Luochahai City: Difference between revisions
Redirect template Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
Specify Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|2023 single by Dao Lang}} |
{{Short description|2023 single by Dao Lang}} |
||
{{about|the 2023 single by Dao Lang|the story by Pu Songling|The Raksha Country and the Sea Market}}{{good article}} |
{{about|the 2023 single by Dao Lang|the short story by Pu Songling|The Raksha Country and the Sea Market}}{{good article}} |
||
{{Infobox song |
{{Infobox song |
||
| name = Luochahai City |
| name = Luochahai City |
||
Revision as of 19:40, 13 November 2023
| "Luochahai City" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Dao Lang | |
| from the album There Are a Few Folk Songs | |
| Released | July 19, 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 5:32. |
| Songwriter(s) | Dao Lang |
"Luochahai City"[a] (Chinese: 罗刹海市) is a single by Chinese singer-songwriter Dao Lang, released as the first song from his album There Are a Few Folk Songs (2023).
Background
Dao Lang's debut album, The First Snows of 2002 (2004), was well-received critically and sold nearly six million copies (as of January 2005),[2] making him the best-selling artist in the entire Mandarin Chinese market.[3] Following his initial success, Dao experimented with folk music and soft rock influenced by Central Asian and Uyghur music, espousing life in western China.[3][1][4][5] He was invited to perform at the premiere of House of Flying Daggers (2004),[3] and appeared alongside Hong Kong singer Alan Tam at a concert.[1]
Despite being received positively by the Taiwanese musical establishment, Dao struggled to gain the same professional recognition in Mainland China.[3] In 2010, singer and jury chairwoman Na Ying vetoed his inclusion in the Top 10 Influential Artists of the Past 10 Years list, stating that he lacked "aesthetic sense".[3][1][6] Subsequently, Dao withdrew from public view and took a long hiatus from producing music.[3][1][6] He returned in 2020, releasing three new albums within the span of six months to little fanfare.[3] According to the South China Morning Post, Dao seemed to be "past his best" when he released There Are a Few Folk Songs in 2023.[7]
Composition
Inspiration
"Luochahai City", like all other songs in There Are a Few Folk Songs, is named for and based on a Pu Songling story of the same name.[3] In the first half of the original short story, Ma Ji,[8] a handsome merchant, becomes stranded in the eponymous city where the denizens are ugly to outsiders. The ugliest people (who are beautiful by local standards) have the highest social status.[6] Shunned by society, Ma decides to dirty his face, making career advances as a result.[5][8] According to The Economist, the story is an allegory for hypocrisy.[5]
Lyrics, interpretation and instrumentation
Generally regarded as satirical,[5] the lyrics have been described as "cryptic"[3][1][5][7] and "absurd".[3] The song features characters present in the original story.[9] Additionally, it references chickens and donkeys, both derogatory terms in Chinese.[1] In the final stanza, Dao mentions philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein,[3][5] and ends by stating that "this is [the] surreal and ugly state of affairs..."[9][b] Throughout the course of the song, Dao uses several homonyms, metaphors,[8] and visual puns with Chinese characters, such as combining the characters for "horse" (马) and "household" (户) to form the compound ideograph for "donkey" (驴).[1]
It is generally acknowledged that the song mocks eminent figures in the Chinese music industry, including Na Ying, Gao Xiaosong, Wang Feng, and Yang Kun, for their earlier dismissal of Dao.[8][10] Another interpretation, endorsed by Deng Yuwen, posits that the real subjects of the song are authoritarianism, abuse of power, and corruption under the Xi Jinping Administration.[8][11] He cites the deployment of police to prevent potential unrest from the families of the victims of the 2023 Qiqihar school gymnasium collapse as an example of the behaviour being satirized.[8] Other "far-fetched" readings draw parallels between the eponymous city and the United States,[1] and involve US President Joe Biden, transgender public officials, and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.[5] Dao himself declined to comment,[3] though a person familiar with him stated that the song was being overinterpreted.[7]
Describing the song as reggae with a "jazzy instrumental overture", The China Project noted a "Western musical aspect that dominates throughout."[3] The song is in 7/4 time, and uses rhythm and blues instruments such as a bass and synthesizers.[3] It has been described as both folk[1] and pop.[5]
Reception
The Economist described "Luochahai City" as Dao's "comeback anthem" after he produced little for a decade.[5] Miles Yu of the Hudson Institute lauded the song for its wit, comparing Dao to Bob Dylan and stating that Dao had become "the powerful expression of a volcanic anti-establishment mentality."[9] Singer Wang Feng, a possible target of criticism, praised the song's synthesis of Western and Chinese musical styles.[7] Noting its popularity, The Japan Times contrasted the oblique satirical lyrics of "Luochahai City" with that of the rap song "New Slave", which directly criticized Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown and resulted in the song being quickly censored from the Chinese internet.[11] What's on Weibo speculated that a significant percentage of the song's listeners did not enjoy the music, but were theorizing about the complex lyrics instead.[1]
Commercial performance
The song has aggregated more than 10 billion views across various social media platforms as of August 2023 (including 6 billion on TikTok)[7],[10] possibly surpassing the record for most total impressions held by "Despacito", which has over 5 billion views on YouTube alone as of September 2023.[3][1]
Charts
"Luochahai City" peaked at number 1 on the China TME UNI Chart. As of November 12, 2023, it had stayed on the top 100 for 15 weeks.[12]
Notes
See also
- You're So Vain, a 1972 single by Carly Simon
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Qian, Zilan (2023-08-03). "Behind 8 Billion Streams: Who is Dao Lang Cursing in the Chinese Hit Song 'Luocha Kingdom'?". Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ "Mainland star's sentimental hat". South China Morning Post. 2005-01-14. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Laughlin, Charles A. (2023-09-28). "The eclectic, anti-mainstream, surprisingly popular music of Dao Lang". The China Project. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ "The changing musical tastes of China". 2005-08-23. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "China tries to figure out whom a hit song is mocking". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c Methven, Andrew (2023-08-04). "'Ten years sharpening a sword' — Phrase of the Week". The China Project. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c d e Lu, Fran (2023-08-05). "'Curse people without dirty words': satirical song 'targets corruption' in China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g Deng, Yuwen (2023-07-31). "聿文视界：中国是一个颠倒的"罗刹国"？". 美国之音 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-10-30.
- ^ a b c d Yu, Miles; Leary, Shane (August 8, 2023). "Taiwan International Solidarity Act, the Luocha Haishi Craze, and Beijing Responds to Devastating Flooding" (PDF). Hudson Institute. p. 4-5. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "墙外文摘：刀郎的"罗刹海市"，中国的是非颠倒". DW (in Chinese (China)). August 6, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ a b Tamura, Miho (2023-08-29). "Chinese Song Streamed Billions of Times for 'Satirical' Vibe". The Japan News. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ "China TME UNI Chart". Billboard. 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-12.