Sodagreen does Shiina Ringo!

At a recent roadside concert to promote the 'Walk Together' concerts, someone requested for sodagreen to sing Shiina Ringo's 'Yokushitsu', or 'Bathroom'. Tsing-Fong obliged, and remarked that Xiaowei and A-fu could just turn the song into 'Kitchen'. They performed only a part of the song, but I was delighted at the prospect of sodagreen covering a song by a singer I really respect. Shiina Ringo is a great artist, and sodagreen's cover largely did justice to the glorious original. I was surprised that they decided to perform SR's 'Stem' at a Hong Kong concert last month, and this cover only reinforces the growing suspicion that they are SR fans like me. :)

Deserts Chang releases new song

Long-time sodagreen friend Deserts Chang has released the MV of the main plug for her new album 'Games We Play'. Entitled 'Brilliant Fire' (艷火), it has a light rock-ish sound combined with an indie-like arrangement. Although the tune is nice, the lyrics make the song as beautiful as it is. Here's the Youtube link:

Latest movements

 

According to media reports, Tsing-Fong was suffering from gastroenteritis as sodagreen recorded a programme in Taiwan, where the band performed many of their classic songs. During the recording, he frequently joked about his condition, leading to much laughter from the audience.

Because of his gastroenteritis, Tsing-Fong could only eat crackers, which led to (the host) Blackie Chen to say, "No wonder you're called 'sodagreen'!"*

During the show, Tsing-Fong criticised the government for saying they wanted to help the creative industry but not doing much to help, citing the expensive venue rental prices as an example. "(Does the government) actually use any of the money collected on us?" He asked. "We practically can't feel anything," Blackie Chen said.

Tsing-Fong also spoke about people flaming him on PTT, saying (jokingly, I hope) that he doesn't care about them because "these people don't have enough class; no matter how they do it they won't be able to attack me because they all aren't as mean* as me!" He also talked about how he become friends with a former critic after they managed to civilly exchange their viewpoints and gain respect for each other.

Source: ETtoday

(This is a translated article.)

Translator's notes (Yes, here too):
* This is a pun. 'Crackers' can be translated as 'suda bing' in Chinese, which literally means 'soda biscuits'.
* The term he used: 'jian suan ke bo' can mean 'mean', 'harsh', 'sarcastic', 'cold', or/and 'distant'. This may or may not (I may be too sensitive about this) also be a pun, as 'suan' was the word used to describe the action of disturbing, or in this context, flaming Tsing-Fong.

Meanwhile, in other news, the band's good friend Deserts Chang will release her new album, 'Games We Play', on the 10th of August. The first plug, 'Fireworks '焰火', was released to stations on the 2nd this month. I've heard it, and it sounds great like her other songs, and it's also the one she sang at the sodagreen concert in March. Do support her when the album comes out!

Spain wins Euro 2012

Unrelated, I know, but I just can't resist broadcasting my delight. Spain played classy football and Italy was just unlucky. Talking about sports, I think that almost all the members of sodagreen (except A-gong) were involved in sports at some point of time. A-fu was a school basketball player, and Tsing-Fong was briefly on the team as well. Xiaowei, Claire and Jiakai were in the swimming team in university. Those who say Tsing-Fong is girly can eat their words. :P

Sodagreen to feature in another short film

Sodagreen will appear in yet another mainland-produced short film, officially entitled 'I Love You to Love Me', and I don't know if this should be good or bad news for us fans. The band seems to have set their sights on conquering the mainland market this year, with their nationwide tour, the endless promotion campaigns as well as the two short films. All of these things would undoubtedly provide them with a lot of good exposure and good press, but once again, the prospect of 'commercialisation' looms. With the previous short film a platform for a car/soft drinks (I'm still not sure) firm to advertise their brand name, the new short film, set to be released on the 6th of July all around China, will feature products from brands like LG and Samsung, all sponsored by Suning Appliance, one of the largest privately owned electrical appliance retailers in China, according to Wikipedia.

The exposure may be a good thing for the band, but I'd rather them stick to what they do best- music. It's good for artists to branch out to other media to fully utilise their talents and skills, but exhaustion and pressure may get to them and it's never good for their health and productivity. Look what happened to Jay Chou, who insisted on releasing an album every year despite his busy filming schedule. His albums have (in my personal opinion, Jay fans, sorry and please don't be annoyed) steadily deteriorated in quality. They seem rushed and lack the passion and energy that could be heard on his earlier albums. I appreciate sodagreen's somewhat sudden interest in film work, but I'd love to hear that 'Autumn' album out soon, especially since autumn would soon arrive in Beijing, where the band plans to record the album.



According to the official synopsis, Mark (Zhao Youting) and Dizi (Yao Di) are a couple who fell in love at first sight at a concert by sodagreen, a mutual friend (?!). When the brightness and beauty of love runs into the complications and troubles of everyday life, tension mounts between the two of them. After a quarrel, Dizi chooses to leave temporarily, going far away to further her education. Would their love end like this? Can their dreams continue? You can find your answer in this short film.

According to the source, sodagreen's presence made the short film seem just like an MV, with the band performing many of their classic songs. Before the launch of the film, trailers would be uploaded onto media-sharing platforms like Youku, Sina, Tengxun, Wangyi and Souhu. At the same time, the producers would commence a 'Love Precepts' promotional activity on Weibo, sharing with fans the feelings the film seeks to bring across.

Despite my personal opinion that the band seems to be getting too caught up in the somewhat over-commercialised mainland entertainment scene, I am looking forward to the movie. I hope that it would be successful and would not feature too much blatant advertising. The news comes as a bit of a surprise to me as the band members have never mentioned anything about it on their Weibo accounts. Sodagreen released a new song together with the previous short film, so I'm hoping that they would take this opportunity to release another new song. This may be wishful thinking, though...

Translations for 'What Is Troubling You' complete!

It's been hard translating all of the songs- I highly suspect that there are more than just a few translation errors lying around, but I'll make changes where necessary. But most importantly, here are the English translations for sodagreen's latest album, 'What Is Troubling You'. I hope that anyone who happens to read this would find them useful! You can find other (uncompleted) album translation projects by clicking on the 'English Translations' tab right at the top of the page, under the banner!

WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU 你在煩惱什麼 (2011)

1. 片刻永恆 This Moment is Forever (Instrumental)
    Music: sodagreen
2. 幸福額度 The Limit of Happiness
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
3. 你被寫在我的歌里 I Wrote of You in My Song (ft. Ella Chen)
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
4. 如果凝結就是愛 If Love is Like Condensation
    Lyrics: Gong Yu-chi
    Music: Gong Yu-chi
5. 喜歡寂寞 Enjoy Loneliness
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
6. 燕窝 Bird's Nest
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
7. 茧 Cocoon
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Wu Tsing-Fong
8. 当我们一起走过 As We Walked Together
    Lyrics: Shih Jyun-wei
    Music: Shih Jyun-wei
9. 浪漫派 Romantics
    Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
    Music: Liou Jiakai
10. 控制狂 Control Freak
      Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
      Music: Shih Jyun-wei
11. 你在烦恼什么 What Is Troubling You (ft. Suming)
      Lyrics: Wu Tsing-Fong
      Music: Wu Tsing-Fong

浪漫派 Romantics*- English translation

路过的狂歌者 躁动的音乐声
正认真准备着坠落的一盏星辰
掉落的一根针 在寂寞上睡着了
正忐忑祈祷着平安的一队旅人

Wild singers are passing by with the restless sound of music
Earnestly preparing for a falling star
A fallen needle is asleep on top of loneliness
A band of travellers anxiously pray for peace

发梢雨丝彼此磨蹭
风的强迫症

Hair and rain wear each other out
The obsession of the wind

我的红色敏感 你的灰色地带
流水云彩 无关紧要的对白
起劲到费力的爱

My red sensitivity; your grey region
Water and clouds; unneccesary dialogue
Energises that straining love

怎么说 你的眼是一面失焦的镜
因此我多喜欢看着你 像看自己
弦月的脚步声 华丽得令人窒息
或舞蹈或劳动 或漠然得令人着迷

How do I put it? Your eyes are like an unfocused mirror
Because of this, I like watching you; it’s like watching myself
The steps of the string-like moon are suffocating in their splendour
In dancing or in labouring, or in its bewitching indifference

