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Chyi's Stories
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http://www.rock.com.tw/Singer/Chyi/index.html This time, I want to share the song "Stories" with you. When I went to attend a short ESL course in Vancouver in September of 1996, my teacher discussed some English songs with us. "Who is your most favorite singer?" the teacher asked me. To be honest, I didn't know how to answer the question. I forgot all of the songs in Chinese in my mind at that time. |
"Do you have any singers who have published any English song albums in Taiwan?"
Suddenly, I burst out, "Chyi's stories."
"We always describe her voice coming from the sky, you can not imagine how beautiful her voice is!"
That is Chyi. Chyi is really her true name.
Chyi was born in Taiwan, but her parents came from the northeastern part of China. They were refugees when the war started in 1947 in China. They built their sweet home in Taichung after they had escaped from the burning mainland.
It was a long adventure story,. They spent 2 years to go across the whole of mainland China to find a peaceful land in which to live. Finally, they followed the government in its move to a small island, Taiwan, which lies east by south from the mainland.
These stories of the refugees are a part of Chyi's childhood. "My father always told us the stories of refugees when he got drunk. My mother forgot the most painful sufferings caused by the war and stood there to look at us with a smile."
Chyi released her first Chinese album named "The Olive Tree", when she was studying at the University of Taiwan in 1979. After that, she became a famous folk singer in Taiwan.
In 1978, Chyi won a famous folk song contest and got a chance to meet her producer Lee Thai Shiang. (The second husband of Chyi is the young brother of Lee Thai Shiang) Mr. Lee is a famous classical musician. He did not like the Chinese pop songs at that time. He thought Chinese songs should be better and better. He taught Chyi how to sing and produced her first Chinese album. So, Chyi's songs hit the Pop-billboard at that time.
All of the lyrics of the songs in Chyi's album were written by the poets. Not only Chyi's songs, but the winners of the famous folk songs contests also hit the Pop-billboard at that time.
The famous folk songs contests had been taking place for several years until the musical record company closed. Now the top artists on the pop stages in Taiwan have started their careers from the folk songs contests; for example, Li Zong Sheng, whom Eileen has mentioned, and the owner of http://www.rock.com.tw. Chinese pop songs have been influenced by the folk songs contests until today.
Chyi is different from other pop singers. She looks beautiful in her special clothes. I love these clothes very much, but my mother doesn't. My mother always says it is not a dress, only several pieces of cloth put together.
Have you ever seen the dress which the women who live in the western part of China wear? Or what an old woman in India wears?
She has been on the pop stage for over 10 years, even though she went to the United Sates to study her Ph.D. She married one of her classmates. (I don't remember whether he was one of her classmates or one of her teachers.)
But she did not make it. She did not finish her Ph.D. and her marriage didn't last.
She still made her music and released her albums. But she was mysterious and did not appear on any commercial media when she lived in the U.S.A. Sometimes, I read her news that had been announced by Rock.com.tw.
When she appeared again on TV programs in Taiwan in her famous dress, she got a new life. She got a divorce and married her second husband. Now she has a baby. The new little girl has changed Chyi's life. Chyi is singing her song with her lovely daughter.
"Chyi' Stories" was released in December of 1987. That was the first English Album of Chyi's.
Here are the lyrics:
Original: VIKTOR LAZLO , 1986
I remember quite clearly now when this story happened.
The autumn leaves were floating and measured down to the ground.
Recovering the lake where we use to swim like children
On the sun would dare to shine
That time, we used to be happy
Well, I thought we were
But the truth was that-- you had been longing to leave me
Not daring to tell me
On that precious night watching the lake vaguely conscious
You said: Our story was ending.
Now I'm standing here
No one to wipe away my tears
No one to keep me warm
And no one to walk along with
No one to make me feel
No one to make me while
OH! What am I to do?
I'm standing here alone
It doesn't seem so clear to me
What am I supposed to do about this burning
heart of mine
OH! What am I to do?
Or how should I react?
OH! Tell me please!
The rain was killing the last days of Summer
You had been killing my last breath of love
Since a long time ago
I still don't think I am gunna make it through another love story
You took it all away from me
And there I stand, I knew I was gonna be the .....
The one left behind.
But still I'm watching the lake vaguely conscious
And I know---
My life is ending.
Have Fun,
Best Wishes from Ying Lan
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