Bastille - Warmth
topic : the news, dealing with strong emotions
level: B1+
0. warmer -
Did you see the news last night?
Can you mention some news items?
Were they predominantly positive or negative news?
1. 1st listening
How does the singer feel?
What emotions does he express throughout the song?
How did the song make YOU feel?
2. 2nd listening
Complete the lyrics.
3. Vocabulary
What do they refer to? Find these words and expressions in the lyrics.
1. to pull –
2. to make you unable to hear the sounds around you –
3. to hurry after somebody -
4. something that takes you attention away from something -
5. help and comfort when you feel sad –
6. pieces of leather placed at the side of the horse’s eyes to prevent it from looking anywhere else (also – blinders) –
4. Discussion questions
1. "Never good just the bad and the ugly/Laid infront of you/ Nothing quite like seeing the world through the TV's window"
What do these lines refer to? Do you agree with this statement?
2. How do you feel if you see that something bad happens in the world (far far away from you). How does it affect you?
3. Can you mention any recent news that stayed with you for a longer time and that you couldn't stop thinking about?
Here's a quote from NME magazine where the singer, Dan Smith interpreted his song:
"It's about that feeling of panic and of helplessness and how that's now part of everyday life. As a human being, how do you react to that? Do you try to engage with it? Do you bury your head in the sand? Do you go get drunk? And, in the context of all of that, I think the things that make life generally awesome are other people and our relationships and humor."
4. How does the singer cope with the terrible news in the song? What gives him solace?
5. If/When you get affected by the terrible news, how do you cope with it?
6. How does the media influence the way we see the world?
