[Music] Sally Yeh -- Ten Minutes Past Midnight

Sally Yeh

1. Chinese Verse of the Day:

岳飛 (1103 - 1142)

滿江紅

怒髮衝冠，憑欄處，瀟瀟雨歇。
抬望眼，仰天長嘯，壯懷激烈。
三十功名塵與土，八千里路雲和月。
莫等閑、白了少年頭，空悲切。

靖康恥，猶未雪；臣子恨，何時滅？
駕長車，踏破賀蘭山缺！
壯志飢餐胡虜肉，笑談渴飲匈奴血。
待從頭，收拾舊山河，朝天闕。


2. The music of Ten Minutes Past Midnight ("零時十分") was composed by George Lam for his will-be wife Sally Yeh in 1984.

(They were married in 1996.)
 
The lyrics are quite sad and describe a person celebrating her birthday by herself from ten past midnight to six in the morning.

"Yeh is a Canadian citizen. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, immigrated to Canada at young age with her family, grew up in Victoria, British Columbia." ("Sally Yeh", Wikipedia.)

If Sally Yeh were to have been born in Hong Kong, then her last name would have been spelled in English as "Yip" - a Cantonese transliteration.

I suppose "Yeh" is a Fukienese transliteration.

Sally Yeh was born in Taiwan and a sizable population of Taiwan has roots in Fukien (or Fujian) Province of China.

I have a friend from Malaysia whom have the same last name as Sally but his last name is transliterated into English as "Yap".

But I have never asked him where his ancestors were from.


3. Sally Yeh returns to Taiwan from Canada in 1980 to begin her singing career.

She moved to Hong Kong in 1984 and continues singing and acting.

1984 was Sally Yeh breakout year; as a matter of fact, Ten Minutes Past Midnight was her breakout song.

This song has received many awards in 1984.


4. This music video is from 1984 but the music is remixed from LP Record:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDI2SuxZ0po

@Ringo Chan in YouTube's Comments summarized the mood of the lyrics very well: "loneliness, expectation and disappointment."


5. Sally Yeh in 1984's Hong Kong Jade Solid Gold Awards.

The song starts at the 12:50 minutes mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjGbySR59I


6. A karaoke version of the song from 1991:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhwth7RQj0


7. Sally Yeh and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4iIJ6SuII

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow_2jZRzodQ


8. Sally Yeh in concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsSqRFtolU0


9. This is just the music with Sally Yeh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9r9mTTYNyw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWin8NY2kdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-L2CCcTDSo


10. Sally Yeh and George Lam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn6Pt7fX2JQ

George Lam is the husband of Sally Yeh.


11. Sally Yeh and George Lam in concert in 2004:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX1ft8TIJWs


12. Sally Yeh and George Lam in concert in 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt0hw8FbEic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiSwxmqF0qs

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


13. Sally Yeh, George Lam and Alex Lam in concert in 2012.

The first of two songs:

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

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTelaoRPrm0

Alex Lam is the son of George Lam by a previous marriage.


14. Sally Yeh and Jacky Cheung in 2005 in a TV show celebrating the 25th Anniversary of her singing career.

The song starts at the 3:10 minutes mark:

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


15. Sally Yeh and Eason Chan.

The second of two songs which starts at the 1:55 minutes mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ5mM2hInuI


16. George Lam in concert in 2002 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2xMa0vSjc

The song starts at the 3:25 minutes mark with some bars from Happy Birthday to You.

A very poignant counterpoint to Ten Minutes Past Midnight's "Happy birthday to me".


17. Music video of George Lam singing Ten Minutes Past Midnight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck9hOuTE0KE

Very good.


18. A cover by George Lam and Joey Yung:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8flrnN4Ei40


19. A surprisingly good but unknown cover:

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


20. A piano cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZCzU2K_UTA


21. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


零時十分 -- 葉蒨文

零時十分   倚窗看門外暗燈
迷途夜雨   靜吻路人
曾在雨中   你低聲的說：
Happy birthday my love one

* 為何如今   只得我呆望雨絲
呆呆坐至   夜半二時
拿著兩杯凍的香檳說：
Happy birthday to me

# 綿綿夜雨   無言淚珠
陪我慶祝   今次生辰
綿綿夜雨   無言淚珠
齊來為我添氣氛

@ 無人夜中   穿起那明豔舞衣
呆呆獨坐   直至六時
拿著兩杯暖的香檳說：
Happpy birthday to me

Repeat *, #, @


22. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


零时十分 -- 叶蒨文

零时十分   倚窗看门外暗灯
迷途夜雨   静吻路人
曾在雨中   你低声的说：
Happy birthday my love one

* 为何如今   只得我呆望雨丝
呆呆坐至   夜半二时
拿着两杯冻的香槟说：
Happy birthday to me

# 绵绵夜雨   无言泪珠
陪我庆祝   今次生辰
绵绵夜雨   无言泪珠
齐来为我添气氛

@ 无人夜中   穿起那明艳舞衣
呆呆独坐   直至六时
拿着两杯暖的香槟说：
Happy birthday to me

Repeat *, #, @


23. Names, Words and Phrases:

Alex Lam (Traditional Chinese: 林德信; Simplified Chinese: 林德信).

Eason Chan (Traditional: 陳奕迅; Simplified: 陈奕迅).

George Lam (Traditional: 林子祥; Simplified: 林子祥).

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Traditional: 香港管弦樂團; Simplified: 香港管弦乐团).

Jacky Cheung (Traditional: 張學友; Simplified: 张学友).

Jade Solid Gold (Traditional: 勁歌金曲; Simplified: 劲歌金曲).

Joey Yung (Traditional: 容祖兒; Simplified: 容祖儿).

Sally Yeh (Traditional: 葉蒨文; Simplified: 叶倩文).


References:

"Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Philharmonic_Orchestra
(accessed 2013-02-24).

"Sally Yeh", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Yeh
(accessed 2013-02-24).

"葉蒨文", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E8%91%89%E8%92%A8%E6%96%87
(accessed 2013-02-24).

"香港管弦樂團", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E7%AE%A1%E5%BC%A6%E6%A8%82%E5%9C%98
(accessed 2013-02-24).

"岳飛", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%B2%B3%E9%A3%9E
(accessed 2013-02-24).

"滿江紅", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%BB%A1%E6%B1%9F%E7%BA%A2
(accessed 2013-02-24).

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