[Music] Like a Cold -- Karen Tong

Karen Tong

1. The Chinese words "感冒" literally means a common cold.

Believe it or not, this love song was originally written for a Hong Kong commercial promoting a cold medicine.

The lyrics were shrewdly written so that they can serve as both a love song and a cold medicine commercial.

The commercial aired in Hong Kong in the mid to late 1990s.

I was working in Hong Kong and China at the time and vaguely remember seeing the commercial on TV.

Since the lyrics compare different aspects of love to a cold, I have translated the song title as Like a Cold ("感冒").


2. Karen Tong was born in 1971 and she entered Hong Kong's music scene in 1992.

I find Karen Tong to be a talented singer and quite pretty too.

Yet Chinese Wikipedia listed her active years as a singer as between 1992 and 1996.

With all her talents, Karen was not able to reach the top of Hong Kong's music scene and she sort of faded out after a few years.

Another contributing factor to her fading out might be because of her arduous love life - her different courtships over the years have not been easy ones.

But after fading out of the music scene, Karen developed a second career in acting.

Karen Tong has participated in a few TV, movie, and stage acting’s after her singing career.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of her singing, Karen Tong will be in concert in Hong Kong in December this year (2012).


3. This might be the music video of Like a Cold from the original TV broadcast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32wgOzf324o

and another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K8ar_LYgF4


4.  A Karaoke version of Like a Cold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqja9RmtUsc

and it’s plain counterpart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOVsWywYsac

I agree with the comment by @lawrence0834 - the range of this song is quite broad and is not easy to sing.


5. A Dramatic Version of the song by Karen Tong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pwXl7UOeoU


6. These videos are just photo filler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulT9j0QgIVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqP_jx33USo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NV0KJOkJ9M

But the audios are quite good.


7. A photo tribute to Karen Tong put together by some fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDw-8Kn7HfM


8. RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) 1996 Top 10 songs Award:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7DeZGI_Dbg


9. Karen Tong as guest in a concert in 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdRr6ucMY4s


10. At Karen Tong's birthday gathering in 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mj7CxeOrJM


11. This is just the music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNir6xdZ7ow


12. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


感冒 -- 湯寶如

等   漸漸會成為好習慣
流連一番   無聊一番
等新出的襯衫

等   若是再能捱過多一晚
便會醫得好心內舊患
全憑愉快的晚餐

* 時間令痛苦都醫好
戀愛命運就像感冒
誰人又會受傷到老   亦難幸福到老
為何去又來也不知道

# 誰也沒法可免疫吧
失戀都似是斷斷續續感冒吧
完全在意料中變化   或長或短進化
治療那來又去的感情   不可怕

可   利用最便宜的代價
從誰的家   和誰的家
修好心中創疤

可   日夜也埋頭醉心工作
最好出一身一臉熱汗
痊癒便靠這配方

Repeat *, #, *, #


13. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


感冒 -- 汤宝如

等   渐渐会成为好习惯
流连一番   无聊一番
等新出的衬衫

等   若是再能捱过多一晚
便会医得好心内旧患
全凭愉快的晚餐

* 时间令痛苦都医好
恋爱命运就像感冒
谁人又会受伤到老   亦难幸福到老
为何去又来也不知道

# 谁也没法可免疫吧
失恋都似是断断续续感冒吧
完全在意料中变化   或长或短进化
治疗那来又去的感情   不可怕

可   利用最便宜的代价
从谁的家   和谁的家
修好心中创疤

可   日夜也埋头醉心工作
最好出一身一脸热汗
痊愈便靠这配方

Repeat *, #, *, #


14. Names, Words and Phrases:

Karen Tong (Traditional Chinese: 湯寶如; Simplified Chinese: 汤宝如).

Dramatic Version (Traditional: 劇場版;Simplified: 剧场版).

RTHK (Traditional: 香港電台; Simplified: 香港电台).


Reference:

"湯寶如", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B9%AF%E5%AF%B6%E5%A6%82
(accessed 2012-08-12).

End.