music

MEMORABLE MUSIC: PHẠM’ DUY’S “RIDDLES” (“ĐỐ AI”), TRACK 17 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Phạm Duy’s “Riddles” (“Đố ai,” 1954?) is a charming song that mixes tradition and modernity. It is the last track on Saigon Rock & Soul, and this post will probably be my last one in my series-within-a-series translating the lyrics of songs from that CD. “Riddles” exemplifies a Vietnamese musical genre known as “new folk […]

MEMORABLE MUSIC: PHẠM’ DUY’S “RIDDLES” (“ĐỐ AI”), TRACK 17 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: TUẤN LÊ’S “MAD AT HIM, ANGRY AT HER” (“HỜN ANH GIẬN EM”), TRACK 15 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Tuấn Lê’s “Mad at Him, Angry at Her” (“Hờn anh giận em,” 1970?) is a clever duet about a soldier and his wife in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam). The song speaks to the burden that war imposed on soldiers and their romantic partners. “Mad at Him, Angry at Her” is the

MEMORABLE MUSIC: TUẤN LÊ’S “MAD AT HIM, ANGRY AT HER” (“HỜN ANH GIẬN EM”), TRACK 15 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HOÀNG THI THƠ’S “THE PIN IN MY HAIR” (“CÁI TRÂM EM CÀI”), TRACK 3 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Hoàng Thi Thơ’s “The Pin in My Hair” (“Cái trâm em cài,” 1971?) is a sweet song about a young woman whose boyfriend is away fighting, and she treasures the hairpin that he made for her as a memento of their love. The song was composed sometime in the early 1970s in the Republic of

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HOÀNG THI THƠ’S “THE PIN IN MY HAIR” (“CÁI TRÂM EM CÀI”), TRACK 3 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HUY THANH’S “A GIRL’S DESTINY” (“DUYÊN PHẬN CON GÁI”), TRACK 16 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Huy Thanh’s “A Girl’s Destiny” (“Duyên phận con gái,” year unknown) is yet another song in which love trumps wealth, similar to Nguyễn Trung Cang’s “Our Treasure” (“Kho tàng của chúng ta”). “A Girl’s Destiny” is the thirteenth track on Saigon Rock & Soul, and this post is a continuation of my mini-series translating the

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HUY THANH’S “A GIRL’S DESTINY” (“DUYÊN PHẬN CON GÁI”), TRACK 16 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: NGUYỄN TRUNG CANG’S “OUR TREASURE” (“KHO TÀNG CỦA CHÚNG TA”), TRACK 13 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Nguyễn Trung Cang’s song “Our Treasure” (“Kho tang của chúng ta,” 1971?) is an idealistic celebration of love and friendship that was composed in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) in the early 1970s. The song’s narrator considers such sentiments to be the greatest treasure of all, compares them to priceless jewels, and

MEMORABLE MUSIC: NGUYỄN TRUNG CANG’S “OUR TREASURE” (“KHO TÀNG CỦA CHÚNG TA”), TRACK 13 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: NGUYỄN TRUNG CANG’S “A COCKY SONG” (BÀI CA NGÔNG), TRACK 2 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Nguyễn Trung Cang’s “A Cocky Song” (“Bài Ca Ngông”) is an anthem to individualism. The song was released in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) sometime in the early 1970s. The narrator of the song is a cocky young man who insists on living his truth. He rejects all blandishments of wealth and

MEMORABLE MUSIC: NGUYỄN TRUNG CANG’S “A COCKY SONG” (BÀI CA NGÔNG), TRACK 2 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HOÀNG THI THƠ’S “LOVE IS WONDERFUL” (“TÌNH YÊU TUYỆT VỜI”), TRACK 1 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL

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Saigon Rock & Soul: Classic Tracks 1968-1974 (2012) started a trend when it was released some ten years ago. The CD was the very first collection of remastered period recordings from the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) and heralded a wave of similar CDs that have appeared in the decade since. Saigon Rock

MEMORABLE MUSIC: HOÀNG THI THƠ’S “LOVE IS WONDERFUL” (“TÌNH YÊU TUYỆT VỜI”), TRACK 1 ON SAIGON ROCK & SOUL Read More »

MEMORABLE MUSIC, TẾT EDITION: MIGRATION AND NOSTALGIA IN PHẠM ĐÌNH CHƯƠNG’S “SPRINGTIME IN EXILE” (“XUÂN THA HƯƠNG”)

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Happy New Year! Chúc mừng năm mới! One of the holiday songs I remember my family listening to at Tết when I was a teenager was Phạm Đình Chương’s “Springtime in Exile” (“Xuân tha hương,” 1956). Tết, or the lunar new year, is the most important holiday of the year for most ethnic Vietnamese, regardless

MEMORABLE MUSIC, TẾT EDITION: MIGRATION AND NOSTALGIA IN PHẠM ĐÌNH CHƯƠNG’S “SPRINGTIME IN EXILE” (“XUÂN THA HƯƠNG”) Read More »