Here I am back again with you after getting sick of playing the “Gone Girl” for the whole year. My blog has been covered by a thick spider’s web. I am here to tell you that I guess the Chinese fortune is right about me that 2018 does seem so wrong to me that even when I crossed the whole ocean to make my way to Australia, the Unlucky God is still able to chase after me and spread misery whenever I go. Forget about that, I will make – this time, I hope not to go back on my promise – another post to conclude my 2018 and begin a new 2019. (According to the fortune, it is better than the previous year but still not good).

So where can you find a good story? From books? From films? True. You can also find it in music. There are actually some songs that tell brilliant stories in their lyrics. From that, you can some clues of the mind and the life of people who wrote them. I think it would be a terrific debut of me after a long time hiatus.

I make it as clear as day that I love Last Kiss (Pearl Jam’s cover) till the day I die but I am not going to include it in my list because I already did before. My readers please refer to my old posts if you want to read my review about the song. The amazing story featured in the song should be on this list but I am not going to repeat myself.    

Noted that this post deals with subjective interpretations which could be either right or wrong. So take it as a grain of salt. But I am very happy if you can share your interpretation as well. 

Is it a coincidence that I always update my posts on this blog around December?

#4. Fast Car – Tracy Chapman

You got a fast car. Guess what is that fast car? Lamborghini? Mercedes? Ferrari? No, you have got all wrong.

It is just a car mentioned in the song which received two Grammy nominations for Record of the year and Song of the year in 1988, a normal car that can function well. In my own interpretation, the car is the metaphor of escaping ways of so-called poverty cycle. Dealing with that matter, when it comes to lyric debates, some say it is depressing but some say it is full of hope and optimism. The folk-rock song tells a story of a woman who gave up academy to take care of her alcohol-abused dad since her mom left. Living in a poor condition like this makes her feel as if anywhere else was better than her current situation, even when she had to start from zero. She worked in a convenience store to save a bit money everyday and dreamed of driving away out of the city with her boyfriend. The fast car was treated a ticket to her new life where she may get a better job, promotion, a bigger house in the suburbs and actually live the life of a person.

I am in favour of the latter argument. It could be because of its typically sad folk melody that people feel heartbroken. According to her narration, the idea that she held high hopes for better things in her life never stops running through my head. Some people lose to the battle of fighting poverty but it never happens to her.

It is just a quick fact that I got emotional outbursts in the middle of listening to the song. It reconnects me with some old memories that my mother used to tell me. Back to 1980s, when my dad just graduated from the medical school and my parents got married. I could never imagine how hard it was for a young couple to settle down in a new place without any clues how life would turn out to be, starting from nothing because everything they had was a just a bicycle. My dad would ride my mom anywhere in town in the bicycle. One day, it got stolen and my mom was sad. They may have got a new one but the stolen bicycle contained sweet memories of their tough beginning.

#3. The Less I know, The Better – Tame Impala

Have you ever loved so much that you blindly choose to ignore the bitter truth about them and love them with your eyes and ears closed? There are many faucets of truth, the one I talk about here is cheating which, without a doubt, drives to break-ups immediately as it is too hard to bear. This is not the first time songs talk about cheating, take Whitney Houston “It is not right but it’s okay” as an example (This song tells a good cheating story and how she catches him lying), but this is one of rare cases I have seen someone call out his rival’s name straightly, which sounds brave enough to me. I give credit for it.

As I skim through comment sections, I find some common ones:

“This song is my theme song now”

“This song is relatable”

“This song makes me sad for no reasons”

The guy, nevertheless, did not go down the must-happen break-up path that many people would expect him to do with his cheating girlfriend. You have a guy who had a girlfriend who had a secret lover whose name was Trevor. The lyrics highlights that their affair went as far as the rumours, from holding hands to living together. His friends told him to move on, forget the cheater and get to see another girl named Heather for his own good. What is the best for him? – The less he knows, the better. Much to people’s surprise, he did not listen to their advice. Rather than that, he desperately tried every single way to get her back. While she was young and unsure about her love, he willingly waited for her for 10 years because to him, late is better than never. He convinced himself that he was better for her than that dumb Trevor who was, in the end, as useless as fantasy Superman using faking charm to say stupid lines to make girls fall for him.

