VOA慢速英语2013 美国上世纪六七十年代的经典歌曲

 

AS IT IS - Some of the biggest hit songs from America in the 1960s and 1970s

美国上世纪六七十年代的经典歌曲

Hi. Nice to have you with us again on As It Is.

Later on our show we will be listening to some of the biggest hit songs from America in the 1960s and 1970s. You may be surprised that many of these songs came from the same place.  

And speaking of places, here is Grand Central Station in New York City. It is one of the biggest—and busiest—train stations in the country. 

Recently, a special dance performance brought even more excitement than usual to Grand Central Station. The performance honored the station’s one hundred year anniversary.  

For several hours every day, a group of dancers made to look like horses passed through the famous train station. Each horse was operated by two dancers from the Ailey School. All together, the thirty horses danced, walked, and pretended to eat in the train station.  

Nick Cave created the show. He is an artist and a dancer. He saw Grand Central Terminal as a crossroads, and he imagined human travelers as horses moving across some other world. He says he felt a civic¹ duty to capture people’s imaginations. 

“We tend to be so consumed by the state of affairs today, and holding onto our jobs that we don’t tend to dream anymore.” 

Many people who saw the show agreed with him. 

“Whenever they transformed into the horses and they were moving, it was literally² like a dream. I felt like I was in a different world.”  

“I thought it would be cool to be one of them. I sort of wished I was one of them. I sort of imagined in my head what it was like to be one.”   

Nick Cave’s horse-like creations, called Soundsuits, come alive when invited by a drum. 

“I’m from Nigeria, and the talking drum is native to the culture in Nigeria. They use it in churches, in different events. So when I heard it, it immediately brought me back to home.” 

A not-for-profit group called Creative Time presented the show. The group’s director, Anne Pasternak, says Nick Cave’s work makes art available in a public place at no cost. And, she says the horses have ties to Grand Central’s roots. After all, the first trains that came in and out of Grand Central Station were pulled by horses.  

Some of the biggest hit records over the past 50 years have come from a recording³ studio in a small town in the American state of Alabama called Muscle Shoals. Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and many others recorded there and still do. A new documentary tells the story of Muscle Shoals. Jim Tedder⁴ has our report. 

Muscle Shoals sits on the Tennessee River and has a population of only 13,000. Some of the world’s top musicians have made records in this town. “This is a rural spot in rural America, whereas when you think of other music meccas in America, they are more urban-based.” 

Filmmaker Greg Camalier set out to learn why. He says it all began with Rick Hall. Rick Hall started FAME studios in Muscle Shoals in the late 1950s.  

“I wanted to be special. I wanted to be somebody.” 

Using old films and pictures, the documentary shows how Rick Hall developed an unusual sound. It combined skilled studio engineering and the support of local artists, black and white. 

At the time, Alabama Governor George Wallace was fighting efforts to end racial separation. But black and white musicians in Muscle Shoals were already working together, producing huge hits. This song made local artist Percy Sledge⁵ a star. 

“As their songs became cutting-edge songs down there, people were hearing them around the world, and were like ‘I want that sound.’” 

The British rock group The Rolling Stones also came to the Alabama town.  

Greg Camalier spoke⁶ with both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for the film. 

“It was pretty funky⁷, that was the whole idea of it.” 

“You are in rock and roll heaven, man.” 

By the time the Rolling Stones arrived, the musicians working for Rick Hall had started their own production studio in Muscle Shoals. Today there are several studios in the town. 

Greg Camalier’s film tells the story of the studios. People living in the town have been excited to learn about their history. 

“They had a screening of the film down there, and now people are embracing their past.” 

The film “Muscle Shoals” is now showing in movie theaters across the United States. I’m Jim Tedder.

1 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

5 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。