Phrases borrowed from melodies

What is “all that jazz”, anyway? Discover the meaning of 10 music phrases

Image: Will Francis

Nobody can go through life without a little music. It is so imprinted in our brain, that we even mention music even when it’s not the topic of conversation. Where do you think the expression "strikes a chord" comes from? Music of course! Just like that, there are dozens of expressions based on the musical industry or that are directly taken from iconic songs, that is, songs that we all know and love! So, in this article, we’ve gathered 10 of these everyday expressions and gone through their origins and meanings! Are you ready? Let’s hit it!

Image: Kristijan Arsov

Picture a pipe organ, they are pretty common in churches and places alike. Do you know how they work? In short, a pipe organ works thanks to pressurized air flowing through the pipes. Which pipes make a sound is the choice of the player, of course. Well, when an organist pulls out all the stops, all the pipes sing together, at their maximum volume. Can you see where we are going with this?

In everyday language, if someone pulls all the stops, that means they are giving their all, making their best effort. A metaphor for the organ pipe filling a room with this unique sound, this phrase screams "Go big, or go home!"

Image: Iyinoluwa Onaeko

Have you ever been in a heated discussion with someone for hours only to find out you were practically saying the same things with different words? We’re sorry to tell you, but you’ve just spent hours preaching to the choir.

This expression naturally comes not only from the music field but from the musical moment every church has: There’s a presentation of a choir and all the people in the church preach to it.

In our everyday language, doing this means trying to convince someone of something they had already agreed on from the beginning! Kind of a pointless argument, and a waste of time!

Image: Kevin Andre

Now, there’s a similar scenario in which you spent hours saying the same thing over and over again, do you know what we mean? Well, in that case, you know what it means to sound like a broken record.

This expression comes from vinyl records that get stuck on a scratch and endlessly replay the same sound. Once is enough, twice is plainly annoying.

In a humorous context, it can be fun. But it can quickly go downwards because who wants to keep repeating the same thing when nobody seems to listen?

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

In the old days, whenever something important happened to the true VIPs, like a king or other members of royalty, there was a herald who blew a trumpet before announcing big news. In modern times, this doesn’t happen anymore, but you could blow your own trumpet. Can you imagine what that means?

"Blowing your own trumpet" means bragging about your achievements. In short, you’re your own herald. While it’s okay to celebrate your wins, there’s an art to doing it gracefully. Nobody likes a constant bragger, but a little self-promotion is healthy and necessary. You know, balance is the key to a good tune!

Image: William Recinos

Remember when we said nobody could go through life without a little music? We’re talking about those songs that transport each of us to a happy, quiet, relaxing place in our minds, can you think of that song? Well, now think of how you feel when you receive good news. Isn’t that just like music to your ears?

In short, this phrase refers to the joy one feels when receiving good ones as a parallelism with the feeling we get with certain songs, which is of course unique and subjective.

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Have you ever caught yourself doing a total 180 on something? That’s what it means to "change your tune." Picture a musician in the middle of a performance suddenly switching up the melody. That’s a bold move, right? We’re not saying it’s good or bad, it’s just bold!

This phrase is all about shifting your attitude, like going from grumpy to chill or from critical to downright supportive. Let’s be real: life’s too short to stick to the wrong vibe. Flexibility can be a superpower, so don’t hesitate to remix your outlook when the situation calls for it. New day, new tune!

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You’re watching the saddest movie in the world and it doesn’t do anything for you. Now, you may be watching the silliest commercial on TV, and your heart scrunches and you start feeling nostalgic and melancholic. You know that moment when something just hits differently? That’s what we mean when we say "It strikes a chord."

Just like music can stir up all our feelings, certain words, stories, or ideas can really resonate with us. Maybe it’s a heartfelt memory or a truth that speaks right to your soul, they are unique to each of us. So when you feel those emotional vibes, let them play on.

Image: Manuel Nägeli

Harps make some seriously angelic music, but "harping on" about something? Not so heavenly to be honest. Now, what does it mean? It’s used when someone keeps repeating the same point or nagging about an issue to the point of exhaustion.

We’ve all been there, either doing it or dealing with it, and let’s face it, it’s not exactly fun for anyone. Nobody wants to be the human equivalent of a broken record, right? And you guessed it right; they are synonyms of the phrase above. If there are two phrases about this, it is because nobody wants to hear the same thing a thousand times!

Image: Alex Zamora

The origins of this phrase are not completely certain, but the musical "Chicago" definitely made its popularity skyrocket. Why? The song "All That Jazz" opens the musical and it’s as catchy as versatile.

