Sub-Radio

Learning Materials

Wordplay is brought to you by the Office of English Language Programs, American Music Abroad, and American Voices.

Artist: Sub-Radio

(Click to view Snapshots)

We have created lesson plans and a video series to use in the classroom. Scroll down to see all lesson materials or download the full package here.

Featured Song: What You Want To Hear by Sub Radio

Download ‘What You Want To Hear’

Download What You Want To Hear by Sub Radio

Music Video

Lyric Video

Video Activities

Program Materials

Click the tabs below to access all the materials for Wordplay.

Below is an incredible collection from American English to provide fun new ways of teaching and learning English.

Use these files in conjunction with the song in this language package for an integrated teaching experience.

More available at https://americanenglish.state.gov/

What You Want To Hear by Sub Radio

Long night, caught up in the details
Texts, calls, and emails from my broken friends
Long time since I thought I could fix them
Now everything is mixed up, man it never ends
Ooh, call up everyone I know and tell them
I love ’em and their problems
Hey, are we all as lonely as we say?
Is a phone call all it takes?
Why don’t you tell me what you want
Nine to five in a nightmare,
we’re not scared
We’re bigger than the fear
Run away with me somewhere,
anywhere
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
Hold tight to you when you were younger
You felt like going under but you never did
We could drive and scream at empty streets
Put our song on repeat, it’s like it never ends
Ooh, water in the middle of the desert
A glimpse of something better
Hey, we will grow no matter where you plant us
Color every canvas
Why don’t you tell me what you want
Nine to five in a nightmare,
we’re not scared
We’re bigger than the fear
Run away with me somewhere,
anywhere
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
I know what you want but not what you need
So why did you go and put your trust in me
I know what you want but not what you need
So why did you go and put your trust in me
I know what you want but not what you need
So why did you go and put your trust in me
I know what you want but not what you need
So why did you go, why did you go, whoa
Nine to five in a nightmare
We’re bigger than the fear
Run away with me somewhere
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
Nine to five in a nightmare,
we we’re not scared
We’re bigger than the fear
Run away with me somewhere,
anywhere
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear
What you want
What you want
What you want (ooh, what you want)
I’ll tell you what you want to hear

A2 Level Words

all
adverb
everywhere or everything

anywhere
adverb
any place

as
conjunction
used to compare two things, people, amounts, etc.

bigger
adjective
important or serious

call
verb
to telephone someone

calls
noun
when you use the telephone

could
modal verb
used to show something is possible

desert
noun
a large, hot, dry area of land with very few plants

empty
adjective
does not contain any thing or people

end
verb
to finish or stop, or to make something finish or stop

everyone
pronoun
every person

everything
pronoun
all things

hear
verb
to listen to someone or something

hey
exclamation
a greeting or a way of attracting someone’s attention

hold
verb
to have something in your hand or arms

middle
noun
in equal distance from all edges or sides; center position

repeat
verb
to say or do something more than once

somewhere
adverb
a place when you do not know exactly where it is

song
noun
a short piece of music with words which are sung

text
noun
message on a cell phone

time
noun
a particular amount of time

tell
verb
to order or advise someone to do something

were
auxiliary verb
past form of be

when
conjunction
the time something happened or will happen

where
conjunction
in a place or position

will
modal verb
used to talk about what is going to happen in the future

you
pronoun
people in general

B1 Level Words

details
noun
facts or pieces of information about something

fear
noun
a feeling that something bad or dangerous might happen

felt like
verb
had a wish or wanted to do something

fix
verb
to repair something

like
conjunction
such as

lonely
adjective
unhappy because you are not with other people

nightmare
noun
a bad or frightening dream

plant
verb
to put a seed or plant into the ground so that it will grow

say
verb
to tell someone about a fact, thought, or opinion

scared
adjective
frightened or worried

scream
verb
to make a loud noise with your voice out of fear or anger

since
conjunction
because

what
pronoun
used to refer to something without naming it

why
adverb
used to talk about the reason for something

your
determiner
belonging or relating to people generally

B2 Level Words

broken
adjective
when you are very sad because of difficulties

man
noun
informal, used to refer to both men and women

matter
noun
a subject or situation that you need to think or talk about

mixed up
adjective
confused, often because of emotional problems

run away
verb
leave and go to a different place because you are unhappy

tight
adverb
very firmly or closely

trust
noun
the feeling that you can believe in someone or something

C1/C2 Level Words

call up
verb
to telephone (call) someone

caught up in
verb
to become involved in a situation without wanting to

glimpse
noun
when you see something or someone for a very short time

know what
verb
understand what you are talking about

tell you what
verb
used to suggest a plan

For each heading in the materials, we have identified an icon to help instructors quickly find and identify information. Please use them when creating any new materials or adapting previous materials. The icon should be left justified and appear below the section heading. Any text should appear to the right of the icon.

ICON	MEANING
	Activity Summary
	Additional Resources
	Associated Audio
	Associated Video
	Less Challenging (for beginners)
	Lesson Plan
	Listening
	More Challenging (for advanced learners)
	Online Tip
	Reading
	Speaking
	Writing

Snapshots

Click Image to View Snapshots!

Short question videos to use in the classroom to start new conversations in a modern “Stories” format. Break the ice in new groups or shake up the routine. Teachers can also pair these videos with games below.

ACTIVITIES

These short games can be used with the Snapshot videos for a quick activity in the classroom.

About The Artist

Sub-Radio

BIOGRAPHY

Silver Spring, MD-based Sub-Radio makes indie pop that grooves, stabs, winks, punches, and inspires. Founded by six childhood friends, they built a following in their hometown of Washington, D.C. on the strength of ecstatic live shows and a stream of releases. Following a national tour in 2019, their 2020 EP, produced by Andrew Maury (Shawn Mendes, Lizzo, COIN) and Mike Kamerman (Smallpools), takes the band in a bigger and brighter direction than ever.

Sub-Radio is Adam Bradley (vocals), Matt Prodanovich (guitar, vocals), Michael Pereira (drums), John Fengya (keys, guitar, vocals), Barry Siford (bass), and Kyle Cochran (guitar, keys).

Classroom Survey

Tell us what you think! Participants of Wordplay programs worldwide are asked to complete this survey to help us deliver better programs every time.

Click here to complete: https://forms.gle/8Go6kfbH3g7WX8Mu9

About the Office of English Language Programs

More great information for teachers to use in the English classroom can be found at: https://americanenglish.state.gov/

Promoting the learning and teaching of American English around the world is an integral part of the Department of State’s efforts to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Increasing the English language capacity of audiences overseas deepens and enriches their engagement with American counterparts and builds lasting bridges between cultures. English language learning is also key to increasing access to the many exchange programs administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and other academic and professional exchange opportunities in the United States, particularly for potential grantees from underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. In addition, English language programs advance the Department of State’s economic statecraft and foreign assistance goals by expanding access to the local and global job markets, particularly among youth.

The Office of English Language Programs designs and manages programs to promote language learning and support the teaching of English in countries around the world. These programs are administered through local American Embassies and Consulates and are overseen by Regional English Language Officers. The Office of English Language Programs also provides academic expertise and develops English teaching and learning resources for use worldwide. The American English website provides links to multimedia resources and information on exchange opportunities for teachers and students of English as a foreign language.

View All Language Kits

Wordplay is brought to you by the Office of English Language Programs, American Music Abroad, and American Voices.

More information available at:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/