Frances Yip Lai-yee (born 1947) is a Hong Kong English pop and C… Read Full Bio ↴葉麗儀
Frances Yip Lai-yee (born 1947) is a Hong Kong English pop and Cantopop singer. She is best known for performing many of the theme songs for television series produced by TVB in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Born in 1947, Yip is of Hakka ancestry, and is the youngest of 5 siblings. She grew up in a rural area in Hong Kong, and studied in St. Clare's Girls' School, an English Catholic school.
Her first singing job was in 1969 when she won a talent contest called Sharp's Night Four Lights Competition on Hong Kong television where she met the composer, Joseph Koo. Koo used Yip to sing commercial jingles while she was working as a secretary in HSBC, one was the jingles was a song about savings account for HSBC. Her first record, Bu Liao Qing (Love Without End) was recorded in the same year. She recorded predominantly English covers of Mandarin songs and Mandarin songs then.
In 1972, Yip and Joseph Koo went to Japan's World Singing gathering in Nippon Budokan. In 1973, Yip was working for Cathay Pacific as an Ambassador of Hong Kong under Hong Kong Tourism Board for a year, and her album, Discovery, was based on her experiences travelling. Discovery was sung in nine different languages to represent the 9 major destinations for Cathay Pacific then, and the album inspired a London talent agent to find her. She signed onto EMI records and lived in London for two years.[3]It was a worldwide contract, meaning she can have one English album released in 6 different languages in different areas of the world. Since then, she had renewed her two-year contract until now.
Yip hit international fame with her signature tune, The Bund from the TVB drama of the same title.[4] After she recorded The Bund, she returned to Hong Kong.
In her 45-year career, Yip has released more than 80 albums, mostly of songs in American English, Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Mexican Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog, Hong Kong Cantonese, and Taiwanese Mandarin. She has performed on television, and in films, concerts and cabarets in more than 30 countries on five continents. Her linguistic skills, with unique interpretations of lyrics in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as several other Asian languages, have led to a fan base across a wide range of cultures and countries.
Yip has worked with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Macau Chinese Orchestra, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Thammasat University Philharmonic Orchestra in Bangkok as well as large orchestras in Kuala Lumpur.
Yip achieved worldwide recognition when she was selected by the Hong Kong government to be a co-presenter at the British Farewell Ceremony to mark the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong. The event on June 30, 1997, was watched by a television audience estimated at 120 million, in more than 80 countries worldwide.
In 2012, Yip recorded her first Christian album, Grace and Glory Psalm 84.
Yip is fluent in Chinese (Hong Kong Cantonese and Taiwanese Mandarin) and English. She often spends time in Sydney where her son and grandchildren live.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, but was considered free of cancer in 2002. To celebrate eight years of being cancer-free, in 2010, she held a charity concert in Kuala Lumpur to benefit cancer research and treatment.
Since 2013, she and her husband have lived in the rural suburbs of Sydney, Australia with their son and grandson. They have Australian citizenship, and also own rental properties in England. She occasionally returns to Hong Kong to perform and make TV appearances.
紅顏
Frances Yip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
唱: 葉麗儀
曲: 顧嘉煇
詞: 鄭國江
編: 顧嘉煇
監: Colin Cheung
常自歎花放為何太短暫
常自歎 常自概歎
再經得風雨幾番
恨似落花 誰憐薄命紅顏
情像流水 逝去不可再挽
榮譽財富 縱可永享
已經變得空泛
獨歎禍水 為何盡是紅顏
狂熱情愛 遇到偏偏太晚
榮譽財富 已不再爭
唯願重過平淡
無力挽 無力再挽
情像那珣燦夕陽變黯淡
無力挽 無力再挽
情像那春去瞬息間
恨似落花 誰憐薄命紅顏
情像流水 逝去不可再挽
榮譽財富 縱可永享
已經變得空泛
獨歎禍水 為何盡是紅顏
狂熱情愛 遇到偏偏太晚
榮譽財富 已不再爭
唯願重過平淡
無力挽 無力再挽
情像那珣燦夕陽變黯淡
無力挽 無力再挽
情像那春去瞬息間
The lyrics of 紅顏 by Frances Yip paint a poignant picture of lamentation and resignation, as the singer reflects on the fleeting nature of beauty and the inevitability of time's passage. The recurring theme of sighing and lamenting suggests a sense of deep sorrow and regret, as the singer questions why the beauty of flowers fades away so quickly and wonders how many trials and tribulations one must endure in life.
