Table of Contents
Listening Activity
This listening activity is based on the song “Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees“. The lyrics of the song are beautiful and ideal for English learners and include many interesting language topics, such as the present continuous.
Let’s start with some information about the song!
Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees
“Stayin’ Alive” is a disco song by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. This page provides information about the song and links to the lyrics and the official video.
Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees
Level
Beginner and intermediate students.
Facts about the Song
- Song: Stayin’ Alive
- Album: Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack
- Date of release: 13 December 1977
- Genre: Disco
- Length of the song: 4 minutes and 45 seconds.
- Writer: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb
- Produced by: Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson
Interesting Information about the Song
“Stayin’ Alive” was inspired by a memorable moment involving Robin Gibb’s Concorde ticket. While flying on the Concorde, Robin noticed several words on his ticket that sparked the idea for the song’s lyrics. Robin recalls:
“The subject matter of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is actually quite a serious one; it’s about survival in the streets of New York, and the lyrics actually say that.” Barry Gibb also reflects on the song’s theme, stating, “People crying out for help. Desperate songs. Those are the ones that become giants. The minute you capture that on record, it’s gold. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is the epitome of that. Everybody struggles against the world… And it really is a victory just to survive. But when you climb back on top and win bigger than ever before, well, that’s something everybody reacts to.”
“Stayin’ Alive” became one of the most iconic disco songs of all time and was a major hit, reaching the top of the charts in multiple countries. The song was also prominently featured in the 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever,” further cementing its place in pop culture history. The pulsating beat and catchy lyrics made it an anthem for resilience and perseverance.
The Video
The Lyrics
Language Points
The song includes many interesting language points:
Expressions that may be useful to students:
- Feel the city breaking and everybody shaking,
And we’re staying alive, staying alive.
Listening Comprehension
Sentence Completion Exercise
Complete these sentences while listening to the song:
- “Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a ____________.”
- “Music loud and women warm, I’ve been ____________.”
- “Feel the city breakin’ and everybody ____________.”
- “Got the wings of Heaven on my ____________.”
- “Life goin’ nowhere, somebody ____________.”
Gap-Fill Exercise
These words are used in the lyrics of the song:
- Walk – To move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn.
- Understand – To grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something.
- Breakin’ – A colloquial term for breaking, often referring to something separating or coming apart. The past participle is “broken“.
- Shakin’ – A colloquial term for shaking, often referring to a quick, jerky movement.
- Kicked – To strike or hit something with the foot.
- Survive – To continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.
- Effect – A change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
Complete these sentences with the words provided above:
Walk, Broken, Shaking, Kicked, Survive , Effect, Understand
- “The way he used his ________ showed his confidence.”
- “It was hard to ________ the complexity of the situation.”
- “The vase fell off the table and was ________ into pieces.”
- “During the earthquake, everything in the room was ________.”
- “He was ________ out of the game for breaking the rules.”
- “Despite the harsh conditions, they managed to ________ the storm.”
- “The new law had a significant ________ on the community.”
Source: Wikipedia