Time Flies So Fast … but not for Jane Zhang !

[read italian version]

Sound of My Dream 2 ep. 8

The eighth episode of “Sound of My Dream 2” (梦想的声音2) gave us what can be fully described as the perfect rendition ! Jane Zhang, musical coach on the show, “staged” a modern classic of Chinese musical culture: “Time Flies So Fast“, also known as “Where Did The Time Go?” (时间都去哪儿了).

The song chosen by Jane

“Where Did The Time Go ?” was composed in 2009 as theme song for the television drama “Conflicts in Lao Niu’s Family” (老牛家的战争).

Two years later it became part of the popular musical album “The Choice of Love” (爱的自选), known on the international market as “Selected Love Hits” Reno Wang (王铮亮) published on May 9, 2001 and which constitutes the trace n. 5. Subsequently the song was inserted by Reno in two other Reno’s albums: “Time to Hear” (听得到 的时间) in 2012 and “Story Island” (故事岛) in 2015.

The song won the “Song of the Year” Award in 2014 at the first edition of the QQ Music Festival. To date it’s one of the most popular and moving songs of modern Chinese music culture and there are a lot of covers for this piece.

Time Flies So Fast

In the lyrics of the song (“Where Did The Time Go ?“) a now elderly mother sums up her life and wonders how it’s gone its time without even lived his youth. She spent her life growing up and taking care of her children and then suddenly found herself thinking about what was left of her and seeing nothing but a face full of wrinkles.

As with a jump in time the woman returns young (“Young and Beautiful“) but still feels the inexorable flow of her life and, turning to his man, asks him if he will still love her when she is no longer young and beautiful.

These words have the power to touch everyone’s heart but especially to every child who takes it cue to reflect on the sacrifices made by their parents so that he had a future. And that future received as a gift often carries the child away from his father and from his mother.

And ‘this, for example, the fate of an artist, and Jane is aware of it. So it’s actually possible that during the interpretation Jane thought of her mother.

Jane and Reno

Reno Wang is part of the team of singers which are produced by Jane, but before that he’s Jane’s best friend of long standing. The two met and became friends when Jane was a young girl who sang in Chengdu‘s pubs to earn money.

The couple Jane and Reno has to his credit numerous duets, concerts and television broadcasts. Listening to them one cannot but think that Jane and Reno are born to sing along.

Here’s the official video of the version of Reno of “Where Did The Time Go?”

The authors

“Where Did The Time Go ?” music is by Dong DongDong (董鼕鼕) composer of OST for cinema and TV, while the lyrics are by Chen Xi (陳曦), aka Cicidodo (https://www.instagram.com/cicicidododo). The two are husband and wife and were in the television studio during Jane’s performance.

Jane’s rendition

The version that we heard in the episode on December 22 has been re-arranged by Jane who has included a few of interludes in which sings in English lyrics from the song “Young and Beautiful“, originally performed by Lana Del Rey in the soundtrack for the movie “The Great Gatsby ” in 2013.

The transitions between the two pieces have been cleverly emphasized by a wonderful play of colored light beams behind Jane, and this gives me the opportunity to compliment the creators of Sound of My Dream 2 because the directing, the lights and scenography and, last but not least, the music sector, orchestra, choir and sound technicians, are the best on the international television scene.

To this is added the Jane dress, a classic style dress by LINDER 长裙, heavy fabric in beige with brown stripes and long sleeves that combined with the hair extensions that changes its color with the heat and become white, they provided the perfect interpretive framework for this piece.

Shocked audience

Jane’s rendition shocked everyone: audience, fellow coaches and jury.
To comment on the Dolphin Princess performance, Sandy Lam (林憶蓮) said:

Jane has completely captured the essence of this song: the sureness of women, awareness of lived in this sadness, anxiety, a feeling of being cut by a knife. This is absolute perfection ! It takes a round of applause !

JJ Lin (林俊杰), on the other hand, jokingly commenting:

Lights and music merged together ! Jane, you’re the guardian of the light !

and then, coming back serious:

Now I can say I heard the song of the dolphin !

Dong Dongdong, the song composer said:

Jane today put her whole heart in the interpretation. When something touches her emotionally or teases her creativity she puts all of herself into her interpretations. I think Jane isn’t as big as the Earth, but the whole universe. Jane, I want to thank you for having sublimated this song. Thank you so much Jane !

Soon after Chen Xi, his wife and the author of the lyrics:

We are grateful from the bottom of the heart to everyone who interprets this song and who arranges it because this is our purpose. And ‘the best way to support this our creation and the very reason for which we maked it. Thanks Jane !

