did he say sputnik?

after years of enjoying the power, an irresistible banger (awesome song) from the beginning of the 90s,  i randomly checked the translation of the intro of the song, which is in russian. i had always assumed that the word sputnik was a reference to this 👉

sputnik (wikipedia)

the eponymous (same name), first ever satellite to orbit the earth launched in 1957.  come to find (i discovered),  sputnik (спутник) in the power means companion. this is the full translation…

the american company transceptor technology has started production of the ‘personal companion’ computer

so…i was reminded of this

i.e. (id est>>in other), me as an ass (donkey)

i feel like an ass for having the wrong idea for over 3 decades

here’s the video about how reading this translation hit me

@richyrocksenglish it says what? #english #vocabulary #russian #inglés #vocabularioeninglés #englishlearning #englishlanguage #englishpractice #englishcoach #thepower #snap ♬ original sound – richyrocksenglish

it’s NOT cold war shit 🙀

when english speakers use shit in expressions like “cold war shit” (as heard in the video), shit isn’t literal.

it’s idiomatic — it just means “stuff” or “type of thing,” often with a tone of disbelief or mockery. so: cold war shit = old paranoid political stuff

spidey though

in the video, listen for this line:

i thought snap was looking back, they were actually looking forward though

it has these great examples of…

• look back → remember or reflect on the past

• look forward → prepare for the future

• actually → to correct or emphasize a truth, often politely

and most of all: the contrast between thought (the irregular past of think in this context) and though (however) adds a little clarity to the different definitions in this famous, funny and frustrating meme

hectic. kinda

even more iconic than the russian intro is this lyric from the power

it’s getting kinda hectic

• get + adjective is a common structure in english that means become and indicates a change in condition
• kinda is a reduction of kind of  and means a little
• hectic means chaotic, intense

check out these ai images of hectic lifestyles…

what do u think?

have u ever misunderstood song lyrics even after hearing a song many times? in what language?👇 share your experience under leave a reply