Finally, I’m back to more familiar territories: warmer weather, grey cloudy sky – well the Sun has not been out much at all today – Anaheim Blvd, those stupid and ugly CPP flags flopping next the former UCC building, Mexican-Spanish conversations in the street. Yup, I’m back in Long Bich, my home, alright!
As much as I want to enjoy the mild outdoor weather, I am instead peering at bare branches adorning the trees in the empty parking lot outside my windows. I guess work has to come first although it’s clearly a Saturday. To brighten up my dreary day, I decided to put on some Khmer oldies songs while I drown myself in a sea of numbers to crunch.
While Sin Sisamouth and Ros Serey Sothea are undeniably the king and queen of Khmer oldie songs, I would like to re-introduce other singers whom I also enjoyed very much over time: Meas Hok Seng, Huoy Meas, Pen Ran, Im Song Seum. Last week, I posted the song “Kok Heur Ter Eng” interpreted by Ms. Chhun Vanna, today, I would like to share with you the same song interpreted by Mr. Meas Hok Seng.
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| Meas Hok Seng (Top right) and Huoy Meas (Bottom left) |
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| Im Song Seum (L) and Huoy Meas (R) as I remembered her from my childhood |
Meas Hok Seng – Kok Heur Ter Eng (The lonely flying stork)
The next song by Meas Hok Seng, Tip Neary (The magic goddess), may conjure different image to different people. To me, my magic goddess is one with rather long hair, somewhat petite, smart, outspoken and caring for others.
Meas Hok Seng – Tip Neary (The magic goddess)
One singer that always warm and melt my heart when I hear her voice is Ms. Huoy Meas. I still remember very clearly, as a young boy, watching her sing on our neighbor’s black and white TV set. There she was with long flowing hair crooning in her sweet and soprano voice with her northwestern accent (Battambang or Siem Reap?). It was pure rapture for me.
Huoy Meas & Meas Hok Seng – Th-ngay Atit (Sunday)
Huoy Meas – Samdei Boros (Men’s words)
Pen Ran – Sva [Kim Hong?] Roam Monkiss (Monkey dancing the Monkiss)
P from Long Bich
14 comments:
P,
Do you have do you have "Bopha Kbal Chrouy" song? If you do, would you kindly please post it on KI. I really miss that song.
Happy New Year to you!
These are probably the most infamous songs of those artists, but they are o.k.
Mr. P,
Once again, thank you very much for the posted songs.
Anet Khmer
Meas Hok Seng lived in the commune where I lived, about 5kms east Koh Krolor district. Even in that dangerous time he still liked to play guitar and sing French song.
He was beatten to death in the harvesting season of 1977.
Save a few, younger khmers tend to be befuddled when you talk about Meas Hok Seng/Im Song Seum/Huoy Meas.. pretty sad really.. wish you also mention Mol Kamach and Sereyvudh who were just as talented poets and brilliant composers from the sixties.. Compare some of Meas Hok Seng's songs with those of Mol Kamach: there's tremendous beauty in them. And some of Sereyvudh's catchy tunes are played over and over these days by young singers who haven't got a clue who the author is. At least some of the dvd producers do acknowledge that the tunes are "morodok deurm" ie heritage from the past - but i wish they honour our artists in a more befitting way.. Chhmar
i love and enjoy listening to all khmer songs! god bless khmer.
9:55AM; pardon my ignorance, but can you tell me where srok Koh Krolor is? can you elaborate on Meas Hok Seng's final days? thanks heaps.. Chhmar
for:2.05
Battamband province
Toulbalaing Village, Koas Krolor Commune, Koas Krolor District,
I am posterity, whether i can not be born in past but when i listen to the songs of the former singers like Sin si mut, Pen ron, serisothea, Hui Meas and many others, I miss them so much.It make me get angry with brutal vietnam,killed them,I hate so much January 7.
Why do the master killers celebrate \for January 7,this is the purpose of vietnam only,killed Khmer and make trick to help Khmer.
They try to say that thye are kind to Khmer but they are more brutal than crocodiles and tigers without having food lot of incalculable systems.
All Khmer must not have any confidence in vietnam.Who follow cpp and vietnam called killers.
