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I like 朴树 the best of his contemporaries. He isn’t shy about embracing commercialism, but avoids cliches, writes his own music, and had the taste to star in one of the best independent art films ever made in China (那时花开 - the film was banned for something like three years and I don’t know if you can buy it legally now, but I think that’s where 那些花儿 came from).

This song was apparently commissioned by Motorola back in 2004 when they were still pitching cellphone/mp3 hybrids (Hello Moto!). The song is a strange mix of English and Chinese, but it’s catchy and I like it a lot. The video also does a good job catching the ambience of Beijing (I miss Beijing), and Pu Shu is looking a bit like a neighbour I used to have who worked for the mob (I’m pretty sure) and eventually got himself jailed for assaulting a French businessman. We did some good KTV.

Here are the lyrics. Pretty simple, but just click for popup annotations:

我很穷 而你富有
他很寂寞 一事无成
In Peking Street, in USA
感到快乐 还是难受
Anytime I feel the radio
Oh it’s my radio
In my head
日夜播放 让我自由
If I listen to the radio
Oh just my radio
All my life
I’ll play my songs to you
我很穷 而你富有
他很寂寞 一事无成
In Peking street, in USA
无所谓幸运也是狼狈
Anytime I feel the radio
Oh cause my radio
In my head
日夜播放永远自由
If I listen to the radio
Oh just my radio
All my life
I’ll play my songs to you
Anytime I feel the radio
Oh cause my radio
In my head
日夜播放永远自由
If I listen to the radio
Oh just my radio
All my life
I’ll play my songs to you