heroes unrivaled.

This song is probably the epitome of Leehom's chinked out style. It has a great mix of rock, hip hop and Beijing opera, and was sung in English, Mandarin and a smack of Cantonese, with two singers, one Beijing opera master.. all that in one song! The chinaman in me will surely agree that it's great value for money haha!

One of my first few impressions of this song came from this music video from his Music Man concert (which imho is better than the official MV)(sorry Leehom, but I think many of your MVs aren't very interesting), and I was pretty blown away. I've replayed this song in my car so many times to learn to sing all its parts. Super love it! :D

Before I start, the title of the song is 蓋世英雄 which literally translates to Unrivaled/Matchless Hero, but Leehom chose to translate it as Heroes of the Earth, and the heroes he referred to were the musical masters that he looked up to. On to the song now...



#5 蓋世英雄

Yo come on come on come on
大家一起說一次　蓋世英雄到來
Homeboy Production　力宏　項羽　My homboy Jin
Yo come on come on come on
Everyone say it together now　"The heroes of the earth are here"
Homeboy Production　Leehom　Xiang Yu　My homboy Jin

迫不及待看見我的未來(看見我的)　對什麼都看開
蓋世英雄真的到來(蓋世英雄到來)
迫不及待看見我的未來(看見我的)　對什麼都期待
蓋世英雄站上舞台(世界是舞台)
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm open to anything
The heroes of the earth are really coming
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm anticipating everything
The heroes of the earth are taking to the stage

我出門了載四個哥兒們兒們　鍍鉻輪框24吋
今晚我的目的明確　帶Chinked-out到全世界
加入了京劇(jingju)崑曲(kunqu)　Hip-hop進入新的格局 (geju)
新的突破　新的曲風　才有新的蓋世英雄
I'm out with my four homies, (cruising in) 24-inch chrome rims
Tonight my purpose is clear: to introduce chinked-out to the whole world
Mixing in Beijing opera and kunqu, hip hop's entering a new structure
New breakthrough, new style, only then there will be heroes of earth

把收音機開最大聲　聽見的聲音又是武生
道白的共鳴又最流行　要模仿他　真的不容易
他的唱法獨一無二　這種藝術屬一屬二
希望幫助全世界的華人　唱出大家的心聲(我們大家的心聲)
Crank up the volume of your radio, what you hear is the sound of martial arts coming to life
The resonance of the operatic lines is again all the rage, and it's no mean feat to be mimicked
The way it's sung is unequalled, this form of art ranks top
I hope it would help all the Chinese around the world in singing out their hearts' contents

霸氣傲中原　王者揚烽煙
力拔山河天　宏威征凱旋
(Beijing opera line)(I have no idea what they mean, so I got the translation from here:)
The tyrant’s pride takes the field, the ruler raises the signal fire
Pulling at the homeland, the heroes risk prestige to attack and return triumphantly

迫不及待看見我的未來　對什麼都看開
蓋世英雄真的到來 (蓋世英雄到來)
迫不及待看見我的未來　對什麼都期待　蓋世英雄站上舞台
(呦　一位蓋世英雄要上台了　歐陽靖你在哪兒　All yours, baby)
Eagerly awaiting to see my future, I'm open to anything
The heroes of the earth are really coming
Eagerly awaiting my future, I'm anticipating everything
The heroes of the earth are taking to the stage
(A hero is now taking to the stage: Ouyang Jin, where are you?)

I'm here let's go　
Yo it's Jin and Leehom, it feels good to be home　
I've got the skills to be known so Imma chill on my throne　
yes, I keeps it blazing from Shanghai out to Beijing
stop in Taiwan back to Hong Kong where they start doing they thing
this is something special, my culture's is so contagious
they wanna know about us, we been around for ages
a couple thousand years, a bunch of pioneers
just artists and scholars making noise, it was loud and clear
hey yo, the future's here, the revolution's near
Jin's got the solution for the pollution in your ear
switch it up:

唔使問　你實同意　做英雄　係唔容易
(不用問　你得同意　做英雄　是不容易)
But yo, you ain't gotta take it from me
Just listen close to 李老師
Don't bother asking, you'll surely agree, that it's not easy being a hero
But yo, you ain't gotta take it from me
Just listen close to Teacher Li

