Chapter 6 Part One: How to Speak English and Sing a Song

Sing, Sing a Song sing a song The first English song I could sing was Beautiful Dreamer ("Beautiful Dreamer"), which I learned by looking at the songbook.At that time, my friend N knew that I was learning English and gave me a copy of Foreign Popular Songs ("Foreign Popular Songs Collection").When I opened the book, I was deeply attracted by the titles of the songs alone, such as: Old Folks at Home O Sing to Me the Scotch Songs ("Sing me an old Scottish song") Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair ("Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair") When the Snow Is on the Ground ("When the Snow Is on the Ground")

Stars of the Summer Night ("Summer Night's Starlight") ... I think listening to English songs is a good way to improve your English skills. When you sing a song you like, you can remember a lot of things, such as the name of the song, the name of the singer, the content and style of the English song, and what it brings our artistic sensibilities.There is a joy of language imitation in singing English songs.We always want to sing like the original singer, so we have to listen to it over and over again, and sing it over and over again.Once you learn it, you will find that the words that were inaccurate in the past have become accurate in learning to sing.I sometimes sing some English songs unknowingly. After a long time, it seems that I have developed a habit. When chatting with English-speaking friends, a certain word or sentence in the song may blurt out.Therefore, if you want to be a good speaker in learning English, you must first be a good listener.Of this, I have no doubts.

Learning to sing English songs is like learning other things, the important thing is to be interested in it.I only heard English songs in the late 1970s.There were very few songs to be found at that time, and only a few could be heard occasionally on the radio, such as: Jingle Bells ("Jingle Bells") The Last Rose of Summer Edelweiss ("Edelweiss") Auld Lang Syne (Auld Lang Syne)… Later, there were more and more English songs, and I found that when I sang English songs, something quietly entered my heart, especially whenever I sang songs like Auld Lang Syne, I always felt that there was a kind of The things I can't explain move me, but also make me a little sad.Although I don't know exactly what that is, I like the feeling of it.

At that time, I liked to sing Red River Valley ("Red River Valley") the most, because I liked those cowboys who were brave and tough, but also full of warmth.I think, any girl will be moved by this song, right? ... Come and sit by my side if you love me, Do not hasten to bid me adieu, Just remember the Red River Valley, And the cowboy who loves you so true ... The song Red River Valley aptly expresses cowboy's nostalgia for his soon-to-be parting lover, because when she leaves, the only things that accompany him on the vast river valley grassland are the cows, the distant sunset and the rustling of the grass in the evening wind It's sounding... But in another cowboy song, Home on the Range ("Home on the Prairie"), the optimism of the cowboy and the light of rough and unrestrained personality shine everywhere.

Oh, give me a home, Where the buffalo roams, Where the antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day. ... Those cowboys who ride on horseback all day, their lives are so hard, but they still have deep feelings for the grassland under their feet, and they are full of true love for their homeland. They create life, America, and America with perseverance. Become an inexhaustible source of art. I like English songs. After all, singing is much easier than memorizing texts and words by rote. At the same time, singing can also improve my artistic accomplishment and deepen my understanding of the music of English-speaking countries. This is one of the purposes of singing English songs.Although singing can never replace learning texts, it can also be used as a supplement to learning. It can fill some gaps in a person's English cultural background, so as to better understand the emotional expressions of people in English-speaking countries.I found that, in fact, between the East and the West, there are so many similarities when people use songs to express their inner emotions.

After entering the 1980s in the last century, more English songs came along with the westerly wind. Domestic singers began to sing English songs, and famous foreign singers also came to China to perform. A classic and most popular record.At that time, I found two famous American singers I liked, one was John Denver (John? Denver), and the other was Karen Carpenters (Karen? Carpenter). John? Denver's singing is always so simple and confident, as if he was born to be a singer, from a seed sprouted from a land that gave birth to singing.His songs have the mellowness and fragrance of the earth, the language of life and the traces of life he is familiar with. His singing is like the grass growing from the land after the rain, so fresh and full of vitality.One of his songs, the one I am most familiar with is Take Me Home Country Roads ("Country Road, Take Me Home").