The comparison of love to falling petals and water flowing away emphasizes the ephemeral nature of emotions and experiences. The mention of honor and wealth becoming empty and meaningless hints at the superficiality of material success in the face of deeper emotional longings and regrets. The singer expresses a sense of helplessness and sorrow over missed opportunities and unfulfilled desires, particularly in matters of love and passion that arrive too late or never materialize at all.
The repeated motif of being unable to hold on or reclaim what has been lost underscores the inevitability of change and the passage of time. The imagery of a bright sunset fading into darkness and the fleeting nature of spring symbolize the transience of life and the fleeting moments of joy and beauty. The singer's plea to return to a simpler and more peaceful existence reflects a desire for solace and acceptance amidst the tumultuous fluctuations of life's ups and downs.
Overall, 紅顏 delves into the complexities of human emotions and the bittersweet realization of life's impermanence. Through poetic imagery and heartfelt vocals, Frances Yip conveys a sense of longing, regret, and resignation that resonates with listeners as they contemplate the ephemeral nature of beauty, love, and existence.
Line by Line Meaning
常自歎 常自慨歎
Frequently sighing, frequently lamenting
常自歎花放為何太短暫
Always wondering why the blooming of flowers is so short-lived
常自歎 常自概歎
Constantly sighing, constantly lamenting
再經得風雨幾番
After enduring many storms
恨似落花 誰憐薄命紅顏
Regret is like falling flowers, who pities the unfortunate beauty
情像流水 逝去不可再挽
Love is like flowing water, once gone it cannot be reclaimed
榮譽財富 縱可永享
Honors and wealth, even if enjoyed forever
已經變得空泛
They have already become empty and meaningless
獨歎禍水 為何盡是紅顏
Alone lamenting misfortune, why is it always involving beauty
狂熱情愛 遇到偏偏太晚
Passionate love, always arrives too late
榮譽財富 已不再爭
Honors and wealth are no longer worth fighting for
唯願重過平淡
Only wish for simplicity once again
無力挽 無力再挽
Powerless to save, powerless to salvage
情像那珣燦夕陽變黯淡
Love is like the setting sun, fading into darkness
情像那春去瞬息間
Love is like spring, gone in the blink of an eye
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Joseph Koo, Kwok Kong Cheng
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ed3gd6dr2l