You may get a bit annoyed because firstly, you have to confirm your age before Youtube allows you to watch the music video due to their age restrict law and secondly, you may take it as a typical teenage love sick with explicitly sexual content. I highly appreciate unique art in Tame Impala’s music for their 80s-disco inspirations to different layers of meanings that they deliver, even in their music videos.  There are so many questions left in me after 5.43 minutes of the music video.

#2. Don’t You Want Me – The Human League

The Human League’s super hit was released in 1981 and has remained one of the English synthpop band’s most successful recordings. That is why it comes as no surprise when we have many cover versions of it, for example: Glee, Neon Tree, Atomic Tom, Mandy Smith, etc.; not to mention a thousand of unnamed karaoke versions.

This is the song that drives me crazy for choosing the best version (original or re-works) as itself is exceptionally, remarkably brilliant and also, this is the song that we can hear from both his and her perspectives.

He started his story first…

He met her when she was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. It never said it so frankly in the lyric and that made me come to my own conclusion that he could be an agent in an entertainment company looking for potential singers or actresses, or at least, he was someone significant with powerful shields behind (*coughing* mafia). He played an important part in turning the small-town waitress’ poor life into a new chapter, bringing her success that she could have never imagined she would have without him. Now she wanted to leave him after spending 5 years with him and using him as a stepping stone. I feel like the guy is bit arrogant and dominant and it quite shocks him when someone who he took for granted now felt so suffocating when he was round that running away from him was her last option. His love for her seemed quite selfish and possessive as he counted his credits on her life. He did not mind repeating that she owed him the world and let him repeat one last time: ”I made you what you are now and can put you back to where you began”.

Before it is too late, change your mind now – This is his last warning before he makes his move. How did she respond?

Then she stroke back…

She never denied the fact that she had worked as a waitress before she met him. We all think that the Cinderella finally can get her prince and live happily ever after with him, but it did not happen that way. Opposite to his intimidation, she said 5 years spending her life with him was a happy time and she acknowledged that he mattered to her. And the most important thing is “she still loved him”. But I think the confident woman made it very clear that if she had not even met him and still worked as waitress, her life would have been turned better, so 5 years in the relationship was a bit long, I suppose.

So “Don’t you want me?” – he asks. I would bet a penny for a “No” from her. With his background like that, her life could be at risk. You’d better run, girl! Now, it starts to get disturbing.

#1. The Chinese Francolin’s Chirp – Quang Linh

Down to the earth, I am only a human being who is proud of my country.

There are two matters concerning with this Vietnamese song. First, it is regarded as “golden music” which is also known as “cheesy music” in me and Cheese’s language (I hope you my readers will not forget Cheese – it is not because Cheese has been not mentioned in my blog recently, it does not mean she stops being a significant part of it). Suddenly, there is an inner voice in me that wants Cheese to be here, even though she would tease me until I ran away in embarrassment, locking my door. Those old sweet memories!

Second, I have zero idea about that species of bird – Chinese Francolin. My poor biology knowledge only allows me to distinguish owls from the rest of bird kingdom. Anyways, it is not the purpose of this post to supply some biology knowledge to you and I am not biologist either. I, as a result, will not respond to any questions regarding this two-legged animal.

Oh, by the way, I know peacocks and I know they can fly.

The music video and lyrics highlights the means of transportation – “boat” so I guess the background takes place in the Mekong delta – the South-Western region in Vietnam where boats are frequently used. Back then, this area was under-developed dealing much with low literacy and restrictive customs.  There was a teenage girl, aged around 15, and a guy, perhaps a couple of years her senior. The guy played the guitar so well and the girl usually came to hear. That repeated too many times that in my own interpretation, it became their accustomation. I guess, without words, deep down, they were in love with each other.

Then one day, that girl stopped showing up in the boat to listen to his guitar. Left with much confusion about her disappearance, he blamed her for her changing and tried to move on with an excuse: “She is a free cloud the sky that I cannot catch”. Several years later, they encountered in a small boat and drove through lanes of old memories. Devastatingly, he learned that she had got married to another guy in a different far-away town. As it was a forced marriage, her wedding day seemingly happened on a blue day. The lullaby also intensified her dead-inside sadness when she could not even say goodbye to her real love before getting on the red boat to her husband’s house.  All to their realisation was that what they just once had no longer existed. They parted their own destiny; only the chirp of the Chinese Francolin remained there, crying for her.

The sentimental singing voice of the Quang Tri province – born singer made this song a sad love story ever. We feel so sorry for the love that failed to have a happy ending but for the life of a young girl that could have had a brighter future if it had not been for her marriage at a very immature age.  In a wider perspective, the song deals with concerning social issues at that time which many songs fail to do it. That enables it to go beyond my definition of a “cheesy” song and makes me come back to listen to it countless times.

What are yours? Share now.

It’s time to show your support to the nation’s music industry *waving Vietnamese flag*

#1. Trua Vang – My Linh (Empty Afternoon)

My Linh rose to public prominence as one of 4 divas in Vietnam (besides Hong Nhung, Tran Thu Ha and Thanh Lam) so there is nothing we doubt about her technique skills. What I like the most about this Hanoian singer is her effortless balance between singing technique and ability to deliver the song’s sentiment. When she goes high note, it does not sound so stretched. It is apparently proven in her music works and you can see it in Trua Vang – which was featured in her album Toc Ngan (2000). I do not know if it is because My Linh has built her image as top diva, I see unmistakable classiness in her singing, which somehow sets her apart from mainstream singers.

Leave alone My Linh’s golden vocal, the success of Trua Vang lies in the song itself. My Linh’s hit is composed by Huy Tuan and its lyrics is written by Duong Thu- two respectful figures in Vietnamese music industry, a music work of high quality in terms of melody and meaning is expected consequently. Huy Tuan is close to My Linh and her husband – composer Anh Quan. Knowing his friend’s vocal range, he created music tailoring for her. We are Vietnamese, we understand that Trua Vang has sad lyrics about a break up couple: He fails to fulfill his promise to her and walks away. She chooses to wait for the one she loves but when she looks at the beach they would spend time together in every afternoon, it is a bitter fact that it is not the same anymore without him. But with all ingredients created the song, I feel like having “faith” and so much relief inside of me. I guess that 10 years later, this song is still able to captivate me.

I know that most women do not like to tell their age but I have no hesitation in revealing mine. I was born in 1991 and that means that I will turn 30 years old 4 years later (*cry*). But I never feel happy enough that I was born in a generation when there was no interfere of technology, when people paid more focus on music quality rather than MV visual effect. That all results in my decision to put My Linh’s original Trua Vang MV here. It contains so many beautiful memories of my childhood. But if you want, you can youtube her new acoustic version of it released last year.

#2. Chan Tinh – Le Quyen (True Love)

Chan Tinh and Trua Vang share one similarity and one difference. The former is that I listened to both songs when I was a kid and the latter is I never liked Chan Tinh back then – really HATED. This song was first recorded by Van Truong but back in 2000s, there was a trend that many singers had the same name “Truong”, notably we had Lam Truong and Dan Truong. It ultimately led to me thinking it was just another version of these two top singers, I refused to hear more songs from any singers named “Truong”. That’s why Chan Tinh never got my attention at first.

