- I'm Susanna Zaraysky.
I'm the author of Language is Music.
And since Benny and I
happen to be in Oakland,
we decided that in order to help him learn
an American accent, we're gonna
see if some music can help.
So I am pretending to be Ava
Gardner, Frank Sinatra's wife.
And this is Frank Sinatra incarnate.
How do you feel, Frank Sinatra?
- I feel like a two dollar
version of Frank Sinatra.
(laughs)
With my cheesy tuxedo and my plastic hat,
but it's close enough.
I still got my Irish accent
when I'm speaking right now.
But we're going to try and reduce that,
while we sing.
- That's right.
So with the help of Idahosa
Ness of the Mimic Method,
we've concentrated on a couple songs
that Benny's gonna work on
to go from Irish English
to American English, using
the song Under My Skin
by, it's actually written by Cole Porter,
but was performed by Frank
Sinatra and many other singers.
And it was I got you under my skin.
How would you say I got you under my skin?
- I would say I gotchoo under
my skin, with a cha sound.
But Idahosa was telling me I
should have a glottal stop,
so that's I got you under my skin,
which when you say it quickly,
I got you under my skin.
And it's how frank Sinatra would say it.
- That's right.
♫ I got you under my skin.
- Like that, very good.
- Very good?
Can you do I've Got You Under My Skin?
- The beginning, okay.
♫ I've got you under my skin.
Way better than I've
gotchoo under my skin.
- Excellent.
- So if you were trying
to sing the song yourself,
you can have a native of the language,
or in my case a native of American English
to look at your particular phonemes,
these are the individual
sounds and see if you can
improve those little bits.
Because when you do, you
can sound more natural
when you sing it.
Heart.
- Heart.
- Which I over pronounce the letter r.
I say hearrrt.
- Heart.
- And I should reduce that.
Heart.
- [Susanna] Heart.
- [Benny] Heart.
♫ I got you under my skin
(piano playing)
♫ I've got you deep in the heart of me
♫ So deep in my heart
♫ That you're really a part of me
♫ I've got you under my skin
- I said to myself this
affair never will go so well.
How would you say I said to myself.
- I sed to myself, it's kind of a sedto.
But once again, Idahosa
said, I said to, to,
a clearer t, and I'm not
necessarily saying the d's
as prominently.
♫ I tried so not to give in
♫ I said to myself this
affair never will go so well
And our favourite one.
- He's calling me a fool.
- In Ireland, I'd say foowel.
It's almost got like two sounds to it,
before I pull the l back, foowel.
But in American English...
- Who are you calling fool?
- I have to call you a fool.
- Fool.
- Fool.
- So you're wanting to call someone a fool
in American English, your lips
have to go out, fool, fool.
It take more effort to be
a fool in American English
than in Irish English.
- No it's pretty easy
to be a fool in America.
(laughs)
No offence.
- Oooh.
- Anything.
- Anything, let's see, I'd
sacrifice anything. Anything.
- So I need a longer
e. Anytheeng. Anything.
- Anything.
Alright, can you sing it?
♫ I'd sacrifice anything come what might
♫ For the sake of having you near
- [Susanna] Great.
- [Benny] Yeah? That's good?
- [Susanna] Good job.
♫ I'd sacrifice anything come what might
♫ For the sake of having you near
♫ In spite of a warning voice
♫ That comes in the night
♫ And repeats and repeats in my ear
♫ - Don't you know you fool
♫ You never can win
♫ Use your mentality
♫ - Step up, wake up to reality
♫ But each time
♫ - The thought of you
♫ - Makes me stop
♫ - Just before I leave you
♫ - [All] Because I've
got you under my skin