比一尾鱼更哑更聋
更冷进怀里

Muter and deafer than a fish
And colder in my embrace

我的金色狂烈 你的墨色呜咽
身体取悦 灵魂已凋谢
我的褪色倒影 你的染色身形
我将是你 最丑陋的装饰品
炙热到冷却的心

My golden intensity; your ink-coloured sobbing
The flesh obtains gratification while the spirit withers
My fading reflection; your tinted physique
I will soon become your ugliest, crudest decoration
A heart heated so much that it becomes cold

越发鲜艳 终究成为一团黑

No matter how bright it becomes, it would become a black mass* in the end

快乐不再是重点
忧郁不再来盘旋
无穷无尽的思念
以真以假的爱恋

Happiness is no longer the point
Depression will no longer linger
Endless longing and yearning
Love based on both truths and falsehoods

Translator's notes:
* My personal interpretation of the title is that it refers to participants in the Romantic movement, or Romanticism, which in Chinese is '浪漫主义'. The '派' in the title refers to people belonging to a certain group, or a clique. Thus, I rendered the English title as 'Romantics', participants in the Romantic movement. You could very well accuse me of not having done my research, but from what I know, Romanticism is connected to Bohemianism, another artistic movement, which is often associated with a lifestyle dedicated to the arts as well as loose living and hippies. I'm not sure what Tsing-Fong means, giving his song this title, but as the first sodagreen song I've seen with relatively obvious references to sex (Tsing-Fong's confirmed this himself), the title could be a reference to this. I know my 'argument' is weird, but *shrugs* I'm no Literature student.
* 'A black mass' here is my translation of '一团黑', which literally translates as 'a group of black'. You could replace 'a black mass' with 'a pile of darkness' or 'completely dark'. I felt that 'black mass' better captures the essence and flow of the lyric. 'Black mass' in the translation does not refer to the rite, the Black Mass.

Jiakai is married!

I know this is late, but sodagreen guitarist Liu Jiakai got married early this month. According to Sina Entertainment, the band gathered at the Hsinchu Ambassador Hotel for the wedding reception. When asked whether he was afraid of potential pranks from his band members, he told reporters that the band would be fetching the bride with him, and that the journey to the bride's house and back would be six hours. He quipped: "After all that, I doubt even Tsing-Fong would have the strength for any hazing."



The wedding went smoothly, with Xiaowei as host. The bride entered as 'Incomparable Beauty' played in the background. For some reason, the band members were all drinking orange juice (or beer??) during the toast. As Jiakai prepared to make his speech, Xiaowei encouraged him to speak as much as he wanted.



The next day, Jiakai confirmed on his Weibo page that his wife was four months pregnant, saying that "Life is always filled with mixed emotions. Looking at my father and my unborn child, it is hard for me to express my feelings, but now I can understand how my father felt all those years ago... in October, the first 'little sodagreen' would come to our world... I told [my father at the hospital], 'I've grown up and I've got married, there's no need to worry about me anymore. It was a pity you weren't able to come to the wedding, as half of the people there are your friends... Do your best! Hurry up and get discharged and come home! You would definitely want to see your grandson, he's four months old already, and has started to move around!'"

Jiakai's father remains in a coma after a car accident six years ago.

控制狂 Control Freak- English translation

没关系 都理解的
拍照时 角度和方向
没问题 都配合的
睡着时 做梦的重量

No problem, everything is understood
The photograph’s angle and direction
No question, I will be co-operative
How deep I dream while I sleep

云要多高
天要多蓝先对照色票
我往前跑 迷幻的神态都做到
回头的次数刚刚好

How high you want the clouds to be
And how blue the skies? Just control the colour swatches
I run forward; maintaining a mysterious demeanor
Turning back just the right number of times

控制狂 你到底想怎样
因为你我想要大声唱 Woah…
控制狂 你美丽的声响
沿着你我流进了海洋 Woah…

Control freak, what do you wanna do?
Because of you, I want to loudly sing, “Woah…”
Control freak, your beautiful voice
With you, I float into the ocean; Woah…

