Ambuscade from Ten Sides

Lyrics: I'm a Female Bodhisattva/ 我是女菩薩

2009-10-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

This tune is an interesting one- the song is straight up 1930s nightclub jazz, but the lyrics are a female Bodhisattva's feelings for a pious Buddhist monk. The term bodhisattva can have different meanings- it could be a person bound for enlightenment, or already enlightened, who chooses to make the enlightenment of others their life's work. In the less formal practice many East Asian countries, Bodhisattvas have forestalled their Buddhahood, their entrance to Nirvana, that they might use their powers to aid others. They are then appealed to much in the same way that a Catholic might pray to a saint, for good fortune, good business, safe travel, protection from evil, successful pregnancy, or whatever. Here in Taiwan the most famous bodhisattva by far is Guan-Yin, a statue of whom's big-eared likeness can be found in most every temple. There is also giant statuary- one in Bishan in Taiwan and a particularly impressive one in China's Hainan. To supplicate a god, member of the celestial bureaucracy or bodhisattva, one would light incense sticks, bow to their statue with a request in mind, and place an offering (usually foodstuffs) on a table in front of the statue; this song's pious monk goes a bit further than that, with gold and floral adornments. There are a couple of spoken-word cynical comments that seem to imply that the monk's adoration is folly so the whole song might be a bit of a sneer at traditional piety-- but that's nothing I can be totally sure of.

Check out all the steamy-hot statue-worshipping action below the break:

歌手：白光; 我是女菩薩

你是虔誠的和尚　我是莊嚴的女菩薩

nǐ shì qiánchéng de héxiàng, wǒ shì zhuāngyán de nǚ púsà

You are a pious monk, I am a solemn Bodhisattva

我們朝夕相見面　真像是一家

wǒmen zhāo xì xiāng jiànmiàn, zhēn xiàng shì yì jiā

We meet at daybreak and dusk, like a family

我們心相呼應　可沒有說過話

wǒmen xīn xiāng hūyìng, kě méiyǒu shuō guò huà

We know each other’s inner hearts, but we have never spoken.

你對我焚香禱告　你給我披金插花

nǐ duì wǒ fén xiāng dǎogào, ní gěi wǒ pī jīn chā huā

You burn incense and pray to me, you give me a golden cloak and adorn me with flowers.

《口白》到底是為了什麼

(kǒbái) dàodǐ shì wèi le shénme

(narrator’s voice) What on earth is it all for?

你坦白的說吧

nǐ tǎnbái de shuō ba,

You speak with honesty.

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別等我向你傳神　別想我開口說話

bié děng wǒ xiàng nǐ chuán shén, bié xiǎng wǒ kāi kǒu shuōhuà

Don’t wait for me to send my message to you, don’t expect me to open my mouth and talk

因為我是女菩薩　真正的女菩薩

yīnwèi wǒ shì nǚ púshà, zhēnzhèng de nǚ púsà

Because I’m a lady Bodhisattva, a real lady Bodhisattva

你是誠心則靈　我是有求必應

nǐ shì chéngxīn zé líng, wǒ shì yóuqiú-bìyìng,

You are sincere, and your prayer will be answered, I cannot deny you aid.

可是我不能說話，可是我不能說話

kěshì wǒ bù néng shuōhuà, kěshì wǒ bù néng shuōhuà

But I cannot speak, no I cannot speak,

《口白》可憐的和尚

(kǒbái) kělián de héxiàng

(In narrator’s voice) Poor monk;

因為我是女菩薩

yīnwèi wǒ shì nǚ púsà

it’s because I’m a lady Bodhisattva

I haven't otherwise posted this song on the blog yet- so get it here.

Thanks much to 陳美麗 for her work in translating this song.

fall cleaning

2009-10-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been in Taiwan in the summertime would know that it's quite a singular experience, weather-wise. The humidity is such that the water saturated air is almost palpably thicker- and the slightest physical exertion in any room that is not carefully air-conditioned and dehumidified results in a sheen of sweat that covers your entire body. You can take a shower and feel like you should take another within ten minutes.

My apartment is a bit of a mess. I've been wanting to clean it, but we've no A/C, so it was rather hard to get motivated to move any more than absolutely necessary, unless that moving resulted in relocating to a blissfully cool coffee shop.

Anyway, Fall's here and the wind blows cool- I've been doing some deep organizing and long neglected clean up- and in turn neglecting this site. The lapse won't be overlong- I've got several posts lined up and halfway done (translations, uploading and whatnot). Expect a several posts posts of music and lyrics before the months end.

appo-polly-loggies, and check back later this week as we resume.

Lyrics: Eternal Smile/ 永遠的微笑

2009-10-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here are the lyrics to one of Zhou Xuan's Signature songs- there's not much to say, it's a slow beautiful song buoyed by a lush string arrangement and strong melody. Zhou Xuan's voice is never finer than it is here. The video above is the best the web has to offer, a version that aired on MTV Asia; note that it has overdubs, likely because the producers wanted it to have a cleaner sound. That said, they stayed true to the original style at least. Lyrics after the jump.

永遠的微笑

yǒngyuǎn de wéixiào

Eternal Smile

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心上的人兒，有笑的臉龐,

xīn shàng de rén er, yǒu xiào de liǎnpǎng

My true love has a smiling face,

他會在深秋，給我春光。

tā huì zài shēn qiū, gěi wǒ chūn guāng

In the depths of autumn, he gives me the light of spring.

心上的人兒，有多少寶藏,

xīn shàng de rén er, yǒu duōshǎo bǎozàng

My true love has many treasures,

他能在黑夜，給我太陽。

tā néng zài hēi yè, gěi wǒ tàiyáng

In teh dark of night, he can give me the sun.

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我不能夠給誰奪走，僅有的春光。

wǒ bù nénggòu gěi shéi duó zǒu, jǐnyǒu de chēn guāng

I cannot allow anyone to take away my spring light.

我不能夠讓誰吹熄，胸中的太陽。

wǒ bù nénggòu ràng shéi chuīxí, xiōng zhōng de tàiyáng

I cannot permit anyone to blow out the sunlight in my heart.

心上的人兒，你不要悲傷,

xīn shàng de rén er, nǐ bú yào bēixiāng

My true love, do not sorrow,

願你的笑容，永遠那樣。

yuàn nǐ de xiàoróng, yǒngyuǎn nà yàng

May your smiling face, be always thus.

The best sounding copy I've so far uploaded can be found on the Shanghai Lounge Divas Vol. 2.

Thanks much to 陳素美 for translation assistance.

bonus video or original mix; listen to the HQ version preferably:

Chinese Ancient Music Vol. 3- Dance Music of the Imperial Palace

2009-10-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Don't take the title to literally on this one- there's nothing on here that one would today call dance music. We have on offer meditations on and musical representations of natures phenomena. The only real dance song per se (track 4) is a formal, slow and stately affair, and very brief. It is surrounded by two spare solo qin pieces. One, "Li Sao", is an anxious bit of string music that oddly puts me in mind of some early acoustic blues. Really, the whole disc is a somber, and often ominous affair, the second track is seen as the melody embodying the downfall of a dynasty, and the Tang Melodies almost sound ghostly. The only unabashedly optimistic tune is "Birds Singing in Spring" which is a pretty ensemble piece full of bright bells and wind instruments. It's followed by a piece by a modern composer, "Vast Desert" which portrays the hard life of a soldier on the frontier using an instrument called the Bili, in a imaginary recreation of how Tang songwriters would have done it. The disc ends out with bells, drums and a male chorus in martial mode, intoning the sounds of war for the Qin Emperor- and it's a pretty effective way to end the disc.

MP3@320
PDF Liners

Lyrics: Beautiful Taiwan/ 台灣小調

2009-10-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

Alishan

I’m not one for nationalism of any stripe, I don’t feel that a country as a political construct is something that should be loved so much as constantly scrutinized for the wrongdoing of its constituent members. But a country in the sense of the land, the people and their accomplishments, this is something you can admire without becoming dogmatic or irrational.

