Why Following Your Obsession is the Best Way to Learn English Naturally
Welcome to Episode 8 of No Pressure English — a podcast for intermediate and advanced English learners. In this episode, we explore a powerful idea: learning English through obsession. Using The Beatles as our example, we look at how finding something you genuinely love — music, films, books, or a single artist — can completely transform your language learning journey. When you care about the content, repetition becomes easy, motivation comes naturally, and vocabulary sticks.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to use your interests to accelerate language learning
- Why repetition works best when the content is enjoyable
- Vocabulary through real-world topics — music, law,
relationships and culture - How your passions act as a diagnostic tool for your English
- Why following what you love beats studying random content
Here is this episode’s free transcript —→
Episode 8: Finding Your Beatles – Learning Through Obsession
Hello and welcome to episode 8 of the podcast. This podcast is for intermediate and advanced learners. The focus of the podcast is for natural language acquisition, so, as always, I recommend listening to this podcast two or three times with the transcript, which is available in the description.
Let’s move on to the topic of today’s episode, which is the Beatles. Oh my god, don’t you just love the Beatles?
…you must. You have to. I assume you do.
There’s a talented American singer/songwriter who is big in the alternative rock world. His name is Mark Oliver Everett from the band The Eels, who were kind of like a grungy band back in the 90s and the 00s. They are still going, I believe. I love them. He has a book, which is just a crazy book. It’s his life story—a memoir, and he has a line in it that I’ve always loved, which is:
“Show me a kid who doesn’t like the Beatles, and I’ll show you a rotten egg.”
Because everybody likes the Beatles, and if you don’t, you have problems. I’m joking. I’m joking. But I love that line. I think it’s a little bit true.
Okay, so why do I want to talk about the Beatles? I suppose that’s the first thing I should address or deal with.
Why do I want to talk about the Beatles? Because if you’re learning a language, you should be obsessed with something. You might need either A, to renew your interest in the language or the language learning process, or B, to find material which is interesting. That’s what we’re looking for. Sometimes we get bored. We kind of fall out of love with the language, or we can’t find the bloody motivation to keep going.
So how do we do it? Well, I always find a band that I love in that language. Whatever language you’re studying, find a flipping band that you love. Find a band you love and look at the texts – the lyrics of the songs. Listen to the songs. Do a little bit of study—without any stress, but just bit by bit, tip away. It’s great.
Obviously, I’d always recommend finding a director as well, if you can, that you appreciate, so you can watch their movies and rewatch them in your target language. Everything’s about repetition. You should not be struggling to remember words. You should just be organising your time to repeat things that you love. And hey, that is cool, isn’t it? It’s great to repeat the things you love.
If it’s music, well, I can listen to the same song a million times without getting bored. And I do. So that’s like, boom, free language learning and fun language learning.
Here’s the thing, though. The Beatles—or whatever artist or band you choose—aren’t just entertainment. They’re actually a diagnostic tool for your language learning. Let me explain what I mean.
When you follow something you’re passionate about, you naturally encounter gaps in your vocabulary. Maybe you’re reading about the Beatles’ legal battles, and you realise you don’t know words like “lawsuit,” “royalties,” or “trademark.” Or you’re watching an interview about their creative process, and you’re missing vocabulary about music production or recording techniques.
These gaps are gold. They show you exactly what areas of the language you need to work on. Instead of studying random vocabulary lists, you’re building vocabulary in context—around topics that genuinely interest you. That’s how you build real, usable language.
Anyway, the Beatles—why are they interesting in terms of language acquisition? Because they’re involved in everything. They had their fingers in every pie going.
Let’s start with the legal side. The Beatles were involved in numerous legal disputes throughout their career and beyond, which means there’s a wealth of legal vocabulary to explore here.
First, there were the feuds with their record companies. The Beatles sued EMI and Capitol Records, claiming the music companies had used clandestine schemes in an attempt to “pocket millions of dollars” of royalties due to the band. It seems that a lot of the money was embezzled, or siphoned away to others. So right there, if you’re interested in business English or legal terminology, you’ve got vocabulary like “sue,” “claim,” “scheme,” “royalties,” and “embezzlement“—all in a real-world context.
