你是我的眼 (Ni Shi Wo de Yan) by 蕭煌奇 (Xiao Huang Qi)

Another popular selection for contestants on shows like One Million Star (超級星光大道) and Super Idol (超級偶像) is this song, whose title translates literally to “You Are My Eyes.” Although a version by newcomer Yoga Lin (林宥嘉) circulated after his turn as a competitor on One Million Star, it’s the original artist, blind singer-songwriter Ricky Hsiao, who has the emotional force to carry this song. The video is a tearjerker, up there with Guang Liang‘s “Tong Hua” (童話), one of those that it’s hard to look away from when you’re watching. (It’s also kind of important to pay attention in order to understand the story, which cuts back and forth in time.) The lyrics are mildly difficult, with a few faster moments, but the belty chorus is also likely to cause trouble for those who can’t belt on key. For the sake of your audience, keep in mind that singing loudly does not always equate to singing well! 如果我能看得見 就能輕易的分辨白天黑夜

ru guo wo neng kan de jian jiu neng qing yi de fen bian bai tian hei ye 就能準確的在人群中牽住你的手

jiu neng zhun que de zai ren qun zhong qian zhu ni de shou 如果我能看得見 就能駕車帶你到處遨遊

ru guo wo neng kan de jian jiu neng jia che dai ni dao chu ao you 就能驚喜的從背後給你一個擁抱

jiu neng jing xi de cong bei hou gei ni yi ge yong bao 如果我能看得見 生命也許完全不同

ru guo wo neng kan de jian sheng ming ye xu wan quan bu tong 可能我想要的我喜歡的我愛的 都不一樣

ke neng wo xiang yao de wo xi huan de wo ai de dou bu yi yang 眼前的黑不是黑 你說的白是什麼白

yan qian de hei bu shi hei ni shuo de bai shi shen me bai 人們說的天空藍 是我記憶中那團白雲背後的藍天

ren men shuo de tian kong lan shi wo ji yi zhong na tuan bai yun bei hou de lan tian 我望向你的臉 卻只能看見一片虛無

wo wang xiang ni de lian que zhi neng kan jian yi pian xu wu 是不是上帝在我眼前遮住了簾 忘了掀開

shi bu shi shang di zai wo yan qian zhe zhu le lian wang le xian kai Chorus: 你是我的眼 帶我領略四季的變換

ni shi wo de yan dai wo ling lue si ji de bian huan 你是我的眼 帶我穿越擁擠的人潮

ni shi wo de yan dai wo chuan yue yong ji de ren chao 你是我的眼 帶我閱讀浩瀚的書海

ni shi wo de yan dai wo yue du hao han de shu hai 因為你是我的眼 讓我看見這世界就在我眼前

yin wei ni shi wo de yan rang wo kan jian zhe shi jie jiu zai wo yan qian 就在我眼前

jiu zai wo yan qian 眼前的黑不是黑 你說的白是什麼白

yan qian de hei bu shi hei ni shuo de bai shi shen me bai 人們說的天空藍 是我記憶中那團白雲背後的藍天

ren men shuo de tian kong lan shi wo ji yi zhong na tuan bai yun bei hou de lan tian 我望向你的臉 卻只能看見一片虛無

wo wang xiang ni de lian que zhi neng kan jian yi pian xu wu 是不是上帝在我眼前遮住了簾 忘了掀開

shi bu shi shang di zai wo yan qian zhe zhu le lian wang le xian kai Chorus 2x Ricky Hsiao’s official website (Chinese): http://www.xiaohuangchi.idv.tw/ Ricky Hsiao on Wikipedia (English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Huang-Chi Lyrics on KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/aV-n-UA06924lNnxJNnxJ0P4-index.html#lyrics

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記得(Ji De) by 張惠妹 (A-Mei)/ 2010 cover by 林俊傑 (JJ Lin)

