[Reserved] Leehom Roots Music Leehom music roots [with Chinese translations]

April 30, 2011

On Wang Leehom latest record, Change Me, the American-born Chinese singer takes his listeners along on his musical road home. But just what” home “is he singing about?
Wang Leehom last two albums, Shangri-La and Heroes of Earth, stirred more than a little controversy among Chinese Americans who were offended by Wang use of the term” chinked-out “to describe his unique blend of Chinese and hip-hop musical elements. Regardless of whether his re-appropriation of the racial slur was justified or not, what unfortunate is that most of the criticisms were more preoccupied with the word, rather than with the reason Wang decided to use it – and more importantly, with what Wang was trying to accomplish musically.
As I e argued elsewhere, these criticisms also overlook the important fact that Chinese Americans should not always look at their identity within national boundaries. Wang Leehom may have been born in the United States, but his career is primarily across the Pacific. “Chinked-out” may cause anxiety in the states, but for border-crossing Chinese around the world, it might have other, more liberating, meanings. (That those border-crossers tend to be higher class, educated individuals whose global travels frees them from the racial trauma of home is, of course, an important, but separate issue.)

Wang latest album, the softer, gentler Change Me, is less insistent about projecting the “chinked-out” label. This may seem a retreat from the provocative stance he took on the past two albums, but doing so allows him to more subtly explore his place as an American-born Chinese (ABC) in a global world – precisely what “chinked-out” was supposed to be about in the first place.
The album may be called Change Me, but I e been listening to it in terms of the title of its leadoff single, the pop ballad “Falling Leaf Returns to Roots” (“Luo Ye Gui Gen”). The title, an otherwise trite Chinese idiom referring to the path of weary home-seekers, became interesting to me while I watched the video and began to wonder what exactly are the “roots” he referring to. According to the lyrics and the video narrative, “home” is wherever the heart is. But music videos are a visual medium, and images are much more difficult to make geographically-neutral. Moreover, the video (directed by Wang himself) repeatedly hints that this “home” that he depicting is a multi-cultural city inhabited by Chinese (and non-Chinese) people. (The “Grade A” sign visible on the coffee shop in the background makes it clear that we e in the purview of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.) Wang fans all know that he an American by birth. So are we to take it that the “roots” he referring to is the United States? The lyrics and the music on the rest of the album assure listeners that the answer is not so clear.
So where exactly is “home” in Change Me? Here are some possibilities, as evoked by the album.
Home is … in Asia
Wang Leehom was born and educated in the US, and then made it big in Taiwan (and throughout much of Asia) as a pop star. On the track “Love Live the Chinese” (“Hua Ren Wan Shui”), he celebrates his pride in being Chinese. “I born in the USA, but Made In Taiwan,” he raps. He then claims, “Falling leaves return to roots in the East where I discover my home.” If that shouldn make the question of home obvious enough, in the liner notes, Wang thanks his Lust, Caution co-stars “for finally making me feel like I grew up in Asia.” But if the question of home were that simple, Wang would simply be cheesy, patriotic cliché: the “good ABC” who returns to his real home and gives back to “his people.” While some moments in the song do point to his (like when he wishes all Chinese good luck at the Beijing Olympics in 8 on “Love Live the Chinese “), the majority of the album takes a more broad-minded stance to Chinese-ness. So perhaps:
Home is … amongst the overseas Chinese
When” Love Live the Chinese “isn boasting the glories of the Chinese in Asia, it reaching out to Chinese around the globe, like a Chinese version of the Black Eyed Peas” Bebot. “The term he uses for” Chinese “isn zhongguo ren (which is closer to “Chinese nationals”), but huaren, which refers to an ethnic and linguistic identity, rather than a national or political one. It makes sense then that in the roll call at the end of the track, he lists other Chinese “heroes of earth,” and all of them are Chinese who have made it big by traveling overseas: New York Yankee Chien-Ming Wang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, director Ang Lee, hurdler Liu Xiang, pianist Lang Lang, and film star Jackie Chan. That these are all artists and athletes rather than politicians and businessmen also give his definition of “Chinese” a cultural, physical character rather than a more “official” one. (That they e all men also hints at how Wang is defining the cultural Chinese in terms of gender, also bringing to mind the controversies over “Bebot.”)
