A Song a day: 1st Dec 2013 (李香蘭 – Jacky Cheung/行かないて

The song that I chose for today is “李香蘭” by Jacky Cheung. This song is the Chinese cover of a Japanese song called行かないて by Koji Tamaki (玉置浩二). The name of the Chinese version of the song is actually a person’s name. She was Japanese, but was born in China (so technically she is Chinese as well). During World War II she was deported to Japan. (You can read up on her here, she is a very interesting person).

The lyrics of the song are a bit complex complex, I think they are about the protagonist looking back on her life. The song begins with the protagonist telling us that she is thinking of her lover, but she doesn’t know why he is all over her head. She can’t use word to describe her feeling, she uses alcohol to help her out. Cold rainy night and the rain penetrated into the photos. Looking back is like a dream, and she can’t move. She can’t stop herself looking at him, the him in the discolour photos. Ar, it is like the flower that hasn’t turned red, like ice that aren’t cold. It’s like there are many words that he wanted to say, but she can’t hear anything. Ar, is the wine getting stronger or her heart is getting empty? Why she can feel it now? Photos, Where can she travel to the photos. She wishes that she could find the crack in time. At night, she find it hard to find his whereabouts. . Looking back is like a dream, and she can’t move. She tried to avoid looking at him, but his imaged imprinted in her head. Ar, it is like the flower that hasn’t turned red, like ice that aren’t cold. It’s like there are many words that he wanted to say, but she can’t hear anything. Ar, is the wine getting stronger or her heart is getting empty? Why she can feel it now? Hope you will like the song. I have also linked to the original as usual for comparison.