Hi everyone,

I am Tatiana Vivar, a Special Education teacher who is on her way to getting her ELA license. I am taking this class so I can achieve this goal. I specifically this class so I can integrate music that is relevant to my students into my lessons. Honestly speaking, I don’t know much about the type of music my students like as I stick mostly to Latin and Disney music. I am hoping that this class will help me understand and appreciate today’s music.

In class today, we’re listening to a Song Exploder episode featuring Neko Case discussing her song “Last Lion of Albion” with Thao Nguyen (from the band The Get Down Stay Down). I thought you might like a visual for each–and the lyrics to the song.

Neko Case

Thao Nguyen

The Last Lion of Albion by Neko Case

[Verse 1]
Early in the morning where there used to be a slough
There’s a tiny business lake, don’t let the cattails fool you
Down in the bottom where nothing is born
Sleeps a silver dollar with your face thereon

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Wish I could trace the frowning compass of your mouth
Drop a mercury dime down a Roman drain and summon Mars

[Chorus 1]
Last lion of Albion
They’ll use you for centuries to come
They’ll steal your patents for the sun
And you’ll feel extinction
When you see your face on their money

[Verse 2]
Late in the heavens that are already bought
Sleeps a red planet in the galaxy of a lion’s thoughts
On the surface every tendon and intended machine
Is gonna buckle, knuckle, kneel on a carpet of lion’s tongues

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Wish I could stand in the spray at the cliff of your sweet revenge
Oceans of naked serrated marble crushing in

[Chorus 1]
Last lion of Albion
They’ll use you for centuries to come
They’ll steal your patents for the sun
And you’ll feel extinction

[Chorus 2]
Last lion of Albion
They’ll use you for centuries to come
Your wound’s the main road into London
You’ll feel extinction
When you see your face on their money

[Chorus 3]
Last lion of Albion
The last she-wolf to mother Rome
The last virgin to wash ashore
You’ll feel extinction

[Chorus 4]
Last lion of Albion
The last of the Mohicans gone
The last cedars of Lebanon
You’ll feel extinction

[Chorus 5]
Last lion of Albion
Last tiger of Tasmania
The last she-wolf to suckle Rome
You’ll feel extinction

[Intro]
You used to call me on my
You used to, you used to
Yeah

[Chorus]
You used to call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
Call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
And I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing

[Verse 1]
Ever since I left the city, you
Got a reputation for yourself now
Everybody knows and I feel left out
Girl, you got me down, you got me stressed out
‘Cause ever since I left the city, you
Started wearing less and goin’ out more
Glasses of champagne out on the dance floor
Hangin’ with some girls I’ve never seen before

[Chorus]
You used to call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
Call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing

[Verse 2]
Ever since I left the city, you, you, you
You and me, we just don’t get along
You make me feel like I did you wrong
Going places where you don’t belong
Ever since I left the city, you
You got exactly what you asked for
Running out of pages in your passport
Hangin’ with some girls I’ve never seen before

[Chorus]
You used to call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
Call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
And I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing

[Bridge]
These days, all I do is
Wonder if you’re bendin’ over backwards for someone else
Wonder if you’re rolling up a Backwoods for someone else
Doing things I taught you, gettin’ nasty for someone else
You don’t need no one else
You don’t need nobody else, no
Why you never alone?
Why you always touching road?
Used to always stay at home
Be a good girl, you was in the zone
Yeah, you should just be yourself
Right now, you’re someone else

[Chorus]
You used to call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
Call me on my cell phone
Late-night when you need my love
And I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing
I know when that hotline bling
That can only mean one thing

[Outro]
Ever since I left the city…

The English Department is hosting this event. Since Cardi B is in the title, it’s relevant to our course. I encourage you to attend! I’ll add the link once I get it.

I look forward to meeting and working with you all. I wish it could be in person, but we’ll do our best to make the course as strong as can be. I love teaching this course. We really dig in and find ways to describe sound, contextualize music, learn about each other’s musical tastes, and listen to lots of music together. You’ll write reviews; you’ll make infographics; you’ll write artist profies; you’ll make a podcast or radio show; if you want, you can make videos for some of your assignments.

This will be the online home and syllabus for our course. We’ll use it as a course website–and to post material related to the course. I’ll post short videos here about course concepts, and you’ll post many of your assignments here too.

For now, here’s a friendly public service announcement. (I’ve been experimenting with making videos for teaching during the pandemic.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBzjYerHK0s

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