Have you ever heard such a song, the lyrics are as follows:
How many winds and frosts I have gone through through a thousand mountains to be able to return to you.
Whether the face of waiting is still the same, greeting me with a servant in the dust.
Is the person waiting for me still sitting in front of the window, with a few lines of tears to greet the morning dusk.
Do you still hang a small lamp in front of the door to draw me back to you?
This song is Leslie Cheung's classic song "Bright Moon Night", which is the Chinese version of "Silence is Golden", which was included in Leslie Cheung's Chinese ** "Driving Mood" in 1988. This song is composed by Leslie Cheung himself, written by Xie Mingxun, and arranged by Bobbida, which is a song full of pathos and nostalgia, telling a poignant love story of returning from his hometown only to find that his former lover is no longer there.
In this article, I will introduce you to the background, creative process, song appreciation and influence of "Bright Moon Night", hoping to give you a deeper understanding of the charm and meaning of this song.
The background of "Bright Moon Night".
The original song of "Bright Moon Night" is "Silence is Golden", which is the theme song sung by Leslie Cheung for the movie "True Colors of Heroes 2" in 1987. This movie is a classic action movie directed by John Woo and starring Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat, Dillon, etc., which tells the story of friendship and sacrifice between three men with different identities. Leslie Cheung plays a character named Chen Haonan in the film, an underworld figure who does not hesitate to sacrifice himself for his brother. The song "Silence is Golden" is used to express Chen Haonan's mood and emotions, and the lyrics are as follows:
Silence is gold You don't have to ask.
Everything is empty.
Your tears, your heartache.
I can feel it all.
Silence is gold You don't have to ask.
Everything is empty.
Your tears, your heartache.
I can feel it all.
Silence is Golden" is a song composed by Leslie Cheung himself, which is the first song he wrote for a movie, and it is also one of his personal masterpieces. The style of this song is a slow and low lyrical song, which is used to express the helplessness and sorrow of the protagonist, and the song reveals a deep emotion and power. This song received high praise and recognition at the time, and also won the love and respect of many fans and fans for Leslie Cheung.
In 1988, in order to expand his Chinese market, Leslie Cheung decided to rearrange "Silence is Golden" into a Chinese song and include it in his Chinese ** "Driving Mood". He invited Xie Mingxun to fill in the Chinese lyrics for him, while Bobbida was responsible for re-arranging the music. In this way, a new song "Bright Moon Night" was born.
The creative process of "Bright Moon Night".
The creative process of "Bright Moon Night" did not go smoothly, because there were some disagreements and dissatisfaction between Leslie Cheung and Xie Mingxun. Leslie Cheung is very critical and strict about his works, and he hopes to keep "Silence is Golden" as it is, rather than changing it at will. He proposed a lot of revisions to Xie Mingxun's Chinese lyrics, and sometimes even directly rejected Xie Mingxun's ideas. Xie Mingxun felt that Leslie Cheung was too stubborn and disrespectful of his work, he believed that "Bright Moon Night" should be an independent song, not a copy of "Silence is Golden", and he hoped to add some new elements and moods to the song, so that the song would be more in line with the taste and preferences of Chinese fans.
Under such circumstances, the cooperation between Leslie Cheung and Xie Mingxun became very difficult, and they often had disputes and conflicts, and even sometimes unpleasant quarrels. However, they also all know that their goal is to create a good song, so they also worked hard to compromise and communicate, and finally completed the creation of "Bright Moon Night". Leslie Cheung said in a later interview that he was still very satisfied with the lyrics of "Bright Moon Night", and he felt that Xie Mingxun was a very talented lyricist, and the differences and dissatisfaction between them were all for the perfection of the song, and they were all people who worked hard for the sake of **.
Song appreciation of "Bright Moon Night".
