Jay Chou for Beginners #3: 一路向北

词 (lyrics)：方文山 Fang Wen Shan
曲 (music)：周杰伦 Zhou Jie Lun (Jay Chou)

This video has Pinyin and English translation too, which is great for beginners who want to sing along =) I've added the Simplified characters below for those who are stumped by the Fan ti zi. The title, 一路向北 literally translates to "The entire road northwards". Figuratively, it means driving all the way north. The last two words, 向北 (xiang4 bei3) also sound like the words 伤悲 (shang1 bei1), which inverted, means hurt and sorrow. So the play on words gives the title the meaning of one who is going in the sole direction of hurt and sorrow. The MV shows scenes from the movie, Initial D, where Jay Chou played the lead character, who, of course, had his heart broken by the duplicity of the sweet Japanese girl whom he catches with her sugar daddy. This is the b-plot to the main drifting action, the movie's unlikely hero being Jay Chou. 

后视镜里的世界 越来越远的道别
你转身向背 侧脸还是很美
我用眼光去追 竟听见你的泪

在车窗外面排徊 是我错失的机会
你站的方位 跟我中间隔著泪
街景一直在后退 你的崩溃在窗外零碎

我一路向北 离开有你的季节
你说你好累 已无法再爱上谁
风在山路吹 过往的画面全都是我不对
细数惭愧 我伤你几回

后视镜里的世界 越来越远的道别
你转身向背 侧脸还是很美
我用眼光去追 竟听见你的泪

在车窗外面排徊 是我错失的机会
你站的方位 跟我中间隔著泪
街景一直在后退 你的崩溃在窗外零碎

我一路向北 离开有你的季节
你说你好累 已无法再爱上谁
风在山路吹 过往的画面全都是我不对
细数惭愧 我伤你几回

我一路向北 离开有你的季节
方向盘周围 回转著我的后悔
我加速超越 却甩不掉紧紧跟随的伤悲
细数惭愧我 伤你几回
停止狼狈就 让错纯粹

Jay Chou for Beginners #1: 七里香

While talking to a good friend in Czech Republic who is struggling to recapture the lost Chinese words from her years of Chinese classes, I sent her a song by Jay Chou, only one of the most successful and prolific young Taiwanese singer-composers of contemporary times. Jay (Zhou Jie Lun), who shot to fame in the late 90s with his unique hybrid of western rap/R&B and Mandopop is also notoriously garbled in his enunciation. Not a good start for those of you just beginning Chinese lessons, but a fun way to learn a couple of songs. Jay Chou's music is oddly haunting for me, perhaps because I listened to him during some of my most significant milestones during my 20s.

I have included the Chinese lyrics, pinyin and the English translation below. Because Jay Chou is from Taiwan, the lyrics you find online and in the MTV would be in traditional script. I have changed it all to simplified for the benefit of those of us who didn't learn Fan Ti Zi!
 
七里香 (qi li xiang), the song title, means "Common Jasmine Orange", a fruit that gives off a fragrance from as far as 7 Chinese miles, therefore the literal translation, "Seven Mile Fragrance", qi li xiang. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

