JohnLe Posted June 4, 2014 at 01:57 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 01:57 PM Hi, Could you please provide me a list of 5 to 10 popular mandarin songs with simple to unsderstand lyrics and clear vocal? Can I get the lyrics in characters and pinyin and hopefully I can download the songs from Amazon. I started to learn mandarin a few months ago and I think listening to music can help especially when I get tired of listening to Pimsleur tracks. Another question, is there a mandarin version of Shanghai Bund? I like this song but I can only find it in Cantonese. Quote
Lu Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:31 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:31 PM A friend of mine used to run a blog that might be useful, KTV Xiaojie. Music videos and lyrics in both characters and pinyin (without tones though). 3 Quote
Divato Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:41 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:41 PM 王菲 - 传奇 王菲 - 红豆 邓丽君 - 但愿人长久 邓丽君 - 我只在乎你 I think they both are wonderful singers with clear vocal Quote
Koxinga Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:49 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 02:49 PM Here's the easiest one, the anthem of all Chinese learners: (歌詞) 1 Quote
Ruben von Zwack Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:02 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:02 PM I think the simplest cute and easy Mandarin song of all times, in the whole universe and every parallel galaxy is Teresa Teng's "The moon represents my heart". It's a very famous oldie. I can't find the original on Youtube anymore, hope this source works for you wherever you are: http://dai.ly/x6b3lk 你问我爱你有多深 Nǐ wèn wǒ ài nǐ yǒu duō shēn 我爱你有几分 Wǒ ài nǐ yǒu jǐ fēn 我的情也真 Wǒ de qíng yě zhēn 我的爱也真 Wǒ de ài yě zhēn 月亮代表我的心 Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn 你问我爱你有多深 Nǐ wèn wǒ ài nǐ yǒu duō shēn 我爱你有几分 Wǒ ài nǐ yǒu jǐ fēn 我的情不移 Wǒ de qíng bù yí 我的爱不变 Wǒ de ài bù biàn 月亮代表我的心 Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn 轻轻的一个吻 Qīng qīng de yīgè wěn 已经打动我的心 Yǐjīng dǎdòng wǒ de xīn 深深的一段情 Shēn shēn de yīduàn qíng 叫我思念到如今Jiào wǒ sīniàn dào rújīn 你问我爱你有多深 Nǐ wèn wǒ ài nǐ yǒu duō shēn 我爱你有几分 Wǒ ài nǐ yǒu jǐ fēn 你去想一想 Nǐ qù xiǎng yī xiǎng 你去看一看 Nǐ qù kàn yī kàn 月亮代表我的心 Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn 轻轻的一个吻 Qīng qīng de yīgè wěn 已经打动我的心 Yǐjīng dǎdòng wǒ de xīn 深深的一段情 Shēn shēn de yīduàn qíng 叫我思念到如今 Jiào wǒ sīniàn dào rújīnetc. ... Regarding the pinyin, keep in mind that in a very few words above tone change occurs. I don't know if you are familiar with tone change already, if not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_sandhi#Mandarin_ChineseYou don't type out a tone change in pinyin, so that's why you see "一个 yīgè" but pronounce "yígè" for example. 3 Quote
Demonic_Duck Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:11 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:11 PM @Koxinga: that was the second Chinese song I ever learnt, after 两只老虎 (my teacher at the time was from Taiwan and recommended it). It's got a few useful expressions, but it's so damn cheesy, haha. I second Ruben on 月亮代表我的心. Simple words, slow tempo, classic tune. You don't need to worry about tones when you're singing, though, 99% of pop songs disregard them entirely. Songs are good for vocab acquisition (though of course that depends on the subject matter, writing style etc.), not so good for improving your tones. As such, make sure you don't fall into the trap of thinking you can ignore the tones of the new words you're learning, otherwise you're not going to be able to use them in any other contexts! 2 Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:33 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:33 PM 朋友 by 周华健 上帝的帮助, 亲爱的你怎么不在身边， and 秘密 by 江美琪 almost anything by 万芳， but 你的世界 , 听风格 are fairly straightfoward. 征服， 什麼態度， and 你是我的人 by 那英 为爱痴狂 by 刘若英 我很丑, 可是我很温柔- 赵传 闷 by 王非 来不及 and 爱你一万年 by 伍佰 鸭子 by 苏慧伦 外面的世界 by 齊秦. 大约在冬季 by the same singer is pretty good/simple, too, but contains some classical style language. The song is short, simple, and famous enough, and the words useful enough, that I think it is worth your time to figure out the more literary words. 1 Quote
