27
I BELIEVE IN YESTERDAY
While I was a primary school pupil, English was not among my favourite subjects until that day… My English teacher was a young lady who loved music and included it in almost every single class we had. One day she took us by surprise with a different type of song. It wasn’t a song for children, as we were used to working with, but a ‘real’ and ‘serious’ one. Miss Julia handed out the worksheets with the lyrics and some tasks to do and, after explaining the rubrics, she played the song Yesterday. And, at that very moment, I fell in love with The Beatles and the language they spoke. Although the lyrics were quite difficult for me to understand completely at that time, its melody and John and Paul’s voices made me feel at peace, as if I were a baby listening to a lullaby. Listening to their pronunciation – so fluent, so sweet, so tender – was as if I were listening to a mermaid which was casting a spell on me and all I wanted to do was to speak the same language as John, Paul, Ringo and George.
Yesterday not only helped me to discover my love for the English language and to realise that it was easier for me to learn this language compared with my classmates. It also became MY song. Whenever I hear its chorus, those words transport me to the moment when my grandmother passed away; at that time I was only 12 years old and I’d been listening to the Beatles for three years. Even though I loved their lyrics and their music, none of them meant anything in particular to me but Yesterday portrayed my confusion and despair at that time – ‘why she had to go I don’t know…’ Besides being a song that reflected – and still reflects – my feelings, it was the first thing that helped me discover my passion for the English language, which was later on reinforced by my passion for teaching and that’s why I’m training to become a teacher of English.
One day a friend of mine told me that music helps us shape our lives and to discover its meaning. I didn’t believe his words but now I have to admit that he was right. Music works in mysterious ways. So, now you know about my pet song… What’s yours? I’d love to read about your experience with music and the effect a song has had on you.
In the meantime, enjoy a video of Yesterday: