SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
Showing posts with label Headlines Today. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Headlines Today. Show all posts
I like her grin. She makes everything feel cool already but read on...
Hot Weather:
A high degree of heat; anything beyond 35C is definitely hot. Like in Kuwait City in 2024, it was about 50C. Now, in France too, at 40C and over, shoppers are scrambling to buy cooling appliances. 40C is hot and problems arise with people, places and things when temperature goes beyond expectations!
Hot Food:
Food with lots and lots of chilly and pepper. Now that's HOT STUFF and produces a burning sensation in the mouth. Which countries eat food with lots of chilly in them? Singapore is one with Nasi Padang and Sambal Belacan. Sichuan cold noodles tossed in blazing hot chilli sauce. There’s Spanish tomato-based soup with garlic and chilli pepper. And others.
Hot People:
Now when you're angry, you get hot too and the heat generated may melt the other party. Quarrels between friends, etc. Like in today's world, there are millions of angry citizens because of weak politicians in charge, especially those with no leadership qualities. No need for a hot July or August but silly, angry people who are just frustrated and full of ego, filled with hot air and very negative thinking.
Hot Relationship:
This 'heat' would be similar but it's more positive? Now two people in love and are in a relationship could bring their body temperature up when they are together. What more can I say?
[Don't forget to click the connection below about*'heat'.]
Donna Summer - 'Hot Stuff' (Live) The Donna Summer Special, 1980)
YouTube from: The Donna Summer Archive.
Hot Pop 70s Song:
Which finally brings me to this song by Donna Summer [even her surname! 😉]. It's an extremely hot song so check out the lyrics. I have included only a few lines though:
"I want some hot stuff, baby, this evenin'/Gotta have some hot stuff/Gonna have some love tonight (hot stuff)/I need hot stuff/I want some hot stuff/Lookin' for a lover who needs another..."
Enough quoted! So just be wary when eating hot food on a hot July with a hot partner. It might lead to climate change. And it starts in this month ofJULY.
Writing is done in jest.
Comments are welcome folks but do be wary that there are younger readers who check out this blog too.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
*Heat:
What song begins with the words, "The heat is on..." No googling.
I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE THIS PIECE, BUT IT'S WORTH READING.
Thanks to this sensible and peace-loving person.
"Every minute… someone leaves this world. Not only the old. Not only the sick. Not only the weak. Someone. Somewhere. Age has nothing to do with it. Life does not always send a warning. The truth is… we are all standing in a line. A line we did not choose. A line we cannot see the end of. And the strange thing is… most of us don't even realize we are in it.
We wake up every morning thinking we have time. Time to hate. Time to fight. Time to compete. Time to prove we are better than someone else. But the line is moving. Quietly. Patiently. Relentlessly. And every day… someone steps out of it. We never know how many people are ahead of us. We never know when our name will be called. We cannot move to the back of the line. We cannot step out of it. We cannot pause it. And no amount of money, power, fame, or connections can halt its progress.
So, while we are still standing here… while our turn has not yet come…
Let us make peace. Let us forgive. Let us stop carrying the heavy bags of anger and hatred. Let us do good. Not tomorrow. Not when it is convenient. But now. Let us tell the truth, even when lies seem easier. Let us be honest, even when honesty comes at a cost. Let us show kindness to people who may never be able to repay us. Because one day — whether we like it or not — we will leave this world. That is the one appointment no human being can cancel.
So, what is the point of holding a grudge against someone who could leave tomorrow… or you could leave before them?
What is the point of destroying someone's life, sending a brother to prison, or plotting revenge… when neither of you truly controls tomorrow? Why boast about money… when money has never stopped death? Why boast about status… when titles disappear the moment life leaves the body? Why deceive yourself with power and connections… when countless powerful people stood in this same line before you and still had to leave? Why fight your own brother over land… when the earth itself will one day cover both of you?
'People Got To Be Free': The Rascals: Stereo [Summer] 1968. YouTube Video by: Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine.
Look around the world. People fighting. Families breaking. Communities divided. All for things that cannot follow us beyond the grave. Evil often grows from ignorance. Pride is the costume of foolishness. Selfishness is the poverty of the soul. And betrayal… betrayal is the language of weakness.
But kindness… kindness is strength.
Compassion is wisdom. And humanity is the greatest legacy a person can leave behind. At the end of life, nobody asks how much money you had in your bank account. They ask how many lives you touched. They remember whether your presence brought peace… or pain. Whether you lifted others up… or pushed them down. Whether you built bridges… or burned them.
So while we are still alive… While our hearts are still beating… While our feet are still moving in this mysterious line called life… Let us do good. Let us love more. Let us forgive faster. Let us help those who cannot help themselves. Let us use the little time we have… not only to build our lives… But to uplift humanity. Because when our turn finally comes… And we step out of this line… The only thing that will remain… Is the good we did for others? May the Lord guide our hearts to what is right, forgive our shortcomings, fill our lives with sincere goodness, and grant us a beautiful ending when our time comes."
This message is really touchy, and I know that you will feel it as well.
It's a food for thought for the wise.
Good day!
This article was sent to me by good old friend Mun Chor Seng, seen here with his wife during our pop guitar blast at the National Library in 2016.
Why fight your own brother over land… when the earth itself will one day cover both of you?
I have always loved the above song from the Walt Disney movie and until recently, captured the above version again on YouTube video. This time around the words jumped out from the page and I realized that the lyrics sounded more meaningful.
"You think you own whatever land you land on/ The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim/ But I know every rock, and tree, and creature/ Has a life, has a spirit, has a name."
If we are aware of the tumultuous goings~on in the world around us today, the lines above are definitely familiar. News from today's headlines? Surely.
"You think the only people who are people/ Are the people who look and think like you/ But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger/ You'll learn things, you never knew, you never knew."
Christine Allado, a Filipino-British and current singing star and actress. Check her out on the many websites available that discuss her achievements and awards she holds.
I'm not much into politics and don't want to step on anyone's toes, especially the animals' mentioned in the lyrics, so I turned to AI and the answer came easily:
Yes, the lyrics of 'Colors of the Wind' from Disney's 'Pocahontas' can be, and have been, associated with modern conflicts, bombings, and environmental destruction by acting as a counter-narrative to violence, exploitation, and dehumanization.
While originally written in 1992 to reflect the perspectives of Native Americans against colonization, the song's themes are frequently re-interpreted today as a protest against the "conqueror" mindset.
"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers."
Here is how the lyrics associate with modern bombing and conflict:
* Critique of Disregard for Life ("You think you own whatever land you land on / The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim"): This lyric is interpreted as a critique of colonial or modern military efforts that treat landscapes and inhabited areas as mere territory to be claimed, bombed, or destroyed, disregarding the life, spirit, and communities that exist there.
* Dehumanization of Others ("You think the only people who are people / Are the people who look and think like you"): This line is used to comment on conflict, racism, and the tendency of groups to dehumanize their opponents in war, reducing them to "savages" rather than recognizing them as fellow humans.
* Interconnectedness ("We are all connected to each other / In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"): This directly contrasts with the destructive impact of bombing, emphasizing that the destruction of people or the environment in one place affects everyone.
"How high does the sycamore grow? / If you cut it down, then you'll never know."
"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest/ Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth/ Come roll in all the riches all around you/And for once never wonder what they're worth..."
* A Call for Empathy ("But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger / You'll learn things you never knew"): This calls for understanding and dialogue, opposing the violence that creates refugees and destruction.
*According to reports in 2025, people have used the song on social media to comment on conflicts in the Middle East and other environmental issues, finding the lyrics to be a "generational rallying cry" against violence and destruction.
(This article is an AI generated reply.)
"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?"
"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers/ The heron and the otter are my friends/ And we are all connected to each other/ In a circle, in a hoop that never ends..."
"Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains/ Can you paint with all the colors of the wind..."
Judy Kuhn [left], the original singer and Vanessa Williams both sang, "Colors of the Wind."
Good morning. Below is my reflection for this year’s Good Friday 2026. Wishing you and your family a Good Friday.
Best Regards. God Bless You.
Phil.
