The lockdown in Metro Manila was initially set to end on April 14 and as soon as April came, Youtube has been very smart in recommending videos. I chanced upon three very nice and heart-warming songs about springtime and would like to share these songs as I have been listening to them on loop and I see no possibility of stopping any time soon. When the lockdown was extended, these songs have given me a reason to still smile and see the beauty of the world.
Many know that I very rarely explore Western music nowadays. I am not up-to-date with all the fad these days because most songs, even local ones, talk about sex and drugs and whatnot. I miss the days when songs are gentle and romantic. Of course I am also into dark emotions, being a big fan of Linkin Park and Simple Plan, but then most times the soul craves really good music.
Last year, I discovered a lot of musical talents in China. I tune to to singing contests to look out for awesome singers. These singers do not just sing, they reinterpret songs and they really own the music. One of my first idols was 陈冰 whose vocal stamina really blew me away. Eventually I would be lapping up music by Tibetan artists and just fall deeply in love with their vocal range, the harmony emerging from combinations of different textures, the melismatic singing style that can put one in a trance, and discovering popular artists along the way.
One very beautiful song that intrigued me was a song by Dolphin Princess Jane Zhang (张靓颖). The video I saw was 11-minute long from the music show 经典咏流传. After her performance, there was a short Q&A about the song and its connection to Zhang's personal life, especially her city Chengdu. Apparently, some parts of the song are actually derived from one of the most popular Tang poets 杜甫 (Du Fu) who was a contemporary of the more well known 李白 (Li Bai). The latter cannot be unknown to any Chinese who's had Chinese education as we are made to memorize his most famous poem 静夜思 (Thoughts on a Silent Night). I still know the verses up to now. I honestly knew about Du Fu only around my college days when I frequented a literature forum and there was a Canadian college student there whom I took a liking to because at such a young age he was very knowledgeable about literature and is also very much into Chinese literature, citing Du Fu more often than not.
So anyway, I found the song super beautiful that I searched for the full episode and was super awed by how China reinvents itself from old traditions. Classical poems from different dynasties are transformed into songs and reinterpreted by professional singers. Since the song talks about the gentle spring rain and how it moistens all things silently at night. As explained by Zhang, she wanted the song to reflect the gentleness of old traditions in Chengdu, for it to have the flavor of the place, for it to be like the spring rain in Chengdu wherein the precipitation is very fine that instead of wanting to hold up an umbrella, you would instead feel comfortable. In fact, one poetry master commented that Du Fu lived most peacefully in Chengdu and has grasped the very unique characteristic of Chengdu's spring rain. Now I want to go to Chengdu badly. A Chinese scholar I met in Spain would always tell me that the hotpot in Chengdu is the best. Another bonus is that Chengdu is in Sichuan province so I would definitely unleash my foodie mode there. OMG I hope somebody sends me to China once all this Covid-19 thing is over.
And while listening to 春夜喜雨 nonstop one night, I finally also searched for 李春宇 (Chris Lee) whose name appears in some articles I read because of her winning the Super Girl contest despite his androgynous look. While I have been hooked for weeks now, it's just a few days ago that I realize that she may just be the live version of Sailor Uranus, and both are also into music. CUTE! <3
I don't like all of Chris Lee's songs so I am glad that Youtube first showed me 春风十里 which is about a person pining for someone. I imagine Q singing this to me because of the last line that says, "I say that there is not one wine that compares to you", because a few days prior we were chatting and we both said we miss each other. He suggested that we drink after lockdown and I said sure as long as he does the mixing coz he's really good at it and when I am with him, I feel safe. [Except it's been two weeks since we last had a really nice chat and our last chat was brief and not so good because he was angry at someone. Or I don't know, maybe he just stopped caring about me. But it's all good if that's what he wants. But as always, I am waiting in vain for guys to just tell me outright. But whatever.]
I was surprised that Chris was also featured in 经典咏流传 and she sang 你是人间的四月天 (You are Humanity's April Spring) which is adapted from a contemporary poem written by a mother for her son. The first time I heard this song, I felt like it is addressed to the our frontliners, to all the heroes doing all the work to prevent further transmission of Covid-19. Just so timely that Covid-19 will peak in April and so frontliners work extra hard. The song is full of beautiful imagery portraying spring and likens the object of affection to this beauty. It ends with 你是爱， 是暖， 是希望，你是人间的四月天 (You are love, warmth, and hope; You are mankind's April spring). I shared this song to Q thanking him for also being like an April spring to me. [And as I have already mentioned, right now we no longer chat. Maybe he got pissed when I subtly hinted at wanting to do a video call together the last time we chatted and he was in a foul mood. But whatever. I miss him. And again, whatever.]
No comments:
Post a Comment