It was until my mother introduced me Le Quyen’s version that I gave this song a place it deserved. The song is composed by Tran Le Quynh, a music composer that not too many people know. As a former graduate of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, the 1978 liner composer undoubtedly has a great language skill and his word usage in Chan Tinh made it an unforgettable power ballad song. I even appreciate Chan Tinh’s lyrics more than Trua Vang’s one. In Vietnamese music industry, we do not feel strange when a music composer uses a poem for lyrics of his song and Chan Tinh never needs to base on any poems to have poetic lyrics nevertheless. You my loyal readers all know even when I am not quite patriotic, this song made me so proud of my mother language. I have to be a Vietnamese to understand what the song wants to say. Let take the name as an example: Chan Tinh is roughly translated into English as “True Love”, but when we take True Love to Google translate in reverse, we have “Tinh Yeu Chan That”, not something elegant like “Chan Tinh”. Similarly, we are able to easily find in Tran Le Quynh’s work impressive words, e.g. “trong ngan mat em” (your innocent eyes) and “hoang tan lang quen” (forgotten ruins),etc.

Le Quyen is known for a special voice full of emotion. With this typical 90’s ballad song, along with instrument, Le Quyen has brought to us a beautiful piece of music – emotional, classy yet not cheesy.

Bonus my favourite line in Chan Tinh:

“…Nhung con duong anh di roi cung dua anh ve ben em”

“Every path I take eventually leads me to you”

-You are my guiding star when I am lost.

#3. Can Gac Trong – Lil Knight (Empty Rooftop)

Can Gac Trong is Ung Hoang Phuc’s official come back single after his long time vanishing out of the music industry for his injury. Lil Knight composes this song but it is his version that makes me insanely in love with the song.

People in Vietnamese underground music call Lil Knight “god of rap”. As one of first people who created foundation base for Vietnamese rap genre, the Hanoian rapper has brought to public purely high quality music and contributed to success of many singers. Can Gac Trong’s Ung Hoang Phuc version is a dance one while Lil Knight’s is a slow RnB. Actually Lil Knight has a nice and warm voice, making it so fit with RnB slow jams.

A sad vocal, depressing lyrics and slow melody, Can Gac Trong is definitely not a song for a sad raining day as it can kill your mood instantly. It is no secret that memories hurt us and sweet ones do it faster. Imagine we are alone in a room full with sweet memories with the one we used to love but now they are nowhere to be seen. That makes our heart bleed.

I am not good at translating but I might give partly it a try to Can Gac Trong’ lyrics.

 “…Anh khong muon thay mot ngay mai

Tung trang giay trang da xoa nhoa mot niem tin

Anh biet se mai chi la mot giac mo

Ton tai song song ben can phong

Cung thoi gian mai buong troi…”

“…I do not want to see a future

When my faith gradually fades away

I know that is just a dream

Existing in this empty room

As time goes by…”

What is your favourite among 3 songs? Please comment

Thank you for reading *bow head*

Life is not always rainbows and butterflies. After her sweet Europe vacation, Dorayaki got so overwhelming with her job. So various factors cause me to get truly stressful; say it client complaints, new briefings, new training sessions and credit card billings (oops, off track, it stresses me though). But the hardest one is I have become a part of the closed process in which like a Domino effect, I fail to do one mission, it negatively affects the others, slowing down the entire universe as well. I feel like being buried alive. While I am just a short girl with an average height of 1.57 m, pressure is too big to handle. At times, I think breaking down to cry is the only thing I can do. As we have it “Difficulties break men but make others”, if I do not want to go down the path of a loser, I need to get rid of my vulnerability and carry on what I need to do. I need to stay cool.

How to do that?

“Download these songs and put your headphone on”

Stay calm, my dear loyal readers! I still remember my promise that my blog may be shifting partly to movie and travelling in my previous blog posts; not to mention that I just got back from a wonderful Europe trip that you have ever longed to read what I had been through there. I do not mean to cheat you guy with a post seemingly indicating life-hack tips but in fact another music post in disguise. But think about that. Rather than a post about me running 1000 meters from Gate 40 to Gate 17 in Frankfurt airport in less than 5 minutes and that made my menstrual cycle go crazy, the one about songs that Dorayaki has been listening to lately when she is stressed is without a doubt more useful.

But I will not let you down. In every song, I leave my tips on how to deal with stress.

Cannot wait to share with my dearest readers now.