没道理 都迷恋的
一整天 绕圈圈打转
没办法 都需要的
一整夜 不可征服之幻

There’s no reason; I’m completely bewitched
Going in circles for a whole day
There are no more means; I completely need it
That irresistible magic that lasts the whole night

没有钟表 对着爱这个主题思考
我就想要 把所有生命都消耗
研究你所有的无聊

Without a watch, I think about the topic of love
I just want to deplete my entire life
Researching all your silly antics

控制狂 亲密得就好像
蛋壳里的蛋白和蛋黄Woah
控制狂 我还能怎么讲
哎 Woah

Control freak, we’re as intimate as
The yolk and albumen in an egg’s shell; Woah…
Control freak, what more can I say?
Ai, la la la la la la la la la; Woah…

控制狂 你到底想怎样
因为你我想要大声唱 Woah
控制狂 你美丽的声响
沿着你我流进了海洋 Woah

Control freak, what do you wanna do?
Because of you, I want to loudly sing, “Woah…”
Control freak, your beautiful voice
With you, I float into the ocean; Woah…

听你安排的豢养 听你所有的话
谁在乎太阳
盲目的手抚慰我的擦伤
让你命令我歌唱 让你将我捆绑
谁在乎光亮
丢掉自由就是自由的方法

Raised up by things you arranged; listening to everything you say
Who cares about the sun?
Blind hands comfort my bruises
Allowing you to command me to sing; Allowing you to bind me
Who cares about the light?
Give up freedom to be free

没什么 我可以的
就控制你这个控制狂

It’s nothing, really; I can handle it
I just have to control you, control freak

你在烦恼什么 What Is Troubling You- English translation

没有不会谢的花

没有不会退的浪
没有不会暗的光
你在烦恼什么吗

There’s no flower that will never wither
There’s no wave that will never recede
There’s no light that never would dim
Is anything troubling you?

没有不会淡的疤
没有不会好的伤
没有不会停下来的绝望
你在忧郁什么啊

There’s no wound that will never fade
There’s no injury that will never recover
There’s no hopelessness that never would stop
What is depressing you?

时间从来不回答
生命从来不喧哗
就算只有片刻我也不害怕
是片刻组成永恒哪

Time never gives an answer
Life never makes a sound
Even for moment I won’t be afraid
It’s moments that make up eternity, you see

时间从来不回答
生命从来不喧哗
就算只有片刻我也不害怕
片刻组成永恒哪

Time never gives an answer
Life never makes a sound
Even for a moment I won’t be afraid
It’s moments that make up eternity, you see

就算只有片刻我也不害怕
片刻组成永恒哪

Even for a moment, I won’t be afraid
Moments make up eternity, you see

城市 City- English translation

这座城市一般

让你在梦中不停的衰老
人像落叶一般
冬天的空中冰冷的容貌

This city, in general
Makes you, in your dreams, continually fade away
People, just like falling leaves
Have the appearance of ice in the winter sky

城市面目狰狞 驾着光速奔跑
我们是沉默机器 对照着时间表

The city is grim; it runs at the speed of light
We are silent machines, running like watches

我们就像温室的花朵
麻木的心 刷白的瞳孔
彩色的脸 混乱的欲望颤抖
现在是谣言侵略事实的时代
必须偷看哪个谁是不是在偷看

We are just like flowers in a greenhouse
Numb hearts and whitewashed pupils
Colourful faces; confused desires shiver
It is now the age in which rumours invade the truth
We need to peep at that person to see if he is peeping

这座城市一般
享受着奢侈却莫名失落
人像稀释一般
在闹区列车上逐渐沉默

This city, in general
Enjoys luxury but is inexplicably downcast
People are diluted
Gradually becoming silent among the noisy districts and trains

我们囚禁在格林威治的规则里
在数位的银色浪花中喘不过气

We are imprisoned in the rules of Greenwich
Unable to breathe in the digital, silver spray

我们就像温室的花朵
麻木的心 刷白的瞳孔
彩色的脸 混乱的欲望颤抖
现在是现在侵略过去的时代
必须悲哀快乐所带来的更悲哀

We are just like flowers in a greenhouse
Numb hearts and whitewashed pupils
Colourful faces; confused desires shiver
It is now the age in which the present invades the past
It has to be sorrowful; anything joy brings would be even more sorrowful

这座城市里面
试着让自己没有那么糟
人像落叶迎面
在一座座孤独岛中间
我微笑

In this city
I try to make myself feel less lousy
People are like the surfaces of leaves
Between the many blocks of islands
I smile

Thoughts after the 2012 GMAs

To the (few) readers of this blog, I know I've been absent for a long time, and I hope to be able to resume regular updates soon (I have a few rough translations languishing in my hard drive). Sorry for going missing for such a long time though (I've been very busy these few months, sorry!).