"Man’s Search for Meaning" and "Silence":
As the traditional Good Friday and Easter approach, we are reminded of the horrific sufferings and death of Jesus. This Lent season reminds us of two bestsellers and powerful classics: Viktor Frankl’s (reprinted 2014) bestseller, "Man’s Search for Meaning" (1959) and "Silence" (1969) by Shusaku Endo (translated to English by William Johnston, 1925-2010). Viktor Frankl was a well-known lecturer at Harvard and Stanford while Shusaku was a graduate from University of Keio, Tokyo (n1949) and University of Lyon, France (1953). Shusaku won many outstanding Japanese literary awards.
The two books in mention.
Both books paint a vivid picture about human suffering. Viktor shows us the meaning of life in suffering in a Nazi death camp while Shusaku shows us a different type of suffering which will be discussed below.
“Silence" is a Japanese novel about a Jesuit priest named Sebastiao Rodriguez who made a missionary trip to Japan to find his mentor in order to rescue him from persecution by the Japanese ruling class. When he got there, he discovered that peasants were “tortured” so as to break their Christian faith. Eventually Sebastiao was dragged by the ruling class to the crossroads for his soul. They put the artist image of Jesus Christ, the Messiah before him and told him to step on it and denounce his faith.
Sebastiao was told that the torturing of the peasants would stop if he stepped on the image. However, the torturing would persist should he fail to follow their instruction. For Sebastiao, it was a dilemma. To step on the “picture” of God felt like he was betraying the Messiah. But to refuse, he also felt like he was betraying love and compassion for the Japanese peasants. At that moment, the Silence of God book reached its climax. Sebastiao finally heard Christ, the Messiah speak. “It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. Step on me. I carry the cross for this very reason. To bear the weight of your shame.”
‘O Sacred Head Now Wounded’ - Fernando Ortega. YouTube Video by Scott Bacher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgkVTtT-0xg
The above episode is similar to Viktor’s 2017 classic, “Man’s Search for Meaning” where prisoners in holocaust camps were mistreated by the Nazis. God seemed to be silent and hidden as the inmates underwent torture and sufferings. It is so aptly described by Isaiah, Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. Isaiah 45:15.
Indeed, the Messiah did not come to condemn us; He came to be condemned for us. In the Gospels, He did not once ask to be worshipped. He did not come for accolades, crowns or recognition. He came to be crushed so that we could live. He came to show us the path of suffering which leads to freedom.
The book convicts me because of this truth: Too many of us Christians, worship dogma, preachers, spiritual methods or even the religious book itself. But Christ never once commanded the worship. People worshipped Him but what He asked was far harder.
Follow me. Walk my path. Carry my cross. Enter the darkness. And in so doing, you will find life. Because salvation is not found in avoiding pain. It is found in pressing through it i.e. taking up our own crosses. In enduring shame, the loss and the breaking, one will discover that one has been transformed. We will also discover that the kingdom of God is always within us. In Luke 17:21, Jesus said “… nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is, ‘because of the kingdom of God is within you.’”
Jesus Paid it All - Fernando Ortega - Lyrics. YouTube Video by: Strange Lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5DyeCx8H4U
Sebastiao thought that stepping on the image was betrayal but in reality, it was the profoundest act of following Jesus. Christ is not fragile and the Messiah does not need us to protect Him. Christ came to be crushed under the weight of the world's sin yet pronouncing, “I will set you free”.
This is the mission of Christ, the Messiah - to set us free. Free from dogma. Free from tyranny. Free from the victim mindset. Free from our own chains. Through the Bible, He shows us The Way i.e. not by escaping suffering, but by being transformed. This is not just theology. It is the most powerful truth one can live by. St. Paul said in Romans 12:2 … “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Book Summary:
Both "Man's Search for Meaning" and "Silence" reflect on human suffering. It shows suffering as a place of testing, hidden grace, and deeper spiritual insight. In "Silence", Sebastian's renunciation highlights the tension between faith, compassion, and sacrifice. The book argues that Christ is present in suffering, and that true discipleship means following Him through pain, shame, and transformation. Christian faith is not about avoiding suffering but enduring it with Jesus the Messiah. Salvation is found not in pride or outward religion but in self-denial, compassion, and trust in God's hidden presence.