Of course, I have no problem if you take this post as “what songs have been on Dorayaki’s iPod lately?”

#4. Issues – Julia Michaels

Fortunately I get a strong sense of music from Dad. That genetic ability helps me remember the song’s rhymth twice or three times listening, once sometimes even though I do not know how to play any instruments. I knew this song several months ago and my impression about it was almost blank. There is nothing special about this song that drew my attention at the first place until several weeks ago when my managers started to assign me some little technical tasks as first fundamental steps for beginners. Actually, in IT world, we do not call it “issues”, we call it “bugs”, but anyways, it means “flaws”. Right after I got the list of “issues” that need to be fixed, I started to sing “I got issues, you got them too. So give them all to me and then I give mine to you”; of course, with a low volume.

No one is perfect and Julia Michaels’s Pop Rock song is all about couples who have their own issues but are still able to keep their love going on and walk through issues.

These technical tasks are obviously huge obstacles to me and I have not been trained on that before. When it just started off, it was a nightmare in real life. My heart jumps out of my chest when receiving issue list but Julia Michaels’ hit is like an “Expecto Patronum” to me. It quite eases the nerves in my brain and keeps my spirit up. Now none of tasks matter to me. Why? I got issues, but you got them too.

Tips: Relax and take your issues openly.

#3. Stolen Dance – Milky Chance

This song proves that only a guy on his chair playing the guitar has a power to make your body move as much as EDM. “Stolen Dance” of the German duo is mysteriously beautiful with contribution of rusty vocal, acoustic guitar rhythm and debatable lyrics. Why reading the lyrics led me to think it is about a forbidden love? In my opinion, it is the story of a couple who are separated by “them” (the girl’s family). The guy wants the girl back and to have a dance with her – basically, a guy missing his loved one and feeling without her. There is nothing special about that, but what hits me hard is this line:

“I hope they did not get your mind

Your heart is too strong anyway”

Is it me or sometimes we are just particularly fond of a part rather than the whole song itself? These lines are special to me because it reminds me of a past event that went down in history of my life. At the age of 25 years old, I hit my first mid-life crisis and thought I would never recover. I still recall how I felt back then. Imagine one day you wake up and everything you have once had just slips out of your hand. The terror you are facing makes you feel like being drown in the ocean. The only thing you can hold on to is faith in yourself. Regardless of what people say, your faith leads your way in the end. Oops, you may think why I sound like same old clichés taken straight from teen movies in 2000s Hilary Duff starred in? I once thought like that but once you have got through it, you have ideas how those words are precious.

Tips: Have faith in yourself.

#2. With you – Beasts with no name

Have you ever felt so bored that even a shitty horror movie film like “Wish upon” is still able to entertain you? With holey plot, the 2017 American film is to me a more disappointed version of “Final destination” I, however, admittedly like songs featured in the film, and Beasts with no name’s “With you” is one of those. Brilliant lyrics, smooth vocal and perfect arrangement, the Indie pop song is so good that I needed to purchase it on Itunes immediately. The song just comes in time when I am quite into Indie music.

Indie music is shortened for “Independent music” which has something to do with “DIY” ethic (Do it yourself). With indie music, artists freely express their own colour in music without being framed in defined music style. Indie music bands will have to do everything on their own from music production to promotion. It sounds tough as we easily see that if they have a major label, it will increase the likelihood of greater success, but some still want to go down the Indie music path as it offers more freedom to be creative.

Perhaps it is why I get inspired by “creativity” that Beasts with no name delivers in “With you”. I am not a professional graphic designer but a part of my job more or less gets involved with designing things in which I have to apply creativity to make final photos and banners for clients’ websites. Their “I’ll wait up with you I’ll stay up with you I’ll wake up with you” gives me so much relief. Pressures can be taken into many forms and pressure to meet deadlines is one of the worst nightmares. It messes up your head, blocks your creativity, making you unable to think through. Sometimes you think it is more important to meet the deadline first that you submit final two-bit products to clients.