... I hear her voice In the mornin' hour she calls me The radio reminds me of my home far away And drivin' down the road I get a feelin' That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday Country roads, take me home To the place I belong West Virginia, mountain momma Take me home, country roads ... This is the infinite yearning for the hometown and the mother of the wandering wanderer.In America, a country where people are tense and tired and have no time to cling to their homeland, this deep emotion brings back so many memories. It is no wonder that John Denver has been loved by people for many years.Modern civilization separates people from the land that feeds them. They wander among the skyscrapers and highways, and only their souls still wander in the fields and forests of their hometown... Alas, those whose hearts have no sustenance People, listen to John? Denver's Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong... What kind of feeling should it be?

Carpenter's singing is like the narration of the soul. Her songs are pure and sincere. Listening to her songs, I feel like I am sitting on the vast sea, listening to the gentle sound of the waves, so vast, so affectionate... I remember the first time I heard Carpenter's Sing, Sing a Song, I almost shed tears. Sing, sing a song Sing out loud Sing out strong Sing of good things, not bad Sing of happy, not sad Sing, sing a song Make it simple to last your whole life long Don't worry that its not good enough For anyone else to hear Just sing, sing a song ... Sing, sing a song, sing loudly, sing to your heart's content, sing all the good things, don't sing what is unpleasant, sing happiness, not sadness... When I translated these lyrics, I thought, singing is for life And what exists exists for the longevity and happiness of life, you just need to sing, sing a song... Although Carpenter's young life has passed away, the singing voice she left to the world will last forever.As long as you calm down, put Carpenter's disc into the player, and press the PLAY button lightly, a kind of pure beauty will permeate the space with the sound waves, I think, that is what Carpenter is telling you:

Sing of good things, not bad Sing of happy, not sad ... Now, I seldom have time to sing English songs, but I still like to listen to them, and sometimes I get information about the latest English songs from the media or the Internet. They keep me forever passionate about the trend of English songs.I sometimes browse the Internet, and when I find a good song, I download it and put it on the desktop of the computer. After turning it on, I click the mouse lightly, and the beautiful music echoes in my ears.Not long ago, there was a song Goin Home that deeply moved me again. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

Cleaving through the buildings Cutting through the streets Slicing through the culture Piling on the weeks Its hard to get blood from a stone But for you Ill give it a try To provide your accommodation And leave you satisfied Youd think it was easy To give your life away To not have to live up to The promises you made Going home, Im going home Going home ... This song sings three sighs and sings in a roundabout way, as if the heart is being washed away by the emotional outflow again and again... In this world where everything is changing rapidly, trembling and turbulent, it is difficult for the heart to find a peaceful home.There is also a Rhyme & Reason sung:

... Though the cities start to crumble And the towers fall around us The sun is slowly fading And it's colder than the sea ... Therefore, going home has become a synonym for finding the destination and sustenance of the soul, and it has become an endless and unattainable pursuit and yearning... In the deafening strong rhythm and hoarse shouts of contemporary music, also Mixed with lyricism and romance, what is faintly revealed is this desire for spiritual return, making people seem to find an oasis with lush water and grass in the vast desert... I was moved by many English songs, and shed tears. Unknowingly, I was intoxicated in a different world, wandered in my mind, searched, explored, and felt it to the fullest in a world of different cultures, races and histories. spiritual beauty.However, vaguely, I always feel that there is still something missing. When the singing on the stereo gradually disappeared in my ears, and my heart returned to the world of real life, I felt a little bit sad and confused... I lost what?what am i expectingI have never fully understood, and have been waiting. Finally one day, I saw an article titled: A Test of Post-Modern Asians, the article said, You pretended to be into modern pop music, but often find your head filled with traditional Asian folk songs from your mother's time . (You pretend to be immersed in modern pop music, but you often have Asian folk songs from your mother's era in your head.) Ah, so it is, is it true?I asked myself this way, and I let myself be honest.I hear a voice inside me saying, no, I don't think I'm like this, at least not all of it, because I really like pop music, blues, etc., those modern music with a fast rhythm and passion always add excitement to life , makes people full of imagination and vitality... Ah, but I also really miss some songs from my mother's era from the bottom of my heart, such as, "A Big River", "Half Moon Climb Up", "May's Day" Flowers"... These are all Chinese and Asian, why do I miss these songs?Then I thought maybe it was because of my black hair and dark eyes.