frenchinos at home
  • stories
  • about

Fell in Love with a Song Last Evening

3/30/2012

0 Comments

 
My ears are made for music, not words. That is why family and close friends would agree just how stubborn I can be. I don't mind being stubborn. In fact, I enjoy being stubborn for the day I am not, one'd better call the police to report alien abduction. But I digress. 

My ears are made for music, not words. The only time I dislike this simple fact is when my ears are torn between music and the husband wanting to talk about something. You see, my ears are weird because when they're determined to listen to something, I can literally feel movements on my eardrums. No kidding!

So last evening we were in a taxi - caught in the infamous KLCC jam no less - and there was this song playing on one of the radio stations. English-speaking radio station but a Malay song. But I could understand why it was getting that 3-minute-plus airtime. If one ignores the words and just focuses on the female voice and how the instruments were played, it could easily be described as Indie-pop meets acoustic jazz. As for the voice, it is most likely someone from a non-Indie background, distinctive, calm and honey-smooth. If this was Malaysian, then Malaysians would have someone to be proud of.  

The song was simply beautiful. I had no idea who sang what. My ears were piqued (read: eardrums!). But JL started talking to me about the real problem with Malaysian traffic. 

Well we had a great laugh with K and W over half-racks of barbecued pork ribs each and drinks, with stories about kids' schooling, marriage, maids (hot topics in Malaysia and Singapore!), power plants, Muar, and why, in future, we should just let our husbands choose which beer for us to drink. All this fun while I made a mental Post-It to look for the song tomorrow.

I did just that this morning. All it took was a Google search for "malaysia malay song jazz norah jones" and several clicks later, who-sang-what was no longer a mystery. I fell in love with Yuna's Terukir Di Bintang. The 26-year-old UiTM law graduate is in fact making news performing in NYC. Love her headscarves, by the way.

Two things: my ears are made for music; Malaysia Boleh exactly the way it should be.     
For those who don't understand the Malay language, ukir is to carve or engrave; bintang means star(s). The singer professes her love for that special someone, in that the love she has for him has already been carved onto the stars. 

A poignant touch in ending the song on a dominant chord - a semi-cadence as one calls it. Sweet.

Check her out at www.yunamusic.com.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    briefly

    JL and S grew up in France and Malaysia respectively. They met while living in Singapore, stayed a year in the USA (Cambridge, MA) then the south of France, Malaysia, and are back again in the USA (New York, NY). 

    frenchinos at home is where we share some of our stories with friends, much like the living room, dine-in kitchen, or the timber-deck balcony which we've always wanted to have, which sounds most impossible where we live now. 

    Welcome and we're happy to have you here :)

    archives

    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    November 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    categories

    All
    15 Minute Meals
    15-minute Meals
    5 Minute Snacks
    All Things American
    All Things French
    All Things Malaysian
    All Things Singaporean
    Asian Recipes
    Baking Recipes
    Beef Recipes
    Carb Free Meals
    Carb-Free Meals
    Comfort Food
    Culinary School
    Desserts
    Easy Recipes
    Edible Mistakes
    Finger Food Recipes
    Fish Recipes
    Good Habits
    Hearty Meals
    Home
    Kitchenware
    Life
    Light Meals
    Marriage
    Noodles Recipes
    Pressure Cooker Recipes
    Salad Recipes
    Snacks
    Soup Recipes
    Stew Recipes
    Stuff
    Vegetarian Recipes

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.