Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Glen Hansard was a famous singer from Ireland. He died in a motorcycle crash. He was 56 years old.
The crash happened in Dublin, Ireland, early in the morning. Only his motorcycle was involved.
Glen Hansard won a big movie award called an Oscar. He won it for a song in the film 'Once.'
Many other musicians were sad about his death. Famous singers like Bruce Springsteen and Bono spoke kind words about him.
- musician
- a person who plays or writes music
- crash
- a sudden and violent accident, often with vehicles
- motorcycle
- a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine
- award
- a prize given for doing something very well
- film
- a movie
- famous
- known by many people
- tribute
- something said or done to show respect for someone
- sad
- feeling unhappy
Level 2 — Elementary
Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter known for fronting the rock band The Frames, died early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the outskirts of Dublin. He was 56.
Hansard rose to international fame in 2008 when he won the Academy Award for best original song for 'Falling Slowly,' which he wrote and performed with Marketa Irglova for the low-budget Irish film 'Once.'
Before his music career took off, Hansard began busking on the streets of Dublin as a teenager and later appeared in the popular 1991 film 'The Commitments,' playing a member of a Dublin soul band.
News of his death drew tributes from across the music world, including from Bruce Springsteen and U2's Bono, who both praised Hansard's warmth and the honesty of his songwriting.
- fronting
- serving as the lead singer or public face of a band
- outskirts
- the outer areas of a city or town
- international fame
- recognition and popularity across many countries
- low-budget
- made with very little money
- busking
- performing music in public places for money
- appeared
- took part in something, such as a film or show
- drew
- attracted or brought about
- warmth
- friendliness and kindness in a person's character
Level 3 — Intermediate
Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Frames, died early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on the western outskirts of Dublin, according to Irish media reports. He was 56.
Hansard achieved international recognition in 2008 when he and Marketa Irglova won the Academy Award for best original song for 'Falling Slowly,' a track written for the modestly budgeted Irish film 'Once,' in which the pair also starred as a Dublin busker and a Czech immigrant who fall for each other through music.
Long before that breakthrough, Hansard had built a grassroots following busking on Dublin's Grafton Street as a teenager, later forming The Frames in 1990 and appearing in the beloved 1991 film 'The Commitments' as a member of a fictional Dublin soul band.
Following news of his death, tributes emerged from across the music industry, with Bruce Springsteen, Bono and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline among those who publicly mourned a musician widely remembered for his unguarded, emotionally direct songwriting.
- single-vehicle
- involving only one car, motorcycle, or vehicle, with no others involved
- recognition
- public acknowledgment or acclaim for one's achievements
- modestly budgeted
- made with a relatively small amount of money
- immigrant
- a person who moves to live permanently in a foreign country
- grassroots
- built up gradually from ordinary people rather than from established institutions
- fictional
- invented or imaginary, not real
- mourned
- expressed sorrow for someone's death
- unguarded
- open and honest, without holding back
Level 4 — Advanced
Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Frames, died early Wednesday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Lucan, on Dublin's western outskirts, according to Irish media reports. He was 56.
Hansard vaulted to international recognition in 2008 when he and Marketa Irglova won the Academy Award for best original song for 'Falling Slowly,' written for the modestly budgeted Irish film 'Once,' in which the pair also starred as a Dublin busker and a Czech immigrant drawn together through music, a role that mirrored much of Hansard's own biography.
Long before that breakthrough, Hansard had cultivated a grassroots following busking along Dublin's Grafton Street as a teenager, subsequently founding The Frames in 1990 and appearing in the enduringly beloved 1991 film 'The Commitments' as a member of a fictional Dublin soul outfit striving for authenticity amid working-class hardship.
In the wake of his death, tributes cascaded across the music industry, with Bruce Springsteen, Bono and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline among those publicly mourning a musician whose songwriting was consistently remembered as unguarded and emotionally unmediated, a quality that had long distinguished him from more polished contemporaries.
- vaulted
- moved suddenly and dramatically to a higher level or position
- cultivated
- developed or nurtured something deliberately over time
- outfit
- a group of people organized for a shared purpose, such as a band
- authenticity
- the quality of being genuine or true to oneself
- cascaded
- flowed or occurred in a rapid, continuous sequence
- unmediated
- expressed directly, without being filtered or softened
- distinguished
- set apart as notably different or superior
- contemporaries
- people living or working in the same time period as one another
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