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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Pippa.
And I'm Neil.
Now. Neil, have you ever wanted
to be a musician?
Oh yes, Pippa,
I still want to be a musician.
I've been playing my guitar
since I was 14.
Wow. Well, maybe one day you'll,
you'll manage it.
Who knows?
What about you?
I don't think
I'd like to be a musician.
I think it would be a bit stressful.
Especially if you had lots of fans
and were really successful.
Yeah. I wonder what life
as a musician is actually like.
We'll be finding that out
in this programme, as we hear
from some people around the UK who would
like to become successful musicians
and we'll even listen
to some of their music too.
But first I have a question
for you, Neil.
In the UK, we have a weekly chart of
the best selling songs in the country,
and the top selling song is called
the number one.
But which musical artist do you think
has had the most UK number one songs?
Is it a) The Beatles,
b) Ed Sheeran, or c) Elvis Presley?
Oh well, I think that's easy.
It must be, surely, The Beatles.
Well, I'll reveal the answer
at the end of the programme.
Now, getting a number one song
is a dream for many musicians,
but if you want to become a musician,
where do you start?
I grew up in a really rich
music scene in St Ives.
I was going to open mics
from the age of about 11.
This is Bailey.
She lives in St Ives in Cornwall,
on the south-west coast of England.
She says she was going
to open mic nights from a young age.
Open mic nights are events
where anyone can sing or play music.
Bailey talked about her life
as a musician to BBC Learning
English programme My Song, My Home.
I would go to these songwriters' circles at the
Kettle and Wink on, like, a Friday night
after school, where I'd be, like,
the youngest person by, like, 50 years.
But I'd sit in a circle
with a bunch of old men and
they'd play James Taylor and Carole King
and the Eagles and lots of 70s music.
And I guess
that's influenced me massively.
But I guess, you know, everyone kind
of took me under their wing growing up.
When she was younger,
Bailey went to songwriters' circles.
These are meetings for people interested
in writing their own music.
Bailey remembers sitting with a bunch
of old men.
A 'bunch' is an informal way to talk
about a group of people.
The older men in the group
would play music from the 1970s,
and Bailey says they took her
under their wing.
If you take somebody under your wing,
you decide to protect them
or guide them.
Let's meet another musician, Josh.
So, I learned my first proper song
on guitar
when I was about 13.
I literally started busking
the moment.
I could kind of do that.
Josh lives in London and is a busker.
This means that he performs
on the street
or in public places to earn money.
Busking is a common way for musicians to
make money and perform to more people.
And as Josh told BBC Learning
English programme My Song, My Home,
it can help musicians
to get new opportunities.
It's been kind of
like my main earner
that's kept me going for
the last ten or so years.
From that, it's then got me
various different opportunities.
It's got me all my gigs,
it's got me all my connections.
So I owe a lot to busking.
Busking is Josh's main earner.
It's his main source of money.
He says that busking has got him
all his gigs and connections.
Gigs are musical concerts and
it's an informal, slang word.
Josh says he owes a lot to busking.
If you owe a lot
to someone or something,
you have success or happiness
because of that person or thing.
So, would you like to listen
to some of Josh's music,
Neil? Of course
I would.
Well, here's a bit of his song,
That Side of the Wall,
which he performed for BBC Learning
English programme, My Song, My Home.
♫Can you leave me something
Can you leave it by the door♫
♫So I know there's something
Or someone♫
♫That side of the wall♫
♫Stop the heat from coming♫
♫'Cause I always liked the cold♫
♫I need some belonging
Or someone♫
♫That side of the wall♫
Wow. Josh is pretty good, isn't he?
I'd love to hear more.
Well, you can find performances
by the musicians in the series
on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
And we'll also put a link
in the notes below this episode.
OK. So, what about
your question, Pippa?
Yes. I asked which artist had the most
number one songs in the UK charts?
The Beatles,
Ed Sheeran or Elvis Presley?
And you said The Beatles, Neil.
But the answer is actually
Elvis Presley.
He's had 21 number one songs
and The Beatles have had 18.
Really? Well that's OK,
I love 'the King' as well.
OK. OK, let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned in this musical episode,
starting with open mic nights, events
where anyone can sing or play music.
Songwriters' circles are meetings
for people interested
in writing their own music.
A bunch of people is a group
of people.
The expression 'take someone under your
wing' means to protect or guide someone.
Busking is performing
in a public place for money,
and a busker is someone who performs
on the street for money.
Your main earner is your main source
of income.
Gigs are musical concerts.
And the expression 'to owe a lot'
to someone or something
means to have success or happiness
because of that person or thing.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but you can find My Song, My Home
on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
Watch the songs and sing along, and learn
more about the vocabulary in the lyrics.
We'll see you again soon for some more
trending topics and useful vocabulary.
Bye for now.
Goodbye.
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15fans
word
0:30
"people who enthusiastically admire and support a musician or artist."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Find out what it takes to pursue a career in music and the challenges musicians face in this 6 Minute English episode.