Wehaiyo! readers who have been reading my “Unempoyed Romance” reviews may know that I also post weekly reviews on Dramafever. I have compiled all the links to my posts in this post for easy access to my mini reviews.
Thanks to those who have been following me and supporting me on Dramafever. Here are some shortcut links to the reviews that I have written. We started reviewing the series from episode two onward.
Oddly
enough, I don’t listen to the songs of legendary entertainer 譚詠麟 Alan Tam
enough. Dominating the music scene in the 1980s with his pop songs, it would be
impossible for a HK pop fan to not hear one of Alan’s songs. It is probably
because I don’t own any Alan Tam albums that I did not listen to him that
often.
Even
though I don’t own any of his albums, there was no way I could escape his drama
soundtracks. A drama theme song that I am particularly fond of is “誰可改變” (“Who
Can Change?”) from the 1984 TVB drama, 天師執位 (The
Fearless Duo).
The theme song greatly accentuated the love between a pair of star-crossed
lovers, 林楚燕 Lam Chor-Yin (翁美玲 Barbara Yung)
and 司徒文武 Szeto Man-Mo (苗僑偉 Michael Miu).
Credit: Yesasia.com
Honestly, I think Barbara Yung is one of
the most beautiful Hong Kong actresses and Michael Miu is so handsome. They
make a great pair, but too bad they didn’t fall in love in real life. They did
so many dramas together. I always wondered what would have happened if they did
fall in love in real life. Would Barbara Yung still be alive today? Barbara
Yung tragically died young at the age of 26 in an apparent suicide. Many
speculated that it was due to a failed relationship with supposed actor, 湯鎮業 Kent Tong. Anyway, Barbara and Michael’s love story in
dramas will forever be memorable in my mind. If you enjoy this coupling, they also
make an awesome couple in the 1984 TVB drama, 楚留香之蝙蝠傳奇 (The New Adventures of Chor Lau-Heung).
The theme song, “Who Can Change?” has a special meaning to
me. Listening to Alan’s song reminds me of how romantic a song can be. The song
isn’t especially about romance, but talks about the tragedy of a romance where
one wishes that one can turn back time. Even so, I always get into a romantic
mood when I hear this song. I think Alan Tam is the only person who can deliver
this type of tragically romantic feeling to me.
I guess the “誰可改變” ("Who Can Change") title or song
is really popular because Alan Tam released a 《誰可改變15週年紀念集》
“Who Can Change 15th Anniversary Collection”, which happens to be Alan Tam’s 39th
published album. Each hit song is sung by a guest artist instead of Alan. The
person who sings “誰可改變” in this album is one of my
favorite singers, 許志安 Andy Hui. “誰可改變” is originally included in Alan Tam's 1984 album, "愛的根源" (The Origin of Love).
When I searched around Youtube, I found that several
singers have covered the song. I shall review those in the order of my
favorites. Even though famous stars have covered the song, I still love the
original version the best.
#1 – 李克勤 Hacken Lee
Bravo! Great job! I think he captures the feeling of the song beautifully. I have to feature a Hacken song some time on Wehaiyo!
#2 – 陳慧嫻 Priscilla Chan
Priscilla’s version is sung sweetly in the all-familiar
Priscilla style of yearning. I do love Priscilla’s voice, but I rather hear it
sung poignantly.
#3 – 許志安 Andy Hui
Andy covered the Blues version of this song. While the
Blues style is refreshing, the guiro instrument, at least that’s what I think
it is, which makes a scrape-like sound, is highly annoying when used at every
measure.
#4 – 張栢芝 Cecilia Cheng duets with 譚詠麟 Alan Tam
Coming from a film shoot, Cecilia made time to be a guest at an Alan Tam concert. Everything seemed nice except she mixed up the lyrics "但有份, 沒有緣" with "沒有份, 但有緣." Cecilia was probably tired so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
#5 – 黎明 Leon Lai
Leon is a great singer, but his deep voice with a serious tone does not fit this song at all.
Favorite
Lines:
I really love the beginning part because typically, in dramas, that’s
how the main characters meet. They somehow have a misunderstanding and will
fight and bicker in the beginning just like Lam Chor-Yin (Barbara Yung)
and Szeto Man-Mo (Michael Miu) in The
Fearless Duo. They meet, argue, and initially think that they are not meant to
be together even though their respective families set up an arranged marriage
between them.
曾經說出 ([I] Once, spoke out)
今生不愛你([In] This life, [I would] not love
you)
我共你是(I, together [with] you, are)
但有份, 沒有緣(But, having destiny, not having
fate)
I feel pain when I hear these lyrics. When somebody I love ignores me
or doesn’t pay attention to me, I feel hurt. Once a lover realizes that he or she loves someone that he or she has sworn not to love, the person he or she loves no longer returns the feeling and has moved on. Thus, the love story takes a sad, unexpected turn.
