Break out
Today’s episode has already been pretty long, so let’s try to make the phrasal verb quick today. The phrasal verb I chose to review is “break out.” When Aretha Franklin was singing for Columbia Records in the early 1960s, she was successful, but she never really broke out as a star. It wasn’t until she signed with Atlantic Records that she broke out as a star. To break out—you probably got this from the context—is to burst onto the scene, to gain fame or to achieve a lot of success quickly. Some stars break out early. Some don’t necessarily break out at all—they just gradually gain their success and recognition. But when Aretha Franklin switched record labels, they let her be her. They let her find her own powerful voice, and she used it. Her first song was a number-one hit. She finally broke out as a star.
Wasn’t Adele one of those stars that broke out early? Her first album was called 19—after her age—and that was a number one album in Britain. I would say she broke out as a star early.
Break out is one of those phrasal verbs that has multiple meanings, so don’t get confused if you see it in another context. In Episode 40, you heard that the Mexican gang leader El Chapo broke out of prison twice. To break out of prison means to escape from prison. A fire can break out; a storm can break out. In this case, break out means something can start suddenly, like a fire or a storm. And your skin can break out too. You might say your arm broke out in a rash if you touched something you’re allergic to.
But in the case of Aretha Franklin, she broke out as a star in the late 1960s. She became famous, she became successful, she broke out when she was with Atlantic Records.
That’s it for today. Wherever you listen to music—even if it’s just YouTube—search for Aretha Franklin and listen to some of her songs. She was an important figure in American musical history. She has a great voice, and really listen to the lyrics, too. The next episode will be out on Monday and we’ll talk about the progress—or lack of progress—that the UK has been making in negotiating its exit from the European Union.
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