/ Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams, And you know, we're on each other's team"

The theme of Lorde's whole first album was being proud of where you're from, appreciating your mates and resisting the seduction of other people's lives. Nowhere was this more eloquently expressed than on Team when the then-teenager chooses her own reality over someone else's dreams.

be proud of 以...自豪

We all have much to be proud of.

我们都有很多值得自豪的东西。

[18] Lana del Rey, Girls

"This is what makes us girls, We don't look for heaven and we put our love first/ Something that we'd die for it's a curse, Don't cry about it, don't cry about it"

Admittedly, things don't work out for the romantic bad girls at the centre of this song, but you have to respect their commitment to love and adventure. A lot of the previous tracks have warned you to stick to what you know, and appreciate what you have. Trust Lana to embrace love, adventure and possible destruction above all things.

[19] The XX, Say Something Loving

"Say something loving, I just don't remember the thrill of affection, I just don't remember, Say something loving"

The British darlings keep things simple on their new track. If all else fails, say something nice and tell people how you feel about them.

thrill of affection对爱情的激动

The expression of love is to uncover your heart to your lover, which is filled with love, affection, missing and thrill. 爱情的表达，就是为了给对方看自己的那颗心，看那颗心里的爱恋、温情、惦记和颤动。

[20] Cherry Glazerr, Told You I'd Be With The Guys

"I was a lone wolf/ I thought I lost my pack/ Where are my ladies?/ I guess that was my fault/ Girl, I should've stayed/ Maybe another day/ When I'm wide awake"

On the opening track from Apocalipstick Clem regrets prioritizing men over her female relationships while chasing the lure of being a "boys girl." Ultimately, she warns that you're better of sticking with the sisterhood.

lure 引诱；诱惑

a : an inducement to pleasure or gain

b : appeal, attraction

[21] Sonic Youth, Teenage Riot

"Say it, Don't spray it "

There's really no arguing with this one. An oldie, but a goodie.

An oldie, but a goodie.

很老套却很适用。