1. Priscilla Chan began her singing career in 1983 at the age of 18.
She achieved success very quickly and by 1985 was already a major Cantopop singer.
In order to fulfill a promise to her parents, Priscilla Chan left Cantopop in 1989 at the height of her popularity and went to university.
Priscilla Chan entered Syracuse University in New York in 1990 and has obtained a degree in psychology; she has started work for a Master degree but did not seem to have finished it.
Priscilla Chan officially returned to Cantopop in 1995, but her engagement with Cantopop during the last 16 years has been an on again and off again affair.
2. "Thousands and Thousands of Songs" ("千千闕歌") is a Cantonese cover of a Japanese song.
The Japanese original is called "The Song of Evening Glow ("夕焼けの歌") and was sung by Masahiko Kondo.
This Japanese song has 3 notable Chinese covered versions: 2 in Cantonese and 1 in Mandarin.
The most popular of the Chinese covers is the Cantonese "Thousands and Thousands of Songs" by Priscilla Chan.
The other Cantonese cover is "Song of Sunset" ("夕陽之歌") by Anita Mui.
The Mandarin cover is "Promise in the Wind" ("風中的承諾") by Lee Yik Kwan.
3. By the way, the English translation of "千千闕歌" in all the YouTube versions I have seen is "Thousands of Songs".
Yet the Chinese "千千" can be taken in more than one ways:
(a) If taken as "thousand and thousand" (i.e. "千" and "千"), then the song title can be translated as "Thousands of Songs".
(b) If taken as "thousand upon thousand" (i.e. "千" upon "千"), then the song title can equally well be translated as "Thousands and Thousands of Songs".
I am not sure why others do not translate it as "thousands and thousands".
I prefer "thousands and thousands" because it sounds so much better as a song title!
4. A search in YouTube yields many instances of this song.
A karaoke version by Priscilla Chan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkno1FGSwo
The model in the video is Priscilla Chan.
5. Priscilla Chan in concert in 1989:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq9Qaze7UiI
This was her last concert before going to university.
She was in tears.
6. This YouTube version has no video; just the song by Priscilla Chan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mQyRW2qB3k
7. The original Japanese version by Masahiko Kondo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HlZ7Nd59kM
The video is of Izu Peninsula, Japan.
8. "Song of Sunset” in Cantonese by Anita Mui.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3dP-8Ti6x8
This video is very memorable for fans of Anita Mui - and I count myself as among her fans.
When Anita Mui performed this song in 2003 she was already in the late stages of cervical cancer.
Anita performed this concert against the advised of her medical doctors.
Anita Mui said that among her regrets for life were that she was never married and has children.
She got her wish of wearing a wedding dress - but only in her last concert performance.
When she said "Bye Bye" at the end of this song, Anita was literally saying goodbye to her fans.
If memory serves, Anita Mui passed away within weeks of this concert.
Another interesting tidbit about this video is that Masahiko Kondo, the original Japanese singer of this song, was a one-time boyfriend of Anita's.
Was that one reason why Anita sang this song in her last concert?
After Anita Mui passed away in December 2003, Masahiko Kondo went to Hong Kong to visit her grave for three consecutive years.
8a. Added: Saturday, February 11, 2012.
In the first 4 1/2 minutes of this video, Anita Mui expressed her regrets for life to her fans:
Very, very touching.
9. The Mandarin cover "Promise in the Wind" by Lee Yik Kwan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxt64f0QrvY
As to the video, the woman in woman's clothing (not the woman in men's clothing) is Angie Chiu - one of my favorite Hong Kong actresses.
10. A cover of "Thousands and Thousands of Songs" by Alan Tam:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7evBF8Z8qt0
11. Leslie Cheung covering the song in concert in 1990:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9aceIwAxD0
12. A cover by Camy Tang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwrRV9EYAjE
13. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:
千千闕歌 - 陳慧嫻
徐徐回望 曾屬於彼此的晚上
紅紅仍是你 贈我的心中艷陽
如流傻淚 祈望可體恤兼見諒
明晨離別你 路也許孤單得漫長
一瞬間 太多東西要講
可惜即將在各一方
只好深深把這刻盡凝望
＊來日縱使千千闕歌 飄於遠方我路上
來日縱使千千晚星 亮過今晚月亮
都比不起這宵美麗
亦絕不可使我更欣賞
啊啊 因你今晚共我唱
臨行臨別 才頓感哀傷的漂亮
原來全是你 令我的思憶漫長
何年何月 才又可今宵一樣
停留凝望裡 讓眼睛講彼此立場
當某天 雨點輕敲你窗
當風聲吹亂你構想
可否抽空想這張舊模樣
Repeat ＊
啊 怎都比不起這宵美麗
亦絕不可使我更欣賞
因今宵的我可共你唱
Repeat ＊
來日縱使千千闕歌 飄於遠方我路上
來日縱使千千晚星 亮過今晚月亮
都比不起這宵美麗
都洗不清今晚我所想
因不知哪天再共你唱
14. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:
千千阙歌 - 陈慧娴
徐徐回望 曾属于彼此的晚上
红红仍是你 赠我的心中艳阳
如流傻泪 祈望可体恤兼见谅
明晨离别你 路也许孤单得漫长
一瞬间 太多东西要讲
可惜即将在各一方
只好深深把这刻尽凝望
＊来日纵使千千阙歌 飘于远方我路上
来日纵使千千晚星 亮过今晚月亮
都比不起这宵美丽
亦绝不可使我更欣赏
啊啊 因你今晚共我唱
临行临别 才顿感哀伤的漂亮
原来全是你 令我的思忆漫长
何年何月 才又可今宵一样
停留凝望里 让眼睛讲彼此立场
当某天 雨点轻敲你窗
当风声吹乱你构想
可否抽空想这张旧模样
Repeat ＊
啊 怎都比不起这宵美丽
亦绝不可使我更欣赏
因今宵的我可共你唱
Repeat ＊
来日纵使千千阙歌 飘于远方我路上
来日纵使千千晚星 亮过今晚月亮
都比不起这宵美丽
都洗不清今晚我所想
因不知哪天再共你唱
15. Names, Words and Phrases:
Priscilla Chan (Traditional: 陳慧嫻; Simplified: 陈慧娴).
Alan Tam (Traditional: 譚詠麟; Simplified: 谭咏麟).
Angie Chiu (Traditional: 趙雅芝; Simplified: 赵雅芝).
Anita Mui (Traditional: 梅艷芳; Simplified: 梅艳芳).
Camy Tang (Traditional: 鄧瑞霞; Simplified: 邓瑞霞).
Lee Yik Kwan (Traditional: 李翊君; Simplified: 李翊君).
Leslie Cheung (Traditional: 張國榮; Simplified: 张国荣).
Masahiko Kondo (Traditional: 近藤真彦; Simplified: 近藤真彦).
References:
"Priscilla Chan", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscilla_Chan
(accessed 2012-02-06).
"陳慧嫻", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E9%99%B3%E6%85%A7%E5%AB%BB
(accessed 2012-02-06).
"陳慧嫻", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B3%E6%85%A7%E5%AB%BB
(accessed 2012-02-06).
End.