Then there’s the fascinating trademark battle. Between 1978 and 2007, there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps—owned by the Beatles—and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer, now Apple Inc., over competing trademark rights. Specifically, they fought over the use of the name “Apple” and their respective logos, which both consist of a profile of an apple. This is another legal issue that one could explore—it might send you down a rabbit hole! But again, look at the vocabulary you’re picking up: “trademark,” “dispute,” “competing rights,” “infringement.”
And then there’s the Michael Jackson story. Michael Jackson bought the back catalogue—the publishing rights to the Beatles songs. Ironically, Paul McCartney had suggested that Michael do this for his own music, but then Michael turned around and did it for the Beatles back catalogue instead. That’s a crazy story. So even just in the legal realm, you’ve got vocabulary about intellectual property, IP rights, publishing, catalogues—all fascinating stuff.
The point is, if you’re missing vocabulary in the legal or business world, the Beatles give you an engaging way to fill those gaps.
Personal Stories and Personalities
These guys really lived. They were the most famous people in the world—bigger than Jesus, which of course is the famous quote that got them into hot water, into a lot of trouble in the US.
Even their journey alone—the four lads talking about their journey from small-time musicians to burgeoning rock stars. They returned from Hamburg, Germany, to the Cavern Club (in Liverpool), and went on to take over the world. Interviews of them describing that kind of surreal life and journey—that’s a human story. That’s a really interesting thing to listen to, to hear about, especially from four different perspectives. You have four different kinds of personality types, which are also great for acquiring language.
You learn about the silent one, George. You learn about the funny one, John—the sarcastic one, even. You learn about the workman—Paul. He’s diligent and hardworking, a craftsman. You learn about Ringo, who’s the fun-loving one, the playful one, the dancer, the groover.
But then there are all kinds of personal relationships. You have marriages, divorces, and love triangles. There was so much stuff going on with the Beatles. Reading about some of these tales is such an interesting way to acquire new language through interesting subject matter!
Here you’re building vocabulary around relationships, personalities, character descriptions—language that’s actually useful in everyday conversation.
Then even their side interests—George was into gardening and sports cars as well, racing. There’s the political side of John, which is hugely anti-war and protest. There’s the pro-drugs stance that Paul takes in relation to marijuana—Paul was caught with marijuana on a couple of occasions, and was pro-marijuana and an advocate for free choice of the individual in relation to its use. And then Ringo in general, just being a legend and even narrating Thomas the Tank Engine—being a star, no pun intended, for kids.
Each of these interests opens up a different vocabulary field. If you’re interested in politics, follow John’s activism. If you’re into cars or gardening, explore George’s hobbies. You’re not just learning random words—you’re building vocabulary around your actual interests.
So my point is that finding a band—and the Beatles are just the ultimate band—you could open and expand your world into all those areas. Pick one every day- a story to read about – a different topic, and acquire new vocabulary in different areas of the language.
But here’s the key: Be mindful about it. As you’re reading or listening, notice the vocabulary you don’t know. Write it down. Look it up. Use it. That’s how you turn passive exposure into active learning.
The Beatles aren’t just entertainment—they’re a lens through which you can identify and fill the gaps in your vocabulary. They show you what you’re missing, and they make learning those missing pieces interesting and enjoyable.
Anyway, it doesn’t have to be the Beatles, but this is just an example of how cool it is to learn a language through material that you’re interested in. So follow that path, man. Follow that path.
So yeah, I recommend a little bit of music. Get obsessed with a band or an artist. Find out where they’re from. Find out how they got famous—their background or journey. Do a little bit of digging. Get a little bit interested.
Because sometimes things stagnate in language learning, and we need that little flicker. We need a bit of fire, a little bit of a kick to get back into our language learning, to get our 10, 15, 20 minutes a day, or hour a day, whatever it may be.
But more than that, use your passion as a tool. Let it guide your learning in a direction that actually matters to you. That’s when language learning stops being a chore and starts being an adventure.
Next week, I’m going to talk about three Beatles songs that are absolutely brilliant for studying English grammar. So if you’re into the Beatles—or even if you’re not—tune in next week for some really cool grammar examples hidden in the music.