Take your time. I guess your clients will be less happy if they receive low quality products from you even though you send them on time. But I do not mean that you keep them waiting for two or three days; otherwise, you may receive complaints from them.

Tips: Be more creative.

#1. I touch myself – Divinyls

“I don’t want anybody else

When I think about you, I touch myself”

Needless to say, you know what the song is about – about the business of you and your hand. Stay calm, loyal readers. I never say that I jerk off to have a stress-free mind. Without a doubt, with sexually provocative lyrics, “I touch myself” – released in Divinyls’ self-titled album – sparked controversy in the music industry at the time and yet it did not stop the song from landing top positions in international music charts. I actually have that one “chemistry” with the song after a few times listening to “I don’t want anybody else”, I was able to sing it well.

The Australian band’s 90s hit is apparently a beautiful song. Why I say that when it directs to a subject that people would feel uncomfortable discussing? Chrissy Amphlett, Divinyls’ lead vocal, died at 53 after a long time battling with breast cancer. “I touch myself” project, upon Chrissy’s dying wish, was founded to raise the awareness of breast cancer for women. Just because of that message, “I touch myself” is more than just a masturbatory song to me, but rather self-appreciation. With that in mind, I love myself more listening to the song. No matter how busy I may be, I never skip my meals, always remember to order milk teas twice a week and use lubricant eye drops (my mom would cry her eyes out finding it out, she technically begs me to use it for the sake of my eyes :P)

Tip: Do not forget to love yourself.

 Any tips you want to share? Leave them in comment fields.

Thank for reading *Bow head*

#4. You know I’m no good – Ash Riser

I came to know that Amy Winehouse song in high school but it was until I got to university that I started being into it. Actually you can find this song quite often in singing competitions like The Voice, X factor or [Insert nationality] Idols, so that means if you want to listen to a cover, there are a lot for you to browse through. I did not have any problems picking up Ash Riser version to this list because of its brilliance. You know that the song’s creator before she died had a troubled life and that comes as no surprise that her music which reflects her own life has darkness, bitterness and heartbreak. With a bass voice of a hip hop artist, Ash Riser introduces us a “drunk” version of “You know I’m no good”. This cover is so hypnotising that I can imagine myself in a corner of an old bar in 1960s with a glass of whiskey in hand (I do not know how to drink, I have no problem trying to act like I can though). When first listening to it, I found the guitar part not really interesting and quite irrelevant, I mean it was too modern for slow and classic feels that the song brought all along but I do realise that it intensifies darkness in Amy Winehouse’s original: chaos, confusion and deep-inside sadness.

Staying faithful to the spirit of the original, Ash Riser has successfully brought us a hauntingly beautiful cover. In other words, it is a nice tribute to Amy Winehouse. One little surprise for my loyal readers, click on Setting and change the speed to 1.25 or 1.5, you see another magic.

The original:

#3. She will be loved – The Flying Pickets

“Just another cover of Maroon 5 “She will be loved” – You may think. It cannot be denied that there is a huge maze of Maroon 5 hit’s covers available on Youtube but Flying Pickets succeeded in bringing their own colour to differentiate themselves from others. With this English a-cappella band, I had hard time choosing my favourite song as they have many songs covered in a-cappella style. Believe me, “She will be loved” used to be my favourite song and I listened to it so many times that I am quite convinced that it was enough for my entire life. When I was 12 years old, I was crazy for the Maroon 5 hit and now when I am 26 years old, The Flying Pickets make me fall in love with the song again but in a very different way.

Leave alone the emotional vocal, the harmony that The Flying Pickets made is perfect that we feel so connected to the song. One of the most prominent points is the hook part which I highly appreciate for its smart arrangement. I cannot help wow-ing when hearing “She will be loved” from back vocals. This is a beautiful cover that I think I am so lucky to have found.