Now, as for the phrase, it means "all the extras" or something like "everything that goes with it." It is kind of saying "etcetera" in a funny, musical way!

Image: Calum MacAulay

No one loves being second fiddle, but sometimes, that’s exactly where the magic happens. This saying comes from orchestras, where the first violin leads while the second provides support. Sure, being in the spotlight is great, but harmony depends on teamwork and we all need a little support from time to time.

Think of all the behind-the-scenes roles that make big moments shine, without them, the whole thing falls apart. Life is pretty much the same, it’s not always about being front and center. When you’re playing second fiddle, you’re still a crucial part of the melody.

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The world’s a stage: 11 Shakespearean film adaptations

William Shakespeare’s plays are among the most represented and reimagined literary works in history and have been viewed through many different cultural lenses and adapted to multiple formats. Today, let’s have a look at 11 Shakespeare adaptations to film!

Let’s start with a well-known modern classic. Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet sets this beloved play in modern-day Verona Beach, New York, instead of the Italian city of Verona, with Montagues and Capulets as mobsters instead of noble families.

What makes this version so attractive? Besides Luhrmann’s colorful cinematography, the original script is unchanged (only a few characters are given first names), which creates a sharp contrast between the modern scenarios and the Shakespearean vocabulary.

The only TV series on this list, The Hollow Crown takes on the huge task of faithfully adapting Shakespeare’s two historical tetralogies (a group of four works). The first series follows the events depicted by Shakespeare in Richard II, Henry IV (part 1), Henry IV (part 2), and Henry V.

The second series, The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, follows Shakespeare’s account of the 15th-century Civil War, depicted in Henry VI (parts 1, 2, and 3), and Richard III.

This modern adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of Cymbeline changes the original setting from Ancient Britain to the contemporary U.S., with the feud between Britons and Romans transforming into turf wars between biker gangs and dirty cops.

This teen romantic comedy has become a cult classic, but did you know it was based on a Shakespearean play? 10 Things I Hate About You gets its storyline from The Taming of the Shrew, where the suitors of young Bianca, unable to get married until her headstrong sister Kate does first, convince Petrucchio to marry and ‘tame’ the elder sister.

In the 1999 rom-com, the Italian setting transforms into a Seattle high school, and the prize is being Bianca’s date to prom.

The literary origins of this children’s classic should not be too hard to discover: A beloved king is murdered by his greedy brother, who then usurps the throne that should go to his young son? This is, obviously, the main plot of Hamlet, with some changes made to make it suitable for children.

But what many people don’t know is that the sequel to The Lion King is also inspired by a Shakespeare play: the love story between Simba’s daughter and Scar’s son loosely follows the plot of Romeo and Juliet.

Akira Kurosawa is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers not only in Japan but in film history. His final film, Ran (meaning ‘chaos’), is a transposition of Shakespeare’s King Lear to medieval Japan, with the king and his daughters transformed into a warlord and his three sons.

This is not Kurosawa’s only encounter with Shakespeare’s works: before Ran, he had already directed Throne of Blood, a period piece based on Macbeth, and The Bad Sleep Well, a crime film based on Hamlet.

Several modern adaptations of Romeo and _Julie_t transform the family feud into racially motivated gang wars, one of the better-known being West Side Story. China Girl is also set in Manhattan, but it shows us the love story between Tony, a teenager from Little Italy, and Tye, a young girl from Chinatown.

This rom-com is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where ancient Greece and the forests ruled by fairies transform into a high school, and the quarreling lovers are instead young teens experiencing dating problems.

As an ode to the original, Get Over It also uses the motif of ‘the-play-within-the-play’, with the main characters representing a musical version of Shakespeare’s original play.

This adaptation by Kenneth Branagh, known for his love of the Bard, may initially look out of place in this list, as it is neither a monumental production nor a different interpretation of the original play.

What makes this version remarkable, besides the talented cast and their interpretation, is how the original Shakespeare becomes accessible and entertaining, making this film one of the most successful Shakespeare film adaptations to date.

This mobster film follows the storyline of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, Macbeth, but reimagines the Scottish original in a modern setting, showing us how the greed of a crime family’s lieutenant leads him to assassinate his boss and seize control of the business.

Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night includes entanglements and women disguised as men. She’s the Man gives us a rom-com modern version of the play, with teenage Viola dressing up as her twin brother and taking his place in a boys’ boarding school.