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"Tian Mi Mi" (Chinese: 甜蜜蜜; pinyin: Tián Mì Mì; literally "sweet honey") is a song recorded by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. It was first made available on 20 September 1979 and was later included on her Mandarin album of the same name, released through PolyGram Records in November of the same year. The song's lyrics were written by Zhuang Nu while the music was adapted from a 1940s Indonesian gambang kromong folk song about sampan boats, called "Dayung Sampan", by the pasindhèn Dasimah.

Teng recorded a Cantonese version of the song, titled "The Day I Met You", for her first Cantonese album, Irreconcilable (勢不兩立), which was released on 18 December 1980. "Tian Mi Mi" went on to achieve widespread popularity in the Sinophone world and remains one of Teng's most famous works. In 1996, the Hong Kong film Comrades: Almost a Love Story was released as a tribute to Teng, following her death a year prior, with the film's Chinese title named after "Tian Mi Mi".

Background and history

"Tian Mi Mi" was adapted from a 1940s Indonesian folk song titled "Dayung Sampan", which was popular in Indonesia and Singapore. Teng produced an Indonesian-language cover of "Dayung Sampan" while on tour in Southeast Asia in 1978. On 14 February 1979, she was arrested in Japan and deported to Hong Kong for using an Indonesian passport, which Japan found had been obtained from the Indonesian embassy in Hong Kong under suspicious circumstances. Fearing punishment in Taiwan, as the island nation was under an autocratic government at the time, Teng travelled to the United States and became a student at the University of Southern California. She chose the U.S. as she was unable to stay permanently in Hong Kong and was banned from re-entering Japan for a year. To fulfill her contractual obligation, she composed a Mandarin Chinese cover of "Dayung Sampan" while studying, which became "Tian Mi Mi".

Release

In Taiwan, "Tian Mi Mi" was included on Teng's album An Unforgettable Day (Chinese: 難忘的一天), released through Kolin Records on 20 September 1979. The track was later included on an eponymous album, which was made available through PolyGram Records on 15 November 1979. The record was commercially successful and was certified Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Hong Kong. The following year, Teng re-recorded "Tian Mi Mi" in Cantonese and retitled it "The Day I Met You" (結識你那一天; Cantonese Yale: Git sik nei na yat tin). It was added to her first Cantonese-language album, Irreconcilable (勢不兩立; Sai Bat Leung Laap) on 18 December 1980.

Composition and lyrics

Huang Yuyuan, a researcher at National Taiwan Museum, noted that the original Indonesian song was about fishers gossiping and yelling at each other. The lyrics of the Chinese version were reinterpreted into a more playful and sweet tone, penned by lyricist Zhuang Nu, who would work with Teng on many of her later songs. Zhuang wrote the lyrics in roughly five minutes after being told he was writing for Teresa Teng. The lyrics for the Cantonese version were written by Lo Kwak-chan.

Hua Hsu from The New Yorker described the song as "a loungy ballad about someone with a sweet and disarmingly familiar smile". Teng sings "Where have I seen you before", before remembering: "Ah—in my dreams". Hua noted that "Despite this sense of bewitched yearning, she sounds calm, curious, almost teasing".

In popular culture

In 1996, the Hong Kong film Comrades: Almost a Love Story, starring Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai, was released as a tribute to Teng following her death in 1995. The Chinese title of the film was named after "Tian Mi Mi". Teng's music was featured prominently throughout the film, with the two characters' favourite singer being Teng herself. Comrades: Almost a Love Story received critical acclaim from film critics. In 2005, it placed at number 28 in a Hong Kong Film Awards ranking of the 100 greatest Chinese motion pictures of the past 100 years. In 2011, it was ranked number 16 on Golden Horse Awards' list of the 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films, voted on by 122 industry professionals. China Internet Information Center evaluated the film by writing, " bridges the scenes, drawing together the tale of the evolving affection between the two principal players. In many ways the film owes its success to the subtle strains of the tune."

Legacy

China Internet Information Center called "Tian Mi Mi" one of the singer's signature works, remarking how "Her voice moved generations of Chinese people" and perhaps "offered spiritual solace for youngsters of the seventies and eighties". The organization conveyed that despite the significant changes in the music industry since its initial release, the song "continues to resonate with those it touched long ago and with new fans who discover it every year." The song is recognized as a classic in the Sinophone world and has been re-recorded by numerous artists, including Faye Wong, Stephen Chow, Leon Lai, Yu Quan, and Jane Zhang.