輪到你(Turn arrive you [When it’s your
turn])
不瞅不睬([you] not see, not notice [you
don’t see, don’t notice])
I feel like these two lines are the most romantic lines of the whole song due to Alan’s emotional, delicate singing technique. Who can take time and reverse it? Alan sings it so poignantly. I can feel that not only is he singing the words, but he is also crying inside as well out of desperation, pleading for somebody to turn back time.
誰可以將(Who, by means of, [can] take)
將光陰倒轉(Take light dark turn upside down
turn [Take the time available and reverse it])
Now, it’s time to listen to the song. As usual, I translate more on the
literal side so that you can understand the true meaning of the lyrics. Of
course, I will put in editor comments in brackets.
As a bonus, I found a Youtube video with footage from The Fearless Duo so our Wehaiyo! readers can get a feel of the love story between Lam Chor-Yin and Szeto Man-Mo.
“誰可改變”
(“Who Can Change?”) sung by 譚詠麟 Alan Tam
作曲/Composer:
顧嘉輝
編曲/Arranger:
顧嘉輝
填詞/Lyracist:
鄭國江
曾經說出 ([I] Once, spoke out)
今生不愛你([In] This life, [I would] not love
you)
我共你是(I, together [with] you, are)
但有份, 沒有緣(But, having destiny, not having
fate)
情切是你(Feelings absolutely is you [My feelings for you is absolute])
痴痴相戀(Foolishly, foolishly loving each
other)
將心中愛念(To take [your] inner thoughts [of]
love [and] yearning)
為我捐(For me, [you] contribute)
如今我竟(Nowadays, I
actually/daringly/surprisingly/unexpectedly)
竟將心意轉(actually/daringly/surprisingly/unexpectedly
take [your] intentions, shifting [it])
那份愛念(That love and yearning)
沒有盡, 沒有完(Has no limit, has no finish [end])
***
輪到你(Turn arrive you [When it’s your
turn])
不瞅不睬([you] not see, not notice [you
don’t see, don’t notice])
心中的愛念([your] inner thoughts of love [and]
yearning)
盡化煙(Completely changes [into]
smoke)
能否改變(Can not [to] change? [Is it
possible to change?])
CHORUS:
還想再等(Still thinking again [to]
wait)
沒法息愛念(Not law [I cannot do anything to]
stop loving [and] yearning [for you] [I can’t do anything to stop loving and
yearning for you])
但偏偏你(But, slanting, slanting
[contrary to expectations], you)
回頭也倦(Turn around [your] head, also weary
[Turn your head, also weary])
煩惱是我(Bothered, irritated is I
[Distressed is I])
流淚更無言(Flow tears, even more no words
[Shedding tears, even more silent])
情逝去不再留半點(Feelings pass away, not again [to]
remain half a speck [Feelings elapse, no longer retaining the least bit])
誰可以將(Who, by means of, [can] take)
將光陰倒轉(Take light dark turn upside down
turn [Take the time available and reverse it])
再讓往日(Again, let former day[s] [To
again, let former days]
復現眼前(Return, appear, eyes front [Reappear
before my eyes])
I usually associate Hong Kong entertainer Steven Ma 馬浚偉 with being a leading television actor in the Hong Kong
entertainment industry so when I saw his 2002 greatest hits CD, titled, “Greatest Hits Steven（新曲+好精選）” ( Greatest Hits Steven - New Songs + Special Selection) , I was puzzled.
Upon my quick research, Steven actually debut as a singer with a record deal in
1993 after winning first place in a singing contest. Shortly afterwards, he
took on acting roles, which led to his stardom. Unfortunately, his record label
mislabeled him with the label, “He’s not Leon Lai. He’s not Jacky Cheung.” and
the public was offended by it. After the backlash, Steven was dropped from his
label, but he has since moved on from that experience.
Another interesting fact about Steven: he
was extremely depressed after his mother’s death in 1999 and remained in his
bedroom to cope with the loss of his mother. Eventually, Steven learned how to
heal his pain and set up a publishing company in 2002 where he published a few
books about suicide, loss, and depression. Since I remember Steven by his
cheerful and goofy roles, I never knew he had such a depressing side to him.
On a lighter note, I picked Steven’s best
song off of his greatest hits album and the song is also originally part of his
1998 album, Day Night. The featured song, “你是我的日與夜 (You Are My Day and Night),” ranked up to
#3 in the music charts: 903, RTHK, 997, and TVB. Since Steven released the song
before his mother passed away, I wonder if he was thinking of his mother when
he is singing this song even though this song is meant to be romantic. This
song is especially romantic for those who believe in reincarnation since the
lyrics mention it.