It’s almost 10-10, Double Ten Day (雙十節), which is Taiwan’s national birthday. Taiwan has it’s issues like any country does, but it’s a pretty friendly place and it modernized more successfully than any Asian nation save perhaps Japan and Hong Kong. This song won’t mention the pollution, the hideous architecture that renders the cities kinda ugly or the harsh school and workplace regimens that the citizens endure for relatively little reward. But, hey Taiwan, it’s your birthday, we can let that slide- Let’s look at the good things, and let’s do it in song!

Taroko Gorge

臺灣小調葛蘭主唱

Táiwān xiǎo diào

我愛臺灣好地方，唱個臺灣調

wǒ ài Táiwān hǎo dìfāng, chàng ge Táiwān diào

I love Taiwan, it’s a beautiful place; I’ll sing a Taiwan song.

海岸線長山又高，山上叢林是塊寶

hǎiàn xiàn cháng shān yòu gāo, shān shàng cónglín shì kuài bǎo

The coastline is long and the mountains high; The mountain forests are a treasure.

四通八達有公路，南北有鐵道

sìtōng-bādá yǒu gōnglù, nán běi yǒu tiědào

The roads can take you anywhere; a train takes you from North to South.

太平洋上風光好，臺灣稱寶島

tàipíngyáng shàng fōngguāng hǎo, táiwān chēng bǎodǎo

The scenery along the Pacific Ocean is beautiful; Taiwan is a precious island.

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四季豐收蓬萊稻，農村多歡笑

sì jì fōngshōu péng lái dào, nóngcūn duō huānxiào

You can grow rice all year round; the farming villages are full of laughter.

白糖茶葉買賣好，家家戶戶吃得飽

báitáng cháyè mǎimài hǎo, jiājiā-hùhù chī de bǎo

White sugarcane and tea leaves sell well; so every family has enough to eat.

鳳梨西瓜和香焦，出產眞不少

fònglí xīguā hé xiāngjiāo, chūchǎn zhēn bù shǎo

Pineapples, watermelons and bananas; Taiwan produces them in abundance.

不管長佳和初到，同聲齊誇耀

bù guǎn cháng zhù hé chū dào, tóng shēng qí kuāyào

No matter if they’ve just arrived or lived here all their lives, every voice as one sings it’s praises.

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阿里山峰入雲霄，西螺建大橋

Alǐshān fōng rù yúnshāo, Xīluó jiàn dà qiáo

Mt. Ali reaches up to the sky, Xiluo built a long bridge.

烏來瀑布十丈高，碧潭水上有情調

Wūlái pùbù shí zhàng gāo, Bìtán shuǐ shàng yǒu qíngdiào

Wulai’s waterfalls are 80 Meters high, Bitan’s waters inspire romantic feeling.

西門町口頂熱鬧，台大最崇高

Xīméndīng kǒu dǐng rènào, Táidà zuì chónggāo

Ximending is full of bustle and activity, and Taida is a most esteemed college.

這裏人情濃如膠，大家都相好

zhèlǐ rénqíng nóng rú jiāo, dàjiā dōu xiāng hǎo

People here are warm and friendly, and everyone gets along well.

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notes:

丈- is a unit denoting 3.33 meters in length, which would lead one to believe that the line says the falls are 34 meters high, roughly. The tourist guides all say 80, though, so pick the one you like.

Taiwan’s name can be rendered: 台灣 or 臺灣

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This song is from the Grace Chang disc recently posted, but you can get it as a standalone here.

Thanks to 陳素美 for assisting with the translation and 柯盈妃 for her help with the pīnyīn.

Lyrics: Thinking of My Husband/ 憶良人

2009-10-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

A simple and stately song by 周璇. A woman looks out her window and thinks of her husband who is engaging in some endeavor in a distant place. We are not given to know what it is, but it is something she apparently admires him for. This admiration cannot completely stifle her sadness, and it ends on a wistful note. It’s a beautiful song that captures a small moment perfectly- though if you want to see how many ways modern musicians have found to utterly destroy the mood with their electro-orchestra pop arrangements, do a google video search for the chinese title. Otherwise, lyrics after the break.

憶良人

yì liáng rén

春風吹得桃花朵朵紅

chūn fōng chuī de táohuā duǒ duǒ hóng

The spring wind blows and the peach flowers blossom

池邊的細柳垂水中

chí biān de xì liǔ chuí shuǐ zhōng

The poolside willow hangs slender reeds over the water

移步向窗前抬頭望

yí bù xiàng chuāng qiǎn tái tóu wàng

I step in front of the window and look up,

銀色的淒涼已無蹤

yínsè de qīliáng yǐ wú zōng

and my silvery melancholy vanishes without a trace.

我的良人在長征的途上

wǒ de liáng rén zài cháng zhēng de tú shàng

My husband has set out on a long journey.

我的良人是開路的先鋒

wǒ de liáng rén shì kāilù de xiānfōng

My husband is a pioneer opening new roads.

願春風傳送我的心意

yuàn chūn fōng chuánsòng wǒ de xīnyì

May the spring wind send to him my affections,

願春風助他快樂無窮

yuàn chūn fōng zhù ta kuàilè wú qiòng

May the spring wind provide him a happiness unending.

This song can be found on Vol. 13 of the Pathé series, or you can download it as a standalone here.

Pathé 100: The Series #6- Zhang Yi-Wen and Dong Pei-Pei

2009-10-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

This disc pairs to singers whose careers extended from the 40s to the 60s, beginning in Shanghai and moving to Hong Kong as many did at the beginning of the Communist Revolution. Yi-Wen was more a nightclub singer who made occasional movie appearances, while Pei-Pei was more a movie star whose records were generated by her films. Why they share this disc is a mystery to me, but both have lovely voices and distinct styles. Also a bit irritating is that the songs mentioned as their most famous are not included on this disc- no doubt put on an alternate compilation disc as purchase incentive.

Booklet bios and links after the break:

Zhang Yi-Wen's (張伊雯) real name was Wang Bao-Zhu (王寶珠) and she was born in Shanghai. In 1946 she participated in a nightclub-sponsored "Miss Shanghai" competition. Competing in the Singing division, she came in second place, earning the nickname "Shanghai's #2" (上海亞后). In the next year, she recorded the song "Shanghai Girl" (上海小姊) which became a hit. Prior to the Communist takeover, she immigrated to Hong Kong and continued her career there, establishing a reputation that allowed her to sing in many of the premier nightclubs of the city. In 1953 she was featured in the film Love Song (戀歌) singing the song "You're in My Dreams" (到我夢中). In 1963 she was forced by a serious sickness to put her career on hold for two years before returning. In 1970 she opened a singing school with the intention of instructing and sharing her experience with the new generation of performers. In 1990 she broke her pelvis, rendering her immobile, and in July 1995, she died due to an unspecified illness.

Dong Pei-Pei (董佩佩) had the nickname "Little Zhou Xuan" (小周璇). From the time she was eight she studied song and dance. In 1942 she began work as a child-actress, working alongside Chen Yun-Tang (陳雲裳) in the film "Under the Peony Tree" (牡丹花下). In 1949 she immigrated to Hong Kong, and in 1954 she performed in an unauthorized biography of Zhou Xuan's Life (the kind where all the names are changed and the story stays essentially the same) called "The Golden Voice" (金嗓子). Many of the songs featured in this movie became hit records and established her fame. In 1956 she topped them all with the song "Second Marriage" (第二春) which became a huge, ubiquitous hit, and remains her signature song. In the early sixties she got married and retired from performing until 1968. She remained active until her death in the late 1970s.

AAC@320Kbps
PDF Liners

Thanks to 廖佳雯 for her valuable assistance with the translation.

Video below is Dong Pei-Pei Singing "Blowing Bubbles".

Chinese Classical Instrumentals

2009-10-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here's an old extended play single recorded in San Francisco in 1950, when the music therein would have been surely considered premium exotica. It represents an early attempt to recreate the music of 11th century China, a time when the tradition was flourishing, and large orchestras of 100 or more players were possible. Chinese music wasn't fully notated in the Western sense however, so the music is a mix of modern and mellenium-old sensibilities. It's one of my favorite classical recordings- for me, the sound of the record static adds to a sense of it's age and makes it all the more charming. Even if you're skipping the "China Ancient Sounds" discs, give this one your time.

