Still get goose bumps?

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence, particularly “I still get goose bumps”: “I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this song but I still get goose bumps when I listen to it on my headphones at night, when alone.”

My comments:

The speaker loves “this song”. Something about the song touched him/her deeply, emotionally.

Something about the song, the melody or some particular lyric still gives the speaker goose bumps, by making hairs rise on the arms, forming little bumps.

We get goose bumps most typically when we are cold, when, for example, a sudden chilly wind in rainy weather sweeps into the room. We also get them when we’re frightened, when, say, we see a shadow in a dim street at midnight in a crime-stricken part of the city.

We also get them when we are extremely emotional, like, when we hear a heartwarming song as the speaker does, or watch the national flag goes up during an Olympic gold medal ceremony, etc.

This mostly happens involuntary – it’s part of the body’s natural reflexes at work.

Anyways, the little bumps we get when our hairs raise on the arm are called goose bumps, because they resemble the skin of a goose when its feathers are plucked.

A further question, readily, is why goose bumps in English, while we say “chicken bumps” in Chinese?

I have no idea. But clearly, back in the day when – I’ve no idea exactly when, either – the expression crept into people’s language, the British (and other Europeans) must have been, more familiar with geese than chicken, which the Chinese have been raising domestically for a long time.

Alright. No more ado. Here are media examples of getting “goose bumps” when they get really emotional:

1. UEFA.com marks the start of the 20th FIFA World Cup by looking back at six of the most memorable campaigns for European teams.

Hungary, 1954

The ‘Magical Magyars’ had already won Olympic gold in 1952 and thrashed England twice before they stretched their unbeaten record to four years during the 1954 FIFA World Cup. They demolished South Korea 9-0 and West Germany 8-3, in part thanks to Sándor Kocsis who would become the tournament's top goalscorer. In the latter group match, though, captain Ferenc Puskás was injured and had to sit out victories against Brazil and Uruguay, only returning for the final but still not at his best.

This and other factors led to a huge shock, Hungary losing 3-2 to West Germany having held an early two-goal lead. Sir Bobby Robson, head coach of 1990 World Cup semi-finalists England, who saw the Hungarians play live in the 1950s, said: “We saw a style of play, a system of play that we had never seen before. All these fantastic players, they were men from Mars as far as we were concerned.”

West Germany, 1974

Franz Beckenbauer became the first person to lift the newly crafted World Cup trophy after a 2-1 victory in the final against the Netherlands as West Germany triumphed on home soil. The path to success was by no means smooth – it included a 1-0 reverse against East Germany as well as a now legendary 1-0 victory in the Frankfurt rain against Poland – and the Oranje were considered favourites in the Munich showpiece.

Inspired by the majestic Beckenbauer, West Germany came from behind and won courtesy of a trademark goal by Gerd Müller. “Whenever I see the goal on TV, I wonder how I managed to put it in the net. I still get goose bumps thinking about it,” ‘Der Bomber’ said recently.

- Europe’s most memorable World Cup teams, UEFA.com, June 12, 2014.

2. Philippe Coutinho felt goose bumps when a Kop banner dedicated to his brilliance was recently unfurled and plans to use the display of appreciation as motivation to maintain his magic.

Liverpool fans have been enamoured with the Brazilian creator practically since his first appearance after swapping Inter Milan for Anfield in January 2013.

Reds have been treated to a succession of fleet-footed, visionary technicians throughout the club’s history and here was the latest playmaker prepared to dazzle.

And Coutinho has done so with greater and greater effect during the past two years, culminating in a spell that has seen the No.10 named Player of the Month three consecutive times.

Truly stunning strikes past Bolton Wanderers, Southampton and Manchester City merely confirmed his worthiness of a flag that simply reads ‘O Magico’.

“I felt really honoured,” the Brazil international explains in a brand new LFCTV HD documentary, ‘Coutinho: Home from Home’, that will premiere on Friday night.

“I remember we went to the field for our warm-up and the banner was there - it gave me goose bumps. I got really excited and found it really cool.

“It’s very good to receive this warmth from the fans. It makes you want to improve even more, to repay this kind of thing on the field.”

- Coutinho: Fan banner gave me goose bumps, LiverpoolFC.com, March 26, 2015.

3. Zaremba said Clevelanders know all the bad moments and experience them from the first day of their lives.

“In Cleveland, you never quite have that hope, but we’re feeling pretty confident,” he said. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been. And, we’ve got LeBron.”

Understandably, some Cleveland fans can’t shake their disbelief. After all, they’ve been raised to repeat the phrase “Only in Cleveland” any time there's misfortune. But others remain proud, able to laugh at their own misfortune, dust themselves off and lose again. Some seem to relish the anguish.

“It’s almost like a badge of honor,” said Browns Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas. “It’s kind of funny, it’s like, we’re still the most die-hard fans in all of sports and we haven’t had a championship in 50 years. Hopefully, these next couple weeks we won’t be able to say that anymore.”

Cleveland’s time could be near, if James can turn the punching bag for other cities into a title town.

As Kubinski looks out the door of her store, the thought of a parade down Euclid Avenue makes her eyes tear.

“I get goose bumps. It’s emotional,” she said. “My dad was at the 1964 game when the Browns won. His dad took him to the game. For all of us, this is huge.”

- LeBron has Cleveland believing a championship is near, AP, June 8, 2015.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者张欣 中国日报网英语点津 编辑：陈丹妮）