JJ Lin (林俊傑) was awfully clever to cover this popular song, which he originally wrote for A-Mei (張惠妹) in 2001. A-Mei’s version still tops the charts at KTV, even 10 years later, and the song is also a popular choice for competitors on Taiwan’s ubiquitous idol shows. Sure, the song has already been covered by such big names as Khalil Fong (方大同) and Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰), but Lin’s voice has the strength to carry the song that Fong’s does not, and Hsiao’s unique sound is a mismatch for the quiet sadness of A-Mei’s classic (not to mention the drums in Hsiao’s version are a bit much). It’s a challenge to remake a song whose original is so popular, but Lin has managed it quite well. Learners of Chinese will find this song to be only moderately challenging. It does require a solid foundation for common characters, but there are few difficult words/characters in the song. As for the vocals, the lower key of JJ Lin’s version is manageable for both men and women, but women can consider trying out A-Mei’s version for a challenge. Below are both versions. Enjoy! Chorus: 誰還記得 是誰先說 永遠的愛我

shei hai ji de shi shei xian shuo yong yuan de ai wo 以前的一句話 是我們以後的傷口

yi qian de yi ju hua shi wo men yi hou de shang kou 過了太久 沒人記得當初那些溫柔

guo le tai jiu mei ren ji de dang chu na xie wen rou 我和你手牽手 說要一起 走到最後

wo han ni shou qian shou shuo yao yi qi zou dao zui hou 我們都忘了 這條路走了多久

wo men dou wang le zhe tiao lu zou le duo jiu 心中是清楚的 有一天 有一天都會停的

xin zhong shi qing chu de you yi tian you yi tian dou hui ting de 讓時間說真話 雖然我也害怕

rang shi jian shuo zhen hua sui ran wo ye hai pa 在天黑了以後 我們都不知道會不會有以後

zai tian hei le yi hou wo men dou bu zhi dao hui bu hui you yi hou Chorus 1 x 我們都累了 卻沒辦法往回走

wo men dou lei le que mei ban fa wang hui zou 兩顆心都迷惑 怎麼說 怎麼說都沒有救

liang ke xin dou mi huo zen me shuo zen me shuo dou mei you jiu 親愛的為什麼 也許你也不懂

qin ai de wei shen me ye xu ni ye bu dong 兩個相愛的人 等著對方先說想分開的理由

liang ge xiang ai de ren deng zhe dui fang xian shuo xiang fen kai de li you Alternate chorus: 誰還記得愛情開始變化的時候

shei hai ji de ai qing kai shi bian hua de shi hou 我和你的眼中 看見了不同的天空

wo han ni de yan zhong kan jian le bu tong de tian kong 走的太遠 終於走到分岔路的路口

zou de tai yuan zhong yu zou dao fen cha lu de lu kou 是不是你和我 要有兩個相反的夢

shi bu shi ni he wo yao you liang ge xiang fan de meng Chorus 1x 我和你手牽手 說要一起 走到最後

wo han ni shou qian shou shuo yao yi qi zou dao zui hou JJ Lin on Wikipedia (English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JJ_Lin A-Mei on Wikipedia (English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-mei Lyrics at KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/.OFfIMRS4H.M51lel1lel0H4-index.html Permalink 2 Comments

不想長大 (Bu Xiang Zhang Da) by S.H.E.

It barely took any time after my arrival in Taiwan in 2005 to become aware of the music of S.H.E. It played everywhere and at all hours, and was so catchy that, when S.H.E.’s 不想長大 album came out that year, it became one of the first Mandopop albums I ever bought. The ridiculous cutesy cover (which you can see here) also had something to do with my purchase, I think. Five years later, I can’t say I’ve become an S.H.E. fan, but I’ve at least learned several of the ballads on the album. Still, it’s this title track that I still haven’t conquered. Despite the fact that the chorus is largely made up of common characters, its speed and rhythm make it a tongue-twisting nightmare. Great enunciation practice if you need it! 為什麼就是找不到 不謝的玫瑰花

