Campus Superstars 3 Round 1 - 代表自己的歌 Song Choices

I have been browsing through the CSS 3 Top 12 contestants' blogs, fanblogs and found that two of the contestants have already chosen and published their choices for the first round of the competition. According to Mavis' blogsite, the groups and their song choices are as follows:
Group 1 (12 Jan 2009 Mon)

1. Adrain - not known
2. Jarod - not known
3. Rachel Chua - not known
4. Shelly - not known
5. Rachel Lim - not known
6. Joselin - 口是心飞 （张雨生）

Group 2 (19 Jan 2009 Mon)

1. Mavis - 我要快乐 （张惠妹）
2. Jeremy - not known
3. Jiamin - not known
4. Ridhwan - not known
5. Benita - not known
6. Rachael Chang - not known

This means that I would need help from either the contestants themselves, the various fanclubs or their respective supporters to help me fill in the gaps above. Since the theme is about the song which represents the contestants themselves the best, it would have to be a defining song which people can remember them by.

Since Joselin and Mavis had already chosen their songs, I would contribute by showing them and all singing enthusiasts what I personally thought will be the difficult portions within these two songs that one should pay extra attention to. Remember, I would analyze the songs according to the original renditions so if the contestants choose to modify their songs, the analysis will only be only partially useful. The remaining ten CSS 3 contestants, fanclubs and their supporters can also send in their song choices and I will see what I can do to analyze those songs too.

I am trying to stay as neutral as possible so this will not mean that I am siding with Joselin and Mavis - their song choices were up first. All the twelve contestants and any singing enthusiasts are completely free to seek whatever genuine help they need and I will do my best to address their concerns about songs, singing and performances.

歌名：我要快乐？ 歌手：张惠妹

This is not an easy song because it's a mellow song about reflections of love so to sing it realistically, one would have to know what the lyrics mean and what the songwriter is trying to say about the song persona's state of mind, attitude towards love and self and finally the persona's statement about the experience of love. Most beginners for this song may end up wallowing too deep but the song actually has some emotional uplifts so it's not a one-way dead-pan route.

If one listens closely, one of the highlights of the song is the stringing of lyrics which will be a challenge because one would have to sing clearly without missing the lyrics or the beat and then quickly enter another buildup before fading off. Without sufficient practice, most beginners would be out of breath to even catch the second buildup in the chorus.

Also note the tempo for the two verses and three choruses are actually different so one must learn to have some variation to prevent the song from sounding repetitive. Good luck to Mavis in her rendition of this song!

(slow and mellow)
又被爱伤了一遍
无所谓当作成长
刚刚走开的人
烟还点着味道却淡了
(buildup begins)
我并不是天生爱寂寞
却比任何人都多
就算把世界给我
我还是一无所有
(chorus)
我要快乐我要能睡的安稳
(prepare the stringing of the lyrics)
有些人不抱了才温暖
离开了才不恨我早应该割舍
我要快乐哪怕笑的再大声
(buildup begins)
心不是热的全都是假的
只有眼泪是真的 (fades)

(slightly faster and less mellow)
把从前想了一遍
谢谢了伤我的人
想做乐观的人
每种雨声听了都不冷
(buildup begins)
我并不是天生爱寂寞
却比任何人都多
就算把世界给我
我还是一无所有
(chorus)
我要快乐我要能睡的安稳
(prepare for stringing of lyrics)
有些人不抱了才温暖
离开了才不恨我早应该割舍
我要快乐哪怕笑的再大声
(buildup begins)
心不是热的全都是假的
只有眼泪是真的(fades)

(slower chorus)
我要快乐我要能睡的安稳
(prepare for stringing of lyrics) 有些人不抱了才温暖
离开了才不恨我早应该割舍
我要快乐哪怕笑的再大声
(slightly slower buildup begins)
心不是热的全都是假的 我的决定是对的 (fades)

歌名：口是心非 歌手：张雨生

This is an even more difficult song (at least in the original rendition) because there are these strings of images to be painted across by the singer and if one notices carefully, all the lines in the verses were sung in one breath and sometimes one quick breath in between, which means it runs into serious danger of not being able to catch one breath or take care of the lyrics as it should be. The notes in the verses are also very low which makes it difficult for the lyrics to be clearly enunciated.

For those who don't know who this singer was - he was the mentor-cum-songwriter for 张惠妹 before he died from serious injuries after a drunk-driving car accident. The chorus portions are also dense with complex images about the viccisitudes of life and love. The vocal challenge of the chorus portions lie in the note variation which are packed in a way that each lyric word may be of a different note - something like Lee Hom's Kiss Goodbye so the careful management of hitting the notes at the right moment will be critical if one wants to clear this song with listeners familiar with the original song. Good luck to Joselin in her rendition of this song!

口是心非
你深情的承诺都随著西风飘渺远走
痴人梦话
我钟情的倚托就像枯萎凋零的花朵
星火燎原
我热情的眼眸曾点亮最灿烂的天空
晴天霹雳
你绝情的放手在我最需要你的时候

(chorus)
(watch the note variation)
於是爱恨交错人消瘦
怕是怕这些苦没来由
(watch the note variation)
於是悲欢起落人静默
等一等这些伤会自由

(chorus)
(watch the note variation)
於是爱恨交错人消瘦
怕是怕这些苦没来由
(watch the note variation)
於是悲欢起落人静默
等一等这些伤会自由

(change of tempo)
口是心非
你矫情的面容都烙印在心灵的角落
无话可说
我纵情的结果就像残破光秃的山头
浑然天成
我纯情的悸动曾奔放最滚烫的节奏
不可收拾
你滥情的抛空所有晶莹剔透的感受

(chorus)
(watch the note variation)
於是爱恨交错人消瘦
怕是怕这些苦没来由
(watch the note variation)
於是悲欢起落人静默
等一等这些伤会自由

(chorus)
(watch the note variation)
於是爱恨交错人消瘦
怕是怕这些苦没来由
(watch the note variation)
於是悲欢起落人静默
等一等这些伤会自由(fades)

会自由(fades)
会自由(jarring fades)