But the Chinese language is allowed some variability on the track, making audible a “linguistic dissonance “cultural scholar Shu-mei Shih identifies as characteristic of the Chinese diaspora.” Love Live the Chinese “is one of the album two rapped songs, and the vocal delivery of rap immediately gives the lyrics a Western” accent “(to say nothing of his frequent use of English). On the first verse, he spits, flipping between English and Chinese: “Watch this / You e never heard Chinese like this / Standard pronunciation with a Wang Leehom twist.” It should be noted that when Wang first moved to Taiwan in 1995, his Chinese was less-than perfect, and while he become far more proficient, his image is still that of an American-born outsider. So the “twist” in “Long Live the Chinese” is its multi -vocality.
And in Wang world, the heterogeneity of accents and linguistic identities is nothing short of beautiful, which he proclaims on the other rap track, “Cockney Girl.” Here, Wang sings of rolling into a club with the homies and becoming enchanted by a Chinese dancer with a certain London accent:
I e heard of Taiwanese Mandarin and Cantonese Mandarin, Beijing intonations and Southern Mandarin,

And of course there ABC Mandarin, and the Mandarin the whole world trying to learn.
I thought I heard it all, so when I heard this British dancer voice,
I decided to dedicate a song to her, to record that mysterious chance encounter.
Wang Leehom is far from a great rapper or lyricist. What always been more important than his actual rapping is the fact that he is rapping. As with all pop music, it the surface that counts; what makes Wang pop rise about the rest is that his rhymes depict a texture of transnational Chinese-ness that is grooved rather than smoothed, and which is home among the strays , the displaced, and the forgotten, like that Cockney accent most overlook when counting the ways one can be Chinese.
Home is … the earth we live on
Such a planetary view of home has a surprising parallel in the environmental focus of Change Me. The title track finds Leehom startin ith the man in the mirror, contemplating the power of the individual to make a difference in the world. The song itself is undeniably catchy in its melody, but somewhat obvious in its lyrics. But what elevates the song and the album to a more mature level is that Wang actually takes the initiative to practice what he preaches. In an unprecedented display of genuine concern, the album is printed on recycled paper, contains a minimal amount of plastics, and includes a page in the liner notes listing ten things ordinary listeners can do to save the environment. The album cover depicts Wang holding up a young plant, roots dangling in the air, as if to say that the “roots” of the leadoff single are not only a cultural home, but an ecological one as well.
Is this a sincere gesture or simply a promotional gimmick? My guess is that it began as the former, and transformed into the latter. The version of the album I purchased contained limited edition Leehom chopsticks with a small tote bag, encouraging listeners to use these reusable chopsticks instead of wasting the disposable silverware found in many restaurants. It all feels calculated and gimmicky . But then again, Change Me is not only a pop music album, but a pop music commodity; and again, what makes Leehom album extraordinary is that it plays by the industry rules to concoct something different, and even radical. In recent years, pop music record labels in Taiwan have attempted to fight off music piracy by upping the ante on promotional materials attached to albums. CD cases have gotten bigger and the packaging more elaborate. Glossy photobooks are given more weight than the music. What Wang Leehom (and his record label) was able to do was make Change Me environmentally sound while remaining a successful pop commodity.
Home is … in the music
But more than the packaging, the videos, the photos, or the promotional gifts, what always been at the center of Wang Leehom albums is the music. It not necessarily because he the best singer or even the best musician in the Mando-pop universe. It that: 1) he famous for being a classically-trained musician, 2) he known for writing and producing his own music, 3) he makes it clear in the album credits and videos that he plays multiple instruments, and 4) he has by far the most ambitious musical mind in contemporary Chinese pop. Wang theorizes his music: he experiments with it; he names it; he allows his image to transform as his musical inspiration changes.