wei shen me jiu shi zhao bu dao bu xie de mei gui hua 為什麼遇見的王子 都不夠王子啊

wei shen me yu jian de wang zi dou bu gou wang zi a 我並不期盼他會有 玻璃鞋和白馬

wo bing bu qi pan ta hui you bo li xie he bai ma 我驚訝的是情話竟然 會變成謊話

wo jing ya de shi qing hua jing ran hui bian cheng huang hua 為什麼幸福的青鳥 要飛的那麼高

wei shen me xing fu de qing niao yao fei de na me gao 為什麼蘋果和擁抱 都可能是毒藥

wei shen me ping guo he yong bao dou ke neng shi du yao 我從沒想過有了他 還孤單的可怕

wo cong mei xiang guo you le ta hai gu dan de ke pa 我突然想起從前陪我那個洋娃娃

wo tu ran xiang qi cong qian pei wo na ge yang wa wa Chorus 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 長大後 世界就沒童話

zhang da hou shi jie jiu mei tong hua 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 我寧願 永遠都 笨又傻

wo ning yuan yong yuan dou ben you sha 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 長大後 我就會 失去他

zhang da hou wo jiu hui shi qu ta 我深愛的他 深愛我的他

wo shen ai de ta shen ai wo de ta 已經變得不像他

yi jing bian de bu xiang ta 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 長大後 世界就沒童話

zhang da hou shi jie jiu mei tong hua 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 我寧願 永遠都 笨又傻

wo ning yuan yong yuan dou ben you sha 我不想 我不想 不想長大

wo bu xiang wo bu xiang bu xiang zhang da 長大後 我就會 失去他

zhang da hou wo jiu hui shi qu ta 我深愛的他 深愛我的他

wo shen ai de ta shen ai wo de ta 怎麼會 愛上別個他

zen me hui ai shang bie ge ta 為什麼水晶球裡面 看不出他在變

wei shen me shui jing qiu li mian kan bu chu ta zai bian 為什麼結局沒歡笑 而是淚流滿面

wei shen me jie ju mei huan xiao er shi lei liu man mian 我願意在他回來前 繼續安靜沉睡

wo yuan yi zai ta hui lai qian ji xu an jing chen shui 但他已去到別座城堡 吻另一雙嘴

dan ta yi qu dao bie zuo cheng bao wen ling yi shuang zui 為什麼對流星許願 卻從來沒實現

wei shen me dui liu xing xu yuan que cong lai mei shi xian 為什麼英勇的騎士 會比龍還危險

wei shen me ying yong de qi shi hui bi long hai wei xian 我當然知道這世界 不會完美無暇

wo dang ran zhi dao zhe shi jie bu hui wan mei wu xia 我只求愛情能夠不要那麼樣複雜

wo zhi qiu ai qing neng gou bu yao na me yang fu za Chorus 1x 讓我們回去從前好不好

rang wo men hui qu cong qian hao bu hao 天真愚蠢快樂美好．．．．

tian zhen yu chen kuai le mei hao…. Chorus 1x Lyrics at KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/abkw4G904TW41IA8.IA8.0P4-index.html S.H.E.’s official site: http://www.him.com.tw/artist_a.asp?aid=1 Permalink 3 Comments

Movie Music: 愛你愛到死 (Ai Ni Ai Dao Si) by 同恩, 夏宇童, & 大大 (Rebecca, Xia Yu Tong, and DaDa)

This song appeared with 無樂不作 in the film Cape No. 7 (海角七號) in one of the film’s most memorable musical moments. If you’ve forgotten the scene, here is scene-stealer 楊蕎安 (DaDa) rocking out: The actual music video for the song is just as memorable, with its juxtaposition of cute and emo, complete with a guitar-playing bear. That’s not to say that this is a particularly great song, but it’s catchy and silly, making it great for KTV. It’s also fairly easy song, since it contains only a few advanced words, and contains only one verse. Make sure to sing “Amen” after you finish! Intro (DaDa):

喔~ 愛你愛到不怕死 Baby 愛我請你讓我瘋狂一次

Oh ~ ai ni ai dao bu pa si Baby ao wo qing ni rang wo feng kuang yi ci Verse:

愛是什麼東西 不過就是種遊戲

ai shi shen me dong xi bu guo jiu shi zhong you xi 情是什麼玩意 不就是玩玩而已

qing shi shen me wan yi bu jiu shi wan wan er yi Honey Darling Baby 或是叫我小親親

Honey Darling Baby huo shi jiao wo xiao qin qin 只要哄我高興 冥王星都陪你去

zhi yao hong wo gao xing ming wang xing dou pei ni qu Chorus:

喔~ 愛你愛到不怕死 但你若劈腿 就去死一死

Oh ~ ai ni ai dao bu pa si dan ni ruo pi tui jiu qu si yi si 喔~ 愛你愛到不怕死 Baby 愛我請你讓我瘋狂一次

Oh ~ ai ni ai dao bu pa si Baby ai wo qing ni rang wo feng kuang yi ci Repeat verse 1x Repeat chorus 2x Lyrics at KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/r85cVAa01Tp1l6lNV6lNV0P4-index.html 同恩’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/tong-en-Rebecca/196103839114 夏宇童’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/xia-yu-tong/119746658059906 Permalink 2 Comments

切歌 (Qie Ge) by 李聖傑 (Li Sheng Jie/Sam Lee)

Though I’m still updating 5 Days in Taipei with my adventures in May, that’s no excuse to keep neglecting the all-important KTV. A recent visit to Taipei by my Dutch friend Anna (whose guest posts you can find here) has reminded me of this essential fact of life in Taiwan, as well as the fact that I have yet to accomplish my goal of being able to sing Jay Chou’s 牛仔很忙. Pity. I have, fortunately, learned some other great songs this year, and this one by Sam Lee is one of my favorites. I love songs with KTV or music metaphors, like K歌之王 by Eason Chan or 不完整的旋律 by Wang Leehom, and this song meets that perfectly, since every KTV has a 切歌 button like this one: I also appreciate that Lee is a 37-year-old performer competing against legions of younger rivals and still producing some really powerful music. Besides the awesome vocals, the lyrics to this song – the chorus in particular – are heartwrenching and sweet.** In terms of difficulty, I’d say this one is up there both vocally and lyrics-wise. The vocal range is a bit of a stretch; the song begins too low for most women to comfortably sing, but the final notes are a bit high for most men. Fortunately, if you’re actually going to a KTV to sing, you can change the key to fit your own range. The song is fairly slow, but the bridge has an especially difficult tongue-twisting section that I have yet to master. It’s doable with some practice, however. I do have one particular request when it comes to this song, which is that, if you’re going to sing it, you must belt it with everything you’ve got. Please? This song wasn’t written to be mumbled. Sing it the way it was meant to be, and your KTV companions will thank you. **Google Translate is your loyal friend, and a much faster translator than me, so please don’t ask me to translate. Verse 1: 我坐在鋼琴前面 敲著黑白的琴鍵

wo zuo zai gang qin qian mian qiao zhe hei bai de qin jian 唱著類似愛情的配樂

chang zhe lei si ai qing de pei yue 你說我們的愛像單調的和弦

ni shuo wo men de ai xiang dan diao de he xian 不夠動聽 不夠經典

bu gou dong ting bu gou jing dian Verse 2: 我也努力過改變 學你要愛的完美

wo ye nu li guo gai bian xue ni yao ai de wan mei 大提琴點綴我的心碎

da ti qin dian zhui wo de xin sui 我的時間不過是你多的時間

wo de shi jian bu guo shi ni duo de shi jian 回憶是終點

hui yi shi zhong dian Chorus: 用力唱一首歌 忽然被你切歌

yong li chang yi shou ge hu ran bei ni qie ge 這歌詞很像我 旋律夠曲折 多麼適合

zhe ge ci hen xiang wo xuan lv gou qu zhe duo me shi he 就算沒有音樂的伴奏

jiu suan mei you yin yue de ban zou 唱到聲音都啞了

chang dao sheng yin dou ya le 我會記得 你曾是我最愛的情歌

wo hui ji de ni ceng shi wo zui ai de qing ge Repeat verse 2 Repeat chorus Bridge: 過去一幕一幕就像播放煽情的MV

