1. It is common to classify a Chinese singer as either an idol-type or a talent-type.
The two categories, of course, are not mutually exclusive.
An idol can have talent and a talent can become an idol.
Frances Yip is definitely a very talented singer.
In a career that spans over forty years and is still going, Frances Yip has recorded more than 80 albums.
But to most Chinese, Frances Yip's signature song will always be "Shanghai Beach".
2. "Shanghai Beach" is the theme song of a Hong Kong TVB's television drama of the same name that was aired in March, 1980.
Curiously, the official English translation of the TV drama is "The Bund".
TVB should have opted for the most appropriate "Shanghai Beach" instead of using the rare word "bund".
The drama is a period piece set in Shanghai in the 1920s when China was in turmoil.
(But when in the 150 years before 1980 was China not in turmoil?)
The music and lyrics very powerfully expressed the emotional impact of a drastically changing era on a people and on the individual persons.
As Frances Yip said, wherever she performs, the audience will not let her end a performance until she sang "Shanghai Beach".
And Frances Yip has performed in over 30 countries on 5 continents.
3. A search in YouTube yields many instances of this song.
A concert version of the song in the original Cantonese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uBkWv8L0eg
4. This version has the Cantonese pronunciation hard sub into the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM8Y0_OnFgg
Those who do not speak Cantonese can follow along.
5. A Mandarin Chinese (or Putonghua) version of the song with different lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBKsfoTxi50
More than one person commented that the Cantonese original sounds much better.
I concur.
6. In this version, the video are scenes from the 1980 TV drama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoX5iYiSTro
7. I like the video of this version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THM6Ob4y7Z0
Frances Yip first sang in Mandarin and then Andy Lau sang in Cantonese.
The video is most appropriate for this song.
The actor in the video is Andy Lau.
8. A Vietnamese cover version of the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXgUonG5c4Q
9. The music in classical guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAMVLOiO9NM
Very good.
10. Frances Yip is so grand in this concert version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHpA_YtTNHw
11. A Cantonese cover version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ram9lDpa7A
12. In this cover version by Andy Lau, there is both the Cantonese lyrics (top) and Mandarin lyrics (bottom):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsxcYMf3xmU
Andy Lau sang the song first in Cantonese and then in Mandarin.
There is no doubt that the Cantonese lyrics are much better than the Mandarin ones.
As one person commented in YouTube, the Mandarin lyrics lost the "powerful mojo" that was in the Cantonese.
Yet the Mandarin lyrics were written many years later than the Cantonese.
One should not tinker with a classic if one cannot do it better.
Are there reasons other than musical for the Mandarin lyrics?
Puzzling.
13. The arrangement and accompanying musical instruments for this version are very interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvIW_vwHBp4
14. Vietnamese parody of the song?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfTsu8q_1SU
Funny video!
15. A very competent Vietnamese cover version (first and third part):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cKWJixV7Dg
16. Frances Yip performs the song in a Malaysia concert in 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctwSBXshFjw
17. The Cantonese Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:
上海灘 - 葉麗儀
浪奔 浪流
萬里滔滔江水永不休
淘盡了世間事
混作滔滔一片潮流
是喜 是愁
浪裡分不清歡笑悲憂
成功 失敗
浪裡看不出有未有
＊愛你 恨你 問君知否
似大江一發不收
轉千彎 轉千灘
亦未平復此中爭鬥
＃又有喜 又有愁
就算分不清歡笑悲憂
仍願翻 百千浪
在我心中起伏夠
重唱 ＊,＃
仍願翻 百千浪
在我心中起伏夠
18. The Cantonese Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:
上海滩 - 叶丽仪
浪奔 浪流
万里滔滔江水永不休
淘尽了世间事
混作滔滔一片潮流
是喜 是愁
浪里分不清欢笑悲忧
成功 失败
浪里看不出有未有
＊爱你 恨你 问君知否
似大江一发不收
转千弯 转千滩
亦未平复此中争斗
＃又有喜 又有愁
就算分不清欢笑悲忧
仍愿翻 百千浪
在我心中起伏够
重唱 ＊,＃
仍愿翻 百千浪
在我心中起伏够
19. Names, Words and Phrases
Frances Yip (Traditional Chinese: 葉麗儀; Simplified Chinese: 叶丽仪)
Andy Lau (Traditional: 劉德華; Simplified: 刘德华)
Bund (Traditional: 外灘; Simplified: 外滩)
Idol-type (Traditional: 偶像派; Simplified: 偶像派)
Shanghai Beach (Traditional: 上海灘; Simplified: 上海滩)
Talent-type (Traditional: 實力派; Simplified: 实力派)
References:
"Frances Yip", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Yip
(accessed 2011-12-26).
"葉麗儀", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%91%89%E9%BA%97%E5%84%80
(accessed 2011-12-26).
"上海灘 (1980年電視劇)", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E7%81%98_%281980%E5%B9%B4%E9%9B%BB%E8%A6%96%E5%8A%87%29
(accessed 2011-12-26).
End.
