《思慕的人》the one i yearn for
folk song definitions, takeshi kaneshiro in fallen angels, and a classic taiwanese oldie
我心內思慕的人 你怎樣離開阮的身邊 叫我為著你暝日心稀微 深深思慕你
心愛的緊返來 緊返來阮身邊
FOLK SONG DEFINITIONS
happy yearning on this valentine’s day! i thought i would be writing about folk songs but here i am falling for a classic oldie love ballad at the start of the year. what’s the difference between folk songs vs oldies? i always think of the film inside llewyn davis by the coen brothers and this oscar isaac jimmy fallon interview
“you’ve probably heard that one before, but what the hell. if it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song.”
“this land is your land”, “scarborough fair”, and “we shall overcome” are folk songs. “stand by me”, “ain’t no mountain high enough”, and “unchained melody” would be oldies. the oxford reference definition has authorship as an attribute: “folk‐songs are songs of unknown authorship passed orally from generation to generation.” these songs have been transmitted orally for so many lifetimes and seasons that we no longer know who the original composer/author was. the song, the melody now belongs to the people. however, defining and categorizing folk songs through authorship isn’t always so cut and dry. we can trace “this land is your land” directly to woody guthrie but it is usually the quintessential american folk song that springs into mind.
maybe another definition could be a song that sits in the repository of the collective consciousness of a community. i think of my college days on football saturdays in ann arbor at the big house, a hundred thousand people singing and shouting the notes in unison to “seven nation army” and being part of a sonic swell greater than yourself. for the longest time, i didn’t even realize that was a white stripes song! does this sports anthem count as a folk song? jack white basically wrote a modern folk song.
oldies then would be songs, films, television programs and other media that are popular classics, those beloved songs that everyone knows, recognizes instantly, and can sing the words to. they were recorded and disseminated through technological means such as radio while folk songs were passed on human to human
TAIWANESE FOLK SONGS VS OLDIES
people are always shocked and in disbelief here in taiwan when i tell them i love listening to old taiwanese folk music. then they like to quiz me and i tell them like wen hsia, hsu hsih, chen da, teng yu hsien. and they can’t wrap their heads around how an american born kid would be into this “old music that no one listens to anymore.” and they ask me if my parents or grandparents listened to this at home. i’ve had to reply to these same questions so many times that i think i should just prepare and memorize a statement at this point hahah. but i really love these discussions because it opens up an opportunity for me to learn and gather data through non scholarly means about taiwanese folk music.
i’ll tell them something like even in america, i like to listen to old music from 1960s, 50s and pre-war music. so when i started listening to taiwanese music i gravitated to the same decades. i’m always just a grandma.
i would say my research into taiwanese folk music officially began summer 2017, the moment i read bob dylan’s chronicles. there is a passage in the book where he talks about how when he first heard folk music it was like he had been in the dark and someone flipped a light switch on. he mentions how he was born in duluth near the mississippi delta and highway 61 and how he felt like those early rock n roll and folk blues rural musicians were his "spiritual ancestors". after i read this, i felt like i had been struck by lightnin’ and i was suddenly deeply curious about taiwanese folk songs and searching for my own musical/spiritual ancestors.
this led me at first to the 「校園民歌 taiwanese campus folk」 movement, a period in the 70s/80s where students in taiwan were inspired by bob dylan, joan baez, and the american folk revival to write their own songs and return to roots. i loved the interconnectedness of it all, that they were singing songs like "blowin' in the wind" in taiwan and that i was connecting to my own culture by way of bob dylan. later, i discovered more authentic folk figures like the moon guitar player 陳達 chen da and then learned more about the old taiwanese folk songs which happened over a period, song by song.
in the beginning, i wasn’t even sure what keywords to search and where to begin. so the search began at home and i thought of the song 《天黑黑》 (translates to sky is dark or cloudy day) which my dad used to always sing on rainy days. i interviewed my parents about this song and asked them when they could remember their first memory of the song or where they learned it. and they both said that they heard it literally thousands of times during childhood. my dad said he heard it on the streets and my mom said maybe on tv. i always get such a kick out of interviewing non-musicians about their sonic memories, although my parents probably thought i was being annoying.
so a song like 《天黑黑》《丟丟銅 an old taiwanese train song》《牛犁歌 ox plowing song》are taiwanese folk songs while, the topic of today’s post, 《思慕的人 the one i yearn for》is an example of a taiwanese oldie!