The music itself is soothing to listen to
and I think it’s a stress reliever. I find Steven’s other songs to be bland
since he has the same singing style and sound for every song. This song,
however, is sung differently. I can hear his delicate singing style. I think he
put a lot of effort into make this song sound wonderful.
My favorite lyrics from the song lie in the
major chorus hook, which is:
你是我日,是我夜,是一生冀待(You are my day, are my
night, are [my] one lifetime[‘s] hope)
相關我人生的所有未來(Related [to] my lifetime of
all future [all of my future lifetime]
If the person means everything to me, then
that person is my day and night. Ideally, I would be thinking of that person all
day and all lifetime long.
I’m not going to lie. Translating this song
was a bit difficult for me. I really hope the lyrics are accurate. I did my
best. In the true Wehaiyo! style, I tried to translate the lyrics as close to
the actual meaning as much as possible so that the actual meaning is translated
into English, which is why the lyrics are not in smooth English. I also added
put my editor notes in brackets. If I find another website that posts the
English translations of the lyrics, I will post it here, but for now, enjoy my
version.
Wehaiyo! readers who have been reading my “Good Doctor” reviews may know that I also post weekly reviews on Dramafever. I have compiled all the links to my posts in this post for easy access to my mini reviews.
Thanks to those who have been following me and supporting me on Dramafever. Here are some shortcut links to the reviews that I have written.
If you want to read more "Good Doctor" reviews, check out more reviews from my Drama Club partners, Lore and Shai as well.
If you enjoyed my Dramafever Drama Club mini reviews, please look for my reviews for "Unemployed Romance" in the future exclusively for the Dramafever blog.
The stars of the Korean drama, Heirs: Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho
Dramafever had their second major event at 320 Studios in New York City. I'm glad that I was able to grab two tickets and Aileen from Dramafever invited me as well. This time, the Dramafever event was much more organized and bigger than the last. The Heirs premiere was announced a couple weeks prior to those who attended the first Dramafever meetup and then announced on the Dramafever News section of their website three hours later. Attendees must RSVP and be at least 18 years old to attend the event since there will be alcohol, but about three hours later after the event invitation was released to the public, a waiting list formed. My Dramafever friend from the last Dramafever meetup wasn't able to get tickets.
After I came in, I was given a "PRESS" pass by one of the Dramafever greeters. Let's talk about my outfit for a minute. I wanted to dress up, but in a way that matches Dramafever. I saw this dress at Target the week prior and I knew I had to wear it for the Heirs Dramafever Premiere. (Aileen even thought my dress was made out of silk, but sheepishly, I had to tell her it wasn't.) I didn't want to be too flashy though so I kept my make-up to a minimal and paired it with an awesome black celebrity jacket and black boots. I was afraid it would be a cold day and rainy so I brought my umbrella as well.
The first person I wanted to find was Aileen and I was told by the Dramafever greeter that Aileen was wearing a white dress, which gave me an image of a superstar in my mind. I walked around looking for Aileen, but I had no luck finding her.
Instead, I found Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye in their press conference outfits! If I could pose with Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye in real life, I would be so happy. Anyway, this is the closest I'll ever get to these K-drama heroes. I am also aware that Lee Min Ho is at least 6'1" tall so my head should ideally be up to his eyebrows. Park Shin Hye is 5' 5" tall so she should be up to my eyebrows.
#DFHeirs on Twitter
There were some light appetizers and a bar where guests helped themselves to some food and drinks. A guest I met at the party (sorry, I'm terrible at remembering names) told me that the bartender didn't even take tips. I don't drink beer so I ordered a soda and tried to find a seat in the crowd. I made sure to sit in a seat with a free Heirs poster on it. Overall, I'd say there were at least 150 people at this event. I noticed that I sat two rows behind Mister Popo who is also a vlogger for Dramafever. I don't know why I am such a fan of him or I feel like I know him. Yes, we met at the last party, so technically, I do know him-- a little! Unknown to me, Stephanie from Crazy For Kdrama was sitting two rows behind me.
I made some small talk with a Dramafever fan who sat in the row behind me and we had a short conversation until the event officially started. I still don't know how to answer questions like, "What's your favorite drama?" and "Who is your bias or favorite actor?" I simply don't have a favorite.