(Repeat Beijing opera lines and chorus)

the sun and the moon :: part 1

I've been playing 心中的日月 Shangri-La on a loop in my car for about a week now; the song doesn't get old! Definitely a worthy entry for my Top 20.. ;)

This song is found in Leehom's 2004 album of the same name where he incorporated the music of the Chinese ethnic minorities and therefore began the first chapter of "chinked-out", a term he coined together to represent the ties between Chinese and Western music. He experimented with the tribal sounds of Taiwan, Tibet, and Mongolia, traveling the area carrying 15 kg of equipment while fighting bouts of altitude and food sickness. [via] He made this short documentary of his journey which he took with his brother Leekai (I think it was just the two of them):



#5 心中的日月 Shangri-la

你是我心中的日月光芒
you are the radiance of the sun and the moon of my heart

手中握著格桑花呀　美的讓我忘了摘下
妳的真　帶著香　妳的香　會說話
妳的話　好像只　對我說
holding a stalk of azalea of in my hands
its beauty let me forget about plucking
your genuineness carries a fragrance
a fragrance that speaks
your words seem to be only spoken to me

我的專長叫做流浪　妳註定要為我綻放(zhanfang)
我的心　尋找家　我的家　沒有花
我的花卻在這山谷等著我
my specialty is in being a nomad
you are destined to blossom for me
my heart is looking for a home, my home has no flower
for it is waiting for me in the ravine

若一開始　沒有上帝　暗中偷偷的慫恿(songyong)
我們怎知選擇相逢　喔～
if from the start God did not secretly make this happen
how could we know to choose to meet?

你是心中的日月　落在這裡　旅程的前後多餘　只為遇到妳
多麼想幻化成為妳腳下的泥　yeah　此刻的無人山谷　彷彿聽見說愛妳
you're the sun and moon of my heart, it's written right here
on this journey, everything before and after is immaterial, what mattered was that I met you
how i wish to be transformed into the clay underneath your feet, yeah
at this moment in the ravine where there is no one around
I seem to hear myself say that I love you

你是我心中的日月光芒
you are the radiance of the sun and the moon of my heart

我的漂泊不懂泥巴　妳的美麗不堪動盪 (dongdang)
妳單純　我迷惘　妳戀家　我流浪　山谷中　這一切　帶不走
in my drifting I'm not afraid of mud
your beauty bears no turmoil
you're pure, I'm lost
you're homely, I'm a nomad
I can't bring everything away from the valley

妳愛抬頭(taitou)擁抱陽光　喔～我得眺望下個前往
我走開　妳留下　我回憶　妳昇華　至少我們會仰望(yangwang)同一片天空
you love lifting your head to embrace the sunlight
from my vantage point, I understood where I should go next
I left, you stayed, I reminisce, you ascend splendidly
at least we would be looking at the same sky

置身在　傳說中　人間天堂
妳是我　心中的　日月光芒
帶領我　找到妳　的芬芳　放不下
living on in a legend, heaven among mankind
you are the radiance of the sun and the moon of my heart
bringing me to your fragrance
I couldn't let go