The music in Change Me is perhaps his most mature to date. Shangri-La and Heroes of Earth may have been more grand and ambitious, but Change Me gains strength and focus from a more laid-back, confident mix of genres, unlike the previous albums which often spun out of control in their musical madness. There are no knockout singles like “Kiss Goodbye,” but each song effortlessly fits within the album larger purpose of providing pleasing melodies and lyrics that contemporary global Chinese youth can call “roots music.”
If Shangri-La and Heroes of Earth hypothesizes the wondrously hybrid space-age Chinese pop of the future, Change Me finds its musical home by takin t back. It refreshing to see old school hip-hop as one the primary musical referents here. Take “Long Live the Chinese” for instance. A side-winding groove and straight-laced turn-tabling string together his kick-back rhymes and a sing-along chorus. Whereas other ABC rappers like Machi and Edison Chen aim for a more hard- core image in their rhymes (with varying success), Wang smartly knows he ain street – he a Williams College grad with dreams of Red Mansions, not ghetto bling. And as a rapper, he not very skilled or dexterous. But somehow , his stately, more pronounced deliveries make the old school style a fitting match for him, and the song works far better than the rap verses on his previous albums.
Other tracks that evoke older genres include the sunny “Encouragement of Love” (“Ai De Gu Li”) with its syncopated piano and jazzy solo break. “Where is Love” (“Ai Zai Na Li”) has the innocent disposition of 1980s pop, as does “Our Song” ( “Wo Men De Ge”) which is for my money the best song on the album, and which literally conveys through the lyrics Wang Leehom vision of music as the only thing in life he truly considers home:
When the world in danger, only music can protect me,
Transporting me into a dream world, where lyrics become reality.
And then there “You Are the Song in My Heart “(” Li Shi Wa Xim Lai E Ji Shiu Gua “), the album most overt look into the past, evoking through its faux-vintage lyrics and music video the innocent world of young lovers. Selina from the pop trio SHE makes an appearance in a made-for-karaoke duet that swings with the good humor of old-timey romance. Everyone making a big deal of the fact that the song is Wang first stab at singing in Taiwanese (though he only does so on a couple of lines), but what more significant is that the song and the video nostalgically channel Taiwanese pop culture from the 1960s and 70s. He doesn do so with the irony or sophistication of Taiwanese rock band Won Fu, but rather with a sincerity that as hopelessly na?ve as the music he paying tribute to.
Leehom music roots
in Wang Lee Hom new album “change themselves”, this American-born Chinese singer to lead his fans into the depths of his music. However, in the end where the song is his “home”?
Wang Lee Hom past two albums in the “heart of the sun and the moon” and “Heroes”, the kind often referred to NextHop Chinese hip-hop – “chinked-out” in the Chinese American industry caused a minor controversy. The definition of race discrimination regardless of whether he was right, unfortunately, most of the critics just simply pay attention to these words, rather than Leehom cited the word to express the meaning. More importantly, Leehom words to try to achieve his musical ideals.
as I used to insist, as in other places, these criticisms are not always worry about Chinese-American identity. Wang Lee Hom was born in the United States, but across the Pacific, he began his first career. “Chinked-out” may cause a stir in the United States, but the Chinese have been all over the world, this word should have a deeper meaning of the other (these overseas pioneers hope to improve through self-cultivation to achieve a higher overseas class, of course, this is another issue)
Leehom latest album, “change themselves” in terms of more than two on the soft, in which he has not too much into the “Chinked -out “element. It would appear that he seems to give up on the album like two albums in the integration of new elements, but also to expand as a Chinese-American all his keen insight. This is the “Chinked-out” first want to express the concept.
album called “change themselves”, but I first heard the first wave hit is “roots.” This name refers to the Chinese idiom as a way to express feelings of homesickness sons. Interestingly, when I look at the MV of the song begin to imagine his mind whether this is the “root” it. Lyrics and music video by the story can be seen in the hearts of his family. Music video is a song of visual media, so the image is difficult to express the geographic leap.