JohnLe Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:46 PM Author Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:46 PM Ruben, Thank you for your recommendation and lyrics for "The moon represents my heart". I was able to download this song from Amazon but the singer is Cynthia Lin and not Teresa Teng. Teresa Teng version is not available in MP3. Quote
scoff Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:51 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:51 PM Another Teresa Teng recommendation. 甜蜜蜜 - Your Sweet Smile / Sweet Honey Honey Lyrics with pinyin. Amazon version (U.S. amazon store). Simple lyrics. Slow delivery. --- Searching the amazon store with the title of the song in pinyin (without tone marks) usually works better than searching for the English translation. Teresa Teng version of the moon represents my heart on amazon. 2 Quote
JohnLe Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:52 PM Author Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 03:52 PM Koxinga, Wow, I actually can read the whole title in chinese characters: Can you check this link to see if these singers are any good? They seem to be westerners and I don't know if their pronunciation are good enough? http://www.amazon.com/Sorry-My-Chinese-Isnt-Good/dp/B00I3USA5Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1401896978&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=sorry+my+chinese+is+no+good Quote
Lu Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:10 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:10 PM In the Youtube link, their pronunciation is not that great. Not bad either, but it sounds foreign to me. If you're going to listen to Chinese music, might as well listen to actual Chinese music, that also gives you a bit of cultural background. Teresa Teng is a good choice, she has beautiful pronunciation. Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:31 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:31 PM Ugh. In my opinion, Teresa Teng is like the Chinese Barry Manilow. Meaning, she may be a good singer, but her songs are so dated and cheesy sounding that I can't stand listening to her for more than a few seconds. Still, she's a musical icon in China, so I can't deny one should at least be familiar with her. Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:32 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:32 PM 周華健 朋友 這些年 一個人 風也過 雨也走 有過淚 有過錯 還記得堅持甚麼 真愛過 才會懂 會寂寞 會回首 終有夢 終有你 在心中 朋友 一生一起走 那些日子 不再有 一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒 朋友 不曾孤單過 一聲朋友 你會懂 還有傷 還有痛 還要走 還有我 這些年 一個人 風也過 雨也走 有過淚 有過錯 還記得堅持甚麼 真愛過 才會懂 會寂寞 會回首 終有夢 終有你 在心中 朋友 一生一起走 那些日子 不再有 一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒 朋友 不曾孤單過 一聲朋友 你會懂 還有傷 還有痛 還要走 還有我 朋友 一生一起走 那些日子 不再有 一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒 朋友 不曾孤單過 一聲朋友 你會懂 還有傷 還有痛 還要走 還有我 朋友 一生一起走 那些日子 不再有 一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒 朋友 不曾孤單過 一聲朋友 你會懂 還有傷 還有痛 還要走 還有我 一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒 1 Quote
Demonic_Duck Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:55 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 04:55 PM In the Youtube link, their pronunciation is not that great. Not bad either, but it sounds foreign to me. I always assumed that was just their 台湾腔, but I guess if you notice it too it must be 英国腔 张震岳 has a couple of fairly easy ones (he certainly has 台湾腔 though). 《爱我别走》 is easy and very popular. 《再见》 is also fairly easy. 1 Quote