Three Days | Easter Hymn | Easter Song of Resurrection | Choir w/Lyrics | Sunday 7pm Choir. YouTube Video by: 7pm Choir. Catholic n Christian Choral
Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQVog92kLH8
Finally, there is Hope in suffering. Jesus said Let not your heart be troubled: Ye believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
Good News at Jesus’ Tomb:
1) The Mysterious Napkin for Jesus’ face.
John 20:6-7
Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Do we fold our napkins in a restaurant to signal to the waiter that we are returning to the table after we excuse ourselves for a while? Perhaps through the folded napkin, Jesus’s return was made known.
2) Mary called Jesus the Gardener, at the tomb.
John 20:14-16
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking He was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Interestingly, in the Garden of Eden, God’s first instruction to Adam is to be a gardener., to work and take care of the garden (Genesis 2:15). However, Adam failed. In contrast, Jesus, the second Adam, came to restore man’s fallen state.
3) Jesus has resurrected and we too will have eternal life.
This is not surprising. As the Messiah is sinless, his body did not decay. In fact, Jesus has resurrected. Contrarily, we humans are sinners and subject to bodily decay after death.
Romans 3:23 … “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We thank God we have the hope of resurrection … to be reunited with our loved ones who have gone before us.
Comments are always welcome.
Author: Dr. Phil Chan.
'Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded' (Hymn 271) - Hymnology (Official Video) YouTube Video by: Hymns of Grace.
Dr. Phil Chan
Given the short time Phil wrote this article, it is a miracle! Just shows his dedication and spirit. Again, thanks so much my dear friend.
Images:
From YouTube: 'Good Friday Hymns' - Rosemary Siemens for picture of the Cross.
Enchanting it is! Here's Eddy Eng, with a potpourri of tales ranging from ghost stories, [and these are real ones, experienced by the writer himself, in his home at Emerald Hill], to stories from Singapore's corporate world with pages of his own "divergent views", and as he puts it, "musings". And surprise, surprise, he is also an artist besides being an author. He does oil paintings with framed interpretations of Venice in Italy, Zhangjiajie in China and other scenic adventures he went through during his years as a family man and as a business executive. He dedicates his book specially to his children and brother and lovingly acknowledges his wife Farrah, helping him with countless revisions.
Breezy at one end of the book; seriously different at the other, this author is like a chameleon, changing his writing style from an easy breather to that of a serious corporate lawyer facing the trial judge.
Our author is a ‘south paw’ or left~handed guitarist.
He designs all his chapters with lines from the great ones! Introducing his book, he quotes Janvier Chouteu-Chando, "The vicissitude of life teaches us about our limitations in a world with no guarantees and permanence." He says he's a die-hard believer that form and substance are both equally important and compares a good book to good food, so he fills the pages with colourful illustrations by designer Krystle Mae Encila. And they make up a great menu. The cover illustration [above] is one.
Eddy sings Elvis on board a cruise liner and wows the crowd with his performance.
Now, the reason why he's on this blog. He does not only have a flair for writing and art; Eddy is also a bass guitarist using left-handed guitars. He says that his "passion for music went back to his childhood days" and if it wasn't for his mother, "he would have been a musician or artist". He even went to music school to hone his skill.
And to top it all, Eddy is also a pop singer. The image shows him rendering an Elvis hit with, ‘Crying In The Chapel.’ Wow Eddy! What can’t you do?
Eddy has the last words. "This book," he spouts, " is meant to entertain, inform and provoke." So, guys, here's a book that's enchanting and absorbing, written in cheek! Delicious indeed.
Check out Eddy’s book. Read it and make your comments!
Sonny & Cher - 'Sing C'est La Vie' (Stereo Remix) YouTube Video by: jacob 6657
According to the author, this oldie has served a purpose in later life when things did not turn out as expected.
Eddy's left-handed guitars, one of which is a bass. He should be on stage soon with such talent and artistry.
He had to serve his army days in Singapore like other citizens do. Eddy [left] puts it, "With the boss inspecting unit parade."
Author, artist, musician, soldier and a corporate executive; Eddy Eng. Thanks, Eddy, for the chat and book. It's really been great meeting you after all these years.
[Eddy has included in the book two of his own two articles from this blog. Do you know which ones?]
