She used to perform on the Japanese market under the name of テレサ・テン (Japanese transcription Teresa Ten)
She was born in Yunlin County, Taiwan to a Chinese mainlander family. Her father side was from Hebei province, China; her mother side was from Shandong province, China.
She recorded several famous songs, including When Shall You Return? (Simplified Chinese: 何日君再来; pinyin: Hé Rì Jūn Zài Lái) (one of the revamped songs she sang). In addition to her Mandarin repertoire, she also recorded songs in the Taiwanese language (a variant of Min Nan), Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian (in 1977) and English.
In 1983, she released her most-acclaimed album Light Exquisite Feeling (淡淡幽情) containing 12 poems from Tang and Song dynasties with various composers turning them into songs, such as Wishing We Last Forever/Shuǐ diào gē tóu (水调歌头) and How Many Worries/Yu Mei Ren (几多愁/虞美人).
She covered many Japanese songs, including her own originals such as Airport (空港) and I Only Care About You (時の流れに身をまかせ)or (我只在乎你); most of which were re-written in Chinese lyrics, some in tribution to original artists like Southern All Stars.
Her songs have been covered by other singers, most notably Faye Wong who released a tribute album (The Decadent Sound of Faye) consisting entirely of cover songs originally done by Teresa Teng.
She died from an asthma attack while on a trip to Thailand at the age of 42 on May 8, 1995. She was buried at a mountainside tomb on Jinbaoshan, Taipei County in Taiwan. A memorial was built at the tomb with a white statue of Teng and her stage clothes on display, with her music playing in the background. The tomb is well visited by her fans, a notable departure from traditional Chinese culture shunning visits to burial sites.
A house which she bought in 1986 in Hong Kong at No. 18 Carmel Street also became a site of pilgrimage for her fans soon after her death. Plans to sell the home to finance a museum in Shanghai was made known in 2002 [2], and subsequently sold for HK 32 million. It closed on what would have been her 51st birthday on January 29, 2004.
the way we were
鄧麗君 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Misty water color memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
Fore the way we were
*Can＇t it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
Tell me would we, could we
Memories maybe beautiful and yet
What＇s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it＇s the laughter, we will remember
Whenever we remember the way we were
Remember, the way we were
The song "The Way We Were" by 鄧麗君 (Teresa Teng) is an emotional ballad that reminisces about past memories and relationships. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time that seems simpler and more innocent in hindsight. The opening lines, "Memories light the corners of my mind, misty watercolor memories," create a vivid image of the intangible and hazy nature of memories. The phrase "of the way we were" serves as a reminder of the idealized version of the past that we all carry with us.
The next lines, "Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind, Smiles we gave to one another," conjure up images of old photographs and moments captured in time. The smiles referred to here are a symbol of the happy moments shared between two people in a relationship, but the use of the past tense suggests that these moments are now only a memory.
The chorus asks whether it's possible to go back to the way things were, but acknowledges that time has a way of distorting memories and changing people. The line "Can't it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line" expresses the uncertainty and doubt that often accompany reminiscing about the past.
The final lines, "So it's the laughter we will remember, whenever we remember the way we were. Remember, the way we were," suggest that the happy memories and laughter shared between two people in a past relationship are what ultimately endure and are what we choose to hold on to.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories light the corners of my mind
Fond recollections flicker in my consciousness
Misty water color memories
Hazy, watercolor-like memories
Of the way we were
Recalling how things used to be
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Dispersed images of our joyful expressions we left in the past
Smiles we gave to one another
Happy expressions we exchanged between us
Fore the way we were
Reflecting back on how we once were
Can't it be that it was all so simple then
Is it not possible that it was easy back then
Or has time rewritten every line
Or has time changed every aspect
And if we had the chance to do it all again
If given the opportunity to relive it
Tell me would we, could we
Would we be able to do it?
Memories maybe beautiful and yet
Recollections may be lovely but
What's too painful to remember
What's too hurtful to recall
We simply choose to forget
We choose to overlook
So it's the laughter we will remember
We will recall the merriment
Whenever we remember the way we were
Whenever we bring back memories of the past
Remember, the way we were
Recall how we once were
Writer(s): MARILYN BERGMAN, ALAN BERGMAN, MARVIN HAMLISCH
Contributed by Kaylee C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.