As I was journaling my night away on 10/17/12, I was inspired to create a new tab on my blog just to share some great works I personally feel have made an impact, have tugged on a heart string, or have consolidated and expressed thoughts I could not have done better for myself. Unfortunately, Blogspot only seems to allow for static pages, so I apologize in advance for the massive amounts of scrolling you may have to endure just to embark on this journey with me. But for your willingness, I am also grateful. Thank you!
I admire musicians and artists a lot. They are often able to accurately express sentiments I cannot gather the words for. They are capable of inspiring and challenging me, or leaving me with a pleasant fluffy feeling! I promise I will not lose you in long analysis like this one! I am often inspired to draw upon hearing and experiencing different pieces, but here I will only briefly share in writing my sentiments towards each piece. This is how it will be ordered: newest to oldest. Oldest at the bottom. As most of you may know, I am an avid fan of selective Chinese music, but in order to save space, I shall link my translations randomly in the little descriptions. Enjoy!
SONG #7: Jet Lag (Jayesslee Cover)
ARTIST: Simple Plan
Brilliant concept! to eer'body who has family,
friends, and laveros in different time zones! check out SP's FRENCH
version too - http://youtu.be/HxtfFoFwrmA
SONG #6: 讓你依靠 For You to Rely On
ARTIST: 張杰 Jason Zhang
I believe this music video is self-made by some fan, combining clips of Zhang Jie and his now wife, Nana (Xie Na). Anyway, I love the whole manhood conviction of this song as protector and provider. "Allowing you to rely on me is the glory/honor of a man's shoulders", "the pride of being your man" - who says these things nowadays? SO CHEESY I LOVE IT! hahaha. Unfortunately, it sounds all kinds of extra cheesy in English, yet again, to the point where I became hesitant to even post the almost word-for-word translation... but I did anyway. I only briefly know the story of him and his wife, but they are definitely very cute and this song is totally made alive through their 4+ years of dating, and now 1+ yr of marriage. You really don't see too many young celebrities with their wedding rings on even at their own concerts, in music videos, what have you. Anyways, committed men think like that right? I hope? No one really verbalizes these things though, which is understandable.. it is... quite cheesy.
SONG #5: 第一夫人 First Lady
ARTIST: 張杰 Jason Zhang
I also briefly posted about this particular song, in which, along with several others by this artist, I have been listening to obsessively as of late. Honestly, the English translation comes off a lot cheesier than I would like, but if your boyfriend or husband sang this to you, you would totally melt! I like how WLH (composed and partially written by him FYI) used this somewhat prestigious term and incorporated it into every day life - the ordinary, the simplistic. To die for! The content is, I want to say, cliche almost, but somehow the song has an ordinary but extraordinary charm to it. Perhaps that charm solely hinges on the use of the term "first lady". 這首歌有種平凡而不平凡的魅力! Left feeling slightly fuzzy inside : ) Please, if you have not noticed already, check out that wedding ring on his left hand! Hats off to you sir! Young and married in the downward spiral entertainment world, still married, and with THE bling on at all times!
SONG #4: Just Another Man
ARTIST: Tim Be Told
Again, one of those powerful songs that addresses the issues of sex trafficking and child soldiering. Had it been my pre-college days, I would not have understood this song, but it certainly is dear to my heart now, especially for one wanting to pursue a career in social work! What I appreciate even more about this song is how Tim transitions from being an individual doubtful of his own impact on such a corrupt world to one who pleads for God to work through him. Because God has uniquely designed each and every one of us, we can claim that we are not just another man, and because it is God who works, we CAN make an impact, and we should!
SONG #3: Love for a Child
ARTIST: Jason Mraz
Underrated song I say. The lyrics are simple yet so powerful. Though I do not have first hand experience with what J.Mraz pleads for "what about taking this empty cup and filling it up with a little bit more innocence...", he communicates the content and the emotions perfectly - as if I personally journeyed this path. These types of songs always keep my perspective on life straight. This song is definitely a keeper.
SONG #2: 火力全開 Open Fire
ARTIST: 王力宏 Wang Lee Hom
This song is not a favorite to listen to, but thought provoking for me to say the least. It was a hot topic of discussion upon its release and I wrote a ginormous analysis on it. However, I thought that the piece was an interesting springboard to explore the dichotomy of two cultures.
SONG #1: 困在台北 Stuck in Taipei
ARTIST: 嚴爵 Yen-J
I dedicated a short post to this particular song a long time ago when I was in my "funemployment" stage of post-grad life. It was a difficult time and this piece pin pointed everything - my worries, fears, guilt, and doubt. The atypical musicality of the piece as compared to your normal cpop is thoroughly enjoyable to listen to, catchy and surely it counters the emo-ness of the song! Actually it sounds much more poetic in Chinese and less emo, but you lose a lot in translation, and you lose even more in un-thoughtout translation... ha.
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