個人認此曲為葉麗儀的最佳作品!
@septimus3na748
amen to that!
@venuschoi8005
太正。很喜這首歌。。這首歌要唱得好唔容易。。。頭二句已經不易唱
@henryshaw3998
唱的好富有感情，動人，實在太棒了👏歌喉一流了。讚👍百聽不厭。
@candyfoq2831
想当年香港人的写词人的功底👍可惜真是往事只能回味了
@leejawhung7483
叶丽仪的唱功已经达到了一流的水准，很接近超好的水准，她唱歌咬字的技巧做到 100% 圆满，她咬字很清楚，很准确，很正确，很圆融，很有力，很稳当，她咬字是用口型的技巧来唱出每一粒字出来，这个口型的技巧，很少歌手会用，就算会用，也不会去用它，以为这个技巧不重要的，已经过时了，其实这个是大错特错，它是咬字清不清楚，正不正确的关键所在，她唱歌是很投入的，她的歌唱技巧是一流的，她的感情发挥也是一流的，而且很自然，她唱歌是很有 feel 的，她的韵味也是圆满的，她每一首歌都可以唱出它的感情，韵味，味道，意境出来，她的感情是真的，是从内心抒发出来的，而不是用歌唱技巧装出来的，她是一位唱功很稳的歌手，虽然有些歌手的唱功和境界会比她好，比她高，但是如果讲到唱功，控制声音，咬字的稳度，就算是全世界的歌手，包括外国人，不管是女歌手还是男歌手，也没有几个歌手可以超越她，她可以说是最 “唱得” 的华人女歌手，她唱歌那些力度，爆发力，功力，丹田气，气魄，拉长音，唱功的稳当，真的很少很少歌手可以超越她，她的收放自如这技巧是一流的，超好的，他收放自如这个技巧比很多歌手都好，不管是女歌手还是男歌手，这个就是她最大的优点，她也很会抒发歌曲，其实歌曲不是拿来唱的，它是拿来抒发的，抒发歌曲是唱歌给人感觉要唱不唱的样子，轻轻把歌曲的感情和韵味从心里抒发出来，所以唱歌不是大大声，用尽力去唱，那是错误的，只有歌手达到很高的境界才会抒发歌曲的，而这个技巧，虽然叶丽仪妮没有做到了 100% 圆满，她也可以做到了非常好的水准，如果她在这个技巧，这个方面，在加强，进步的话，她的唱功马上提升到超好的水准，只可惜，她不是向着这个方向走，在这个方面，她就比不上王菲和关淑怡，因为在这个抒发歌曲这个技巧，王菲和关淑怡是这方面的 “专家”，尤其是是王菲，她已经达到了 100% 抒发歌曲超好的水准，这个是因为王菲和关淑怡一直就是向着这个方向，这个技巧，努力的，发展的，但是如果是讲到唱功，咬字，感情，技巧的稳当，这些方面，反而是叶丽仪强的地方，她是 100% 会用正确的发声位置来呈现歌曲，其实，一个人的声音美和丑不一定是天生的，天生的声音只占 20% 而已，另外 80% 是那个人会不会用正确的发声位置来唱歌或讲话，所以会不会用正确的发声位置，其实是一种学问，而这个技巧常常会被人忽略掉，甚至歌唱评判员也很少去讨论这个技巧，歌唱评判员最多会讲唱歌一定要有感情，咬字要清楚，等等，很少去讨论这个发声位置的技巧，以为这个是不重要的，其实这个技巧是很重要的，这个是唱歌和声音好不好听的关键所在，如果一个歌手唱歌很投入，咬字很清楚，很懂得歌唱技巧，很有感情，样样都好，他就是不会用正确的发声位置或用错的发声位置，哪他唱歌不会好听到那里去，总觉得这个人唱歌怪怪的，又找不到他唱歌到底那里不好，不会用正确的发声位置或用错的发声位置是好比一辆火车根本都不在它的轨迹上，我打个比喻，如果一个人，他的声音天生很美，但是他不会用正确的发声位置或用错的发声位置，他的声音也不美，不好听的，因为天生的声音只有 20% 而已，反过来如果一个人天生的的声音是不美的，但是他会用正确的发声位置，他的声音也会变得很美，很好听，因为发声位置是占 80%，正确的发声位置是眉间发声位置(以上)，眉间是指两条眉毛的中间，正好印堂那个位置，这个发声位置是最美的，意思说只要你会用这个位置来唱歌或讲话，不管你是不是歌手，你的声音也会很美，很好听的，眉间发声位置(以上)，那个(以上)是指头音或脑音，它是拿来飙高音的，在这个方面，叶丽仪其实是做到了 100% 圆满，现在要讨论她的嗓子，声音，叶丽仪的声音，很特别，很吸引，很成熟，很响亮，很有爆发力，很好听，很耐听，很独特，很饱满，很通透，很有型，很有气质，很有气势，很有性格，很有霸气，有带男人的雄壮，所以她可以唱一些比较有傲气的歌，她的声音也很干净，很清雅，很圆滑，声音干净，清雅，圆滑是讲她天生的音质，而叶丽仪天生的音质是 100% 圆满的，意思说她的声音是 100% 干净，一粒尘埃也找不到，100% 圆滑，圆是将他的声音和他的咬字很圆，很饱满，滑溜是讲他的声音好像铺上一层油这样的，滑滑的，一点沙哑的声音也没有，100% 清雅，他的声音一点都不会浑浊，好像一杯清清的白开水这样的，她可以说是拥有声音最清雅的女歌手，真的很难很难找到这样的一个歌手，不管是男或女歌手，是老一代的歌手或现代的歌手，是音质 100% 圆满的，加上发声位置也达到 100%，真的少之又少，就算是全世界的歌手，也没有几个可以达到这样的条件，她的形象，她的穿着，真的很有型，她一站在台上，已经是整个歌星的形象，歌星的风范，歌星的气质，很有大将之风，她一开声唱歌，就不得了，那种气势，霸气魅力，真的无人超越，一听她的声音，就知道是歌星的声音，歌星的气质，她是属于一个拥有很高天分的歌手，她也是一位很有性格，很有气势的歌手
@time-to-relax
分析詳盡，謝謝你。
@meing1985
一首好聽的紅顏.
@cheungwkc66
曲、詞、編曲、主唱！簡直冇得彈。
@choilinchung3147
越聴越好味架！