Chinese Songs
December 14th, 2005 -- Posted in memories | 9 Comments »I have no idea how this started tonight, but instead of the usual genre I’d play on iTunes, I clicked on A-mei’s albums… and searched for the song 聽海.
I did not start listening to mandarin songs during my younger days. Ironically, I started appreciating mandarin songs when I was in US. I remember it started with songs I heard in my Taiwanese pal’s car, and for a moment felt the thrill of connection with a fellow Chinese in a place where we are a minority. It was a feeling I had never experienced when growing up in a multi-ethnical community. From where I come from, I spoke mandarin with my parents, english with sibblings and friends… with a lil bit of hokkien-teochew mixed rojak dialect. It was weird listening to nice music playing with lyrics in a language I was only used to conversations.
Though I had heard mandarin songs every year during CNY, it had never occurred to me how mandarin songs can also be enjoyable when it’s in a different genre. Mandarin R&B to be exact. Following that encounter, I met a girl during my summer break back in Singapore who intro’d me to A-mei and when I fell in love with her, I fell in love with her favorite music of A-mei as well. Over the years we stayed together when she moved to US with me, my passion for mandarin songs grew more sentimental than musical. Sad chinese lyrics actually brought tears to my eyes. I even got into singing some David Tao’s song in shower!
Even after we had to go separate ways for personal reasons, I brought my likings for mandarin songs back when I returned home to Singapore. I found my likings towards more chinese R&B and rock with the likes of Jay Chow, Eason Chan, and even Taiwanese band MayDay. That went on for a year… until I lost myself after started working. It was all lost then… the sentiments, the screaming of K-song in shower… to the switch to electronic music and then back to jazz… until tonight.
Listening to 聽海 now… feeling the nostrology.