MP3@192kbpsVBR w/PDF liners

supplementary reading after the break.

Durian Dave has put a link to a contemporary article from Time Magazine in the comments that will leave you in no doubt as to how exotic our grandparents found this music, and just to drive the point home, here's a Billboard review of one of their shows:

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A Night in Cathay

Reviewed Monday (30), 8:30-10:15pm. Style- Chinese music, Theater and dancing. Sustaining over KTLA (Paramount), Hollywood.

This was a terrific show- providing you could understand Chinese.

For more than an hour and a half, KTLA trained it's cameras and mikes on the Chinese Cultural Theater Group, currently on a good-will tour of the U.S. Troupe offered authentic Chinese music, which sounded as peculiar to the Occidental ear as their instruments appeared to the eye. There were strange dances and dramatic episodes voiced in the native tongue.

For the one in a thousand who is an enthusiast of the Oriental arts, show was sock stuff, but for the average viewer it was boring, if not irritating. This was not the fault of the troupe, who performed in the best tradition of Chinese Theater. Actually it was a case of giving the lookers something they couldn't digest. Chinese music, based on the pentatonic (five tone) scale, is incomprehensible to the Occidental ear. Instruments sound off key since tuning brings them into quarter tones, not known in the music of The Western world. By the same token, there was little more than novelty appeal to the dances and dramatic enactments. Five minutes worth would have kept eyes peeled, but a hefty slice of Chinese culture was hard to swallow.

Troupe's colorful costumes were lost to black-and-white scanning, an essential factor since brilliantly hued garb would have helped. Each act introed by a member of the Chinese company, who proved himself capable by explaining the history and purpose of each number. Despite his efforts, set was far too long for the material at hand.

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A good antidote to this attitude is the liner notes of the disc, which I'd aver you take the time to read. In any case, enjoy this "incomprehensible" music.

Pathé 100: The Series #15: Grace Chang

2009-10-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty danceable disc, right here. A good half of it would have held up well in andy 1950s/60s dance hall in the US. Grace's voice is a rich and versatile instrument; she belts out emotional ballads, hula twists, and Chinese classical with equal aplomb. She was only active for a decade in popular music and movies, but she's got her fans to this day and it's easy to see why- she was a star through and through---

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From the Liners:

Grace Chang, AKA Ge Lan (葛蘭), real name Zhang Yu-Fang (張玉芳), was born in the city of Haining (海寧) in Zhejiang province (浙江), and grew up in Shanghai. She immigrated to Hong Kong with her family in 1949. In 1952 she passed a screen test for the Taishan Movie Company (泰山影業公司), and dropped out of school to star in the movies. Her screen name Ge Lan comes from the English name Grace, selected by a studio director Bu Wan-Cang (卜萬蒼). In this year she starred in her first movie, Love in Spring (戀春曲) which was released in Singapore in 1953. In 1954 she had a cameo in a Clark Gable film, Soldier of Fortune. By 1957, after starring and co-starring in several more movies, especially Mambo Girl (曼波女郎) her popularity soared, and she was considered for a brief time the queen of musicals. In 1959 she was invited by NBC to sing on US television, on the Dinah Shore show. She was married to a wealthy businessman in London in 1961, and then retired in 1964, having starred in over thirty movies.

Between 1950 and 1960 she made records for the Pathé (百伐公司), the most popular songs being, "I love the Cha-Cha" (我愛恰恰), "Carmen" (卡門), "I Want Your Love" (我要你的愛), "I Want to Fly in the Blue Sky" (我要飛上春天), and "Unspeakably Happy" (說不出的快活). In 1973 she began to study Beijing Opera, and when the state-sponsored Beijing Opera Troupe visited Hong Kong in 1979 she was allowed to perform one song with them, a considerable honor. In 1989 she recorded an album of famous songs of the Chinese Opera. In 1994 she performed in an a-capella commerative concert for the 100th birthday of one of Beijing's most famous opera performers, Mei Lan-Fang (梅蘭芳). In retirement, she continues to make occasional appearances.

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Lots of other photos and video can be found at Soft Film, including clips from her Dinah Shore appearance. Further, many of her films are available at Yes Asia, though virtually all cds of her recordings are OOP.

AAC@320kbps

PDF liners

This share was previously posted at "What's In My Ipod". If you got it there, there's no real need to re-download, though if you're on the fence, note that the tracks are encoded at slightly higher quality and are bilingually labeled. The liner notes are being posted for the first time.

Chinese Ancient Music Volume 2: High Mountains, Flowing Water

2009-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the second in the series of recreations of historical Chinese music; this volume, like the first, focuses on music dating back to the "Six Ancient Dynasties" from the Qin to the Han (220 BCE to 220 CE). The imagery evoked is of majestic, serene nature, and of those souls who forsake a materialist's life in order to be one with it. It's lofty, peaceful stuff on the whole, but if you take a cue from the title, "Calling Spirits Back From the Dead" is a bit spooky, and regardless of the title "Dragonboat" is full of tension and excitement. It's a brisk and hectic song depicting a boat race and played on solo pipa (琵琶). I've heard that the pipa is one of the world's most difficult instruments to learn, and you'll hear why.

Tracks are bilingually tagged and MP3@320kbps, pdf liners are also available to download.

Lyrics: Full Moon, Beautiful Flowers/ 月圓花好

2009-10-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

This song has the distinction of being the first one I ever translated, and three years would pass before I did another. I heard this song in Zhang Yimou's (張藝謀) movie Shanghai Triad (摇啊摇，摇到外婆橋) as sung by Gong Li (鞏俐). I'm still partial to that version's music, but even though Gong Li has a pleasant singing voice, Zhou Xuan is in another league, really.

Not a lot to say about the song, really- it's a famous classic, a formal and beautiful picture of a reuniting couple and some nicely worded natural imagery. Should any Chinese students wander by this song is short but packed with good vocabulary, especially if you want some novel ways to talk about love. I post this song today, as today is the holiday of the full moon, 中秋節.

月圓花好

yuè yuán huā hǎo

浮雲散明月照人來

fú yún sàn, míng yuè zhào rén lái

The floating clouds separate, and the moon reveals his arrival.

團圓美滿今朝最
tuányuán měimǎn jīnzhāo zuì

At this moment of reunion, their happiness is complete.

清淺池塘鴛鴦戲水

qīng qiǎn chítáng, yuānyāng xì shuǐ

In the clear shallow mere, the mandarin ducks play in the water,

紅裳翠蓋並蒂蓮開
hóng shāng cuì gài, bìng dì lián kāi

With red dresses and green caps, the lotus flowers blossom together.

雙雙對對恩恩愛愛

shuāng shuāng duì duì ēn ēn ài ài

A couple in love

(this is more a chant than a complete thought; 恩愛 might imply marriage)

這軟風兒向著好花吹

zhè ruǎn fōng xiàng zhe hǎo huā chuī

The soft wind blows through the flowers,

柔情蜜意滿人間

róuqíng mìyì, mǎn rénjiān

Sweet, tender feeling fills the world.

note- 人間 specifically means the world of men, as opposed to the realm of immortals. It's used here in a romantic sense, in common parlance it's only used in the telling of old legends that assume the old cosmology.

This song can be found on volume 2 of Shanghai Lounge Divas, or the Zhou Xuan box set. This time the standalone is a bit different- the version from the Shanghai Triad Soundtrack- check it out.

Lyrics: The Wandering Songstress/ 天涯歌女

2009-09-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

This song appears twice in the movie Street Angel (馬路天使), Zhou Xuan's favorite of her own movies. In the first instance she is with her love, in poor circumstances, but happy. In the second she is far removed from him and is singing under coercion, and the song transforms into a lament- as seen in the video above. This song was massively popular in it's own day, and is an acknowledged classic unto the present. It got another shot the arm when Ang Lee had his lead sing it a cappella in his film Lust, Caution. (色，戒). It is one of the great songs of tragic romance and one of the best known songs of 時伐曲. There are other translations about on the web, and they read a bit more fluently than mine, but mine stays truer to the original Chinese. Judge for yourself, below.

