Our Youthful Days : Presenting the Top 5 Recommended Chinese Songs of 2020

By Trinnie Chanof 11-Zeal and Shihan Wu of 12-Sobriety

Graphic by Audrey Sanchez

IN THE midst of this pandemic, being unable to meet our friends and chat with them face-to-face leaves us with nowhere to release our emotions. The numerous typing sounds from the keyboard do nothing more than remind us of our loneliness during the current situation. Taking this opportunity, we wish to recommend to all of you a list of the Top 5 Chinese songs of 2020. We spent great effort compiling these while taking into consideration the ongoing pandemic. We hope that these songs bring you a ray of light despite the shadows that overwhelm us.

1.) “The Wind Rises” by Mai La Jiao Ye Yong Juan

Sung and performed by Mai La Jiao Ye Yong Juan, “The Wind Rises” is a song about growth, life, and love. The lyrics tell the tale of a young man who returned home after leaving many years ago in order to make a living. He unexpectedly discovers that the girl from his youth is still and has always been there. Despite having experienced a lot of hardships during the time he was away from home, suffering from failure and helplessness, and being exposed to the complicated nature of humans, his heart and the initial perseverance and conviction of his youth did not waver. Meeting her once again, all the past feelings and memories have long faded into his youth. The rest shall be up to fate.

2.) “Winter Slumber” by Si Nan

“Winter Slumber” is a heartwarming song on healing. It was composed and performed by Chinese historical singer, Si Nan. The lyrics of the song describes a woman taking a trip down the memory lane, as well as her eventual acceptance of her past. The bits and pieces of her memories, containing the seasons she spent with her partner, were scattered throughout the song. However, similar to how warmth and beauty of spring and summer cannot last forever, the inevitable end of their relationship also cannot be put on hold forever. Their relationship reached the end destination and it is time to let go. Regretfully, unlike the four seasons which continue to rotate in a cycle, their relationship has forever frozen in this winter, never to be continued again.

3.) “Neverland” by Ren Ran

The song “Neverland” was sung by Ren Ran and composed by Mingli Shen. It was dedicated to the victims of the 2014 airline MF370 accident. The song simultaneously depicted the preciousness and fragility of life and the indescribable pain of losing someone dear to your heart. With this, we remember our fellow brothers and sisters who passed away from unpredictable disasters, and our comrades who sacrificed and lost their lives during this global pandemic.

4.) “Miss You 3000” by 831 Ba Yue Yao

This song mainly depicts the desire of a pair of lovers yearning to see each other despite everything. Regardless of who the other becomes, the situation they are in, or where they are, their longing for each other does not end. This kind of love, evoked in the song, is not only limited to the relationship between lovers, but also families. The song reminds us of the people working away from home and who are unable to reunite with their families due to the current pandemic.

5.) “Youth” by Meng Ran

The lyrics of “Youth” ignites a fire in the hearts of its listeners as it speaks of an incredibly important principle in life, perseverance. The youth today has been constantly pressured by society. However, while reality is hard to change, the path to success is not actually crowded since only a rare few choose to persist and continue pressing forward. This is also what the composer wishes to express: Failure is reasonable for we only need to remember that all the hard work we are putting in now will pave the way for our future success. Stand back up from where you fell and continue on from where you failed.

希望你在孤单的时候不再孤单

在这疫情期间，相信无数同学都会时而感到孤单，面对着电脑，想发泄一下自己的不快都不知点开谁的聊天窗口，键盘敲打出的一个一个字符打了又删，删了又打。在这里，我们推荐五首经过精心挑选的中文歌曲，希望它们能给你们带来希望、带来快乐。

1.)《起风了》-- 买辣椒也用卷

“我曾将青春翻涌成她 也曾指尖弹出盛夏 心之所动 且就随缘去吧”

由买辣椒也用卷所演唱的《起风了》是一首关于成长，关于人生和爱情的歌。歌词描述了一位出去闯荡世界的少年，多年后回到家乡却意外发现年少时喜欢的那个她依然还在。虽然在闯荡的过程中，经历了失败和无奈，并见识过世间的复杂，幸喜的是他仍然抱负着年轻时的那种心态，青春的执着与信念依旧不变。再次见到她，所有的心动与回忆，不过一场青春罢了，一切都随缘去吧。

2.)《冬眠》-- 司南

“你看啊春日的蝴蝶 你看它颤抖着飞跃 和风与暖阳倾斜 却冰冷 的季节”

《冬眠》是一首暖心的治愈系歌曲，由内地古风女歌手司南创作并演唱。歌词表达着女主对一段挽留不住的感情，最后的怀念和释怀。曲中讲述着他们一年四季，春夏秋冬里的点点滴滴，但就像时光不能永远停止在春日初夏的美好，他们的感情也不能一直挽留着，到了终点就该放手了。遗憾的是四季还在不断的循环，冬天完了又回到春天，但他们的感情却在这个冬天永远的冻结了，他们的故事也再无续集。

3.)《无人之岛》-- 任然

“生命中有些事情，从没有原因说明，一刹那的寂静”

《无人之岛》是由歌手任然演唱，申名利作词献给2014年马航370（MH370）遇难的所有乘客的一首歌。曲中描绘了我们生命的宝贵及脆弱，同时也展现了失去亲人或同胞言不尽意的伤痛。那些在不可预测的灾难中遇难的同胞，以及今年新冠疫情牺牲的、去世的人，不知他们是否在一座无人岛，快乐与否，会不会有另外一种存在？

4.)《想见你 想见你 想见你》-- 831 八月夭

“想见你 只想见你 未来过去 我只想见你”

这首歌主要描述了一对爱人想见到彼此的欲望，无论对方变成什么样子，或处在什么情况，亦或生活在哪里都阻挡不了他们想见到彼此的渴望。这里的爱，不仅限于恋人之间的爱情，也可以是亲人之间的。这首歌也让我们想到了因为这次疫情，多少在外打工的人好不容易等到了春节回家跟家人团圆，而想见却见不到的那种感觉，但就算隔了千山万水，也无法停止对彼此的思念。

5.)《少年》-- 梦然

“过去的 就让它过去吧 别管那是一个玩笑还是谎话 路在脚下 其实并不复杂 只要记得你是你呀”

《少年》的歌词十分激励人心，它告诉了聆听者一个人的人生中非常重要的道理 — 坚持。随着社会的进步，年轻人的压力也越来越大，虽然现状难以改变但成功的道路并不拥挤，可贵的是少数人选择了坚持，这也正是这首歌所表达的：就算失败了也没有关系，我们只需要记住我们的每一份努力都在为我们以后的成功而作铺垫，在哪里摔倒，就在哪里站起来继续前行。