Lu Posted June 4, 2014 at 05:13 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 05:13 PM I always assumed that was just their 台湾腔, but I guess if you notice it too it must be 英国腔Hm, perhaps 英文腔 on top of their Taiwanese accent? Not sure. The painfully inane lyrics are not helping, I seriously can't listen to more than half of that song. Of 张震岳 I really like 不再认输. But yes, he certainly has an accent. 1 Quote
Ruben von Zwack Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:11 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:11 PM Ugh. well if you can recommend me the Chinese Nick Cave or Johnny Cash, I'd be forever grateful! But I guess that would be a different topic. Back to the simple lyrics, I was just reminded of this one, a bit more contemporary than Teresa Teng, slowly and clearly sung. 侃侃 Dīdā by Kǎnkǎn http://youtu.be/mCMS6I6MsiM While I'm at it, a question to everyone, I don't get the sentence (4th stanza) with rain and 水花. What is the rain doing there? Patting the algae? Or ist it just a way of saying the rain splashes? 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 Dídā dídā dídā dídā 时针它不停在转动 Shízhēn tā bù tíng zài zhuǎndòng 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 Dídā dídā ... 小雨她拍打着水花 Xiǎoyǔ tā pāidǎzhe shuǐhuā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 Dídā... 是不是还会牵挂他 Shì bù shì hái huì qiānguà tā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 有几滴眼泪已落下 Yǒu jǐ dī yǎnlèi yǐ luòxià 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 寂寞的夜和谁说话 Jìmò de yè hé shuí shuōhuà 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 伤心的泪儿谁来擦 Shāngxīn de lèi er shuí lái cā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 整理好心情再出发 Zhěnglǐ hǎo xīnqíng zài chūfā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 还会有人把你牵挂 Hái huì yǒurén bǎ nǐ qiānguà 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 寂寞的夜和谁说话 Jìmò de yè hé shuí shuōhuà 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 伤心的泪儿谁来擦 Shāngxīn de lèi er shuí lái cā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 ... 整理好心情再出发 Zhěnglǐ hǎo xīnqíng zài chūfā 嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒 还会有人把你牵挂 Hái huì yǒurén bǎ nǐ qiānguà 1 Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:17 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:17 PM I take that line to mean that the rain drops make little splash-flowers as they hit the ground. 3 Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:20 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:20 PM Also, not sure who Nick Cave is, but you could consider 伍佰 to be a Chinese equivalent to Johnny Cash, maybe. Prolific singer-songwriter-guitarist with some folk influence, sings lots of depressed or depressing songs...and every time I think of 伍佰, he seems to be wearing black in all his videos. Yep, lots of black here: https://encrypted.google.com/search?safe=active&biw=1920&bih=1075&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=%E4%BC%8D%E4%BD%B0&oq=%E4%BC%8D%E4%BD%B0&gs_l=img.12...0.0.0.22455.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.chm_loc%2Chmss2%3Dfalse%2Chms2min%3D10%2Chms2max%3D10%2Chmtb%3D120%2Chmta%3D1440%2Chmrde%3D0-0%2Chmde%3D0-9...0...1..45.img..0.0.0.kkhQGqDEMIo 2 Quote
Nathan Mao Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:22 PM Report Posted June 4, 2014 at 07:22 PM 鸭子 by 苏慧伦 作詞：許常德 作曲：Ju Ju Club 看著你搭TAXI 孤單的離去 全世界只剩我在淋雨 想著你可能去誰或誰懷裡 胡鬧猜搞的我 無法呼吸 明明是.... 好天氣卻感覺下雨的情緒 我和你為何都我對不起你 轉個彎到街上一個人溜冰 要自己像隻驕傲的鴨子 不要愛的鴨子 啊哈 去吧 沒什麼了不起 什麼都依你 卻看清我自己 雖然我愛你 不許你再孩子氣 寂寞的鴨子 也可以不要你 有時愛會讓人變得笨笨地 習慣性只去你的心裡 沒有你我的心就像遙控器 在每個頻道裡瘋狂找你 瘋狂想你 瘋狂看你 啊哈 去吧 沒什麼了不起 什麼都依你 卻看清我自己 雖然我愛你 不許你再孩子氣 寂寞的鴨子 也可以不要你 啊哈 去吧 沒什麼了不起 什麼都依你 卻看清我自己 雖然我愛你 不許你再孩子氣 寂寞的鴨子 也可以不要你 1 Quote
JohnLe Posted June 5, 2014 at 09:22 PM Author Report Posted June 5, 2014 at 09:22 PM Thank you all for your responses. I have enough material for studying for the next few months. I will put togetter a CD with these songs. Quote
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