天涯歌女- The Wandering Songstress

作詞：吳村　作曲：黎錦光

天涯呀海角，覓呀覓知音

tiānyá ya, hǎijiǎo, mì ya mì zhīyīn

At the remotest corner of the Earth, overlooking the sea, searching, searching her heart’s companion

小妹妹唱歌，郎奏琴，郎呀咱們倆是一條心

xiǎo mèimei chànggē, láng zòu qín; láng ya zánmenliǎng shì yì tiáo xīn

The young girl sings, and the young man plays the qin. My boy, our hearts are as one

噯呀噯呀，郎呀咱們倆是一條心

àiya àiya láng ya zánmenliǎng shì yì tiáo xīn

My boy, our hearts are as one.

------------------------------------------------------

家山呀，北望，淚呀淚霑襟

jiā shān ya, běi wàng, lèi ya, lèi zhān jīn

Facing north from her mountain home, her tears soak her blouse

小妹妹想郎直到今，郎呀患難之交恩愛深

xiǎo mèimei xiǎng láng zhídào jīn, láng ya huànnàn-zhījiāo ēnài shēn

The young girl misses him, sharing difficult times, they are deeply in love.

噯呀噯呀，郎呀患難之交恩愛深

āiya àiya, láng ya huànnàn-zhījiāo ēnài shēn

He stood by her in hard times, and they are deeply in love

-----------------------------------------------------

人生呀，誰不，惜啊惜青春?

rénshēng ya, shéi bù, xí a xí qīngchūn?

In this life, who does not value, not cherish youth?

小妹妹似線，郎似針，郎呀穿在一起不離分

xiǎo mèimei sì xiàn, láng sì zhēn, láng ya chuān zài yìqǐ bù lífēn

The girl is as a thread, the boy is as a needle, and like a threaded needle, we are never to be parted

噯呀噯呀，郎呀穿在一起不離分

àiya àiya láng ya chuān zài yìqǐ bù lífēn

Like a threaded needle, we are never to be parted

This song can be found on the Shanghai Lounge Divas #1, or the Zhou Xuan Box, disc 1, or standalone here.

Pathé 100: The Series #2: Fang Jing-Yin/方靜音

2009-09-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

This disc, second in the Pathé series, was almost the last of it's kind. Poor initial sales of the first two discs led them to consider aborting the project in its infancy. Why they led off with one of the more obscure singers rather than a heavy hitter is a bit beyond me (maybe to signal to fans that they weren't going to neglect the darker corners of the catalog).

That said, this is by no means a bad disc. The music is mostly Western-style pop-jazz, at this time still prominent in movies that were still gun-shy about rock 'n' roll. There are several mambo and cha-cha-cha tunes, and Jing-Yin sings in the deeper voice that many singers enamoured of the female singers of America adopted. She pulls off the older-style songs with aplomb though- note the more traditional tones of "Beautiful Spring" and "Selling Dumpling Soup".

As a bonus to those who are studying Chinese, as the music is thoroughly modern, there's little if any of the faux 文言文 of the more ambitious songwriters. Which is to say, that it is both catchy and relatively easy to understand- bonuses for those looking to get some Chinese stuck in their heads.
----------------------------------------------------

The all-too brief bio from the disc booklet:

Fang Jing-Yin earned the nickname "Little Zhang-Lu" (小張露) and "Little Queen of Song" (小歌后) in her short career. In 1952 she signed to Pathé Records, and in the following year scored two minor hits with "The Daydream Song" (幻想曲) and "A Young Girl's Dream." (少女的夢). In 1956, she guest starred in the musical "Peach Blossom River" (桃花江) singing the song "Dragon Kites and Lamps" (龍燈與風箏). Her visibility increased, and she had an upward career trajectory that was tragically cut short when she died in a car accident in 1959. She recorded only 44 songs in her brief life, better known among the latter were "The Banana Boat Song" (香蕉船), "Selling Dumpling Soup" (賣湯圓) "Love's Currents" (愛的渦流) and "A Glass of Wine" (喝杯酒).

Thanks to Peter Lin for his assistance with the translation.

AAC@320
PDF liner notes/lyrics
------------------------------
this share was previously made at "What's in My Ipod?". If you got it there, the only differences are a higher bitrate and bi-lingual tagging. If that's not important to you, the only really new thing is the liner notes, which you can download separately.

Lyrics: Zhou Xuan; Crazy World/瘋狂世界

2009-09-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

The singer of this song is suffering romantic disillusionment; love has treated her badly and the beauty of nature seems to her to be mocking her sorrow. She is utterly alienated and it ends rather drastically as she wishes to be rid of the whole world. As with many old songs though, the melodrama of the lyrics is scarcely betrayed by the beautiful music. But here are the lyrics, the key to kingdom of melancholy, just after the break:

瘋狂世界

鳥兒拼命的唱

niǎor pīnmìng de chàng

Birds sing in full force,

花兒任性的開

huār rènxìng kāi

Flowers boldly open

你們太痛快太痛快呀太痛快

nǐmen tài tòngkuài, tài tòngkuài ya, tài tòngkuài

You all are too joyous, too joyous, too free

-------------------------------------

鳥兒為什麼唱?

niǎor wèishénme chàng?

Why do the birds sing?

花為什麼開?

huār wèishénme kāi?

Why do flowers bloom?

你們太奇怪太奇怪呀太奇怪

nǐmen tài qíguài, tài qíguài ya, tài qíguài

You are all too strange, too strange, too queer

----------------------------------------

什麼叫痛快什麼叫奇怪

shénme jiào tòngkuài, shénme jiào qíguài?

What is this joyfulness; what is this strangeness?

什麼叫情什麼叫愛

shénme jiào qíng, shénme jiào ài?

What is affection; what is Love?

----------------------------------------

鳥兒從此不許唱

niǎor cóngcǐ bù xǔ chàng

Henceforth the birds must surcease singing

花兒從此不許開

huār cóngcǐ bù xǔ kāi
And the flowers must not again bloom

我不要這瘋狂的世界這瘋狂的世界

wǒ bú yào zhè fēngkuáng shìjiè, zhè fēngkuáng shìjiè

I don't want this crazy world, this crazy world.

-----
This song can be found on volume 2 of the Zhou Xuan Box that was posted before.

Chinese Ancient Music Volume 1: Pictures of Primitive Hunting

2009-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of eight discs dedicated to an academic reconstruction of musical scores and fragments from Chinese history, dating all the back to the Chu state (400 BCE) to the Qing Dynasty of the more recent past. It seems like some of the older tracks were more like "inspired" by some combination of surviving poetry and painting and the form of now-defunct excavated instruments. The overall effect is quite serene and sonically sparse. In the right mood you may find it haunting.

The liner notes are bilingual, though the English is a bit awkward, you're still sure to appreciate it when most discs don't bother at all. There are general series notes from which you can get a notion of what's to come, and track specific notes, putting each song in context. What I'm saying is, if you download the cd, do bother to grab the liners.

MP3@320Kbps
PDF liners

I've tagged the tracks in English and Chinese- If you note that the Chinese tags look a bit different from the titles listed on the back cover and liner notes, that's just the difference between simplified and traditional characters (I type the latter).
-

Pathé 100: The Series #17- The Four Sisters

2009-09-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

The first new music in a while, and I hope you'll find it surprisingly good. I didn't know what to make of this disc when I got it, but it's a pleaser all around. These four talented girls' careers intersected for a time. They made a pair of movies together, and jointly owned a nightclub, but they weren't really a group as the disc's presentation seems to imply. If there's any disappointment to be had herein, it's that the penultimate song on the disc is the only one on which they all sing together. It's like an old Hollywood female choir singing in Chinese, and I could go for more of it.

The liner notes, roughly translated:

The group known as The Four Sisters (四姊妹) originated in Shanghai in 1942. Director Li Qian-Ping (李倩萍) made a movie by that name, starring Gong Qiu-Xia, Chen Qi, Zhang Fan and Chen Juan-Juan. The working relationship between these four actresses blossomed into something akin to real sisterhood. When Zhang Fan's boyfriend Shu Yi-Kang (徐盆康) opened "The Four Sisters Cafe," they became joint owners together and often performed there together. After WWII they went to Hong Kong and starred in a film called The Four Beauties (四美圖) directed by Hu Xin-Ling (胡心靈). They performed seven songs in the film, and two- "We Want Our Papa" (我們要爸爸) and "I'm Calling You"(我在呼喚你) became hits.

