今回の初級英会話講座の内容は先生のTimから「that I must say to you」の文が書かれたカードを渡された。
カードの文は各自バラバラ、そして、授業がはじまりTimが「音楽を流すから歌詞に書かれたフレーズが流れたら順番に並んでね」と言った。
曲がかかったのだ。曲名はスティービーワンダーの「I just call to say I love you.」だったのだ。
Timの意図はヒアリングの練習を楽しくする工夫だったのだ。
実はこの曲はNHKのジュークボックス英会話でも取り上げられた曲で私が何度も口ずさんだ曲だ。
英語の「Love」は意味的に軽い。この曲は愛の告白とかでは無く、普段、普通に過ごしている人に対しての愛情と感謝の感情をサラリと現した曲だ。
Stevie Wonder
I just call to say I love you
No New Year's Day to celebrate
No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away
No first of spring
No song to sing
In fact here's just another ordinary day
No April rain
No flowers bloom
No wedding Saturday within the month of June
But what it is, is something true
Made up of these three words that I must say to you
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
No summer's high
No warm July
No harvest moon to light one tender August night
No autumn breeze
No falling leaves
Not even time for birds to fly to southern skies
No Libra sun
No Halloween
No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is, though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words could ever do
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care, I do
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care, I do
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart, of my heart,
of my heart
I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care, I do
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart, of my heart,
baby of my heart