動蕩/动荡 dòngdàng - unrest (social or political) / turmoil / upheaval / commotion



心中的日月

作詞：陳宇佐
作曲：王力宏
編曲：王力宏

你是我心中的日月光芒

手中握著格桑花呀　美的讓我忘了摘下
妳的真　帶著香　妳的香　會說話
妳的話　好像只　對我說

我的專長叫做流浪　妳註定要為我綻放
我的心　尋找家　我的家　沒有花
我的花卻在這山谷等著我

＃若一開始　沒有上帝　暗中偷偷的慫恿
我們怎知選擇相逢　喔～

你是心中的日月　落在這裡　旅程的前後多餘　只為遇到妳
多麼想幻化成為妳腳下的泥　yeah　此刻的無人山谷　彷彿聽見說愛妳

你是我心中的日月光芒

我的漂泊不懂泥巴　妳的美麗不堪動盪
妳單純　我迷惘　妳戀家　我流浪
山谷中　這一切　帶不走

妳愛抬頭擁抱陽光　喔～我得眺望下個前往
我走開　妳留下　我回憶　妳昇華
至少我們會仰望同一片天空

Repeat ＃

你是心中的日月　落在這裡　旅程的前後多餘　只為遇到妳
多麼想幻化成為妳腳下的泥　yeah　那天的無人山谷(那一天)　彷彿聽見說愛妳

置身在　傳說中　人間天堂
妳是我　心中的　日月光芒
帶領我　找到妳　的芬芳　放不下

你是心中的日月　落在這裡
旅程的前後多餘　只為遇到妳
多麼想幻化成為妳腳下的泥
那天的無人山谷　彷彿聽見說愛妳　那天聽見說愛妳

pop and God

Audience member:
Hello, I have two questions. The first one may be similar to the one before. I'm wondering what do you think on what exactly is the role of C-pop play in helping each other understand [trails off].. for example, Psy's Gangnam Style, it was a huge hit and it was successful, but most people just heard it as a song from a Korean but not really think about the Korean culture behind it, so I'm just wondering how do you think Chinese pop music can really play the role to help each other understand [more of the Chinese culture] as individuals but not just as just Chinese [Ed: I think this was a really good question that could have been worded better].

My second question is whether you recognize [consider] yourself a Christian and if so, I'm wondering what you think is the way of living a Christian life for you.

Leehom:
For me? Okay, wow. All right. Let's talk about Psy first, and then we'll talk about God.

I don't think we can put too much pressure on Psy on one song. I'm really really excited and I'm happy for that phenomenon, and I think it shows possibilities that didn't exist before, but we can't say that, "and that saves us from all our problems and solves everything for us." It is just one song, but hopefully it is the beginning of much more, and I think it is. And so are the co-productions that we see are happening in China right now. But I think they are mostly economically driven because China's box office is so strong that these tent-pole projects from the movie companies in Hollywood wants to tap into that, and it's so much easier to do when you have got Fan Bin Bing or Li Bing Bing, or Zhang Xue Qi.. [corrects himself] Wang Xue Qi, playing a role and on a poster, "oh 我要去看" and people get excited by that.

Your second question: I do consider myself a Christian, and that has been a very big part of my life, especially recently. I think for an artist, who is constantly trying to create and search and just to listen and to reach into thin air and come up with something that speaks to the heart and speaks to the the soul and look for inspiration. I look around human history and some of the greatest arts and some of the greatest music being religiously motivated, religiously based and inspired, and I don't think that's an accident. Well that speaks a lot to me, and my relationship with God and as a Christian has been very important as an artist. I don't know what to say what the best way to live a Christian life is, but I think as a Christ follower, I think that's more of the politically correct way to say it these days.

note: some minor grammatical corrections made. leaving the rest be.

-------

I thought those were very good questions -- ones that I would have asked too :D I had to listen and read his answers a good few times to connect the questions and answers (my "tempo" was way off his on this I guess). But one thing I didn't get was what he meant by but I think as a Christ follower, I think that's more of the politically correct way to say it these days. I thought that was confusing, especially when he ended the answer with just that. I think he could have just ended it without the last sentence.

Anyhoo... I was actually very glad that he was asked and answered the question about his faith, because I've always wished he was a wee bit more vocal about it. And I think his answer is so true, because as a pseudo-artist myself *cough* that was the gist of how I think an artist relates to his Creator.. esp the part about reaching into thin air for an inspiration to create something that could stir the hearts of men.. Is it weird that I sometimes pray for him? Haha.. but I do hope that his relationship with God is a vibrant one, and I'm thankful that he has many friends and co-workers who profess the faith, so that iron may sharpen iron. :)

Well, he generally doesn't really talk about his relationship with God much (maybe because he wasn't specifically asked about them, unlike how the girl did in the video. the pesky paparazzi is only interested in his love life, and because it (sadly) doesn't exist, they have constant field days making stories up, one more bizarre than another, or they kept digging up old rumors about supposed former ex-flames). But this song was one of the times when he was more explicit with his faith. He wrote it back in 1996, putting himself in the shoes of Noah as the patriarch experienced the flood. I could relate to the emotions and thoughts that the song was trying to convey, and hence it is here on my top 20 list of fav LH tracks :)

