The Who song to teach the past perfect in ESL class

Practice the past perfect in your ESL class with this song, Odorono by The Who.

The 8 examples of the past perfect which appear in these song lyrics are: “…she’d ever sung”, “she’d seen him”, “he had stared”, “she had really looked”, “she’d failed”, “she’d felt”, “…she’d ever been” & “she had seen”.

There is a suggestion on how to use this song in your ESL classes below, but for more ideas, click here.

Lyrics

She sang the best she’d ever sung
She couldn’t ever sing any better
But Mister Davidson never rang
She knew he would forget her

She’d seen him there
And put herself to ransom
He had stared
He really was quite handsome

She had really looked her best
She couldn’t ever look any better
But she knew she’d failed the test
She knew he would forget her

Triumphant was the way she’d felt
As she acknowledged the applause
Triumphant was the way she’d felt
When she saw him at the dressing room door

She was happier than she’d ever been
As he praised her for her grace
But his expression changed, she had seen
As he leant to kiss her face

It ended there
He claimed a late appointment
She quickly turned
To hide her disappointment

She ripped her glittering gown
Couldn’t face another show, no
Her deodorant had let her down
She should have used Odorono

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense; either past simple or past perfect. Then listen to check

She sang the best she ¹ ‘d ever sung (ever sing)
She couldn’t ever sing any better
But Mister Davidson never ²____________________ (ring)
She knew he would forget her

She ³____________________ (see) him there
And put herself to ransom
He ⁴____________________ (stare)
He really was quite handsome

She ⁵____________________ (really look) her best
She couldn’t ever look any better
But she knew she ⁶____________________ (fail) the test
She knew he would forget her

Triumphant was the way she felt
As she ⁷____________________ (acknowledge) the applause
Triumphant was the way she felt
When she ⁸____________________ (see) him at the dressing room door

She was happier than she ⁹____________________ (ever be)
As he praised her for her grace
But his expression changed, she ¹⁰____________________ (see)
As he leant to kiss her face

It ¹¹____________________ (end) there
He claimed a late appointment
She quickly ¹²____________________ (turn)
To hide her disappointment

She ¹³____________________ (rip) her glittering gown
Couldn’t face another show, no
Her deodorant ¹⁴____________________ (let) her down
She should have used Odorono