Although the song "Bright Moon Night" is the Chinese version of "Silence is Golden", it does not simply translate Cantonese lyrics into Chinese, but has some new changes and ideas. First of all, the title of the song has changed a lot, from "Silence is Golden" to "Bright Moon Night". This change is not only to adapt to the language habits of the Chinese language, but also to increase the mood and emotion of the song. The title "Silence is Golden" is more straightforward and calm, expressing the helplessness and silence of the protagonist, while the title of "Bright Moon Night" is more subtle and poetic, expressing the hero's nostalgia and loneliness. The moonlit night is a very meaningful scene, which can symbolize both beauty and romance, as well as loneliness and sadness. On such a night, the protagonist recalls his love, imagining whether his lover is still waiting for him, whether he still remembers himself, whether he still loves himself. Such a title adds a faint atmosphere of sadness and grief to the song, making people feel an indescribable emotion.
Secondly, the lyrics of the song have also been changed and innovated, making the content of the song richer and more delicate. The lyrics of "Silence is Golden" are relatively simple and repetitive, with only two paragraphs, which are:
Silence is gold You don't have to ask.
Everything is empty.
Your tears, your heartache.
I can feel it all.
And. Silence is gold You don't have to ask.
Everything is empty.
Your tears, your heartache.
I can feel it all.
Although such lyrics can express the mood of the protagonist, they lack some details and images, making people feel a little monotonous and empty. The lyrics of "Bright Moon Night" have four paragraphs, namely:
How many winds and frosts I have experienced after walking through a thousand mountains.
to be able to come back to you.
Whether the face of waiting has not changed.
Greet me with a servant in the dust.
Waiting for me if the person is still sitting in front of the window.
Welcome the morning with a few lines of tears.
Is there still a small lamp hanging in front of the door?
Pull me back to you.
It's obviously an empty dream.
I don't dare to ask if it was true back then.
Flowing water doesn't matter how old it is.
I have nowhere to be found.
After many years, only I am still in front of the window.
The cold night was around me.
There is not a single light, there is not a single person waiting.
Only the night is still the same as before.
Such lyrics not only add to the length of the song, but also add layers and depth to the song. Each lyric has its own theme and emotion, which are return, waiting, memories, and loneliness. Some metaphors and symbols are also used in the lyrics, such as "Thousand Mountains", "Wind and Frost", "Clear Tears", "Little Light", "Flowing Water", "Youth", etc., to make the pictures of the song more vivid and touching. There are also some repetitions and contrasts in the lyrics, such as "Is it still the same", "It's obviously empty", "It's just me", "Only the night", etc., which make the rhythm of the song more rhythmic and subdued. There are also some doubts and negativity in the lyrics, such as "whether", "dare not ask", "no", etc., which make the tone of the song more sad and helpless. Such lyrics make the content of the song richer and more delicate, and make people feel a deep emotion and meaning.
Finally, the arrangement of the song has also been adjusted and optimized, making the song more harmonious and beautiful. The arrangement of "Silence is Golden" is relatively simple and unpretentious, mainly based on piano and strings, with Leslie Cheung's singing, creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. The arrangement of "Bright Moon Night" is more complex and refined, in addition to the piano and strings, some electronic and percussion elements are added to make the sound of the song richer and more varied. The melody of the song is also smoother and more beautiful, making the feeling of the song more soothing and gentle. There are also some changes at the end of the song, from the low and disappearing of "Silence is Golden" to the high-pitched and echo of "Bright Moon Night", making the momentum of the song more spectacular and touching. Such an arrangement makes the song more harmonious and beautiful, making people feel a wonderful enjoyment and shock.
To sum up, the song "Bright Moon Night" is a very good song, it not only retains the original flavor of "Silence is Golden", but also adds some new elements and ideas, so that the title, lyrics, and arrangement of the song have been improved and improved to a certain extent, so that the artistic conception, emotion, content, and ** of the song have reached a very high level, making people feel an unparalleled charm and significance. This song is also a classic of Leslie Cheung, showing his talent and artistic style, and also expressing his life attitude and emotional experience, which has also influenced generations of fans and listeners, and has also become an eternal famous song, which is worthy of our repeated listening and appreciation.