The original:

#2. The tide is high – Blondie

Oops. Perhaps some of my readers think that Blondie’s is the original of Atomic Kitten’s “The tide is high”.  As a matter of fact, this Blondie’s US/UK number one hit is a cover of John Holt’s written in 1966. The older I get, the more reggae genre starts growing on me. So it came as no surprise when I quickly fell for the Blondie’s version in spite of the fact that I grew up with Atomic Kitten’s one.

It is said that reggae makes us feel happy that we really want to make some moves. Saxophone and strings were used “The tide is high” by Blondie, I am particularly fond of the instrument parts in the introduction and counter-melodies. They are really addicted and I cannot help shaking my shoulder.

The original:

#1. Believe – DMA

What should you expect from a man in his stripped T-shirt and beat up old cap? A deep and touching voice of typical rock punk genre? No way! Yes, you should because that man brought us a perfect cover of Cher’s “Believe”. With her goddess beauty and strong electronic beat, her signature auto-tuned hit makes you “believe in life after love again”. This song means so much to me. I have been in love with Cher’s super hit since I was 7 years so there is no way that I can take it easy and give low expectation for its version.

As a matter of fact, many covers experiment new takes on old songs for their person touch with completely different re-arrangements, for example: Dancing on my own (Original: Robyn, Cover: Calum Scott) but I never want to see my favourite song turned into super-ballad versions of other artists who over-sing it. Cher’s mega hit actually deals with different emotions; from anxiously waiting, confusion, heartbreak to moving on with your head held high. So I expect to see a cover that can project strength underneath vulnerability after a break up. Since I do not feel connected to it, “Believe” super ballad versions that reflect one only emotion aspect fail to bring me “belief” and that strong message from the original. I have nothing else to choose, except from continuing looking for the one I like.

With the cover of this Australian band, I can see it. This acoustic version, indeed, has no interfere with auto-tune technology but instruments, plus the slow-down melody does not make it lost in a thousands of conventional Believe ballad covers. It is nothing different from an oasis in desert. Admittedly a fan of Cher’s “Believe”, I could not help falling in love with this version though and I can listen to it forever. Sometimes, I even doubt myself “Am I listening to an original or just a cover?”

With silky smooth voice, DMA got a fan, and please release the mp3 of Believe. I feel like waiting forever for it.

Noted that when watching the video, you may notice the main vocalist is having chewing gum while singing.

Updated on October, 12th, 2017: I finally found the DMA’s Believe on Itunes.

The original:

 Thank you for reading *bow head*

PS: I have just found out that my blog recently has no posts on movies but music and travelling. I need to write more movies posts. Please look forward to them.

To my loyal readers who in a second think that their innocent Dorayaki was hacked or possessed, stay rest assured that there is no other, but me. Anyway, this is just for pure entertainment. So are you ready to activate your pervert mind?

I have just found out that this is the first post of 2017. Oh I have been neglecting my website for so long.

#1. Tonight (Best you ever had) – John Legend

When mentioning John Legend, we immediately think of his ever-lasting love song dedicated to his wife – “All of Me”. Leave alone his gentle look, obviously his R&B soothing voice makes your jaw drop and eventually you feel weak in the knee. Only his “Ah, Alright” at the very beginning of Tonight can melt my heart. It is such a brilliant song that talks about sex in a classy way. Even a woman with an iron heart cannot stand strong in front of a man in his black suit, whispering to her “Tonight I’ll be the best you ever had”. What an irresistible seduction! I do not know anyone but take my white flag! I want to tie him up in my bedroom so desperately and feel him now. Having a couple of hours in the messed up (or broken) bed with this guy is a blessing that every woman could ever ask for *cry in laughter*.

Besides Amy Winehouse, John Legend is the only singer that I enjoy watching live performances rather than audio. That’s why I will put his “Tonight” live performance at the Kennedy centre here (plus I hate Ludaris’ rap part, it makes my mood down).