思慕的人 IN 墮落天使 FALLEN ANGELS
the first time i ever watched in wong kar wai’s 《墮落天使 fallen angels》was a double feature back to back after 《重慶森林 chungking express》and they both were exploding my brain, seeing a young takeshi kaneshiro with such a baby face playing these playful vibrant characters.
takeshi kaneshiro was my childhood cinematic crush and i was only used to seeing him play characters in period pieces, always some sort of ultra charismatic, scholarly romantic figure. especially in fallen angels, he was just being a ridiculous goof. there’s a touching scene where he is rewatching playbacks of videos he shot of his father, who has passed suddenly, and smiling in loving remembrance.
the song that comes on is 洪一峰 hong yifeng’s (or ang it-hong taiwanese romanization) 《思慕的人 the one i yearn for》and it’s this scene where i can consciously remember first encountering the song.
the version in the film is a cover by taiwanese singer-songwriter actor 齊秦 chyi chin from his 1994 folk / blues rock album 《暗淡的月》, a collection of 1940s-70s popular taiwanese language ballads. chyi chin is considered one of the 「台灣四大天王 four heavenly kinds of taiwanese pop」from the 90s era.
oh my god. this album is one of my favorite albums of reinterpretations of taiwanese oldies. i’ve been listening to it alot lately for inspiration while i’m guitar arranging old taiwanese songs for a personal project, more details on this to come! =) chyi chin completely transforms the songs here in his own voice and sonic style. it’s wild to hear these songs with so much electric drama and it’s chock full of searing guitar solos. chyi chin is the eldest brother of 齊豫 chyi yu, who is one of the darlings of the previously mentioned 校園民歌 taiwanese campus folk movement and she known as 「天籟之音 the sound of nature」. here is her song 《橄欖樹 the olive tree》a major representative work of the campus folk movement.
here is her rendition of joan baez’s “diamonds and rust”
思慕的人 THE ORIGINAL SONG
i love a good book, podcast, or series about songwriting. i’ll eat up anything featuring songwriters pulling back the veil on their process or an in depth analysis breaking down all the nuts and bolts of a song or album — song exploder, broken record, and the writer is…, switched on pop, sodajerker on songwriting, object of sound, dis/sect. (please send me recommendations for songwriting podcasts/books!) my all time favorite might be the rich archive of old taiwanese variety tv shows on youtube, especially the ones hosted by the fei brothers — 費玉清 fei yu ching「小哥」and 張菲 chang fei 「菲哥」or「阿牛」(always with an incredible perm!) — where they interview songwriters of old taiwanese hits, crack a bunch of taiwanese dad jokes, and then perform the songs live. here is a clip of an episode of 《龍兄虎弟 the fantastic brothers》where they brought on 洪一峰 hong yi feng and 齊秦 chyi chin. this interview must have been part of the press tour for chyi chin’s 《暗淡的月》album which included two of hong yi feng’s signature songs — 《思慕的人》 and 《舊情綿綿》. they discuss chyi chin’s approach to arranging old taiwanese songs in a new style and get to interview hong yi feng himself about the songwriting stories behind the songs as well as trade verses and compare vocal styles, a dialogue between generations old and new.
the original 1958 亞洲唱片 asia records recording of《思慕的人》was an early hit for hong yi feng and one of the most recognizable melodies and covered love ballads for decades to come. composed by hong yi feng with lyrics by 葉俊麟 yeh jun lin, the prolific keelung lyricist (he wrote the lyrics for over 8,000 tunes in his lifetime!) of many taiwanese classic ballads, including hong yi feng’s many hits 《舊情綿綿 old love is continuous》, 《淡水暮色 tamsui twilight》, 《寶島曼波 treasure island mambo》and other taiwanese classics including a personal favorite of mine 《溫泉鄉的吉他 hot springs guitar》.
hong yi feng’s recording is in the key of Ab in 4/4 time and features his unmistakable 「洪式唱腔」hong signature style tenor voice. along with wen hsia, the two of them were known as 「寶島歌王 kings of treasure island」with 文夏wen hsia in the upper register and hong in the lower. the hollowy pillowy hal blaine kick drum sounds reminiscent of the phil spector produced “be my baby” by the ronettes. it’s a different drum pattern but the kick drum tone instantly reminded me of early 60s soul. the slightly out of tune strings and pentatonic melody have the feel of japanese enka and a reason i love old taiwanese ballads from this era so much, they capture an old vintage nostalgic sound from both eastern and western influences.
while hong yi feng is clearly yearning and singing to a singular lover to come back, come back, the song was actually written by him for his fans. in the 龍兄虎弟 fantastic brothers tv interview above, he recounts the story of the period in his life when he wrote this song. in those days, he had a feverish fan base and he could recognize the familiar faces of his most devoted fans in the crowd. one day he started noticing less and less fans returning and he related his feelings to his lyricist who eternalized all the longing and abandonment into verse.