After David from Dramafever greeted the crowd, Dan from Dramafever started off the event by announcing that Dramafever will be giving away some prizes: T-shirts, bags, and a Google Chromecast. Coco (Kdramafighting) asked some trivia questions and the first guest to raise his or her hand who can answer it correctly will receive a prize. Aileen was in charge of handing out all the prizes. Since we are all Dramafever fans, the moments of excitement were pretty intense as fans went wild to try to answer the questions. I didn't bother answer them since I feel like the event should be for fans and not for the "press." I did drool over the Google Chomecast though. I urged my husband to answer them, but he was as clueless as ever when trying to answer these K-drama questions.
Some of the questions were:
Name five dramas that Lee Min Ho starred in.
Name five dramas that Park Shin Hye starred in.
Name two songs from the girl group Krystal is in.
We had another surprise before Heirs started. Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye made a surprise video message to Dramafever fans. I didn't get my camera out in time, but I'm sure I captured most of the message.
Finally, it was time to watch episode one of Heirs, exclusively on DramaFever.
Usually, I watch my dramas on my laptop with or without my husband, but watching a drama with a room full of people is such a different dynamic. I hear the crowd cheer when Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin, and Kang Min Hyuk was on the screen. Whenever that California surfer friend showed up on screen, the crowd laughed since that actor's acting was so exaggerated. We all laughed together when there were funny scenes. The major scene at the end of episode one where Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye look at each other gave the audience so much tension that there were hoots and screams in the crowd.
We then had a fifteen minute intermission because-- there's more!
Coco from Kdramafighting and I, Powerz (my internet handle)
It was during this intermission that I finally met up with Aileen, who promptly introduced me to Kdramafighting (Coco) and Stephanie from Crazy For Kdrama. I have been looking for Stephanie as well since I knew she was going to be at the party. Unfortunately, all the pictures we took together were mostly on other people's phones or cameras so I've been hoping to see whether other people have posted it on the internet so I can keep a copy. I don't even remember who took pictures of us. We even took pictures with the Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye cut-outs and with so many flashes aimed toward us, I felt like a celebrity. If you do have pictures, please send me a copy!
It was probably during this time that a Dramafever attendee recognized me, but didn't want to rudely interupt me in conversation with other people. I am flattered that somebody would recognize me outside of the internet. I hope to meet this person again so we can finally chat.
I gave away some Wehaiyo! business cards and I was happy about that. I honestly wanted to meet more people.
As the intermission ended, it was time for the second half of the party. First, Dramafever gave away another Google Chromecast. Afterwards, Dan from Dramafever announced that the next surprise is that we will watch a preview of episode two! The lights were turned off again as the audience eagerly sat still for episode two.
After getting focused into watching episode two, the drama ended abruptly after Lee Min Ho, who plays Kim Tan in Heirs, opened the door to the guest room of his house where Park Shin Hye, who plays Cha Eun Sang, was staying. I felt myself going crazy with the desire to finish the episode.
The Dramafever Staff
Most attendees got up and left the party, but Stephanie and I stayed behind. Aileen thanked us for coming and we hung out for a while more. The ones who stayed were mostly Dramafever staff. I honestly never met the Dramafever staff up close so I felt happy to see the people behind the scenes. We started taking pictures of them and I was asked by a Dramafever staff member to take a picture of them as well. Unfortunately, to my dismay, there was something wrong with the flash in the professional camera, so I don't think the picture came out well. Anyway, I have a picture of my own from my phone camera. Unfortunately, Aileen was suddenly camera shy.
When I see how happy the staff member are, I started fantasizing how great it would be to be one of them. I should definitely apply to see if I can join their team.
I spent the rest of the night chatting away with Stephanie. She's such a cool blogger and she's the first blogger I've ever chatted with in person besides Coco. We have to set up a NY Kdrama club to continue our chat because the next thing we know, the party ended. Time flies when we're passionate about something.
By the time I got home, it was probably after 12:00 A.M. I laid out all the cool stuff I brought home from Dramafever. I took a lot of stickers and chocolates. I wonder if I should give these away.
My Heirs poster was a bit creased in transit, but I'm still happy. If it wasn't so creased, I would have given another one away.
My husband and I couldn't handle the suspense, so we tuned into DramaFever and watched episode two. During this moment, I started thinking of ways to promote Dramafever. Above is one such picture.
I had so much fun at the event that I didn't want to leave. I wish I could stop time and continue living the moment. I was so naturally high by the end of the night.
Unfortunately, it might be a while before Dramafever organizes another party event for K-drama fans. Aileen says that it costs money to buy food, drinks, and rent a space for an event. Still, I hope to attend another Dramafever event and meet even more drama enthusiasts.
For more Dramafever Heirs Premiere thoughts, please read Stephanie's review on her blog, Crazy for Kdrama where you'll see some goofy pictures of me.