Bios of the individual members and links to the tunes all after the jump.

龑秋假

The big sister of the group, originally named Gong Cui-Xiang (龔翠香), she was nicknamed Shasha (莎莎). Born in Congming (崇明) in Jiangsu Province , she was raised in Shanghai. She was interested in singing and dancing from a young age. She took acting and performance classes and joined an entertainment troupe called the Plum Flowers ( 梅花歌舞團). In the 1930s her career had yet to stabilize, forcing her to work many odd jobs, but late in the decade her movie career began to pick up. In 1937 she starred in the movie Mystery of the Ancient Tower (古塔奇案), featuring the song "Beautiful Girl by the Autumn River" (秋水伊人) which became very popular. In the forties she recorded the popular songs: "Roses Blooming Everywhere" (薔薇處處開), "Don't Forget This Moment" (莫忘今宵), "Man of My Dreams" (夢中人) and "I'm Calling You" (我在呼喚你). In 1949 she starred in the film Blood-Stained Begonia (血染海棠紅) (an anti-Communist film). After this movie, she moved to Hong Kong to continue her career, her last movie, Make-Up (胭脂), being filmed in 1980. Her last public appearance came in January, 1995 at a Hong Kong music awards show. She died on September 7, 2004 she died at age 88.

陳琦

Her family name is Chen, and she was born in Zhejiang Province (浙江), in the county of Ningbo (寧波), and raised in Shanghai. Zhang Fan's husband was her middle school classmate, forging a connection between the two singers, and she was the goddaughter of the director Zhu Shi-Ling (朱石麟). In her youth she perfumed often on the stage, and developed a strong following. She began to act in the movies in the 1940s, starring in the films: New Fishing Time (新漁光曲), Trapped by Beauty (美人關), A Picture of Four Beauties (四美圖), Married For a Day (結婚廿四小時) and Plan for the Year (一年之計). Her career would eventually span over forty films. She didn't record many songs, but she had a hit in the song "Foolish Boy" (荒唐浪子. In the 1950s she lived in Hong Kong, but by the end of the decade she began to suffer from chronic illnesses. She died in Macao in 1965, at the age of 43.

張帆

Her nickname was Little Bai-Hong (小白虹) (after another famous singer), and her real name is Zhang Zhi-Zhong (張執中), and she was born in Pudong (蒲東), Shanghai. In the winter of 1935, the Bright Moon Opera Troupe (明月歌劇社) re-organized, she was the last new member to be recruited. Her stage name, Zhang Dan, was given to her by Li Jin-Hui (黎錦暉). She began recording songs in 1938, starting with the song "All Around the Room" (滿場飛). In the 1940s she continued with the popular songs: "Stinkbug Song (臭蟲歌)", "Singer of an Endless Song" (唱不完的郎), "Happy New Year" (賀新年) and "Hometown." (家鄉) In 1940 she joined the New China Movie Company (新華影業公司) and began her film career. Among her more famous movies are: Shanghai Goldrush (海淘金記), Little Tiger (小老虎), The Four Sisters (四姊妹) and Song of the Heavens (天外笙歌). In 1945 she married Shu Yi-Kang (徐盆康). After the Communist Revolution she moved to Beijing and worked for Studio 81 and participated in many TV shows. In the 1990s she retired to enjoy her old age.

陳娟娟

Originally named Chen Su-Juan (陳素娟), her family came from Leshan (樂山) in Sichuan. She was born in Malaysia, but her mother moved to Shanghai when she was a baby. She began working in movies in 1933, and in the next year she starred in the film Village of Flying Flowers (飛花村) and in that film she sang the first movie song aimed at children, "The Shepardess"(牧羊女). She had a big hit in 1936 with the movie The Lost Lamb (迷途的羔羊). Later she was paired with Zhang Shan-Kun (張善琨), another big star of the day, for several popular movies, like Little Orphan Girl (小孤女), Chinese Snow White (中國白雪公主), Universal Love (博愛), and Blood Stained Begonia (血染海棠紅). She moved to Hong Kong in 1948 to continue her career. Songs from this period include: "As You Sow, So Shall You Reap,"(種瓜得瓜) "Leaping Hearts," (心兒跳) "The Lighthouse Near the Sea" (海旁的燈塔) and "The Sound of Music Travelling Far (歌聲飛揚). In 1969 she co-directed a movie called Decendents of Heroes (英雄後伐) with Xu Xian (許先), and thereafter she confined her activities to work behind the camera. Sadly, in 1976, she died from an accidental overdose of prescription medication.

Thanks to Eric Zhang and 陳素美 for assisting with the translation.

AAC@320 kbps

PDF Liners

----------------------------------------------------

An note I feel compelled to make...

2009-09-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

.... having scanned my posts thus far.

You might fairly surmise who my favorite Mandopop singer is, but if you do not share my opinion, do not despair! Whilst there are two fairly large Zhou Xuan posts in the offing, I've got lots of other singers in the queue as well, and I'll be making forays into other genres of Chinese music too. So diversification on the music front is coming.

As per the translated lyrics- well, translation is a bit of work for me (though praise be to the pinyin typer and Mac OS 10.6, getting it typed up is a LOT easier than before). So I've been doing the songs that have caught my attention and that I want most to understand, hence they've all been Zhou Xuan songs. And I've got about five more in various stages of completion, so expect more of the same. That said, I'm totally open to requests- so if I've got the song and you want the translation, I'll be happy to do it. I love to learn new songs, and I want this blog to please it's readers- so fire them there requests away (bearing in mind that if this option becomes popular the wait time may grow exponentially).

anyhow-- more music this weekend, so start holding your breath........

now.

Lyrics: Zhou Xuan; The Flavor of Yearning/ 相思的滋味

2009-09-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our first request, and boy has it lit a fire under us. Two songs in two days! And no-one here to be all impressed-like. Ah well, it was fun, and the stars aligned allowing the quick turnaround. This tune can be found on the Zhou Xuan disc we previously posted, or as always, the standalone is here.

Spend a day with our protagonist as she brims with anticipation for her lover's arrival, only to sit and watch the hours tortuously pass, day fades into dark, hope into despair, and she remains alone.

Sounds like a good time! Get the words after the break--

The words describing the sky and clouds throughout the song are all very formal, and so fairly low-frequency. Vocabulary apart though, this is a pretty straightforward song, and particularly beautifully sung.

In no particular order, thanks to my boss for aiding with the pinyin, my wife for aiding in the translation, and my first follower for pointing out this song which I had heretofore paid no special attention to.

w/o further delay:

早晨的天空彩霞片片，
zǎochén de tiānkōng cǎi xiá piànpiàn,
The early morning sky, the beautifully colored clouds of sunrise,

人兒答應我今朝相見。
rénér dāyìng wǒ jīnzāo xiāngjiàn.
My lover promises to meet me this morning.

假如有人問相思的滋味，
jiǎrú yǒu rén wèn xiāngsī de zīwèi,
If someone asks me what is the flavor of yearning,

我可以告訴他，最甜。
wǒ kěyǐ gàosù tā, zuì tián.
I can tell him that it's the sweetest thing.
--------------------------------------

黃昏的天空晚霞片片，
huánghūn de tiānkōng wǎnxiá piànpiàn,
In the dusk of evening, dark clouds after sunset,

人兒還不來心頭如煎。
rénér hái bù lái xīntóu rújiān.
My lover has not yet come, and it cuts my heart.

假如有人問相思的滋味，
jiǎrú yǒu rén wèn xiāngsī de zīwèi,
If anyone asks what is the flavor of yearning,

我可以告訴他，最酸。
wǒ kěyǐ gàosù tā, zuì suān.
I can tell him that it is the most sour thing.
-------------------------------------

當明月上天空，
dào le míng yuè shàng tiānkōng,
The bright moon appears in the sky,

形單影孤，
xīn dāng yǐng gū,
There's but I and my shadow alone.