The full show

Here the whole episode # 8 of Sound of My Dream 2 in full HD video

Lyrics

“Where Did The Time Go ?” (时间都去哪儿了)
by Dong DongDong (董鼕鼕) / Chen Xi (陳曦)

Chinese | Pinyin transcription
English translation

門前老樹長新芽 | mén qián lǎo shù zhǎng xīn yá
The old tree grows new branches.
院裡枯木又開花 | yuàn lǐ kū mù yòu kāi huā
The flowers in the yard bloom again.
半生存了好多話 | bàn shēng cún le hǎo duō huà
I’ve kept many things to myself throughout my life,
藏進了滿頭白髮 | cáng jìn le mǎn tóu bái fā
All hidden in the white hairs on my head.

記憶中的小腳丫 | jì yì zhōng de xiǎo jiǎo yā
The little feet in my memories,
肉嘟嘟的小嘴巴 | ròu dū dū de xiǎo zuǐ bā
That pouty little mouth.
一生把愛交給他 | yī shēng bǎ ài jiāo gěi tā
All my life, I gave him my love,
只為那一聲爸媽 | zhī wéi nà yī shēng bà mā
Just to hear him call us dad and mom.

時間都去哪兒了 | shí jiān dōu qù nǎ ér le
Where did the time go?
還沒好好感受年輕就老了 | hái méi hǎo hǎo gǎn shòu nián qīng jiù lǎo le
I haven’t even experienced youth, and I’m already old.
生兒養女一輩子 | shēng ér yǎng nǚ yí bèi zi
Raising my children all my life,
滿腦子都是孩子哭了笑了 | mǎn nǎo zi dōu shì hái zi kū le xiào le
My head is filled with the kid’s tears and laughter.

時間都去哪兒了 | shí jiān dōu qù nǎ ér le
Where did the time go?
還沒好好看看你眼睛就花了 | hái méi hǎo hǎo kàn kàn nǐ yǎn jīng jiù huā le
I haven’t even had the chance to look at you, and my eyes are starting to blur.
柴米油鹽半輩子 | chái mǐ yóu yán bàn bèi zi
Saving and saving all my life,
轉眼就只剩下滿臉的皺紋了 | zhuǎn yǎn jiù zhǐ shèng xià mǎn liǎn de zhòu wén le
And suddenly I’m left only with a face full of wrinkles.

記憶中的小腳丫 | jì yì zhōng de xiǎo jiǎo yā
The little feet in my memories,
肉嘟嘟的小嘴巴 | ròu dū dū de xiǎo zuǐ bā
That pouty little mouth.
一生把愛交給他 | yī shēng bǎ ài jiāo gěi tā
All my life, I gave him my love,
只為那一聲爸媽 | zhī wéi nà yī shēng bà mā
Just to hear him call us dad and mom.

時間都去哪兒了 | shí jiān dōu qù nǎ ér le
Where did the time go?
還沒好好感受年輕就老了 | hái méi hǎo hǎo gǎn shòu nián qīng jiù lǎo le
I haven’t even experienced youth, and I’m already old.
生兒養女一輩子 | shēng ér yǎng nǚ yí bèi zi
Raising my children all my life,
滿腦子都是孩子哭了笑了 | mǎn nǎo zi dōu shì hái zi kū le xiào le
My head is filled with the kid’s tears and laughter.

時間都去哪兒了 | shí jiān dōu qù nǎ ér le
Where did the time go?
還沒好好看看你眼睛就花了 | hái méi hǎo hǎo kàn kàn nǐ yǎn jīng jiù huā le
I haven’t even had the chance to look at you, and my eyes are starting to blur.
柴米油鹽半輩子 | chái mǐ yóu yán bàn bèi zi
Saving and saving all my life,
轉眼就只剩下滿臉的皺紋了 | zhuǎn yǎn jiù zhǐ shèng xià mǎn liǎn de zhòu wén le
And suddenly I’m left only with a face full of wrinkles.

Translation credits:
Pinyin edited by Tianlu @chinesepandamusic.wordpress.com
Translated by Tianlu @chinesepandamusic.wordpress.com

Young and Beautiful

Here the official video for “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey

“Young and Beautiful”
by Lana Del Rey / Rick Nowels

I’ve seen the world, done it all
Had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant, in Bel-Air now
Hot summer nights, mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, city lights
The way you’d play with me like a child
Will you still love me
When I’m no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?
I’ve seen the world, lit it up
As my stage now
Channeling angels in a new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you play for me at your show
And all the ways, I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul
Will you still love me
When I’m no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?
Dear lord, when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you’ll let him in
Father tell me if you can
All that grace, all that body
All that face, makes me wanna party
He’s my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds
Will you still love me
When I’m no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I’ve got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I’m no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I’m not young and beautiful?

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