By P. from Long Beach
As I am wasting my life here in this huge airport teeming with life, passengers running nonstop to catch their flights, kids running around all over the place, it just occurred to me that I have a cache of several Khmer Oldies songs lying in my laptop. While browsing through them, one that caught my attention was "Marina" by Sin Sisamouth. Right away, my thought turned to Ms. Tat Marina, the victim of the cruel acid attack, whom I recently watched her sad and unfair story. Therefore, I would like to dedicate this song to Ms. Tat Marina and I would like to tell her: "Never give up! Justice will prevail for you."
Sin Sisamouth - Marina
I would also like to share the following songs with KI-Media readers:
Mao Saret - Oddar Meanchey
Sin Sisamouth - Myra Meas Bang (Myra, honey!)
The final song I would like to share with KI-Media readers is the one by Mr. Chum Kem: "Twist! Twist Kh-nhom". For those of you who were too young to have heard about Mr. Chum Kem, he is the first Cambodian who introduced the Twist song and dance in Cambodia in the mid-60s. As a child of five or six years old at the time, I remembered clearly my older brothers talked with passion about this new trendy singer by the name of Chum Kem and his catchy twist song. I did not pay much attention to what my older brothers were talking about as I knew that their passion for new songs was merely fad. One evening, it was one of the "Samach Cheat" day (the yearly national congress organized under Sihanouk's regime), my older brothers had all left to Veal Men (Veal Meru), the public park located next to the National Museum, to watch the public show organized in this park during the Samach Cheat occasion. As I was too young, my mother did not want me to go along with my brothers, so I decided to go to a neighbor house who had a black and white TV set to watch this show live. Then came Mr. Chum Kem with his twist song. As a child, I was so enthralled by his music that I couldn't help but get up and start dancing - or more like trying to mimic Chum Kem - in front of everybody watching the TV. At first it was silence, or at least I did not hear anything except the twist music on TV, then came a big laughter and as I turned back to see what was going on behind me, I finally realized that I was just dancing like a little monkey in front of everybody else and they all were laughing about me. It was somewhat embarrassing but I couldn't stop, I was hooked. It was one of those moments in life that is engraved in your memory forever. Without further ado, here's my beloved Chum Kem:
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| Chum Kem |
19 comments:
we viet nam believe Hun Sen- CPP and the last is the KING Sihanomi did a good job and a good leaders. they are working hand in hand. They are a good leaders and good followers to our instructions.
Also thanks to all our vietnamese brothers and sisters who sacrify their family to work in all level of officials in cambodia to keep it part of viet nam.
you watched Chum Kem on live telecast in the 1965 Samaj Cheat? forgive me if i'm questionning this, but i think you might have your timeline a bit wrong here. the simple reason is that 1965 was the year Television Royale Khmere was founded, and they could only broadcast 2 hours in the evening and for 3 days a week from their studio in Tuol Kok. there was no immediate technical capacity to do live telecasts until 1968 when late night singing contests and artistic presentations were relayed. Further more TV sets were rare like hens teeth for the simple reason there's nothing to watch in 1965 (unless you want to see snowy south vietnamese TV) but i will stand corrected if another reader can present proofs. Chhmar.
Thank KI for bring back this wonderful memory. My brother Kosal was only 4 years old and did just like you, got up and dance until the song ended. He became our family entertainer up until his was about 9-10 then was shy away. Mum had to get new pairs of shoes more often. He only wore jeans and boots, no matter hot or cold weather. He was taken to kill in 1978 during KR. I miss him so much as we were good friend.
It's so beautiful to hear Madame Mao Sareth's voice again. She was a Khmer female great vocalist in the '60.
Her best was 'The dark black sky' Mekh khmao ngor nget and 'Dimple cheek' thpuol khuoch. I love all her songs with her unique style, including 'Paradise Kirirom', P111 ship... I wish to obtain a copy of these songs if any compatriot do have them, could you please share?
I remember her on the cover of the recorder when my father bought it before I saw her on the Samaj Jiet. There were 3 female singers: Mao Sareth, Sieng Dy in peach color dresses and Chhuon Malay in royal blue, their long dresses made of our silk, stood at angle line, opposite Mr Sam Sakhorn (Mao sareth's husband) stood next to a conga. They were may be in their late twenty.
Their band name Yothea Phirum and was always on the trips to follow Sihanouk touring Cambodia's provinces.
How I miss the mid '60...
Chum Kem learned to twist after he came back from Italy, the place where he learned pottery. He did not bring back his pottery skill, but he brought back a better one: TWIST. His fater worked in the Royal Palace as a parasol holder for the king. Chum Kem stayed in Wat Botum as a young boy.
Dear Ki team - what a wonderful song to wake up on Saturday morning:~) Really wake me up - except too early to dance :~)
Wow! he is really handsome...Now I know why khmer women "shral larn boros chrok eirn!" (Love the man from my nation:~))
I have to admited, I didn't know that my parents generation - they were dance to this kinds of music!
Once again Ki team - thanks for the entertainment,
Have a wonderful weekend to you and to all Koun Khmers!