In addition, this video (directed by the Lee Hom) continue to suggest that his “home” is not only a diversity of urban Chinese life. Leehom fans know he was born in the United States, so we can not put his song in the “root” due to the U.S.? But the album other songs also makes the audience confused.
his “home” Where? The following is from the album proceeds to the speculation.
home – Asia
Lee Hom was born and raised in the United States, however, he became well-known shape of Taiwan pop singer. In “Long Live the Chinese”, he fully express the pride of being Chinese. In the song he sang, “I was born in the United States, Taiwan to help me grow.” Then, he sang “roots in the East to find my home”, if this can not fully answer this question, then. In the words of thanks, Leehom thanked “Lust, Caution” in partnership “ultimately made me feel grown up in Asia,” but if “home” of the problem really so simple to answer, then Leehom expressed his patriotic a complex would be too ordinary. When a Chinese-American back to his real home, back to when his folks. This can be seen in his music such a shadow (as in his “Long Live the Chinese” in Chinese, and give all the blessings of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games) in which most of his album in the atmosphere to express the blessing of China . So:
home – all Chinese
when the “Long Live the Chinese” not boasting when the Chinese people, Chinese version of “Bebot” (original by Black Eyed Peas combination of concert) has Chinese to the world. Leehom mentioned in Chinese, not just Chinese, but all the Chinese world, not just a manifestation of cultural and linguistic integration, nation and society as a whole is the perfect combination. As the last song he listed those born in China, but their places in the world ancestry of “Heroes” who, USA Yankees Wang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the famous director Ang Lee, hurdler Liu Xiang master piano Lang Lang home, and action star Jackie Chan. These athletes and artists to the same interpretation of Chinese culture NextHop, yet not so serious politicians and entrepreneurs. (Leehom mentioned who hinted that he wants to express Chinese culture, of course, in terms of ideology and “Bebot” make a comparison).
However, the diversity of Chinese lead to differences in auditory sense, culture is also the case definition of Chinese scholar Shi Shumei characteristics. “Long Live the Chinese” is a rap album two songs in one of the first, in the words allocated in the West demonstrated his “accent”, but in the first movement in Britain 结合 (watch this / never no one ever said Chinese like this / standard red, yellow and green, but added a twist) can be seen from Leehom in 1995, first came to Taiwan, his Chinese is not good, although the impression is still a foreigner born in the U.S. But he has fluent in Chinese. It also created his “Long Live the Chinese” in a variety of unique rap style.
in Leehom world, a variety of accents are wonderful, this can be from the “Cockney Girl” embodied. Song, Leehom describe their dance floor in the bar was a London accent, speaking in Chinese dancers fascinated.
“I heard Taiwan Mandarin southern Guangdong Mandarin Mandarin Beijing Retroflex Suffixation there
Of course, there are efforts around the world ABC Mandarin learn Mandarin
mean What are heard but finally found this a British dancer
decided to write her first song specifically for the record our wonderful coincidence “
not a rap singer Wang Lee Hom , or a songwriter. The important thing is that he say the things he experienced. For the entire pop music, this is only superficial, heat, so take off for other reasons cause Leehom is full of charm of the Chinese lyrics, where is the time when the confusion at home, replacement, and forgotten, as you accent, speaking in London can hear is Chinese.
home – we live on Earth
like this one on “home” of the global problem, even with the “change their” advocated in the same environment from this topic, we can see Leehom began to examine himself, to consider how to use their personal power to change the world. This song has a catchy melody, but the lyrics can see his efforts on environmental protection. Leehom lead to practice his advocacy of environmental protection to make this song and the album rose to more mature level. For consideration of this unprecedented, this album is completely recycled to minimize the use of plastic, and the last page lists the album “Rescue the Earth, without delay, ten things you can personally.” Leehom album cover is a hand-held plant, its roots hanging in the air, and one of the “root” represents not only the home of his spirit, but also a part of ecology.
which in the end is a sincere performance, or a clever marketing tool? I think that the original meaning of the former, and the last into the latter. I bought a limited edition Leehom chopsticks with the album, encouraging listeners to use their chopsticks in the restaurant instead of disposable chopsticks. These are clever and appropriate. Moreover, the “change themselves” is not just a pop album, but a pop music merchandise, trade rules and the integration of different elements, creating a Leehom this extraordinary album. In recent years, Taiwanese pop music industry, with increased publicity means to combat piracy. CD packaging more and more sophisticated, the lyrics of this well-made to improve the quality of the album. Of course, Lee Hom by the environmental “change themselves” is a successful work.