#4 Noah

P/S: I've also written about this song here.

another blast from my past

I have been bingeing on the Jacky Cheung's songs the past three nights. I didn't realise (or rather, have forgotten) that his songs were such a huge part of my younger days, until I started browsing through Youtube and was just singing along to song after song. But then again, I probably only know like 5% of his songs, because according to wiki, he has to-date released 57 albums in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. O_O

I have been a fan for the longest time, from around the time when I was in early secondary school. And I've always thought that he was the king of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop (the other three being Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai). He didn't act much, but I remember enjoying the movies he was in, and of course, his songs. That voice! I think he hardly wrote any songs though (maybe it wasn't a trend back then), so talent-wise, I'd think LH > JC la la la.. :D

I wonder if I'd ever get to watch him live. When he came last year for his 1/2 Century Tour, I queued at The Rock Corner for a futile effort to get his tickets. (Well, as I type, I'm tuning into an HD full concert on Youtube. Ah, to be there!) My other dream is to watch that musical Snow. Wolf. Lake, which was written and directed by him. I don't think it ever made its way here, and I've no idea if anyone's gonna revive it, but that would be such a treat!

Anyway, I don't know if I'm going to do a series on Jacky, so I'm just gonna list my favorite tunes (the list is getting longer and longer as I type haha!)

• 吻别
• 暗戀你
• 李香蘭
• 愛是永恆 
• 真情流露
  
• 不老的傳說
  
• 我真的受傷了
• 只想一生跟你走
• 分手總要在雨天
• 每天愛你多一些
• 還是覺得你最好
  
• 一千個傷心的理由
• 我等到花兒也謝了
• 妳的名字 我的姓氏 (acoustic)

Or.. you could just check this Youtube channel - she has put up HD versions of his songs (and some other singers too).

Just thought I'd translate one of my fav songs here. I find that it's not as easy to translate from Cantonese, I wonder why..



爱是永恒
张学友
作词：林振强    作曲：Dick Lee

有始不有终　能受百样痛
从没有合约合同　但却跨时空
这滔滔不息的爱　我赠给你用
这一生　和下世　有几多全奉送
there was a beginning without an end
enduring a hundred kinds of pain
there was never a need for a contract or an agreement
but crossing over time and space
this endlessly surging love, i present to you
this life, and the next, how much of myself could I give

闭起的眼中　无论重又重
仍是见着你面容　在我心湖中
这份爱　永远都存在
共你同在　无尽永恒中
with my eyes closed, no matter how heavy
i could still see you in my heart's heart
this love will forever exist
together with you in eternity

有着我便有着你　真爱是永不死　穿过喜和悲　跨过生和死
有着我便有着你　千个万个世纪　绝未离弃　爱是永恒当所爱是你
where there's me, there's you, true love will not die
through joy or tears, crossing over life and death
where there's me, there's you

not a thousand or ten thousand lifetimes could separate us

love is eternal when all that's loved is you

两手虽似空　其实抱着你
其实你没有别离　在我心湖中
每掠过　也似风撩动
令这湖上　无尽爱浪涌
although my hands looks empty, they are actually embracing you
you've never left my heart's heart
every fleeting moment is like wind stirred up
and causes the endless love on this lake to surge

when hate becomes love

so yeah, I hated this song when I first heard it (back in the early days of my fangirlism which is like.. a year ago). well, it all started when I didn't understand what he was singing about (there were too many songs of his to check out then), and the only phrases I could understand immediately then were the lines in English, and you know how much I love (that was kinda sarcastic, in case the italics doesn't mean anything to you) something as hackneyed as "'cos you're my everything..." -- when i first heard it, i was like, hello, the 90's called and they wanted their chorus back!

and the music video didn't help at all. in fact, i was completely baffled by it: he was all lovey dovey with the girl in a boat, and all of a sudden the boat capsized and she fell over, and when he jumped into the water to rescue her, he never found her... mysteriously, she never resurfaced and he didn't seem too perturbed by that after what seemed to be a short search. and i was like whaaa--? -____- I can be too literal a person sometimes, hence the video just made no sense to me. so yeah, that was strike two!