What I would like to talk about today would be the Golden Melody Awards held yesterday. Mayday swept the awards, taking Best Band, Best Composer, Best Song, Best Album, Best Producers and Best Arrangement. As a sodagreen fan, I have to admit that I'm very disappointed with the band's not clinching any nominations  beyond the two they were given, and from a personal point of view I feel that Tsing-Fong deserved at least a Best Lyrics nomination for 'Bird's Nest'. However, the results lie before us and have to be accepted.

On China's Baidu Tieba forums there was a flurry of discussion on Mayday's seven awards. Netizens were split over whether they deserve them or not. Lots of uncivil words were thrown at and from the Mayday fandom. Admittedly, some non-Mayday fans posted unkind comments saying that 'the judges are mad' or 'Mayday sucks' and things like those, but I was disappointed at most of the pro-Mayday comments I saw that accused even the more rational non-Mayday supporters of being 'trolls' and 'unreasonable'. They countered arguments that Mayday did not deserve their awards with words like 'Have you not seen the hard work they've put in over the past three years' and 'Mayday did not perform at the Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium for nothing!'. But as someone pointed out, 'everyone works hard'. I'm not disclaiming the fact that Mayday have put a lot of effort into this album though.

I am not a hardcore Mayday fan. However, I appreciate their songs and I appreciate them. Some of their songs have cheered me up a lot and quite a few are personal favourites. I love 'Fool (Gong Lang)', 'Embrace (Yongbao)', 'Ga Chia', 'Zhiming and Chunjiao', the 'Time Machine' and 'People Life, Ocean Wild' albums, 'Like Smoke (Ru Yan)'. My love of sodagreen has never gotten in the way of me liking Mayday as well. I think that 'Second Life' is a quality album. I think it's the best thing they've done since 'Time Machine'. I eagerly awaited it's release and I nearly cried the first time I heard 'Starry Night (Xingkong)'. And as hard as it is for me to admit this, it's a stronger album than 'What Is Troubling You', which is also a quality album in my book.



'Second Life' has a cohesiveness that is present throughout the music of the entire album. With interwoven themes sewn into both the music and the lyrics, it is one of the better Mandopop albums out there. 'Starry Night' and 'Noah's Ark (Nuoya Fangzhou) are beautiful songs (although the drum arrangement in 'Starry Night' is rather lacking, sorry Guanyou). I reiterate- 'Second Life' is a delightfully cohesive album, but can the tracks stand on their own? It is one of the better albums out there, but is it the best album of 2011 in Mandopop?

I would say that the Best Album award is well-deserved. But this is if you consider only the nominees. Could I suggest that the judges made a big mistake leaving out sodagreen's 'What Is Troubling You', 19's self-titled album, Tizzy Bac's 'The Tell-tale Heart' as well as Eason Chan's '?' and the Life Journey's 'Wonderful Day', among the other quality albums that were released last year? Granted, I'm not sure about Life Journey's eligibility (they're a mainland band), but I'm sure the others merited nominations alongside Wei Ruxuan's 'No Crying' and Yoga Lin's 'Perfect Life'. If the GMA judges actually included stronger albums among the nominations, I'm sure 'Second Round' would have had a harder chance winning.

The Best Song award is well-deserved. Although I'd like to add that 'Those Years (Na Xie Nian)' is the better known one where I'm from (largely owing to it being a theme song and being overplayed on local radio stations, which is why I'm pissed off at that song now).