home – music
than the exquisite packaging, beautiful music videos, cool photos, or attractive gifts more important is the core of Lee Hom album – music. Those outside does not matter to him, because he is the best singer, or that is in the best Chinese pop music. First, he received professional classical music because of the success of the training, and secondly, create their own personal style of music, Moreover, he fully demonstrated his amazing artistic skills, proficient in a variety of musical instruments. Moreover, he (This message is automatically inserted safety reminder: Please alert message through the forum allows you to transfer the initiative to contact you stranger, most likely is a liar, they will pretend to be fans of staff in contact with you) with music perceptiveness.
Leehom is defined as their music: “change themselves” can be regarded as his most mature album, and the “heart of the sun and the moon” and “Heroes” is even more luxury, more momentum, however, “change their” strong point is that he was more skilled in the technique, rather than on the two albums as often describes his music crazy. This album is not intoxicating “Kiss Goodbye”, but which each song easily around the major themes in this album, if this beautiful melody and lyrics are also emerging. Young Chinese people, but this is called “Music of the root.”
If the “heart of the sun and the moon” and “Heroes” indicates that the future of China pop music, then “change their” will return to the original music. Such as “Long Live the Chinese” as. Indirect but careful use of the word rhyme off beautiful sound. Unlike best friend, Edison and other ABC rappers, they seek a more casual rhythm. Leehom clearly know they are not street faction, he is a graduate of Williams College, has its own “Dream of Red Mansions”, but this is not the occasional flash. As a rapper, he might not be enough skilled and smart. But the magic is, I do not know who he is how old tune their deployment. And his music better and better.
other use of the old songs the same genre of music theory, such as the sun healthy “to encourage love” with the cut points and jazz piano solo. “Where Love” return to the pop music of the 1980s, true, and “Our Song” is my opinion, the most worthy of listening to the album, we can find from Wang Lee Hom lyrics on the most sincere expression of music.
“If the world is too dangerous
only the music of the safest
took me into the dream,
the lyrics are so achieve “
” You are my heart a song, “the album most obvious retro music with beautiful lyrics and music with the video of young couple came to the pure world. From SHE Selina presented within this mv a little humor and most antique romance. This is the first Taiwanese Leehom first song (though he only sings in Taiwanese, a few of them), but more significant is the song and music video to show their nostalgic Taiwan sixties and the seventies popular culture, he does not like Taiwan, Wang Fu-rock band with irony and sophistry as to express, but with a kind of sincere feedback music.
“Our Song”, produce a beautiful album a song, if “our song” music is a common cause of second-generation Chinese immigrants instead of their parents. From this perspective, the album takes us through other types of music, and art schools he has done, if you want to use music to look at the perspective of cultural history, we have to turn the whole of music.
In this regard, “change their” keen contempt Meng Jiao ^ in bold, “the hearts of Sun and Moon” and “Heroes” more musical provocative. China first two albums of traditional ethnic music and opera with the perfect blend of pop music, but the Chinese element in the emergence of these two albums are still in the abstract and symbolic. These are only theoretical music Leehom reflect the diversity of the audience is more curious, and enjoy the music more than the quiet nature.
“change their” biggest change is Leehom redefinition of Chinese music, he thought it should be more musical travel, rather than the concept of music symbols. “Heart of the sun and the moon” and “Heroes” is the cultural diversity as a model of Chinese music, but he wanted young people to express Shique forgotten for the most authentic music, ask what is “Peony Pavilion” of the essence? In other words, “change themselves” in Leehom has shelved his skilled “Chinked-out” genre. The most basic difference is, he did not clearly show that, like opera, or a more local music in China, but the source of his music attributed to the Chinese all over the world. Indeed, for Lee Hom, Taiwan and the United States is his home, but he is also the home of former and current love story, in the retro style of music, the bar is also in London. In fact, anywhere in the world could be his home.
OurHome China English Translation Unit @ chinaaurora