Teresa Teng – Ye Lai Xiang | My great Wordpress blog

Ye Lai Xiang: The Fragrance of Nostalgia

Ye Lai Xiang (夜來香) is a classic Chinese song that was first released in 1970 by Teresa Teng. The song is about the intoxicating fragrance of night jasmine flowers, which are said to be able to stir up memories of love and loss.

The lyrics of Ye Lai Xiang are simple but evocative, describing the way the night jasmine flowers fill the air with their sweet scent. The singer compares the fragrance of the flowers to a lover’s embrace, and expresses her longing for the past.

The song Ye Lai Xiang has been covered by many artists over the years, but Teresa Teng’s version remains the most popular. Her unique vocal style and expressive delivery perfectly capture the song’s sense of longing and nostalgia.

Teresa Teng 鄧麗君 Ye Lai Xiang

Ye Lai Xiang is more than just a beautiful song. It is also a cultural touchstone that has been enjoyed by generations of listeners. The song’s message of love, loss, and memory resonates with people of all ages, and it continues to be a popular choice for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.

In addition to its cultural significance, Ye Lai Xiang is also a technically impressive piece of music. The song’s melody is both catchy and haunting, and the arrangement features lush orchestration that perfectly complements the vocals.

Ye Lai Xiang is a timeless classic that will continue to be enjoyed for many years to come. It is a song that captures the essence of love, loss, and memory, and it is sure to touch the hearts of anyone who hears it.

Composition Story of Ye Lai Xiang

In the early autumn of 1944, Li Jinguang recorded an aria for Huang Guiqiu, a famous Peking Opera actress. In those days, the studio had no air conditioning and the room was airtight. During the recording break, Li Jinguang went out of the shed to breathe fresh air. At this time, the south wind blew, with bursts of flower fragrance, and nightingales were singing in the distance. What a wonderful time! Li Jinguang’s music thoughts are surging… That night, after returning home, Li Jinguang stayed awake all night. The beautiful scenery at that time constantly flashed in his mind, aroused infinite reverie, and the melody surging in his heart seemed to gush out… In this way, the prototype of a European and American style, rumba rhythm and dance style “Ye Lai Xiang” was born.

The song “Ye Lai Xiang” has a wide range, reaching two octaves. Therefore, it is not suitable for him to audition for big stars such as Zhou Xuan(周璇), Gong Qiuxia(龚秋霞) and Yao Li(姚莉) after his creation. Occasionally, Yoshiko Yamaguchi (李香兰), a popular actress who came to Shanghai to perform, found the music score of “nocturnal incense”. After listening to the audition, Li Jinhui lamented that the song seemed to be “customized” for her, so he immediately asked Yoshiko Yamaguchi to record the song.

Lyrics of Ye Lai Xiang

Chinese Version

那南风吹来清凉，那夜莺啼声细唱，

月下的花儿都入梦，只有那夜来香，吐露著芬芳，

我爱这夜色茫茫，也爱这夜莺歌唱，

更爱那花一般的梦，拥抱著夜来香，闻著夜来香，

夜来香，我为你歌唱，

夜来香，我为你思量，

啊……我为你歌唱，我为你思量。

夜来香，夜来香，夜来香。

Japanese Version

あわれ春风に叹くうぐいすよ
月に切なくも匂う夜来香
この香りよ
长き夜の泪呗ううぐいすよ
恋の梦消えて残る夜来香
この夜来香
夜来香白い花
夜来香恋の花
ああ胸いたく呗かなし
あわれ春风に叹くうぐいすよ
つきぬ思い出の花は夜来香
恋の夜来香
夜来香夜来香夜来香

About the Composer of Ye Lai Xiang

Li Jinguang (1907-1993), a famous musician from Xiangtan, Hunan Province, ranked seventh in the “Li‘s Eight Brothers”, and has been engaged in music work in Shanghai for a long time. In 1938, he worked as an editor in the recording Department of an EMI record company founded by British businessmen in Shanghai. He wrote the episode “red torture” in the film “Romance of the West Chamber” and the episode “buried flowers” in “a dream of Red Mansions”, and wrote some popular songs for Zhou Xuan, which became a record distribution.

Famous works include “Ye Lai Xiang”, “Picking Betel Nuts”,

鄧麗君 Teresa Teng 採檳榔 Picking Betel Nuts

“Wind in May”

Wind In May (Wu Yue De Feng)

and “Give Me a Rose” which are sung all over Asia. He was the first chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of China Central Ballet.

About the Singer Shirley Yamaguchi

Yoshiko Yamaguchi (山口淑子, Yamaguchi Yoshiko, February 12, 1920 – September 7, 2014) was a Japanese singer, actress, journalist, and politician. Born in China, she made an international career in film in China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States.

Early in her career, the Manchukuo Film Association concealed her Japanese origin and she went by the Chinese name Li Hsiang-lan (李香蘭), rendered in Japanese as Ri Kōran. This allowed her to represent China in Japanese propaganda movies. After the war, she appeared in Japanese movies under her real name, Yamaguchi Yoshiko, as well as in several English language movies under the stage name, Shirley Yamaguchi.

Ye Lai Xiang

After the defeat of Japan in 1945, Li Hsiang-lan was arrested on the charge of traitor. Later, she was acquitted because she was a Japanese citizen. He was sent back to Japan in 1946 and changed his original name to Yoshiko Yamaguchi in 1947 to continue his acting career. In 1958, she left the stage and turn to politics. He was elected to the Senate in 1974 and retired in 1992.