Chakraval takhmao
it's unfortunate that in the past in cambodia, there were only a handful of famous singers, artists, etc... it's a life lesson that KR came to power then because it reminded us all that when those handful of people disappeared from the earth by any mean, there are no others like them. thus, in the present and future of khmer talented people, there ought to be more and more people in singing, arts, etc because when a few passed away, there are more left. unlike we change our way or thinking and seeing things, etc, we are prone to repeat same mistakes again and again. i would encourage all people who had talent who like the arts like singing, dancing, composing, etc, etc, to be all they can be and contribute their god-given talent, skill, etc to cambodia. don't hide your talent, make more people famous and help make cambodia better than the old days. of course, it's sad that we lost a lot of talented people from KR brutality, but learn from it, though! god bless cambodia and khmer people.
I think Mr.Pen Sovann is speaking from
his heart.He is a real founder of
the movement the so-called Rounasei
Samakei Sangkrous Cheat Kampuchea
(The United Front of solidarity for
Saving Kampuchea).He so lucky to to live to this day to tell the truth stories that Youn has systematically
to swallow Cambodia.Fist Mr.Pen Sovann formed the movement with the
of Youn Hanoi,after January 7,1979
his movement won Khmer Rouge Youn
Hanoi has changed the Pen Sovann`s
movement to the CPP which Youn Hanoi was the founder of the real
CPP.I urged all Khmer people do
research all the real histories
of all fronts not just to get one
source and made a conclusion.Pen
Sovann was trying to liberate Cambodia from the unknowingly that
Youn has contemplative plotted to
kill Khmer so Youn can take over
Cambodia legally.Yuon useed Khmer
to kill Khmer and they will benefited at last.
Khmer Thnout(Khmer palm tree).Don`t
we Khmer know the artist is a real
nationalist promoter?.To me yes they are and always is.That why
Youn and Siam has tried to eliminate them for example Miss
Touch Sreynich now-days as we all
can see that.
I think Mr.Pen Sovann is speaking from
his heart.He is a real founder of
the movement the so-called Rounasei
Samakei Sangkrous Cheat Kampuchea
(The United Front of solidarity for
Saving Kampuchea).He so lucky to to live to this day to tell the truth stories that Youn has systematically
to swallow Cambodia.First Mr.Pen Sovann formed the movement with the
of Youn Hanoi,after January 7,1979
his movement won Khmer Rouge Youn
Hanoi has changed the Pen Sovann`s
movement to the CPP which Youn Hanoi was the founder of the real
CPP.I urged all Khmer people do
research all the real histories
of all fronts not just to get one
source and made a conclusion.Pen
Sovann was trying to liberate Cambodia from the unknowingly that
Youn has contemplative plotted to
kill Khmer so Youn can take over
Cambodia legally.Yuon useed Khmer
to kill Khmer and they will benefited at last.Don`t
we Khmer know the artist is a real
nationalist promoter?.To me yes they are and always is.That why
Youn and Siam has tried to eliminate them for example Miss
Touch Sreynich now-days as we all
can see that.
Khmer Thnout(Khmer palm tree)
Dear Mr. P, Long Beach
Thank you for sharing your oldies collection, it is wonderful to hear those voices again.
I have a story to share, Huoy Meas is a native of Chamkar Samrong village west of Battambang city, Battamabng.
In 1976, when I was evacuated from Phnom Penh to work in Battambang by the Khmer Rouge, I was placed in Chamkar Samrong commune and I worked in the youth mobile unit in which I got to know a native who told me that he was related to Huoy Meas.
I was told that Huoy Meas had a song dedicated to her birth village called Veal Veasna Chamkar Samrong. just before I arrived there in Chamkar Samrong, Huy Meas got back to her birth village but as fate have it the Khmer Rouge arrested her and took her to an execution site called Wat Ek Phnom. Knowing Huoy Meas was a singer, the Khmer Rouge permit her to sing a song before they executed her and she chose to sing Veal Veasna Chamkar Samrong, I was not familiar about the song but it has stuck in my mind. If anyone have the song please share, this is our national treasure, it should not gone unheard.
I would give up every concert I ever saw in the US and the UK, if I could go back in time and see these Khmer singers perform.
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