* * * * *

七里香

窗外的麻雀 在电线杆上多嘴  chuang wai de ma que zai dian xian gan shang duo zui

妳说这一句 很有夏天的感觉   ni shuo zhe yi ju hen you xia tian de gan jue

手中的铅笔 在纸上來來回回  shou zhong de qian bi zai shi shang lai lai hui hui

我用几行字形容妳是我的谁  wo yong ji hang zi xing rong ni shi wo de shei

秋刀鱼的滋味 猫跟妳都想了解  qiu dao yu de zi wei mao he ni dou xiang liao jie

初恋的香味就这样被我们寻回 chu lian de xiang wei jiu zhe yang bei wo men xun hui

那溫暖 的阳光  na wen nuan de yang guang

像刚摘的鲜艳草莓  xiang gang zhai de xian yan cao mei

你说妳舍不得吃掉这一种感觉  ni shuo ni she bu de chi diao zhe zhong gan jue

雨下整夜 我的愛溢出就像雨水  yu xia zheng ye, wo de ai yi chu jiu xiang yu shui

院子落叶 跟我的思念厚厚一叠 yuan zi luo ye, gen wo de si nian hou hou yi die

几句是非 也無法將我的热情冷却 ji ju shi fei, ye wu fa jiang wo de re qing leng que

妳出现在我诗的每一页  ni chu xian zai wo shi de mei yi ye

雨下整夜 我的愛溢出就像雨水 yu xia zhen ye, wo de ai yi chu jiu xiang yu shui

窗台蝴蝶像诗裡纷飞的美丽章节chuang tai hu die xiang shi li fen fei de mei li zhang jie

我接著写 把永远爱妳写这诗的结尾  wo jie zhe xie, ba yong yuan ai ni zhe shi de jie wei

妳是我唯一想要的了解 ni shi wo wei yi xiang yao de liao jie

那饱满 的稻穗 幸福了这个季节  na bao man de dao sui, xing fu le zhe ge ji jie

而妳的脸颊像田裡熟透的蕃茄  er ni de lian jia xiang tian li shu tou de fan qie

妳突然 对我说 七里香的名字很美 ni tu ran dui wo shuo, qi li xiang de ming zi hen mei

我此刻却只想亲吻妳倔強的嘴  wo ci ke que zhi xiang qin wen ni jue jiang de zui

The sparrow outside the window chatters on the telegraph pole

You say that this sentence has very much the feeling of summer

The pencil in my hand moves back and forth on the paper

I use a few lines of words to describe who you are to me

The taste of saury (a kind of fish), that both the cat and you wish to understand

The scent of first love is hence retrieved by us both

That warm sunshine, like a freshly-picked bright strawberry (strawberry also refers to a hickey in Taiwan)

You say you can’t bring yourself to eat up this feeling

Rain falls the entire night, my love overflows just like the rain
Leaves fall in the courtyard, like my thoughts in a thick pile
A few words of gossip, are unable to dampen my passion
You appear in every page of my poem

Rain falls the entire night, my love overflows just like the rain
The butterfly on the windowsill, like the beautiful chapters fluttering about in the poem
I then write, that I would always love you, at the end of this poem
You are the only understanding I want

The plump ears of the rice plant, has blessed this season
And your cheeks are like the ripe tomatoes in the field
You suddenly say to me
That the name Common Jasmin Orange is very beautiful
Yet at this moment I want only to kiss your stubborn lips

5 Minutes of Perfection

Lang Lang plays Chopin's Op 10 No.3. The climax is at 2:45. Encore performance with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Lang Lang - the black keys etude (Chopin, Op 10 No.5)

Now watch him play it with an orange!

Schubert's "Standchen" from Schwanengesang

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 David Garrett is someone you would consider a "cool" classical violinist, I discovered him while browsing through Youtube for Schubert's "Standchen", my most recent piano obsession. Garrett's mother was an American (he took her maiden name) and father, a German lawyer from Aachen. I like this rendition, but mostly because of the symphony in the background. He got a little too squeaky for me in the later section and this piece is really, for me, too emotive for Garrett's interpretation.

"Standchen" (or Serenade) is the 9th song that Franz Schubert wrote, based on the poem by Ludwig Gellstab. There are a total of 14 songs in the collection, Schwanengesang (or Swan Song) but obviously, Standchen stands out most. It was published in 1829 after Schubert's death. The piano score was transcribed later by Franz Lizst - explains why I had such a hard time locating it.

In terms of progress, I've got the first few bars down, but I really can't get much serious practice in because Ju is usually on my lap when I play and he doesn't really allow me to use both hands effectively while containing his wriggling body and palms pounding on the keyboard.

Here is Valentina Lisitsa's interpretation, it's of course, magical.

Waltz (Valse) Op 64 No.1 by Chopin

Etude Opus 25 No. 9 (Chopin)

My absolute Chopin favourite!

It's called the "Butterfly Etude" for obvious reasons, just listen to it. I've tried out the score, but it's technically out of my league. Too many black keys and need Schwarzeneggar's arm muscles packed in your wrist. Lisitsa makes it look like child's play, and the way she plays it is like she's doing the dishes. I love it.

Pathetique - Sonata No. 8 in C Minor (Beethoven)

 

Hey Soul Sister

Hey, hey, hey

Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you, and so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moon beam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided who's one of my kind

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight
Hey, hey,hey.....

Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me
You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny
I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna, and I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight

The way you can cut a rug, watching you's the only drug I need
You're so gangsta, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of
You see, I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be
I want the world to see you be with me

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight,
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do...tonight
Hey, hey,hey....tonight
Hey, hey,hey.....
Tonight

The Offspring

This epitomises, in my mind, the perfect pop/rock song. From the opening bars of the accoustic guitar, you know it's promising a lot more than a generic bubble-gum production line jingle. The vocals are clear and he tells a real story you can relate to - a girl he used to know got raped a long time ago and he still remembers her. He's wracked with guilt that he did nothing because they were young, and he wonders if she's alright. The chorus is earnest, strong and the line "Don't waste your whole life trying to get back what was taken away" just punches you in the face - it was the focal point of the song and completely resonated with me. He beseeches her to move on, and not live in the dark abyss of her past trauma. It's so poignant that your imagination is captured by this enigmatic girl Kristy, and without knowing the whole story, you feel like you already know them both. This is a good song.

Old clouds of time seem to rain on innocence left behind

It never goes away.