soooo, you ask, how did a song I've practically wrote off make it into my top 20??

ok, the thing is, although I tried to keep away, the song still got played when I wasn't actively skipping it when it came up on my WLH playlist, and I'd soon realised that every time when I heard it I actually really liked the melody. a lot! and there's also that one line in there that felt very personal to me (not telling which ;).. a while later, I saw this video clip of him singing just the chorus (you know, the part I couldn't stand most in the song) at his concert -- and oh my, the earnestness with which he sang that part really got to me. srsly, if he sang the phone book with that much passion, I'd lap it up haha! and finally, as for the MV, someone explained in the comments that the girl he was with "was never into the relationship, so everything that he did with her was just part of his imagination. it's really sad because he eventually realized that and thus she 'disappeared'", and I thought, aha that made sense! and with that, the bothersome part of my mind was acquiesced haha!

so I revisited the song, and when I understood the rest of it, whaddya know, I loved it! :)

#3 Everything

故事裡的起承轉合有一些忘記
做了多少錯誤的選擇
原來波折才暗示(anshi)著該走的方向
指引(zhiying)妳我來到這一刻
就算別人都說我們沒什麼出息
不可能會這樣輕易放棄
I've kinda forgotten how the story went and all the wrong choices I've made
but it turned out that the twists and turns were hints at the direction we ought to have taken
guiding you and I to this very moment where we are
and even if other people thought that there was nothing special about us
we couldn't just give up so easily

Note: The individual Chinese characters [起承轉合] mean "opening, development, twist, resolution." They are traditionally used to label the four lines of a classical quatrain, of which the first states the basic situation, the second amplifies it, the third introduces something unexpected, and the fourth completes the picture, usually by resolving the puzzle of the third line but sometimes by extending it.

cause you're my everything
就一個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 不管用多少個明天
永遠從此刻開始算起
妳的愛是我的everything
cause you're my everything
and just that one reason alone emboldens me to face this world
i want to give you everything, no matter how many tomorrows it takes
forever begins this very moment
your love is my everything

遼闊(liaokuo)天際 巧合相遇 有多少機率(jilv)
多少煙火墜落無痕跡
因為幸福 沒有捷徑 (jie jing) 難免要繞道
不被看好越是要走到
what were the odds that our encounter across this vast horizon was a coincidence?
how much could the fireworks fall from the sky without leaving any trace?
because there's no shortcut to happiness, and you can't escape it
if you don't carefully watch over it, the more it wants walk elsewhere (?)

就算別人都說我們沒什麼出息
不可能會這樣輕易放棄
and even if other people thought that there was nothing special about us
we couldn't just give up so easily

妳就是everything
就這個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 只要妳說一聲願意
所有的未來才有意義
妳的愛是我的everything
you are everything
and just that one reason alone emboldens me to face this world
i want to give you everything, you only have to say "yes"
the future is then meaningful
your love is my everything

Cause you're my everything
就這個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 不管用多少個明天
永遠從此刻開始算起
妳就是everything
就如這個原因 我會永遠記住這種感覺
想給妳everything 只要妳說一聲願意
所有的未來才有意義
妳的愛是我的everything
cause you're my everything
and just that one reason alone emboldens me to face this world
i want to give you everything, no matter how many tomorrows it takes
forever begins this very moment
you are my everything
and for that one reason alone, I'll remember this feeling
I want to give you everything, you only have to say yes
the future is then meaningful
your love is my everything


遼闊/辽阔 liáokuò - vast, extensive
機率/机率 jīlǜ - probability / odds (common in Taiwan)
捷徑/捷径 jiéjìng - shortcut
繞道/绕道 ràodào - roundabout route / detour



Everything
作詞：王力宏/小寒
作曲/編：王力宏

故事裡的起承轉合有一些忘記
做了多少錯誤的選擇
原來波折才暗示著該走的方向
指引妳我來到這一刻

就算別人都說我們沒什麼出息
不可能會這樣輕易放棄

Cause you're my everything
就一個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 不管用多少個明天
永遠從此刻開始算起
妳的愛是我的everything