guo qu yi mu yi mu jiu xiang bo fang shan qing de MV 我自導自演不能理解這樣的悲劇

wo zi dao zi yan bu neng li jie zhe yang de bei ju 包箱裡只剩下我自己

bao xiang li zhi sheng xie wo zi ji Repeat chorus 2x (with vocal embellishments) Lyrics at KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/u8SAfDK07Ob02T63uT63u0P4-index.html#lyrics Sam Lee’s artist page at Zoommuzik: http://www.zoommuzik.com/artist_01/index.php Permalink Leave a Comment

“5 Days in Taipei” & a Jay Chou moment

Folks stopping by because you’re interested in Chinese music might also be interested in the blog project I’m currently working on, 5 Days in Taipei. I recently asked people to submit ideas for a jam-packed 5-day vacation in Taipei, with the hopes of discovering some new places in my adopted city. You can follow the results of the 5-day trip here: http://5daysintaipei.wordpress.com/ The project has officially ended, but now comes the task of writing and posting photos of all the amazing things I saw during my 5 days. I’ve currently only reached the end of Day 2. My goal was to do 50 interesting things of the original list of 94 ideas, and I’ve only blogged 16 of them so far. That means KTV小姐 is temporarily on hold until I catch up, unless I come across some fabulous new music I must share at once. Speaking of new music… though I wouldn’t call it fabulous, Jay Chou‘s new album is out. Here’s the first single, which I can’t say I love very much. Perhaps you’ll like it: Permalink 3 Comments

愛錯 (Ai Cuo) by 王力宏 (Wang Leehom)

In my opinion, 愛錯 is one of Wang Leehom’s most amazing pieces. From his 2004 album 心中的日月, which also contained the hit Forever Love, Ai Cuo includes some of his most powerful singing on any album. I’m sure there will come a time when the now 33-year-old Leehom won’t be able to sing this song anymore (think Whitney Houston’s recent performances), but he still had it going on for his 2008 Music Man tour (part of a vocally challenging 3-hour concert, mind you! See the live performance of this song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64qvxUHOJa0). If you can manage to sing this song well, good on you. The song is slow, but the vocabulary and vocal difficulty make it a little harder for a beginner. The range isn’t easy to cover for most people – in fact, I tend to ask a male friend to sing the beginning for me, as it is quite low for a woman. Extra points for getting all the non-chorus flourishes toward the end of the song. (Note: background chorus is in parentheses) 北風毫不留情 把葉子吹落

bei feng hao bu liu qing ba ye zi chui luo 脆弱的她選擇了逃脫

cui ruo de ta xuan ze le tao tuo 葉子失去消息 風才感覺寂寞

ye zi shi qu xiao xi feng cai gan jue ji mo 整個冬天 北風的痛沒人能說

zheng ge dong tian bei feng de tong mei ren neng shuo (Chorus) 我從來沒想過 我會這樣做

wo cong lai mei xiang guo wo hui zhe yang zuo 從來沒愛過 所以愛錯

cong lai mei ai guo suo yi ai cuo 我從哪裡起飛 從哪裡降落

wo cong na li qi fei con na li jiang luo 多少不能原諒的錯卻不能重來過

duo shao bu neng yuan liang de cuo que bu neng chong lai guo 翻開回憶角落 完美的生活

fan kai hui yi jiao luo wan mei de sheng huo 以為幸福都可以掌握

yi wei xing fu dou ke yi zhang wo 仔細回味當初 那個故事背後

zi xi hui wei dang chu na ge gu shi bei hou Oh 原來是我 犯下從沒承認的錯

Oh yuan lai shi wo fan xia cong mei cheng ren de cuo (Repeat chorus) 在這少了你的世界

zai zhe shao le ni de shi jie Oh 找不回那些感覺

Oh zhao bu hui na xie gan jue 其實我不想道別 ( 道別 )

qi shi wo bu xiang dao bie (dao bie) 那些過去

na xie guo qu ( 我從來沒想過 我會這樣做 )