Okay, it’s been a pleasure. I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Take care of yourselves, guys. Have a great week. Ciao.
Comprehensive Glossary
acquisition (noun) – the process of learning or developing a skill, especially language, naturally over time
grungy (adj) – having a raw, rough sound; associated with grunge rock music of the 1990s
memoir (noun) – a written account of one’s life experiences; an autobiography
rotten egg (idiom) – a bad or unpleasant person (informal, often playful)
class (adj) – excellent; great; fantastic (Irish slang)
fall out of love (phrase) – to lose interest in or affection for something; to become disenchanted
tip away (phrasal verb) – to work on something gradually; to chip away at something (Irish expression)
diagnostic tool (noun phrase) – something that helps identify problems or gaps; an instrument for assessment
gaps in your vocabulary (noun phrase) – missing words or areas where knowledge is incomplete
context (noun) – the circumstances or setting in which something occurs; the surrounding information that gives meaning
usable language (noun phrase) – practical vocabulary and structures that can be applied in real situations
they had their fingers in every pie (idiom) – to be involved in many different activities or areas
feuds (noun) – prolonged disputes or conflicts between people or groups
clandestine schemes (noun phrase) – secret or hidden plans, often for dishonest purposes
royalties (noun) – payments made to creators for the use of their work
embezzled (verb/past participle) – stolen or misappropriated (funds placed in one’s trust)
siphoned away (phrasal verb) – to gradually take or steal something, especially money; to divert dishonestly
sue (verb) – to take legal action against someone
claim (verb/noun) – to assert something is true; a demand for something as rightfully due
scheme (noun) – a plan or arrangement, often with negative connotations
trademark (noun) – a symbol, word, or phrase legally registered to represent a company or product
Apple Corps (proper noun) – the Beatles’ multimedia corporation
trademark rights (noun phrase) – legal ownership and protection of a brand name or symbol
rabbit hole (idiom) – a complex or lengthy process that absorbs attention; going deep into a topic
dispute (noun) – a disagreement or argument, especially a formal or legal one
competing rights (noun phrase) – when two parties claim ownership or entitlement to the same thing
infringement (noun) – violation or breaking of a law, agreement, or right
back catalogue (noun phrase) – all previous works or recordings of an artist or band
publishing rights (noun phrase) – legal rights to reproduce and distribute written or recorded work
intellectual property (noun phrase) – creations of the mind such as inventions, artistic works, or symbols
IP rights (noun phrase) – intellectual property rights; legal rights to creations of the mind
bigger than Jesus (phrase) – more famous than Jesus; controversial quote by John Lennon in 1966
hot water (idiom) – trouble; a difficult or uncomfortable situation
small-time (adj) – operating on a limited or minor scale; not major or successful
burgeoning (adj) – beginning to grow or develop rapidly; flourishing
surreal (adj) – having the qualities of a dream; bizarre; unreal
workman (noun) – a person who does manual or practical work; here used metaphorically for someone diligent
diligent (adj) – showing care and effort in one’s work; hardworking and thorough
craftsman (noun) – a skilled worker; someone who practices a craft with great skill
groover (noun) – someone who enjoys music and dancing; a fun-loving person (informal, dated)
stance (noun) – a position or attitude toward something; one’s viewpoint
advocate (noun) – a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy
pun (noun) – a play on words; a joke using words with double meanings
no pun intended (phrase) – used to indicate that a pun was unintentional
vocabulary field (noun phrase) – an area or domain of related vocabulary
mindful (adj) – conscious and aware; deliberately attentive
lens (noun) – a way of viewing or understanding something; a perspective (metaphorical use)
stagnate (verb) – to stop developing or making progress; to become inactive or dull
flicker (noun) – a small, brief flame or spark; here used metaphorically for motivation or interest
**Alternatively, you can watch the video below and turn on the subtitles by clicking the CC button in the top right corner:
…and some sources for further reading practice:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/aug/31/mediabusiness.usa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps_v_Apple_Computer
If you liked this episode, you may enjoy the following:
https://nopressureenglish.com/podcast/episode-9-beatles-grammar-gems-three-songs-to-study/
https://nopressureenglish.com/podcast/learn-english-favourites-conversation/