Mr. CHUM KEM did bring this Western style dance( the twist)and the very first one to Cambodia at that time , and it was so popular among the youths.In the mean time, we seem to forget the old RORMVONG and RORM KBACH altogether.It was an exciting time in our lives.
And on the political field led by traitor sihanouk, we seem did not know what we were doing.Sihanouk declared Cambodia was neutral , but behind the scene he cooperated fully with the yuon communist.
Dear The P FROM LONG BEACH, KI-Brothers and Readers,
I personally appreciate all your inputs and efforts in bringing back of the old and marveluouse days.
As a young boy, my father worked and lived next to the main railroad station in PHNOM PENH its hosuing was just right behind FAC MEDECINE, we all could enjoy The YOTHEA PHYUM Band performing at WAT PHNOM, in front of Ministry of Information or Defense National ..
NEAK NEANG MAO SARETH, CHHUN VANNA and CHHUON MALAY
I will be back jus to give my son a ride
Best wishes
A Survivor Of The Killing Fields
To continue,
LOK CHUM KEO married our movie star and singer NEAK NEANG KEO MONTHA and I believe his daughter is alive NEAK NEANG CHUM RASMEY nicknamed SREY TOUCH a comedian .
My elder cousin bought some albums of LOK CHUM KEM imcluding the twist songs in Italian laguage.
So sorry for the graet loss of our favorite persons such as LOK THACH SALY, MOL KAMACH, YUOS OLARAING, THET SAMBATH, ABDUL SARY , CHAO CHENDA PHEAKDEY , IN YENG , CHEA SAVOEUN , LY PHENG, VA SOVY, MEAS SAMAN, LIV TEK, UNG NARY TOCH TENG etc......to our own KHMER KILLING FIELDS,
Again thank you ALL for sharing
With Respects and kind regards
A Srvivor of Our Own KHNER Killing Fields
Dear P Long Beach,
I love Mao Sareth's songs so much. Where can I buy her CD?
Karuna.Tek@harborrc.org
I sobbed for the old time sake. Damn you and thank you for the wonderful songs. I live not too far from you. Thanks again P. from Long Beach.
From Samdech Choun Natt great nephew
Sob or cry us the river if you want all of you old farts because you are human just like everybody else...but when you're done please do something for the good of our homeland please, please???
Don't get too emotional and become weak just because of those songs, K?
8:26AM
You are wrong if you think that these old farts are weak. If they are not strong they would not be here to share things with us, just please allow them to be young again will you! nothing wrong with that as they don't carry away toooooooooo long.
That way they will be in good energy to pump up more goody tales to share with us every weekend. Take it easy man, it would be productive for the home land too for these old farts to join force with advices and suggestions.
I used to compare Neak Srey Chhuon Malay to Diane Wawrick. But I know another one when I was too young to remember her details, she was Keo Setha and there were two songs of her I deeply love: Sarika and Rossiel Rey Yum. I manage to have the new version sang by Ros Serey Sothear, though not that good as the original, but I haven't been able to get Sarika yet.
The Khmer songs in the '60 were very trendy in keeping up with the international standard among the country in Asia. I saw the comment made by the American music observers. It had the rhythm of jazz, blue, rock & rolls, twist and beautiful in literacy lyrics.
We love to listen to old songs, national and international. And we also love to see shows or plays since the Miss Saigon started in the '80. We saw Oliver, MAMMAMIA, both the plays and the movies.
Recently we saw the Cambodian Rock Opera called "Where elephants weep". It's a brilliant show and I recommend to all Khmer generation to see it. This will give you with the understanding of how Ho Chi Munk Tep Wong had condemned it as to disrespect Buddhism. It has nothing to do with disrespect, but the idiot has no idea about art and play and use his position of the supreme patriarch to translate it into negative image.
It's the contemporary TUM TIEV that will make the young generation to be proud of our culture and tradition.
8:26 and 9:09 am,
Please be respectful to our elders. Don't use the word "farts"...I hope that you don't like other people to call you this! So if you don't, please don't use it to call others.
I hope you have the koun Khmers' spirit within you so that you can learn to be more humble, respectful, and give the respect to our elders as they are so well deserve...
Koun Khmer -LB
10:34 AM,
Still too much of a Khmer's mentality while making a life in the West here, eh? Such words as Old Fart, smart arse...etc...aren't bad at all when one knows how to say it just as a saying goes - it's not what you say, it is how you say it...One must learn when to and when not to apply it!
Yes, 10:56 pm,
I agreed with you - is just how you say it as to where, when and how? Communication on this space, we lack of the face-to-face communication...which could get some us to move away from the blog that use these kinds of language.
We would like to contribute to ki media possitively...because the team is working hard to bring all of us with these news..
9:49AM; 8:25PM etc.. thanks for the memories. i know Keo Settha's Sarika, but i forgot what "Roseal Rey Yum" sounded like. if anyone has it can you please post it on Youtube? please please please. check the old songs i have collected in my youtube a/c name chhmar99utube
nice comments
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