Luhan version

Chinese singer Luhan recorded the song for the soundtrack of the 2015 mainland Chinese release of the 1996 film Comrades: Almost a Love Story. In January 2015, it was announced that Luhan would be singing the theme song for the film's release in China, according to Chinese media outlet Sina. The movie, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Chan, was originally released in 1996. Due to the political tension between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, it took 19 years for the film to be approved for release in China. A member of the production team explained, "Peter Chan asked Dou Feng to arrange for the recording of a new version of the theme song, and requested that Luhan sing for the film's soundtrack." Director Peter Chan is said to have asked Luhan to participate due to his gentle and clear voice, as he felt it would be effective in expressing the emotions of the song. The song was officially released on 3 February 2015.

References

1. Muh. A. Affandie, “Daya Swara Sunda” (1948), quoted in Pandi Upandi, "Pengetahuan karawitan latar belakang dan perkembangan karawitan Sunda" (thesis for Universitias Indonesia, 1984), p. 23
2. Chee, Johny (January 2008). A Tapestra of Baba Poetry (3rd ed.). Penang, Malaysia: Johny Chee. p. 60. ISBN 9789834291211. Retrieved 23 December 2018 – via Google Books.
3. Music Primary 2. Perfect Match. Singapore: Pearson Education Asia Ltd. 2008. ISBN 9789810607623. Retrieved 23 December 2018 – via Google Books.
4. Wei, Hung-chin; Teng, Sue-feng (March 2013). "The Cultural Phenomenon of Teresa Teng". Taiwan Panorama (in Chinese). Retrieved 30 January 2024.
5. "邓丽君曾遭日本驱逐出境 无奈转赴美国(图)-搜狐新闻" [Teresa Teng was deported from Japan and had no choice but to move to the United States (photo)]. China Taiwan Net (in Chinese). 16 March 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2024 – via Sohu News.
6. "Teresa Teng Career Timeline" (in Chinese). Teresa Teng Foundation. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
7. "【葫芦丝曲欣赏】《甜蜜蜜》" [ "Sweet Honey"]. Sohu Entertainment (in Chinese). 14 October 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
8. ^ "'Sweet Honey', sweet memory of Teresa Teng". China Internet Information Center. 31 March 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
9. "圆润清晰极具魅力的甜美：「邓丽君 – 势不两立XRCD2」" [Mellow, clear and charming sweetness: "Teresa Teng-Irreconcilable XRCD2"]. Shantou Audio Association (in Chinese). 19 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
10. Zhou, Meihui (19 December 2015). "你知道嗎？鄧麗君「甜蜜蜜」 原是印尼船歌" [Do you know? Teresa Teng's "Sweet Honey" was originally an Indonesian boat song]. CommonWealth Magazine (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
11. "邓丽君背后的男人——庄奴，只花了五分钟就写出了《甜蜜蜜》_腾讯新闻" [The man behind Teresa Teng, Zhuang Nu, wrote "Sweet Honey" in just five minutes]. Tencent QQ (in Chinese). 20 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
12. "1980年12月邓丽君首张粤语专辑《势不两立》" [Teresa Teng's first Cantonese album "Irreconcilable" in December 1980]. NetEase (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
13. Hsu, Hua (3 August 2015). "The Melancholy Pop Idol Who Haunts China". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
14. Rey Chow -Sentimental Fabulations, Contemporary Chinese Films 0231508190 2012 "SWEET TERESA If we follow its Chinese title, Tian mimi, the film may be seen simply as the romantic saga of the two protagonists. "Tian mimi", which means "sweetness", is the title of a Mandarin hit song originally performed by Teresa Teng, ..."
15. Gina Marchetti from Tian'anmen to Times Square: Transnational China and the Chinese ...2006 1592132782 "Bottles of soy milk and the commodified music of the transnational Chinese pop star Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun)56 circulate within the film, too. In fact, Teresa Teng's song, "Tian Mi Mi" ("Sweetness") provides the film with its Chinese title, linking ..
16. Gelder, Lawrence Van (20 February 1998). "Film in Review: Comrades: Almost a Love Story". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
17. "Hong Kong Film Awards to celebrate Chinese cinema". China Daily. 12 December 2004. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
18. Cremin, Stephen (27 January 2011). "Horse announces greatest Chinese films". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
19. "'Sweet Honey', sweet memory of Teresa Teng". China Internet Information Center. 31 March 2008. p. 2. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
20. Zhou, Yongjie (23 February 2013). "華語金曲甜蜜蜜 印尼民謠改編" [Chinese classic Sweet Honey Indonesian folk song adaptation]. Central News Agency (in Chinese). Yahoo! News Taiwan. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
21. "Luhan stars in a simple and pure MV for his OST remake of 'Tian Mi Mi'". Allkpop. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

• 1979 songs
• Teresa Teng songs
• Mandarin-language songs