遼闊天際 巧合相遇 有多少機率
多少煙火墜落無痕跡
因為幸福 沒有捷徑 難免要繞道
不被看好越是要走到

就算別人都說我們沒什麼出息
不可能會這樣輕易放棄

妳就是everything
就這個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 只要妳說一聲願意
所有的未來才有意義
妳的愛是我的everything

Cause you're my everything
就這個原因 讓我勇敢面對這個世界
想給妳everything 不管用多少個明天
永遠從此刻開始算起
妳就是everything
就如這個原因 我會永遠記住這種感覺
想給妳everything 只要妳說一聲願意
所有的未來才有意義
妳的愛是我的everything

[this is both a translation post and also a top 20 Leehom track post. two for the price of one -- woo hoo! :)]
click here for the list of my Top 20 Favorite Leehom Tracks.

my favorite Leehom tracks. why? because... HAPPY BURFDAY MUSIC MAN! :)

this started off as a top 10 list, then 15, and it still wasn't easy for me to stop at 20.. but I had to or this post might as well be a mini novel. but 20 songs in a post a kinda an overkill, so i'll break it into a few posts (however many I could muster each time)(also because i wanna write grandmother stories about each one haha). so in random order, here are my favorite Leehom tracks..

oh but before I start, I just wanna give a shout-out to him:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEEHOM!!!!

it felt like I had just wished you hbd. but here we are, another trip around the sun later.. w00t!

anyway, I adapted my concert card for LH to make him this birthday card, a physical copy of which is supposedly on its way to him (if the fan club wasn't pulling my legs).. so exciting! thanks to D for rallying the few of us together to do this! ^_^

soooooo, here they are.. the first two of twenty (I'd actually wanted to do more here, but I've been really busy with work (that's a good thing! :) and my diploma class (meh.).. and again, those numbers beside the song title are random (just so we'll know when I reach #20), not ranking!

#1 龍的傳人 Descendants of the Dragon

what's special to me about this song was that I actually remember watching a live performance of this song on TV some 13 years ago in 2000 when it first came out, and I remember thinking that, wow, this version is awesome! (I'm kinda a sucker for contemporary remixes of anything old :).. I already knew of him then, but too bad that while i enjoyed the fresh twist, I didn't give him any more thought hehe.. mm, around that time, the only Chinese singer I was into then was David Tao.. :)

I really want to tell you more about the song, because this is not just any other old patriotic Chinese song. if you go through its lyrics, you would probably see as I did see why it appeals deeply to the Chinese, in particular first and second generations of the Chinese diaspora who must have missed home (theirs or those of their ancestors) like crazy back in those Internet-less days---case in point, my parents (who definitely had something to do with me knowing the original version of the song)(and Leehom of course). anyway, I have never really relate to this song, maybe because I identify more as a Malaysian (srsly, if I ever hear another pendatang comment... grr! nevertheless, I found this for you:

Notes: [...] The verse in the original version about cannon fire breaking through a tranquil night refers to the Opium Wars. China’s defeat in the two conflicts (1839-42 and 1858-1860) led to the “unequal treaties,” which not only opened treaty ports and carved up part of the Chinese coastline with foreign concessions, but were also instrumental in opening the country to western contact and legalizing Chinese emigration. The treaties were often referred to as a “national humiliation.”

This song was written by Taiwan singer/songwriter Hou Dejian (候德建) in December of 1978, in response to the American decision to break off diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) and establish relations with the People's Republic of China. Though it gained popularity as a patriotic song, in fact, Hou’s metaphor of growing up “under the claw of the dragon” demonstrates a certain amount of ambivalence toward China. As scholar Geremie R. Barme has noted, "'Heirs' [the song is also known as Heirs of the Dragon, hence, Heirs] had originally been written after the U.S. abandonment of the Republic of China in 1978 to express profound frustration with the traditions that the song appeared, at least superficially, to romanticize."

"Heirs" was first recorded by singer Li Jianfu (李建復), and it quickly spread across Taiwan as a nationalistic anthem. A Cantonese version was recorded by Hong Kong patriotic singer Zhang Mingmin (張明敏). In 2000, Chinese American Leehom Wang (王力宏) recorded his version, adding an English-language rap and changing the last verse to reference the experience of Taiwanese immigrants in the United States instead of the Opium Wars. Li Jianfu is Leehom's second cousin (表叔), and the one responsible for getting Leehom involved in the Taiwanese music industry.