Exo finally released a song that is addictive. I admit, I
wasn't crazy about songs such as “Mama” and “Wolf,” which were too musically extreme or intense for my taste (though their
style is growing on me), but the song, “Growl,” is the game changer for me.
Suddenly, I found myself countlessly looking at the music video over and over
again. I am sucked into the Exo world.
Exo stands for the term, “exoplanet,” which is a planet
that is outside our solar system. Each member supposedly has a super power and
traveled to Earth to spread their music. Exo is comprised of twelve members,
who are split into two sub-groups: Exo-K (Korean group) and Exo-M (Mandarin
group). Being the newest group from S.M. Entertainment, a prominent
entertainment agency, Exo managed to remain popular enough to be invited to
various musical specials and year-end shows, which is amazing since they were
considered rookies of the music industry.
Credit: Fanpop.com
The Exo-K team consists of Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol,
D.O., Kai, and Sehun– all of whom are South Koreans. Suho is the leader of
Exo-K as well as Exo as a whole.
The Exo-M team consists of Xiumin, Luhan, Kris, Lay,
Chen, and Tao. Xiumin and Chen are South Koreans, Kris is Canadian, and the
rest are Chinese. Even though he is not the oldest member of Exo-M, Kris is the
leader of Exo-M due to his leadership capabilities.
Continuing their success from “Wolf,” Exo released their
latest single, “Growl,” from their repackaged album, XOXO. Like “Wolf,” Exo promoted “Growl” with all twelve members
instead of promoting each version of their song separately in their respective
sub-groups. What was the result? They shot an awesome continuous music video
that shows them dancing the whole way. I love their concept of spreading their
wolf angle into the newest song as part of a subliminal campaign to draw
attention to their new album. I haven’t seen a continuous action music video
since Big Bang filmed their 2011 music video, “Love Song.”
Why is Growl such a good song? People who don’t know why
surely did not see their music video yet. The choreography is clever and the
music video is shot in continuous mode. To add to the fun, viewers, can switch
between the Korean or Chinese version and watch it all over again. The singing
line-up does not change too much and the lyrics have almost the same meaning. I
honestly can’t decide whether I like the Korean or Chinese version better so I
think I’ll analyze it in this post.
My favorite choreography moves are when the Exo members
do a monkey-like dance during the second and third line of “나으르렁으르렁으르렁대” (I do growl, growl, growl
[Korean version]) or “我으르렁으르렁으르렁你” (I growl-growl-growl [for] you [Chinese version]).
At the same time, I love these lyrics the most.
Which version of Growl is better? I will have to break it
down, explaining the parts that I deem worthy of comparison.
During the beginning rap part (SeHun vs Tao), the winner is: Korean version.
I love the way Sehun draws out the words, “하지마” (don’t do) with attitude.
During the Chorus part, the winner is: Chinese version.
I am more attracted to “我으르렁으르렁으르렁你” (I growl-growl-growl [for] you) instead of “I do
growl” in the Korean lyrics. I am more comfortable hearing “I growl you.” It sounds so sexy and desirable versus doing
the action of growling alone.
During the beginning rap part during the bridge section
of the song (ChanYeol vs Tao): Chinese
version.
I can tell Tao inserted a bit more rap vibe into it with
this rap. I also think the lyrics sound better.
During the solo melody during the bridge of the song
(LuHan vs D.O.): Korean version.
Both members are excellent singers, but LuHan wins
because he has a more delicate-sounding voice, which accentuates his solo part
really well.
In conclusion, both the Korean and Chinese version won
two points from me. It’s a tie!
I would like to give an overall honorable mention to
Chen. Every time he sings, I hear him so clearly and strongly.
Credit: En.Korea.com Credit: data.yule.sohu.com
By the way, D.O. looks like Hong Kong entertainer, 王祖藍 (Wong Cho Lam).
The meaning of the song title, “으르렁,” translates to the sound of growling in Korean. I
notice that the Korean language has so many onomatopoeias, but I’ll probably
cover that extensively in my “A Korean Destiny” blog in the future. The Chinese
song title, “咆哮”, is the Chinese
equivalent of growling and roaring. They could have used 咆哮 in the main chorus, but I guess 으르렁 sounds better and goes well with the music. I can
imagine Exo singing, “我咆哮,咆哮,咆哮你.” It doesn’t sound too bad in
my mind.
After my long introduction, I’m sure everyone is hyped up
for the actual videos and lyrics. I tried to translate as close to the actual
lyrics as possible so my translations may be different from other websites. You
are welcome to visit any of the links in the sources section to read more
standard lyrics and pronunciations.