I'm sorry Masa, but Desserts Chang's 'Please Give Me a Better Rival in Love (Qing Ni Gei Wo Yige Hao Yidian de Qingdi)' and Tanya Chua's 'Sing It Out of Love (Shuo Dao Ai)' both trump your 'Noah's Ark' in composition, in my opinion. I find them both more musical and soulful. Don't get me wrong- I really like 'Noah's Ark'. When I first heard the crescendo in the final coda of the song, I was really moved. But the effect just wore off after a few (okay, maybe too many) listens. I realise that a song does not have to be musically intricate or use more chords than the four you used for most of the song, but I feel that your melody, without the arrangement, did not amount to as much as the two examples I listed. A billion times better than the meaningless pop many other artists put out nowadays though.

Ashin should have been given the Best Lyrics award for ' Noah's Ark'. Beautiful stuff. Why doesn't he ever get the award? Enough said.

The Best Producers' Award. Does this reward the producer(s) who bring(s) out the quality and polish of the album or the cohesiveness and feel of the album? If it is the former, Tanya Chua or Wei Ruxuan should have won. Tanya Chua is a brilliant producer. If it is the latter, I have no qualms with Mayday's win. It seems to me though that the GMA judges have different ideas on how to judge every single year. But then again, after so many years of Mayday being slighted (Ashin's TWO lyrics nominations in 2008), one may feel that they deserved more than the 'Best Band' award.

The Best Band award. Tizzy Bac and sodagreen are both very good bands. It's bad luck they were up against Mayday this time. As a sodagreen fan, perhaps my post can be attributed to sour grapes, and it is true I feel sore, but I'm trying to be rational and objective here, or as we say in Chinese, ke guan. Quite suspicious, you may feel, as what sparked this post was my fury at comments at the Baidu boards. Sodagreen themselves didn't even attend the awards- they were performing at Chengdu. The sodafans on Baidu seem rather nonchalant, and that's good.

'Noah's Ark''s arrangement really drove the song forward.

That's about all I have to say really. If you're a Mayday fan, please don't be angry at me! If you're a sodagreen fan, tough luck for all of us I guess! We had our fun in 2007 and 2008 (when we were robbed!), but I'm sure our favourite band will bounce back next year.

24/6/2012 Update: Just read that Mayday's planning to release only two more albums. Missed that out while listening to yesterday's acceptance speech. I've got to say that I feel that's a bit of a waste. I hope their wish to 'follow in the footsteps of the Beatles' does not involve breaking up after the ten albums (touch wood). Hope they would continue to tour and occasionally release new material after that, like China Blue.

Sodagreen's 'Peeping'

Sodagreen’s first recorded song is ‘Peeping’, and it’s earliest recorded version can be found on 2001’s collaboration album ‘Taiwan Independent Compilation 2001/Nation of Youth (少年ㄞ国)’. Another notable band that contributed to this album is Echo (later also signed by Willlin Music). Another version was recorded in 2004/2005 for sodagreen’s debut album with a lusher guitar arrangement and Tsing-Fong singing in a more polished voice. There were also slight tweaks to the melody of the song, most notably in the bridge.

This song is also Tsing-Fong's first song. It is musically simple with only three chords. Its lyrics, though as beautiful and equally cryptic at times, are relatively plain compared to the band’s later, more ornate offerings. It is a pop rock song, starting with a piano lick which leads into a distorted electric guitar opening. Guitar feedback is heard prominently in the song before everything quietens down for the slow bridge, which repeats four times before the last two choruses. According to the lyrics posted by Tsing-Fong on PTT in 2004, the lyrics go like this:

***

我看著你的表情就快成雨季

拿出了紙和鉛筆也無法算計

把太陽一口吹熄找不到邏輯

反正這世界本來就沒道理

你皺紋讓我質疑像預報天氣

在你指縫間我繼續遊戲

忍不住超速看不太清晰

我放棄謙虛無所謂收集

也許我臉孔全都荒廢  猜忌你想起忘記誰

可能廉價的沒有滋味  欺騙了誰與你相隨

(不介意再設下一回  輕易就剝離了安慰)

放一顆星球  在你的眉頭

等你開口  再長出宇宙

要我伸出手  在你的背後

讓你揮霍  哪一隻脆弱

Seeing the expression on your face quickly turning into a rainy season
I take out paper and a pencil, but still cannot calculate it
I cannot find the logic in blowing out the sun in a breath
This world is illogical to begin with, anyway