In 1983, Hou Dejian violated Guomindang travel restrictions and traveled to mainland China. “Heirs of the Dragon” became wildly popular in China, where it was embraced as an expression of Chinese nationalism and the importance of reunification. Hou’s recording career continued on the mainland, and he met up with many of the illustrious figures of 1980s Chinese music. In the spring of 1989, “Heirs of the Dragon” was adopted alongside songs like “The Internationale (國際歌)” and Cui Jian’s “Nothing to my name (一無所有)” by the student democracy movement in Tiananmen Square. Hou became deeply involved in the movement, and he helped lead a hunger strike in the Square beginning June 2. Because of his actions, he was deported from China back to Taiwan in 1990.

In May, 1989, at a concert in Hong Kong to support the students in Beijing, Hou made two changes to the lyrics. In the line "surrounded on all sides by the appeasers' swords," he replaced "appeasers" with "dictators" (四面楚歌是獨裁的劍). The second change was even more profound. During the course of his years on the mainland, Hou had met many individuals (including the student leader in Beijing) who were Chinese nationals, but ethnic minorities. In other words, he learned that not all of the Chinese people had "black hair, black eyes, yellow skin." He changed that line to, "Whether you are willing or not, forever and ever an heir of the dragon" (不管你自己願不願意，永永遠遠是龍的傳人). The change reflects the ambivalence in the song's original message, though the version later recorded by Leehom Wang is far more uncritically nationalistic and reverts to the original "black hair, black eyes, yellow skin" line.

Over the years, the song fell out of favor with those advocating for independence for Taiwan, but continues to hold strong pull as a patriotic song in China (none of the popular songs sung at the protests seem to have had their popularity damaged by association). Scholars have suggested that “Heirs of the Dragon,” with its illustration of the how ethnic ties can overcome geographic distance, has also been embraced by Chinese communities overseas, though the song’s popularity surges and retreats. In recent years, it has experienced a resurgence in interest as a result of Leehom's introduction of his rock/pop version and its status as a standard at his concerts.

[via One Day in May]

#2 花田錯 Mistake in the Flower Field

As I've mentioned, this is my all-time favorite LH song. I love everything about it, the poetic lines with obscure (to me) Chinese literature references, the infusion of Chinese musical instrument (the erhu), the melody.. so Chinese, and yet, so..... I don't know how to describe it leh, so I'll let none other than the b'day boy himself explain it (excerpt from a 2008 interview by acclaimed writer Tash Aw):

Tash: You used this (the incorporation of sounds from the music and songs of ethnic minorities into contemporary music in trying to change the way we approach the contemporary form) to stunning effect, I think, in your 2005 album Heroes of the Earth. I remember being completely blown away the first time I heard Hua Tian Cuo (translated roughly – and unsatisfactorily – as Mistake in the Flower Field). To me, it seems to capture the spirit of East Asian pop culture today.

It was so musically innovative – the erhu (Chinese two-string violin) was totally unexpected, as was the vocal line making reference to Beijing opera. It’s really not what you’d expect in a Chinese pop song. It’s a breath of fresh air – even today. Did you set out to be consciously innovative with that album?

Leehom: Very much so. It’s interesting that you picked up on the vocal line, because there’s a lot of melisma (the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession, as heard in plainsong or the blues) in that song.

I wanted that melismatic line to refer to traditional Beijing opera and kunqu (traditional Chinese theatre) because language is something that’s really important to me. I like to explore the potential of the Chinese language, to see how it can offer a more satisfying experience than English.

With Hua Tian Cuo I asked to study with some of the greatest Beijing opera singers to study their technique, but these guys don’t teach in the formal Western sense. They just imitate their teachers at first, then develop their own style.

It’s very hard training, because it isn’t structured, and by the age of 50 their voices are gone! There’s a lot of pain involved, physical and emotional.

[via]

okay i gtg sleep dy. don't wanna be zombie in class again. tas!