思慕的人 THE BOOK
in 2015, an auto/biography of hong yi feng 思慕的人：寶島歌王洪一峰與他的時代was published by avanguard (one of my favorite book publishers in taiwan!) that includes many interviews from family and friends in the music industry. the book was written by li rui ming who drew from archives and personal interviews with hong. i love the colorful graphics and photo collages in the book as well as the handwritten notes and collected ephemera. i’m still making my way through this book along with other biography and will have to dedicate a full post to him as he’s become one of my favorite figures alongside 文夏 wen hsia and 許石 hsu shih.
i found this used copy at 憫堂書店 mingtang books in tainan! shoutout to my friend 杜孟澤 for taking me to this gorgeous used bookstore tucked away in one of those picturesque narrow cobblestone alleys in tainan with such a vibe — dimly lit, incense dense and hazy, no photos allowed inside. the owner has a deep knowledge of taiwanese history and is an avid antique and old map collector. he was so generous to brew tea for us and chat about maps from the dutch colonial era through the japanese occupation and offer some of his thoughts about this year being tainan’s 400th birthday.
when i got back to my cousin’s place she flipped through some of my new vinyl acquisitions from the day and when she held the book, she took one look at it and started singing the melody 「我心內思慕的人…」 every generation cherishes this song! haha
思慕的人 THE FILM
archival newspaper collected by 國家電影及視聽文化中心 TFAI taiwan film audiovisual institute
as many taiwanese oldie hits, the film industry tried to capitalize on the popularity and familiarity of the song title and 思慕的人 was adapted into a film in 1967. i can’t find much information about the film online besides all the places it screened in 1967. on the TFAI website it also says there was an “application form for inspection of the hokkien language film —「雨夜情炎 原片名：思慕的人閩南語電影片檢查申請書」the original title of the film 雨夜情炎 rainy night love affair. i think i’m going to have to start making a list of my unanswered questions about these taiyu pian and make a visit to TFAI haha. i went for the first time in october for the edward yang retrospective and the facility was an impressive haven to taiwanese cinematic history. i didn’t have as much time to look at all the floors as there was already so much edward yang archives to take in!
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there’s a 思慕的人 chapter in the book 今夜來放送：那些不該被遺忘的臺語流行歌、音樂人與時代 1946~1969 heartbeats of oldies by 洪芳怡 with a brief paragraph about the two films that were titled after the song. the above 1967 film was the second time the song title was adapted into a film. the first time was in 1966 but the film was later renamed 《難忘的愛人》 after a hit song by younger upcoming singer 尤雅 with the plot of the movie adapted from the stage play《太太的秘密》. this book has been a constant reference for me since i first read it summer 2023 and it’s so cool that it won a 2023 Openbook好書獎 award!
思慕的人 THE DOCUMENTARY
in 2011, the hong brothers, the three sons of hong yi feng produced a biographical documentary about their father titled 《阿爸：思慕的人 father (abba)》. the film was directed by the youngest brother and takes a closer nuanced look at their father, behind the scenes and stardom, and their complicated relationship with the man who was on stage and absent for most of their childhood.
there was a special concert planned that celebrated the life and songs of their father and including contemporary artists such as S.H.E. jay chou, mayday, and jj lin. the theme song from the documentary was even nominated for best original film song at the golden horse awards.
had to include a live jay chou cover of this song from the documentary, he was my childhood musical hero hahaha. there’s a short interview clip at the end of this performance where he says from 思慕的人 and on are what are considered hong yi feng’s classic hits 「寶島歌曲 treasure island songs」, his timeless songs that hold up after decades, centuries even and can still touch the hearts of many.
思慕的人 THE TV SERIES
the song title just seems to be too iconic and was recycled again for a sanli SET 三立台灣台 2015 tv series 《思慕的人 an adopted daughter》. the series follows yuki, an adopted daughter during the japanese colonial era through world war ii, and the fated encounters and mutual yearning between her childhood sweetheart. i haven’t watched the series yet but i have this youtube playlist saved on my future binge list.
思慕的人 LYRICS / TRANSLATION
葉俊麟 yeh jun lin’s lyrics from the book 思慕的人：寶島歌王洪一峰與他的時代
verse 1
我心內思慕的人 in my heart you’re the one i yearn for
你怎樣離開阮的身邊 why have you left my side?
