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.
Rasa Sayang Eh
Frances Yip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
eneng sayang abang tapi abang ga punya
uang...
eh eneng sayang, sabar dong sama abang...
abang cari uang buat eneng tersayang...
neng...
tunggu dulu, abang lagi cari uang.
pontang panting kesana kesini buat neng'ku
jangan ngambek dulu...
itu muka juga jangan ditekuk.
nanti malah jelek permanen, kayak wanita
terkutuk.
neng harusnya tau.
abang itu orang susah.
ga mampu beliin eneng emas cincin permata.
bukan orang kaya yang tiap hari shopping di
Mall.
isi dompet minimum, akhir bulan jadi jebol.
tiap awal bulan bolak balik mesti ke salon.
poles pipi, krimbat rambut, mesti terliat menor.
buat biaya hidup sebulan aja engga cukup.
maksain ngutang sama rentenir matiin hidup.
makannya aku sekarang mendingan pergi jauh.
daripada mati muda karna borosnya kamu.
hidup ini masih panjang, pacar baru bisa datang.
ya kalo kamu masih matre biar aku tendang.
ga habis pikir sama tabiat yang kamu punya.
dikira nyari uang gampang kayak buka celana.
keringat dingin sampe ke pantat, asal kamu tau.
kamu tinggal makan enaknya yang ga mau tau.
bukan aku pelit, tapi usaha tetep niat.
nyenengin kamu tanpa nipu jadiin orang jahat.
ga punya mobil saat keujanan di jalan.
ya maksain minjem ke ortu biar kamu senang.
lanjut pada ke verse ketiga yg paling serius.
dimulai dengan badanku yg gemuk menjadi
kurus.
harusnya kamu punya rasa kasihan yang lebih.
liat pengorbananku selama ini ga pernah letih.
sekarang harus sabar, biar aku yang cari akal.
pas nanti nikah kita nikmati hasil yang halal.
ga nyesel hidup saudara atau tetangga sebelah.
hidup sederhana ya syukuri Alhamdulillah.
The lyrics to Frances Yip's "Rasa Sayang Eh" tell the story of a couple, where the man (abang) apologizes to his girlfriend (eneng) for not having enough money to support her. He explains that he is doing his best to make money, and asks for her patience and understanding. He describes his daily struggles, from working hard all day to make ends meet, to using rent money to go to the salon to make himself look good for her. He talks about the pressure he feels to provide for her and the shame he feels for not being able to. He knows that his situation is not ideal and that he cannot give her everything she deserves but hopes that she can see his efforts for what they are and continue to support him.
Line by Line Meaning
eh abang sayang, i'm sorry eneng tinggal...
Hey love, I'm sorry that I left, my dear...
eneng sayang abang tapi abang ga punya uang...
I love you, my dear, but I don't have any money...
eh eneng sayang, sabar dong sama abang...
Hey, my dear, please be patient with me...
abang cari uang buat eneng tersayang...neng...
I'm trying to earn money for you, my dear...honey...
tunggu dulu, abang lagi cari uang.
Wait a minute, I'm currently looking for money.
pontang panting kesana kesini buat neng'ku sayang.
Running around everywhere to get some love for my sweetheart.
jangan ngambek dulu...
Don't get upset yet...
itu muka juga jangan ditekuk.
Don't pout your face like that either.
nanti malah jelek permanen, kayak wanita terkutuk.
You'll look permanently ugly, like a cursed woman.
neng harusnya tau.
You should know.
abang itu orang susah.
I'm a poor man.
ga mampu beliin eneng emas cincin permata.
I can't afford to buy you gold rings with diamonds.
bukan orang kaya yang tiap hari shopping di Mall.
I'm not a rich person who goes shopping at the mall every day.
isi dompet minimum, akhir bulan jadi jebol.
My wallet is almost always empty, and I spend too much at the end of the month.
tiap awal bulan bolak balik mesti ke salon.
Every month, I have to keep going back to the salon.
poles pipi, krimbat rambut, mesti terlihat menor.
Makeup on my cheeks, new hair style, so that I look more presentable.
buat biaya hidup sebulan aja engga cukup.
It's barely enough to cover my monthly expenses.
maksain ngutang sama rentenir matiin hidup.
I had to borrow from loan sharks, just to survive.
makannya aku sekarang mendingan pergi jauh.
That's why I'm considering leaving and starting anew.
daripada mati muda karna borosnya kamu.
Rather than dying young because of your extravagant habits.
hidup ini masih panjang, pacar baru bisa datang.
Life is still long, a new girlfriend can come along.
ya kalo kamu masih matre biar aku tendang.
But if you're still materialistic, I'll have to let you go.
ga habis pikir sama tabiat yang kamu punya.
I can't believe your habits sometimes.
dikira nyari uang gampang kayak buka celana.
You think finding money is as easy as taking off your pants.
keringat dingin sampe ke pantat, asal kamu tau.
I break out in a cold sweat, even down to my bottom, you know.
kamu tinggal makan enaknya yang ga mau tau.
While you just enjoy the good life, oblivious to my struggles.
bukan aku pelit, tapi usaha tetap niat.
I'm not stingy, but I need to work hard and be determined.
nyenengin kamu tanpa nipu jadiin orang jahat.
Make you happy without resorting to deceit and becoming a bad person.
ga punya mobil saat keujanan di jalan.
I don't have a car when it rains on the road.
ya maksain minjem ke ortu biar kamu senang.
So, I have to borrow from my parents to make you happy.
dimulai dengan badanku yg gemuk menjadi kurus.
It all started when I lost weight from being fat.
harusnya kamu punya rasa kasihan yang lebih.
You should have more compassion for me.
liat pengorbananku selama ini ga pernah letih.
You should see my sacrifices, I never tire of them.
sekarang harus sabar, biar aku yang cari akal.
We have to be patient, so let me think of a plan.
pas nanti nikah kita nikmati hasil yang halal.
When we get married, we'll enjoy the fruits of our halal labor.
ga nyesel hidup saudara atau tetangga sebelah.
Don't regret living like our neighbor or relatives.
hidup sederhana ya syukuri Alhamdulillah.
Be thankful for a simple life, Alhamdulillah.
Contributed by Jeremiah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yonghatyai
เพลงเพราะดีครับจากประเทศไทยครับ 🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭
@chantippillay9097
เพลง น่ารักกค่ะ
@pasangunasena3848
beautiful arrangement
@nostalgia_hassny
Glad you like it!
@daeve8039
I have been looking for this version for a long time but I did not know who sang it! Now I know! Thanks for uploading this version with this singer. It is what I remember from Brunei days! There are actually 5 more verses to this version too! In this one above, she's singing the 1st 2 verses. There are 7 altogether!
@nostalgia_hassny
Thanks for listening