Your wrinkles, like the weather report, makes me suspicious
Between your fingers, I continue to play
I can’t help but go faster, I can’t see clearly
I get rid of my shame and collect the things that don’t matter

Perhaps my face is all a wasteland, being suspicious of who you think of and who you forget
Perhaps cheap things have no taste, who did I cheat to be with you
(I don’t mind setting up another round, easily stripping away comfort)

Put a planet in your brows
When you open your mouth, out grows a universe
Wanting me to stretch out my hand and put it around your back
Letting you squander a kind of fragility

***

Tsing-Fong hasn’t said much about the song in public. However, sodagreen’s website in 2006 mentioned the song quite a few times in the member profiles, according to excerpts preserved in a board in Baidu Tieba from the same year. With the advent of sodagreen’s new .com address, the member profiles have also been taken down. Here are the references to ‘Peeping’:

In Tsing-Fong’s profile:

"高一高二每次附中天韵奖，大概都帮10个左右的人伴奏。到了高三自己参加，拿到了独唱组以及创作组冠军。那时候独唱唱的曲目是蔡健雅的「记念」，记得是所有竞争对手中被认为最平淡、最不被看好的歌。当时是馨仪帮我钢琴伴奏。(高二认识馨仪，连两年都一起参加天韵奖重唱组，但都没得名。当时帮他取了「壮士」的绰号，沿用至大学毕业。)也因为这次的天韵奖，写出人生第一首歌「窥」，要不是得奖应该以後也不会再写歌了。 "

"When I was at the Affiliated High School in Year One and Year Two, there was the 'Heavenly Rhythm Award (Tianyun Jiang)' competition, and each year I would help around ten people with the musical accompaniment. When I was in Year Three, I took part in it on my own, and I was the champion for both the solo singing category and the composition categoy. At that time, my solo performance was of Tanya Chua's 'Memory', and I remember that it was thought of as the blandest song, the song with the least chance of winning. At that time, it was Claire who played the piano accompaniment to the song. (I met Claire in Year Two, and in both years we competed together in the group singing categories, although we didn't win anything. Around that time, people gave her the nickname 'Warrior', and we used this until we graduated from university.) It was because of the competition that I wrote the first song in my life, 'Peeping', and had I not won I doubt I would've ever written a song again."

Good thing for us sodafans that he won. And later:

"高三最後一个月因为写了「窥」得奖，尔後写了「後悔莫及」、「降落练习存在孪生基因」、「迟到千年」等九首歌。"

"In the last month of high school, because of my winning the award thanks to 'Peeping', I wrote nine songs, including 'Too Late for Regrets', 'Twin Genes in a Landing Practice', 'Late for a Thousand Years'."

After that, he wrote:

"2001: 和馨仪、新哥(第一任吉他手)一起上政大，又认识小威，於是组成「苏打绿」，带著仅练过的一首歌「窥」，就上了金旋的舞台。"

"2001: I went to the National Chenchi University with Claire and Xin-ge (our first guitarist), and I got to know Xiaowei, and we formed sodagreen. With the only song we practiced, 'Peeping', we took part in the Golden Melody Cup."

The interesting thing about this song is Tsing-Fong's (as well as the rest of the band's) dislike for the song; or rather, his dislike for the music video in particular. The only time I watched it was on Tudou, where someone videotaped a low quality version of the MV at a KTV lounge. At the time of shooting, sodagreen had only four members- Tsing-Fong, Claire, Xiaowei and Xin-ge. Tsing-Fong was nineteen at that time and very skinny. Xiaowei looked much slimmer than now. It involved mainly Tsing-Fong singing at the camera at the gate of someone's house, intercut with scenes of the band performing and playing football on a school pitch. The video ended with the band dragging Tsing-Fong away from the camera and beating him up. A few people say that the MV brings back painful memories of Xin-ge's time in the band, but most comments I've read say that the band dislikes the MV as the director had misintepreted the song and forced them to act in a way they did not like.

Part 2, Rule 2 of sodagreen's PTT bulletin board states (Version 9, as of 20/5/12):

"請勿在本板討論任何相關於「窺」MV的內容。(原因：被拍攝的當事人不希望此事再被公開討論，請尊重當事人感受。)"

"Please refrain from discussing anything related to 'Peeping''s MV on this board. (Reason: the subjects of the film do not wish for the matter to be publicly discussed anymore; please respect their feelings.)"

