Radio Ga Ga – Queen – Notes

Activity types: Discussion, rhyming words, listening for specific words, gap fill

Level: Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Language: Talking about media

Grammar: Present Simple - Past Simple

Notes: This 1984 song by the British rock band Queen was written by their drummer Roger Taylor
after he heard his 3-year-old son saying “radio ca ca”. For obvious reasons the record company
insisted he change the title! The song is about television overtaking radio’s popularity but it also
contains some criticism of radio itself for the decrease in variety of programming and the type of
music being played.
The song makes reference to two important radio events of the 20th century; Orson Wells' 1938
broadcast of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds in the verse "through wars of worlds/invaded by
Mars", and Winston Churchill's 18 June 1940 "This was their finest hour" speech from the House of
Commons, in the verse "You've yet to have your finest hour".
American pop star Lady Gaga credits her name to this song. (based on Wikipedia)
Radio Ga Ga was part of a radio programme by Tune Into English, broadcast on Radio RAI 3 in
February 2011 – you can listen to a podcast of this on the Students’ Area of www.tuneintoenglish.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Students discuss the media. You can help them asking simple questions like:

- Which media do you use most frequently? (i.e. radio, tv, newspapers, internet)
- Which one do you prefer? Why?
- Do you ever listen to the radio? What are your favourite programmes?
- Do you like listening to the radio?
- Do you think radio is obsolete nowadays?
- How do you generally listen to music?
- How important was the radio for your parents or grandparents?

2. Give each student a folded copy of the worksheet and ask them to do Activity 1.
They have to match the rhyming words according to their final vowel sound.

Key:
• boys – noise • hour – power
• care – there • know – radio
• cry – fly • light – night
• depend - friend • Mars – stars
• ears – years • new – you

3. Ask students to listen for the words in Activity 1, numbering them in the order they hear
them. Play the song. Then students can unfold the page and complete the song (Activity
2) according to their answers to the previous activity and context. Words can be in any
form (e.g. night/nights)

Key: 1.light 2. night 3. know 4. radio 5. stars 6.Mars 7. cry 8. fly 9. noise 10. boys
11. care 12. there 13. power 14. hour 15. new 16.you 17. ears 18. years 19. friend
20. depend

4. Play the song again. Students check their answers in pairs or in groups.

5. Correct in open class, play the song again and sing together!

6. Follow-up. The song shows a contrast between the past and the present. How is it
expressed grammatically? Students can group the verbs in the present simple and those in
the past simple and compare what radio used to be and what it is now.

This worksheet is to be used for educational purposes only

Activity © Tune into English 2011 – www.tuneintoenglish.com Worksheet written by Prof. Mena Bianco, Naples
 Radio Ga Ga – Queen 
ACTIVITY 1. Match the rhyming words:

1. boys 6. fly 11.Mars 16.radio

2. care 7. friend 12.new 17.stars
3. cry 8. hour 13.night 18.there
4. depend 9. know 14.noise 19.years
5. ears 10.light 15.power 20.you

__________________________________FOLD____________________________________

ACTIVITY 2. Complete the song with the words from Activity 1.

I'd sit alone and watch your ________ We watch the shows, we watch the stars
My only friend through teenage ________ On videos for hours and hours
And everything I had to ________ We hardly need to use our ________
I heard it on my ________ How music changes through the ________

You gave them all those old time ________ Let's hope you never leave, old ________
Through wars of worlds invaded by _______ Like all good things on you we ________
You made them laugh, you made them _______ So stick around ‘cause we might miss you
You made us feel like we could _______ When we grow tired of all this visual
You had your time, you had the ________
So don't become some background ________ You've yet to have your finest ________
A backdrop for the girls and ________ Radio
Who just don't know or just don't ________
And just complain when you're not ________ All we hear is Radio Ga Ga
You had your time, you had the ________ Radio goo goo
You've yet to have your finest ________ Radio Ga Ga
Radio All we hear is Radio Ga Ga
Radio goo goo
All we hear is Radio Ga Ga Radio Ga Ga
Radio goo goo All we hear is Radio Ga Ga
Radio Ga Ga Radio blah blah
All we hear is Radio Ga Ga Radio, what's ________?
Radio blah blah Someone still loves ________!
Radio, what's ________?
Radio, someone still loves ________! Radio Ga Ga (repeat 3 times)

You had your time, you had the ________

You've yet to have your finest ________
Radio
This worksheet is to be used for educational purposes only
Activity © Tune into English 2011 – www.tuneintoenglish.com Worksheet written by Prof. Mena Bianco, Naples

Radio Ga Ga – Queen - Complete

I'd sit alone and watch your light
My only friend through teenage nights
And everything I had to know
I heard it on my radio

You gave them all those old time stars

Through wars of worlds invaded by Mars
You made them laugh, you made them cry
You made us feel like we could fly

So don't become some background noise

A backdrop for the girls and boys
Who just don't know or just don't care
And just complain when you're not there
You had your time, you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio

All we hear is Radio ga ga

Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio, what's new?
Radio, someone still loves you!

We watch the shows, we watch the stars

On videos for hours and hours
We hardly need to use our ears
How music changes through the years

Let's hope you never leave, old friend

Like all good things on you we depend
So stick around ‘cause we might miss you
When we grow tired of all this visual
You had your time, you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio

All we hear is Radio ga ga

Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio, what's new?
Someone still loves you!

Radio Ga Ga (repeat 3 times)

You had your time, you had the power

You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio

This worksheet is to be used for educational purposes only

Activity © Tune into English 2011 – www.tuneintoenglish.com Worksheet written by Prof. Mena Bianco, Naples