The lyrics that go with many of these songs about loneliness could make the happiest person very depressed. So, let's look at the topic, within limited borders, and some of the pop songs that go with it. I'm no psychiatrist but writing only through the experiences of pop song lyrics.
Loneliness And Lost Love:
This one is, I think, the most common experience of loneliness any person could go through. So, when Singaporeans Fitzgerald and Pascal composed their huge local hit,'My Lonely Heart' and expressed, ‘Please return my heart so I may cry... Every night I pray... to meet you someday,' lovers connect with the song immediately. But in this particular instance the conclusion says it all, ‘I know it's true, I won't be seeing you.'
The lovers know that all's lost with no light in the distance. Like Georgia Gibbs, with her 50’s hit, was right when she sobbed, 'Guess it never pays to make your lover blue, Seven lonely days I cried and cried for you.' Lost love indeed.
Loneliness With Hope:
Here the theme takes a turn.
There could be some hope couldn't there, after a lost love.
'Maybe tomorrow a new romance, No more sorrow but that's the chance you gotta take,' brought about these lines that most people in break-ups often expressed and where most songs about loneliness derived. Roy Orbison made it huge with, 'Only The Lonely,' and with some clues of a new beginning. So, they might not be, 'gone forever, so far apart.'
Paul Anka is totally devastated as he cries, 'I'm just a lonely boy, Lonely and blue... I'd like to hear somebody say, I'll give you my love, Each night and day.' So it's not a breakup here. He has no partner to love because what he wants, 'is someone to love.' So there’s hope but with some desperation?
No war here; just an illustrative image to show a soldier boy with a suitable wartime background?
Loneliness As A Soldier:
Two wars [one?] are going on today and many people, including soldiers, have lost their lives. Many of them, who are away from home, experience loneliness on the battlefield.
In a 60s hit, Bobby Vinton lamented, 'I'm so lonely for my own, I'm Mister Lonely, Wish I had somebody to call my own... to call on the phone... Now I'm a soldier, a lonely soldier. I got no letter in the mail. I wish I could go back home.'
His experience as a soldier boy in the 60s rang true as the Vietnam War loomed in the distance. And our wars? Could we afford some more? Because war goes beyond loneliness...
Loneliness When Old:
'Ah look at all the lonely people, Picks up the rice in the church where the wedding has been, Lives in a dream... Then there's Father McKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no one would hear.' How observant were Lennon and McCartney when they sang, 'Eleanor Rigby.’
'All the lonely people, where do they all come from?'
Most seniors who read this post know what loneliness mean. Health problems; spousal death; non-visiting children; friendlessness, etc. would lead to a nasty list. And like a friend mentioned, "Even Mother Earth rejects you!"
"Are you lonesome tonight?" No, not only tonight... it's, "Are you lonesome always?"
Hey, but what about Michael Jackson's, 'You Are Not Alone.'
General comments are welcome.
A 1926 song, Elvis recorded it in 1960 after his
army release. 2,000,000 copies sold by 1992.
Recorded in 1962, Vinton wrote it in the late 50s
during his army days as the Vietnam War escalates.
Bobby Vinton: Mr. Lonely. YouTube Video by: Diana N
Written in 1958 and released in 1959 with Don Costa,
after 'Diana' hit. It was featured in his movie, 'Girls Town'.
'Eleanor Rigby' [lyrics]: The Beatles. YouTube Video from BTA MUSIC.
“There goes my baby, There goes my heart, They are gone forever, So far apart, But only the lonely, Know why I cry.”
“Don't know that I will, But until I can find me, The girl who'll stay, And won't play games behind me, I'll be what I am, A solitary man, solitary man”
“Seven lonely days make one lonely week, Seven lonely nights make one lonely me, Ever since the time you told me we were true, Seven lonely days I cry and cry for you.”
'My Lonely Heart', a local recording; this vinyl piece was a sell-out in the 60's. One of the classics in Singapore's music history.
#An add on: The lyrics hinges on the fact that distancing oneself from the ordinary may lead to a lonely existence. There is also another interpretation, as explained by Cedric Collars, provided under the Comment Page. Do read it.
Frank Sinatra sings “I will drink the wine." YouTube video by: Amir.