人兒他騙了我，
rénér tā piàn le wǒ,
My lover, he has lied to me,

去向誰訴。
qù xiàng shéi sù.
and there's no one to tell.

假如有人問相思的滋味，
jiǎrú yǒu rén wèn xiāngsī de zīwèi,
If someone asks what is the flavor of yearning,

我可以告訴他，最苦。
wǒ kěyǐ gàosù tā, zuì kǔ.
I can tell him that it is the most bitter thing.
-------------------------------------------------------

Lyrics: Lover's Knot/ 五更同心結

2009-09-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

This song concerns a romantic seduction carried out over the course of an evening, finding a new couple drinking in a traditional two-story pavilion built in the back of wealthier estates. He gets her tipsy, supports her with an arm around her waist, and holding her close murmurs whatever poetry it is that might make the heart of an old-time Chinese girl swoon. But lest you think our Lothario has ill intent, the last verses reveal that he is truly smitten; he will give up all vice for her and desires only to build a life together with her.

Lyrics and song after the break.

The lyrics written in a pretty formal style, so this isn't all that useful for sentence learning, but there's plenty of interesting vocabulary within. (you can tell disyllabic words by where the pinyin is joined). My translation is a bit clumsy here, as I'm trying to stick to a pretty literal style, and some terms that can be rendered quite compactly in Chinese require more exposition in English.

The first line in each verse refers to an ancient method for denoting time, each "geng" being roughly equivalent to two hours, but this is not used anymore except to set the period mood. The last line in each verse is just nonsense syllabizing, and is therefore not translated.

This song can be found on either of the Zhou Xuan compilations I've posted, or you can download it standalone here.

一更一點月東升、
yì gēng yì diǎn yuè dōng shēng,
Early in the evening, the moon rises from the east,

我帶著小妹妹飲酒後花庭。
wǒ dài zhe xiǎo mèimei yǐn jiǔ hòu huā tíng.
I take my girl to have a drink behind the gardens.

花對花吻著、妹呀、
huā duì huār wěn zhe, mèi ya,
Flowers kissing flowers, girl,

你的臉飛紅呀。
nǐ de liǎn fēi hóng ya.
Oh, how your face reddens.

伊胡呀胡嘿
yī hú ya hú hēi
---------------------------------

二更二點月當頭
èr gēng èr diǎn yuè dāng tóu,
The evening progresses, and the moon is overhead,

我陪著小妹妹去上高樓
wǒ péi zhe xiǎo mèimei qù shàng gāo lóu.
I accompany my girl to the top of the pavilion.

高樓實在高呀、妹呀、
gáo lóu shízài gāo ya, mèi ya,
It really is tall, isn't it?

扶著你的腰呀。
fú zhe nǐ de yāo ya.
I steady you with my arm at your waist.

伊胡呀胡嘿
yī hú ya hú hēi
----------------------------------

三更三點月正圓、
sān gēng sān diǎn yuè zhèng yuán,
Later in the Evening, the moon is full and round,

我和小妹妹偎傍在談天。
wǒ hé xiǎo mèimei wēipáng zài tántiān.
My girl and I stand side by side talking.

情話正纏綿呀、妹呀、
qíng huà zhèng chánmiǎn ya, mèi ya,
Words of love hover in the air,

情意亂心弦呀。
qíng yì luàn xīnxián ya.
and our hearts are leaping.

伊胡呀胡嘿
yī hú ya hú hēi
---------------------------------

四更四點月朦朧、
sì gēng sì diǎn yuè ménglóng,
Late in the evening, and the moon is hazy,

我與小妹妹相會在夢中。
wǒ yǔ xiǎo mèimei xiānghuì zài mèng zhōng.
I meet my girl in a dream.

溫柔醉心胸吁、妹呀、
wēnróu zuì xīnxiōng ya, mèi ya,
Our tender affection has intoxicated my heart,

酒色全是空呀。
jiǔ sè quán shì kōng ya.
Worldly pleasure is empty to me now.

伊胡呀胡嘿

yī hú ya hú hēi
----------------------------------

五更五點月偏西、

wǔ gēng wǔ diǎn yuè piān xī,
Near morning the moon sinks to the west,

黎明在即金雞啼。

límíng zài jì jīn jī tí.
The dawn breaks and the cock crows.

同心共努力呀、妹呀、

tóngxīn gòng nǔlì ya, mèi ya,
We will work hard together as one,

終身倆相依呀。

zhōngshēn liǎng xiāngyì ya.
our whole lives we'll stand together.

伊胡呀胡嘿

yī hú ya hú hēi

Special thanks To Daisy Chou for her excellent translation and explanation work here. If anyone wants to correct my pīnyīn or suggest alternate translations, it's always appreciated.

Lyrics: Picking Betel Nuts/ 採檳榔

2009-09-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

Leaves from the Betel vine, and Areca nuts: two good stimulants that go great together! The leaf wrapped nut is a long favored drug of choice in Southeast Asia. It is a fairly mild stimulant in low doses- a pick-me-up that devotees claim imparts a sense of well being, good health and fresh breath (in high doses it causes intoxication). One would be justifiably skeptical about its health benefits after seeing enough toothless red-stained mouths. Like chewing tobacco, sucking these nuts not only makes your smile less appealing, but is a notable carcinogen.

Here in Taiwan, they are mostly favored at the lower end of the socio-economic scale- laborers, taxi drivers, mafia etc; but you may see signs of use on potentially anyone. It stains the saliva red and causes copious production thereof, and so blood-stain style spittle marks the sidewalks and roads in some parts of town (more often a phenomenon of middle and southern Taiwan). Some say it adds to a decline in morality: the countryside roads are lined with scantily-clad females selling betel nuts in glass stalls, beckoning passing drivers with their siren call of drugs and sex.

And of course, it's a major cash crop, and I've seen some old hands at harvesting these nuts scale a tall tree with astonishing rapidity that puts my lazy uncoordinated ass to shame. And there's an old song that many many of the Taiwanese population knows, a budding romance on an Areca nut farm. The song, oft translated "Picking Betel Nuts" can be found as the first track on the stand alone Zhou Xuan disc of the same name or you could download it as a single track here. The lyrics can be found after the jump.

Note that the song changes from first person perspective of the girl in the first three lines, to an omniscient narrator for the next five, and back to the first person to finish the song. It struck me as a bit odd, but those who aided this translation say that such switches are common and unremarkable. So be it. Also note that "姐姐" means "older sister", and so she is somewhat older than the object of her affection at the top of the trees. When people sing this song now, she is usually referred to as "小妹妹" putting them at parity.

高高的樹上結檳榔，
gāo gāo de shù shàng jié bīnláng,
In the tall, tall tree grow Areca nuts,

誰先爬上誰先嘗。
shéi xiān pá shàng shéi xiān cháng.
The first one up gets the first taste.

誰先爬上我替誰先裝。
shéi xiān pá shàng wǒ tì shéi xiān zhuāng.
The first one up gets my help to pack them up.

少年郎採檳榔，
shǎonián láng cǎi bīnláng,
A young man picks the areca nuts,

姐姐提籃擡頭望
jiějie tí lán tái tóu wàng.
The woman holding the basket looks at up at him.

低頭又想呀。
dī tóu yòu xiǎng ya,
She lowers her head and thinks:

他又美他又壯，
tā yòu měi tā yòu zhuàng
He is handsome and strong,

誰人比他強
shéi rén bǐ tā qiáng?
Who could be better than him?

趕忙來叫聲我的郎呀，
gǎnmáng lái jiàoshēng wǒde láng ya,
I quickly call out to my man,

青山好呀流水長 (sometimes: 青山高)
qīng shān hǎo ya liú shuǐ cháng.
The mountain's beautiful and the river's long.

那太陽已殘, 那歸鳥兒在唱
nà tàiyáng yǐ cán, nà guī niǎoer zài chàng,
That sun is setting, and the returning birds are singing,

教我倆趕快回家鄉。
jiào wǒliǎng gǎnkuài huí jiāxiāng.
Reminding we two to quickly get home.

Thanks much to 陳素美 for vitally assisting the translation.

bonus links:

A moralistic view of the Betel Nut Scourge of Taiwan. (t'aint good, but t'aint as bad as all that)
An interesting collection of glamour free photos of the Betel Nut Beauties

Betel Nut Expectoration

And now for something completely different...