In 2004, a PTT user by the name of imyours posted a topic called 'Peeping'. He/she wrote:

"一直都很喜歡 窺 這首歌    雖然不是我聽蘇打綠的第一首歌

對於一個高中生的第一首歌竟能做出這樣的歌曲我想只能說是訝異

有 超厲害 的感覺

不過我想接下來要說的可能是青峰不太想聽的XD

晚上跟朋友去唱歌(大概已經知道我要說什麼了)

想到之前板上有說過在KTV可以點到這首歌

記得之前版友說點出來後拼命著跟朋友解釋蘇打綠不是這樣的

也記得青峰拜託大家以後再也不要點這首歌了據說恨mv的導演是嗎

一直都沒有辦法想像到底是什麼樣子的mv

尤其是在看過像air那樣高品質的mv

終究我仍是敵不過好奇心(當然還有對於蘇打綠的熱愛)最後還是點了"

"I've always liked 'Peeping', although it wasn't the first sodagreen song I heard. For me, the idea of a high schooler could come up with a song like this his first time was shocking. I felt that it was wonderful. However, what I want to say would, perhaps, not be what Tsing-Fong wants to hear XD. At night, I went to sing with my friends (by now you should roughly know what I'm about to talk about). I recalled that someone on the board once said that the song could be picked at KTV, and how that guy said that he had to frantically explain to his friends that sodagreen were not like that after picking the song, and how Tsing-Fong pleaded with everyone not to pick the song anymore, because he hated the MV's director? I never was able to imagine what the MV was like, especially after watching high quality MVs like that of 'Air'. In the end, I was unable to supress my curiosity (despite my passion for sodagreen) and I picked the song in the end."

"突然地我完全就了解之前版友在敘述的到底是怎麼樣的情況

了解青峰為什麼不想要大家看那個mv

真的是一目了然  我想喜歡蘇打綠的人看到以後都會跟朋友說

" 相信我 蘇打綠真的不是這樣的團!!"

mv出來後我除了拼命要唱歌以外 當然還一直重複著上面的字句

朋友默默地說

" 這首歌好好聽 不過這就是妳熱愛的青峰嗎???  怎麼跟照片差好多?"

(之前給朋友看過單曲封面的照片)

最後在我堅持下朋友跟我回家聽蘇打綠的兩張單曲  當然是著迷"

"All of a sudden, I fully understood the situation that user was in. I understood why Tsing-Fong did not want us to watch the MV. It really was eye-opening. I think that after watching the MV, all sodagreen fans would turn to their friends and say, "Believe me, sodagreen really isn't this sort of band!" When the MV appeared, apart from singing the song, I kept repeating the above sentence. My friend said softly, "This song sounds good. But is this the Tsing-Fong you love??? Why does he look so different from the photograph?" (Before that, I let my friend see the cover of the single.) In the end, I insisted that my friends come home with me and listen to sodagreen's two singles. Of course, they were hooked."

"哈哈青峰對不起提起你討厭的事

只好說人不輕狂枉少年(結果並沒有安慰的作用是嗎)

馨儀在mv裡也超酷的(沒有看錯人吧?)

總之蘇打綠趕快拍新的mv讓大家看吧^^"

"Haha, Tsing-Fong, sorry for bringing up your most hated topic. The only thing I can say is that if you were not frivolous, your youth was in vain (I guess this doesn't comfort you?). Claire was super cool in the MV (I didn't see wrongly did I). All in all, I hope that sodagreen would hurry and makes a new MV for all of us to see. "

To which Tsing-Fong (cellur) replied:

"推 cellur:侯~~不乖打屁屁!!!!!                              218.35.64.107 08/24

推 cellur:我看到文章標題就有預感了~!!!                     218.35.64.107 08/24”

“(Push) cellur: Oho! You've been naughty and should be spanked!!!!!
(Push) cellur: When I saw the topic name I had a (bad) feeling about it already~!!!"

Interestingly enough, he 'voted up' the topic. Seems like he approved of the writing.