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[負心的人] fuxin ni ren
She is one of the prettiest lady singers from Taiwan hailing from the late 60's and her songs were big hits. I learnt about them from a Chinese school teacher friend who explained to me what one of her famous songs, [負心的人] fuxin ni ren meant.
''A cruel-hearted lover'', he explained, ''who jilted another.'' Of course.
Still hummed, whistled and sung today this memorable Chinese pop classic remains in the hearts of many.
And the lady singer is Yao Su Rong.
[今天不回家] jin tian bu hui jia
I found later that another song I was familiar with originated from the same singer. In English it translated to, Today, I Won't Come Home, or [今天不回家] jin tian bu hui jia. It was this song that brought her fame. And the title brought me confusion.
姚苏蓉 [Yao Su Rong] - 負心的人 [fùxīn ni rén] - YouTube Video by meme ko. Thank you.
Translated literally, the lyrics tell about a wandering person, with a hesitating heart, lost in a cross street and not returning home. The past is like smoke, love is like a mystery. Living with the hazy moon and dim star he has lost his heart. Don't forget the sweetness of home. But he's not going home today. Why doesn't he go home today.
When I first heard the tune it was played during a Chinese funeral band procession on a Singapore street in the 70s. I was familiar with the title and the music but not the lyrics. They were totally irrelevant to the scene that I witnessed or imagined on that street. I realised that, Today I Won't Come Home, had a different reference altogether.
姚苏蓉 [Yao Su Rong]
This singer and actress had recorded about 200 songs within a span of about 5 years and made twelve films. That's her significance. But nearly half of them that she recorded were banned as ''unhealthy and immoral'' in Taiwan. So South East Asia, especially Hong Kong, became her open stage and playground and it is easy to realise why she has remained to stay quietly in Singapore and made it her home to this day. A legend indeed.
Comments are welcomed.
姚苏蓉 [Yao Su Rong]- 今天不回家 [jin tian bu hui jia] YouTube Official Video.
From Life Records. Thank you.
Jilted- the movie. Click to read.
Images from Google and Videos from YouTube.
12 comments:
Andy,
Thanks for bringing back memories of Yao Su Rong!
She was a mega-star back then.
Her voice is very distinctive!
One of the rare great singers who sings with so much emotion,
energy and soul in her performances, she mesmerises!!!
Oh wow!
Thanks Irene.
I knew you'd come up with something original in your comment.
Straight from the heart.
Always a pleasure, Andy.
Thanks to you for bringing back memories of yesteryear!
Not to mention the time when she was performing in Taiwan and her fans kept pleading with her that she would sing some of her forbidden songs, in the end she relented and sang one and was promptly arrested. She never performed again after that.... I have MANY of her records on my blog, been thinking of re-recording them and re-posting them again because a lot of the links are not working any more :)
Andy,
Yao Su Rong can sing well with a high pitched voice and not many singers cannot imitate easily.
In Taiwan there are so many good singers during those days but she is among top few entertainers and recording artists.
Surprised that she make her home here permanently. Her voice is specially unique and distinct and we can instantly know it is her once we hear it on radio.
My wife favourite singer and she had a huge karaoke collection.
Thank you
IRENE
HENK
FABIAN
STEPHEN
for your comments and interesting anecdotes about Ms YSR.
She's definitely a mega-star as IRENE mentioned.
And HENK thanks for the visit. Your idea to reconnect is good.
And FABIAN and STEPHEN, both of you must write an article each on YSR's songs collection
that you both possess.
Ms Yao Su-rong was one of the top female singers around the 1960s to 1980s. I tend to concur with Ms Irene Yap's comments: "Her voice is very distinctive! One of the rare great singers who sings with so much emotion, energy and soul in her performances, she mesmerises!"
Ms Yao was one of the favourite female singers with our earlier batches of NS "Hokkien peng" era. One of my batch's recruits sang Ms Yao's "Jin tian bu hui jia" during CO Night, and the song was truly so then as we recruits were "confined" in camp for one month, i.e. cannot go home, la ! I heard recruits nowadays are allowed to go home after one week of NS enlistment. Correct me if I m wrong. So, lucky leh !
Hi FL,
Your comment is so rich in content I thought it deserves a direct reply.
I was never aware that this particular song would have connections with our National Servicemen in Singapore. Your tale of recruits confined to in-camp training for a whole month has my heart-felt feeling of total depression among the boys.
The song then must have been a cry of relief for everyone that evening.
Thanks so much for your support all these years.
Hey Colin, thanks for the immediate visit. Must check you out for chendol again soon...
Dennis Ng
Andy Young I used to call
her Ngiau Choo Long (Rat’s
Cage). She seemed to sound guttural when singing.
3m
Reply
Andy Young
Dennis Ng oh really? I just love her voice. I don't know her about being harsh sounding but enjoy her songs. Thanks for the visit my friend.
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