2009-09-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

I suppose that audio-only Beijing Opera is of rather limited appeal- the sonic world of these operas is utterly alien to the Western ear. The speech is very stylized, and the accompanying music is a bit cacophonous. That doesn't mean you won't like it- I do; but it is more of an acquired taste than the other music on show here. A lot of the appeal of the opera comes from the beautiful costumes and the balletic movement of the performers (and I hope in the future to provide some video), but even with sound alone it makes for a good experience of this most Chinese of performance arts. For some it may have additional historical value, being a vintage recording nigh fifty years old. I'm no expert, so I'll say no more. If it piques your interest, there's plenty of info on the web.

The translated libretto is available pdf form. Give it a shot.

If you're digging it, you can always go legit.

I certainly hope you enjoyed the first Zhou Xuan disc...

2009-09-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

...becuase here is the first motherlode of her songs that I intend to share. Comprehensive cd collections of her 200+ songs are hard to come by; there are three that I know of, and all are very out-of-print. Chronologically, this is the first one, dating from 1992, and featuring 75 songs that were digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios. The Pathé 100 discs would feature superior sound, but these cds remain quite enjoyable, and feature 8 songs that have yet to be re-released on any later set.

Here is a translation of the bio that is in the booklet of each disc (all 5 discs the same). I did not translate the history of Pathé records, as it's not too informative; mostly just a list of all the people they've signed over the years. Anyway, here it is:

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The Golden Voice, the queen of her generation's songstresses, Zhou Xuan (周璇) remains among the most famous names in the history of Mandarin language popular song. Even those who are not fans of the genre are left with a lasting impression upon hearing her sing.

Zhou Xuan's path to success was not a smooth one. Born with the name Su Pu (蘇璞), her birth parents were unknown to her. She was adopted at a young age by a man with the surname Zhou and they called her Xiao Hong (小紅). This remained her name until the age of 13 when she joined a vaudevillian group called Bright Moon Troupe (明月歌舞團). It was established by Li Jin-Hui (黎錦暉), a pioneer of Mandarin pop music, who gave her the stage name Xuan, after a type of Jade.

In early 1930s Shanghai, the music and entertainment industry was already well established. Groups like Bight Moon not only performed their song and dance on stage, but they did programs on the radio, and released songs on 78s. Soon after Zhou Xuan joined the group, one of the main performers, Wang Ren-Mei (王人美) was unable to perform, giving young Zhou Xuan a starring turn as her replacement. She performed a popular program called "Express Car" (特別快車) and earned her first positive notices. From there she became increasingly popular, and in 1935 she started to work in the movies. She left the troupe and the stage, and began to focus mainly on her singing and movie career.

In 1937, Bright Star Movie Studio (明星影片公司) began shooting the movie "Street Angel," (馬路天使) and director Yuan Mu-Zhi (袁牧之) chose Zhou Xuan to star. she also sang two of He Lu-Ding's (賀綠汀) songs: "The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女) and "Song of Four Seasons." (四季歌) The songs became extremely popular and remain two of her signature works.

After the 1938 release of the film, she was Shanghai's hottest and most pursued actress. Among the famous films made at this time were "Meng Jiang-Nu" (孟姜女) (about a woman whose husband was sent to work on the Great Wall), "Thrice Enchanted"(三笑) and "Romance of the West Chamber." (西廂記) Two songs in the latter film, "Full Moon, Beautiful Flowers"(月圓花好) and "Interrogating the Red Maid" (拷紅) were hits, and are classics of the genre. After the close of the Sino-Japanese War (1945) much of the Shanghai movie industry moved to Hong Kong while most of the recording industry remained in the city. For a time, Zhou Xuan had to travel between the two cities tending to both sides of her career.

By 1949, however, she was spending most of her time in Hong Kong shooting movies, and recording few new records. Movies representative of this era were "The Secret History of the Qing Court" (清宮秘史) and "Flower Street" (花街); popular tunes she recorded were "Don't be Unworthy of Your Youth" (莫負青春) and "The Little Bridal Chamber." (小小洞房)

Zhou Xuan was a naturally gifted singer with soft, fine timbre, great emotional range, and clear enunciation. Her humble beginnings resonated with the audiences of the time, contributing to her popularity, but admiration of her unique voice was the true key to her lasting fame. She recorded over 200 songs in her life, most of them with Pathé Records (百代唱片). She returned to Shanghai in 1951 after splitting up with her husband. Her increasingly timultuous personal life lead to ever increasing bouts of depression and mental instability, and put an effective end to her career. She died in an asylum in 1957, at the age of 37.

She did not live long, but her legacy shines brightly to this day.

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I am supremely indebted to Bolingo for sharing this music which would otherwise remain in obscurity- and for beautifully scanning the liner notes, thereby setting the standard that my own shares aspire to.

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Each disc comes with pdf liners and is bilingually tagged.

links:   Disks 1 and 2
           Disks 3 and 4
           Disc 5

Enjoy!

Lyrics: Shanghai Nightlife/ 夜上海

2009-09-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite songs is this, Zhou Xuan's "Shanghi Nightlife," and so it's first up for translation. But it's a bit of a rough go, it is. The lyrics open with four easy-enough scene setting lines, and then introduce us to one of the late-night denizens, a weary girl paying for life in expensive Shanghai by working the night shift (lyrics aren't explicit as to what services, exactly, she provides; use your imagination).

From there it sort of abandons pronouns- there's a bit of moralizing- does it apply to the girl or the late night pleasure seekers? In the end it seems she's found a new line of work and is better off for it, so hurray for vague but apparently happy endings. It's all incredibly terse, and my interpretation may not be fully correct- so if anyone wants to volunteer amendments, they are, and always will be, appreciated.

You can find this song on volume one of the Shanghai Lounge Divas comp, or get it all by its lonesome here. Lyrics after the jump.

作詞：陳枚
Lyrics by Chen Mei

作曲：范堙橋
Music by Fan Yin-Qiao

編曲 (arranged by)：Marthn Tang & Kheng Long

夜上海　夜上海
Yè shànghǎi, yè shànghǎi
Shanghai Nights. Shanghai Nights.

你是個不夜城.
nǐ shì yí ge bú yè chéng.
You are a city that never sleeps.

華燈起　車聲響,　
huádēng qǐ chē shēngxiǎng,
The lanterns are up, and the sounds of the cars,

歌舞昇平.
gēwǔ-shēngpíng.
Song and dance and good times abounding.
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只見她　笑臉迎,　
Zhǐ jiàn tā, xiào liǎn yíng,
Who upon seeing her inviting face,

誰知她內心苦悶?
shéi zhī tā nèixīn kǔmèn?
could know of her inner sorrow?

夜生活　都為了　
Yè shēnghuò dóu wèi le
The nightlife is for her only a means

衣食住行.
yī shí zhù xìng.
to pay for her days. (literally: for clothes, food, rent and transportation)
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酒不醉人人自醉,
Jiǔ bú zuì rén rén zì zuì,
It's not alcohol that makes people drunk, they make themselves so.

胡天胡地蹉跎了青春.
hú tiān hú dì, cuōtuó le qīng chūn.
Recklessly, senselessly wasting their youth.

曉色朦朧　轉眼醒
Shǎo sè ménglong, zhuǎn yǎnxǐng,
The hazy dawn breaks and in that instant she awakens,

大家歸去,
dàjiā guī qù,
The revelers all scurry home,

心靈兒隨著轉動的車輪.
Xīnlíng suí zhe zhuǎndòng de chēlún.
Her heart turns around like the wheel of a car.
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換一換　新天地,　
Huàn yi huàn, xīn tiān dì,
She trades in the nightlife for a new world,

別有一個新環境
bié yǒu yí ge xīn huánjìng.
She has a new life now. (literally: new circumstances)

迴味著　夜生活,　
Huíwèi zhe, yè shēnghuò,
She recalls the savor of the nights,

如夢初醒.
rǔmèng-chūxǐng.
as if awaking from a dream.