(wo cong lai mei xiang guo wo hui zhe yang zuo) ( 從來沒愛過 所以愛錯 ) 從來沒有愛過那麼認真

(cong lai mei ai guo suo yi ai cuo) cong lai mei you ai guo na ma ren zhen ( 我從哪裡起飛 ) 從哪裡

(wo cong na li qi fei) cong na li ( 從哪裡降落 ) 降落 Oh~

(cong na li jiang luo) jiang luo Oh~ ( 多少不能原諒的錯卻不能重來過 )

(duo shao bu neng yuan liang de cuo que bu neng chong lai guo) ( 我從來沒想過 我會這樣做 )

(wo cong lai mei xiang guo wo hui zhe yang zuo) ( 從來沒愛過 ) 愛過 ( 所以愛錯 ) 所以愛錯

(cong lai mei ai guo) ai guo (suo yi ai cuo) suo yi ai cuo ( 我從哪裡起飛 ) 愛錯愛錯愛錯 baby

(wo cong na li qi fei) ai cuo ai cuo ai cuo baby ( 多少不能原諒的錯 ) ooh 請你原諒我的 愛錯

(duo shao bu neng yuan liang de cuo) ooh qing ni yuan liang wo de ai cuo Lyrics at KKBOX: http://tw.kkbox.com/song/tvGEsut02D2IH8vtR8vtR0P4-index.html#lyrics Wang Leehom on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leehom_Wang Permalink 1 Comment

Taiwan’s Lin Yu Chun brings his talent to America

Been a bit too busy to get to all the songs on my to-do list (lots of Chinese study, in fact!), but just had to share these. If you recall, Lin Yu Chun rose to fame recently with his amazing rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Love You, and the internet was buzzing about him for days. Now, he has brought his talent to the US, where he is in fact a much bigger deal than in Taiwan (many Taiwanese folks don’t in fact realize how much attention Lin has gotten from abroad). Check out his appearances on American TV! The first is another performance of “I Will Always Love You” on Ellen DeGeneres‘s daytime talk show, while the second is an amazing duet of Total Eclipse of the Heart with William Shatner (of all people – I wonder if Lin realizes what a legend he was performing with!) on Lopez Tonight, hosted by George Lopez: Finally, for those who can understand Chinese or are trying to learn, check out this interview with Lin. And no, your ears are not deceiving you – they do ask him if he’s a virgin. That’s classy Taiwanese media outlet Apple Daily for you! If you’d like some additional reading on Lin Yu Chun, tabloid-style, check out Apple Daily’s website here: http://tw.nextmedia.com/special/index/type/Tree/PubDate/20100416 Permalink 3 Comments

Lin Yu Chun Makes Taiwan Proud

Lin Yu Chun (林育群 – pronounced “lin2 yu4 qun2”) may not have any singles out yet, but I’m betting his performance on One Million Star (超級星光大道) singing I Will Always Love You in the style of Whitney Houston could do a lot for the Taiwanese music industry. If you haven’t seen his performance yet, take a look: The internets are all aflutter with discussion of Lin’s performance (and, not surprisingly, arguments about his nationality), and people are calling him the next Susan Boyle. If that’s true, then Lin has a lot to look forward to. Of course, this is just a cover, and a kick-ass one at that. But think about it – this could have gone in a completely different direction. There are lots of international internet sensations out there who became famous for how terribly they sang an English song, and I’m sure the countries those singers came from (I’m looking at you, Korea) were cringing while waiting for the fame to wear off. Lin Yu Chun, on the other hand, nailed it, giving Taiwan an overnight star. And when he starts putting out his own music, the world will hopefully still be paying attention. I, for one, can’t wait to see what else he has to offer. Edit: Also check him out last year on Super Idol (超級偶像) singing A-mei’s 讓每個人都心碎 (see original KTV vid here)! Permalink Leave a Comment

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