SUMMER HITS

What in your opinion makes a summer hit?
What do you think was last summer hit?

We are going to listen to a song that was a big hit in Britain in the autumn of 1974. The singer was called Sylvia Vrethammar. Everyone came back from their package holidays in Spain and got misty-eyed with this music. Sylvia was a Swedish pop and jazz singer. Her song was a great hit in the UK Singles Chart, spending over six months in that listing, sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. But Sylvia was just singing a version of the original song, written in 1971 and originally performed in Dutch by Belgian singer Samantha, with music and lyrics written by the Belgian song writers Leo Rozenstraten (lyrics) and Leo Caerts (music). The version in English included some Spanish words.

VOCABULARY: MATCH THE WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS WITH THE SAME MEANING

beano       balmy       icy         strain       smooth        by the score       by far      allow    the finest bet       whisper     rattle    tremble    pasty       tasty        brown      guess     queue 

 permit      pleasant       pale          party       good flavor        fluid       a lot      very cold     shake                tanned      suppose      wait in line       the best option      speak softly         

                 shake and make noise       pressure (stress)        by a large margin

Now, listen and fill in the blanks with the Spanish words:

TITLE: ____________________________________________

All the ladies fell for Rudolph Valentino

He had a beano back in those balmy days

He knew every time you meet an icy creature

You've got to teach her hot blooded latin ways

But even Rudy would have felt the strain

Of making smooth advances in the rain

                              

Chorus

Oh this year I'm off to Sunny Spain ______________________________

I'm taking the Costa Brava 'plane _____________________________

If you'd like to chat a ________________, in some cool _______________

And meet _________________ by the score, _____________________

Quite by chance to hot romance I found the answer

_________________ dancers are by far the finest bet

There was one who whispered oh ________________________

Each time I kissed him behind the castanette

He rattled his __________________ close to me

In no time I was trembling at the knee

When they first arrive the girls are pink and pasty

but oh so tasty as soon as they go brown

I guess they know ev'ry fellow will be queuing

to do the wooing his girlfriend won't allow

but every dog must have his lucky day

that's why I've learnt the way to shout _________________