Thanks much to Eric Zhang and 陳素美 for vitally assisting the translation.

姚莉, 銀嗓子 Yao Li, The Silver Voice

2009-09-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

It seems right to follow a post focused on Zhou Xuan with one for Yao Li. She was always Zhou Xuan's closest rival, and her career continued for about 20 years longer. She retired from the music industry in 1967, but is still living and of sound mind to this day. In fact, she personally compiled the disc that this post shares. Her song, Rose, Rose, I Love You was covered by Frankie Laine in 1951 and rose to number #3 on the Billboard charts, the only Moandopop song to become a hit in the West. Of course, that song's not on this disc- but you can find it on the Shanghai Lounge Divas Vol. 2

English Liners:
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Yao Lee (姚莉) (1922-) was born Yao Xiu-Yun (姚秀雲) in Shanghai. With her older brother Yao Min (姚敏) an sister Yao Ying (姚英), the young siblings established a successful performing career in 1930s Shanghai calling themselves Da Tong She (大同社). The Trio hosted their own raio show and before long Yao Li was discovered by Yen Hua (嚴華), a popular film star and composer. Yen invited the young Yao Li to duet with him in her first recording, "The Cowherd" (新小放牛), and was so impressed he then composed for her a song that would turn out to be her first major hit record, "Pledging My Love" (賣相思). The success of the record resulted in a contract for her with the prestigious Pathe Record Company. In 1940 Yao Li guest-starred in a film called The Wandering Songstress (天涯歌女) starring Zhou Xuan. In the film, Yao performed "Rose, Rose I Love You" (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你). The immense popularity of this song confirmed her status as one of the great singers in the Chinese speaking world.

In 1950 Yao Li moved to Hong Kong with her family. Initially she recorded with the newly founded Great Wall Record Company (大長城唱片), but rejoined Pathé when the label resumed recording upon establishing itself on the island. By this time, her brother Yao Min had also relocated to Hong Kong where he was to achieve even greater success as a composer.

In the early days, Yao Li had emulated the singing style of her idol, Zhou Xuan, and as a result was known as "The Silver Voice", to Zhou's "Golden Voice." During her time in Hong Kong, she matured as a performer and her voice took on a richer, deeper tone, influenced by American singer Patti Page. In this new style she recorded a string of cover versions of Western songs; scoring with "You Belong to Me"（鳳仙花開）, "Changing Partners"（舞半淚影）, "That's Amore"（愛情的魔力）, "River of No Return"（大江東去） and "You Don't Know Me"（你不知道我）. At the same time she was also releasing Mandarin originals that sold extremely well.

In 1956 She was asked to dub the vocals for Actress Zhong Qing (鍾情) in The Peach Blossom River (桃花江), a small budget musical which, to everyone's surprise, broke all box office records. Further film dubbing work followed with Yao Li supplying the vocals, her brother the music, and lyricist Chen Die-Yi (陳蝶衣) the words, resulting in the trio being known as The Iron Triangle (鐵三角). The hits from the film musicals that emerged from this partnership were numerous, including "Moonlight Duet" (月下對口) "The Spring Wind Kisses My Face" (春風吻上我的臉), "Standing on the Hilltop" (站在高崗上) and "Life is a Play" (人生就是戲), propelling Yao Li's career even further.

Her career and perennial popularity now exceed seven decades and hundreds of recordings, eaisly securing her place as one of the most important figures in the history of Mandarin popular song (時代曲). We are extremely honored to have her support for this CD release and thankful to her for choosing the songs featured here and for the loan of photographs from her personal collection. With your support we remain committed to the preservation of thee vintage recordings and making them available to the fans.

AAC@256VBR
liner notes PDF

Most of these Mandopop discs are out-of-print, but this one isn't. If you really like it, you can buy it at Yes Asia. It's a bit pricey for a single disc, but I believe you can see the value. If we want more reissues like this one, support them!

Mayhaps the Best Place to Start

2009-09-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Shanghai Lounge Divas compilations were compiled shortly after the discovery of the 800 shells of the Pathe 78's in India. EMI had them properly preserved, and prepared a 5CD box set with one hundred songs for the collector's market. A UK producer of dance music, Ian Widgery was in Hong Kong looking for exotic sounds to incorporate into his sonic pallete when a friend played some of the old tracks for him. He knocked off a couple of remixes and an album was thereafter commissioned: Shanghai Lounge Divas: Original 1930s Sessions Remixed for Today. Because, you know, today's ears might bleed if they come in contact with too much analog sound.
As my snark might imply I'm not a fan of the sonic abortion Widgery performed on the tunes, but thankfully the bonus disc that came with it contained 24 original untampered recordings that introduced me to these singers for the first time. And not just me; the disc was an unexpected hit all over Asia, inspiring a quickie sequel that even modern dance fans thought was an abomination. Like the first however its saving grace was the disc of originals that it came with. These discs feature some absolute classics of the genre, and if you're new to it, or aren't sure if you'll like it, start here and see what it offers. The tracks range from the 1930s to 1965, and show various influences from early rock 'n' roll to cabaret jazz to Beijing Opera. It's an interesting musical stew, and one that most people don't even know exists. So if you want to give it a shot, here they are, bilingually tagged:

Vol. 1 Originals@320kbps
Vol. 2 Originals@192kbps

If you're curious, or hold a higher opinion of post-mod club music than I do, you can download Widgery's remix disc (and lots of other great stuff) at the What's in My Ipod? blog.

Pathé 100: The Series #13- Zhou Xuan (Inaugural Post)

2009-09-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

While all of the music I will share may seem obscure to most Western ears, I'm starting with the leading light of the genre and one of the most famous singers in Chinese popular song, Zhou Xuan (周璇).

In 2003 EMI was in the process of divesting itself of some of its derelict properties, one of which was an old warehouse in Mumbai, India, where workers found a trunk containing the mother shells of about 800 Chinese songs from old 78s. Thankfully they opted to preserve and release this treasure trove; first in a five CD box set in 2004, then in a series of 30 individual cds from 2005-2007. Most of these discs have sadly fallen out of print and are quite hard to come by, even in Asia. That said, I've got more than a few and am happy to bring them to you.

This disc of Zhou Xuan's features nine songs that had never been on disc before, and the best sound quality her catalog has ever seen. I'll be posting lyric translations for some of these songs later this week, and also more info about Zhou Xuan herself, as I share more of her music.

The biography from this CD:

Called "The Golden Voice" (金嗓子), Zhou Xuan was also one of China's leading movie stars. Her birth name was Supu (蘇璞) and she hails from Chang Zhou (常州). Sold by her father and moved into an orphanage, after many turns she ended up in Shanghai. She was adopted by a family named Zhou (周) and named Xiaohong (小紅). In 1934 she joined Li Jinghui's (黎錦暉) Bright Moon Music Troupe (明月歌舞劇社). In 1934 she got her first movie role in the film Women (女人) * In the same year a Shanghai's Evening Times (大晚報) had a singing competition where she placed second behind Bai Hong (白虹), earning a lot of recognition. Three years later, she starred in the hit movie Street Angels (馬路天使). Two songs from the film, "The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女) and "Song of Four Seasons" (四季歌), became big hits and established her reputation. In 1938, she married Yan Hua (嚴華); it was a stormy relationship and lasted only three years. In 1945 she performed three concerts at Shanghai's Jindu Theater (金都大戲院), akin to playing Carnegie Hall in the States. From 1946 to 1950, she focused increasingly on movies and traveled to Hong Kong on three occasions, making eight movies. The most famous films from this time are An All-Consuming Love (長相思), Orioles Banished From the Flowers (花外流鶯), Secrets of the Qing Dynasty (清宮秘使) and Rainbow As You Wish (彩虹曲). In 1951, while working on what would be her last film, Bird of Peace (和平鴿), she became mentally unstable, necessitating the use of a body double to finish the film. Following a fairly disastrous end to her second long-term relationship, she became increasingly mentally ill and did not work over the next five years. In 1957, she developed encephalitis in an asylum and died on September 27th.

AAC 320kbps

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one page in the enclosed pdf is sized incorrectly. acrobat constrains page sizes, so it's not a big problem, but if you'd like, the corrected version is here.

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