叫我為著你暝日心稀微 for you my heart is lonely day and night
深深思慕你 deeply yearning for you
心愛的緊返來 my love, come back soon
緊返來阮身邊 come back to my side soon
verse 2
有看見思慕的人 i see the one i yearn for
惦在阮夢中難分難離 in the center of my dreams inseparable inescapable
引我對著汝更加心綿綿 making my heart even more abiding
茫茫過日子 living my days in confusion
心愛的緊返來 my love, come back soon
緊返來阮身邊 come back to my side soon
verse 3
好親像思慕的人 sounds like the one i yearn for
優美的歌聲擾亂阮耳 a beautiful sound disturbing my ears
當我想著你溫柔好情意 when i think of your tender affection
聲聲叫著你 i loudly call to you
心愛的緊返來 my love, come back soon
緊返來阮身邊 come back to my side soon
SONG LINKS
a majestic live orchestral chyi chin performance
a young chen ming chang rock records upbeat almost punk version!
a live solo piano performance by 洪榮宏 hong rong hong or chris hung, son of hong yi feng, and a popular taiwanese singer himself, known as “king of hokkien pop” for the program 「台灣紅歌100年 100 years of taiwanese hits」
probably the version i’ve been listening to most these days, 林翠萍 lin tsui ping always has the gnarliest lofi guitar tones on her productions and i’ve been digging the 4 to the floor with accordion and muted trumpet on my afternoon walks.
a tender 蔡琴 tsai chin music video
葉啟田 ye qi tian always bringing the soulful crooner versions. i love the female doowop style backing vocals and the surfy guitar arpeggios on this one.
a gorgeous acoustic pop rendition by 阿信 ashin of 五月天 mayday
a cinematic interlude from the 2013 comedy film《阿嬤的夢中情人 forever love》about the golden age of 1960s taiwanese cinema. i actually had no idea until recently that beitou, taipei used to be the center of the film industry and called 「臺彎好萊塢 taiwanese hollywood」! over 100 films during this era were shot in beitou and you can see old beitou in all its glory captured in these early films.
ended my first post with a crowd lu live youtube version of 黃昏的故鄉 so i thought i would end with crowd again, love that he performs taiwanese classics live, especially his early live albums but there’s lots of unreleased unrecorded nuggets of crowd lu covers on youtube captured by audience phones!
i had to try a folk harmonica version with my recording king swamp dog parlor resonator!
YEAR OF THE WOOD DRAGON
happy dragon year! i guess i will start including some daily life updates here. it’s lunar new year over here so all the shops are closed and it’s just sweet family gatherings. got to see all my maternal extended family on lunar new year eve dinner.
it’s lovely how family is such a core focus of lunar new year and it’s so grounding to see all the rituals and customs performed to connect with ancestors.
snapped a photo with 財神 money god of wealth!
got to see ducky by kaohsiung music center, feels like everyone and their grandma went to see the ducks when they arrived hahaha all of kaohsiung was having a field day.
i had way too much fun checking out the shops in the music center area and found adorable tote bags of japanese colonial era train graphics, stickers, and knick knacks!
binged the new rom-com 《愛愛內含光 let’s talk about chu》 during this LNY too, it was a fun watch and felt like the taiwanese version of sex education. i’ve loved getting to watch things in realtime living here because i’ll see the netflix ads alot more and even see ads at 711.
i’m currently in the gestation, gathering energy, preparation, and collecting phases of various projects — i’ve been recording demos of taiwanese folk song arrangements. it’s trippy so much of my early 20s self has been coming back full blast too, i’ve been slowly upgrading all my gadgets. i stopped by the local kaohsiung analog photography spot 自由數位影像 in zuoying and picked up 120 rolls, i got an akai apc midi controller for vjing/live ableton fx control, a novation launchkey for melodic techno revisions of taiwanese folk songs and waiting for my teenage engineering tp-7 to arrive to begin field recording taiwanese soundscapes. i’ll let you know how it’s all unfolding in the next one. that’s all for now!
REFERENCE
今夜來放送：那些不該被遺忘的臺語流行歌、音樂人與時代 1946~1969 heartbeats of oldies by 洪芳怡
https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/Articles/Details?Guid=0fc445be-4afa-4f2f-bacf-074ef1158647&CatId=7&postname=%E7%A9%BA%E7%95%99%E9%A4%98%E9%9F%B3%E7%B9%9E%E8%93%AC%E8%90%8A-%E2%94%80%E2%94%80%E5%AF%B6%E5%B3%B6%E6%AD%8C%E7%8E%8B%E6%B4%AA%E4%B8%80%E5%B3%B0
https://tfai.openmuseum.tw/muse/digi_object/b1d7322ce7635ca6da5a6f03c08e38a1
https://openmuseum.tw/muse/digi_object/b1d7322ce7635ca6da5a6f03c08e38a1
https://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/5b/82/7c.html
https://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/5b/83/e8.html
https://vocus.cc/article/63bfa228fd89780001631f2f