陈淑桦生涯6.英文宝典｜爱之歌 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 6: English Songs | Love Song (English Sub) #陈淑桦

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(Lyrics in CC) Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," a masterpiece, was a must-have in Sarah Chen's final English album, Hold Me Now (1988). This video introduces Chen's most overlooked yet fascinating body of work—her English repertoire. Spanning about 50 songs across four albums, it shows a bold and defiant side of her, distinct from her Mandopop persona.

With deep emotion, exquisite vocals, and perfect articulation, Chen's English songs are hidden gems lost in the sea of pop music. However, she couldn't break into the English-language market, blocked by linguistic, cultural, and racial barriers that remain significant today. Despite her deep roots in English pop music, Sarah Chen stopped performing in English in 1988 when her focus shifted to Mandopop. Without the structural support from her record labels, her 50 English songs survive precariously on the internet, their beauty held dearly in the ear of the beholder.

For those who listen, these English songs are among Chen's most beautiful, overflowing with deep, complex, and diverse emotions and human experiences that only Sarah Chen could convey.

这首歌是「陈淑桦音乐旅程」系列之一。全系列曲目如下. This video is part of "Sarah Chen's Career Obstacles" series. For the full series, see podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9IsBEU6SHCNT_TH_Cv0wYWZH-pZSMVoh

陈淑桦音乐旅程：独到之处｜相见在梦中 Intro to Sarah Chen Music: 0. Specialty | Meeting in a Dream
陈淑桦音乐旅程0.生涯综述｜情关 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 0: Overview | Gate of Love
陈淑桦音乐旅程1.早期介绍｜我在静静等你 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 1: Early Career | I Am Quietly Waiting For You
陈淑桦音乐旅程2.海山介绍｜小风小雨你 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 2: Haishan | Light Wind, Light Rain
陈淑桦音乐旅程3.百代介绍｜秋意上心头 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 3: EMI | Autumn Fills My Heart
陈淑桦音乐旅程4.滚石早期｜哗笑的街 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 4: Early Rock | Boisterous Street
陈淑桦音乐旅程5.笑傲江湖｜笑红尘 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 5: Late Rock | The Mundane World
陈淑桦音乐旅程6.英文宝典｜爱之歌 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 6: English Songs | Love Song
陈淑桦音乐旅程7.英文杰作｜砖石和锈 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 7: English Classics | Diamonds and Rust
陈淑桦音乐旅程8.离坛专辑｜生生世世 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 8: Farewell Album | Forever，Sarah
陈淑桦音乐旅程9.谢幕曲｜秋别 Intro to Sarah Chen Music 9: Finale | Autumn Farewell

Sarah Chen’s first serious English album, The Right to Sing (1983), was her most daring, shattering the graceful and gentle young woman persona she had cultivated for years. The only saving grace was the language barrier, shielding her defiant side from reaching fans who were unfamiliar with English.

Besides the title song, which asserted her right to sing, live, and love on her terms, the album expressed feelings often forbidden for young women of her culture and era – a jealous lover, with a badass attitude, telling her partner she didn’t care to know his past affairs. Yes, all the songs were covers of English pop hits, reflecting a different culture from Chen’s. But Chen had accepted the challenge of performing them, risking years of careful image-building.

The album came at a time when rock and roll was on the rise in Asia. English albums were becoming popular in regions with significant English-speaking populations, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. This trend saw many Asian singers performing in English, bridging the cultural and identity gaps that had dampened audiences’ enthusiasm for Western singers. Several top Taiwanese singers recorded English albums; Sarah Chen was not unique. While the long-term impact of these albums remains debatable, their commercial and cultural values at the time were undeniable, meeting the demand for English covers from singers that fans could more easily identify with.

While producing an English album was unremarkable, the choice of songs was unusual, especially as they directly contrasted Sarah Chen’s established musical persona. Her willingness to perform them, and her success in doing so, was extraordinary.

The truth is, Sarah Chen’s gentle image was just that – an image. Those close to her knew firsthand her determination and strong will. She fit these songs, much as she did years later when she became Taiwan's “voice of urban women.” This defiant album, an outlier in her repertoire, was the first sign of her bold, independent musical persona, paving the way for her later adaptation in Mandopop.

Chen recorded two other English albums of similar calibre, Miracle of Love (1987) and Hold Me Now (1988).

【歌词在字幕里】邓肯经典《Love Song》是陈淑桦1988年最后一张英文专辑《Hold Me Now》中不可或缺的歌。以这首歌为背景，本视频讲述陈淑桦的英文宝典——包括四张专辑（共约50首歌）。陈淑桦在英文歌中表现出与她国语音乐形象截然不同的大胆与叛逆的一面。

Sarah Chen's English songs:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9IsBEU6SHCM1Qoeyc3OvZ1t6lluDyd52

YouTube: The copyright owners allow the copyright content of this video to be used on YouTube.

Channel: All rights belong to the original copyright holders. This channel does not monetize its content. This video is created to preserve Sarah Chen's at-risk work.