I hit you with the best stroke
Freestyle and then the breaststroke
Til you blowing cigarette smoke
And now the bed’s broke
So what we gonna do now?
F**k it, round two now
Work it out, then we cool down
Cool down

Oh yes, let’s do the round two

#2. Teach Me Tiger – April Stevens

I knew this song from a short documentary film of Brandon Teena, from which the film Boys don’t cry was adapted. My first reaction was like “Hey, this song is interesting. I have to have it on my iPod” and ta-da, here I found it. I could not help laughing at the “Wah wah wah” part and I remember doing it so hard that even my sister at the next room could hear that. But the more I listened to it, the more I felt like my ears were burning (I was putting my headphone on). With kid-like voice, April sang the song in a naughty but seductive way by cleverly adding some words like “ahh, hmm, shh”. You can just imagine a beautiful girl with her red cherry lips doing some cutie kitty scratching movements. So it brings you chilling pleasure and turns you on a bit as well. It is a matter of fact that back in 1959, Teach me tiger due to its sexual suggestiveness did not receive any airplays on the radio. So want to know if this seduction song is able to make you drop your pants? Just try listening to it now.

Teach me tiger how to kiss you.. wah wah wah wah wah
Show me tiger how to kiss you.. wah wah wah wah wah
Take my lips, they belong to you..
But teach me first, teach me what to do..

I remember making effort to imitate her “Tiger, tiger, I wanna squeeze you, wah wah wah wah wah” and looking at my face in the mirror which resembles a monkey’s eating spicy food. I know that I should not do it again.

#3. Keep on loving you – Cigarettes After Sex

Cigarettes After Sex is an American dream pop. As for sexual fantasy songs, the group has another song which should be on the list instead – “Nothing is gonna hurt you baby”, but I still chose their cover of REO Speedwagon’s “Keep on loving you”.

The original “Keep on loving you” is, in fact, a soft ballad power, however, under the magic of Greg Gonzalez’s whispering sing, it turns into a truly dreaming slow jam. Along with feminine vocals, the song’s smooth flow makes me feel a bit drunk and float over the ocean. That’s why when putting this beautiful song into a sexual context, we sense organism exactly.

Keep on loving you is an ode to a passionate night. With this sexy cover, you can first see yourself in a couple slow dancing and then you hit the main part in your bedroom. He is not in a hurry. He is gentle. And above all he says:

And I’m gonna keep on loving you
Because it’s the only thing I wanna do
I don’t wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on loving you

#4. Body say – Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato – a then Disney princess. I am not a true fan of Disney but Demi’s Pop rock style is so far the best out of Disney kids to me. With “Body Say”, I think Demi is now stepping out of her princess image to get more matured. Demi co-wrote this song, that’s why it shows confidently sexual desires of a woman, just like her strong personality. I like this personal touch, actually.

Body say has all materials of a sexy song: sexually provocative single cover, dreamy beat and sexy lyrics. It is just basically a let-the-body-do-the-talking song. Do not know what to do in front of this beautiful woman? Follow her lead, she instructs you all.

You can touch me with slow hands
Speed it up, baby, make me sweat
Dreamland, take me there ’cause I want your sex
If my body had a say, I wouldn’t turn away
Touch, make love, taste you
If my body told the truth, baby I would do
Just what I want to

Hope you enjoy the post. I am pretty sure that innocent Dorayaki will be back in the next post.

#1. Say love – Jojo

I admit that I have never been a fan of Jojo and to some people, “Too little too late” can be their teenage anthem, but not mine. Nevertheless, I have to delicate this post to Jojo because her “Say love” steals the show completely. It has been long since we last heard from Jojo and her transformation to a beautiful and matured woman is just something we all look forward to. I see the maturity in her music too. This song contains layers of layers of emotion, so easily touching my heart, especially the part when music stops. Of course, Jojo’s voice is very strong but you can see her pain underneath for a relationship that is still there but not the same anymore. It puts you to her shoes and makes you feel exactly how she feels. Every emotion she goes through is very true and I can feel that way. Let alone Jojo’s amazing vocal, sincere lyrics makes it a heartbreak song.

“But you just say I’m perfect
Say I’m pretty
Say I’m worth it
But if you really care for me
Say love….

….

……

I want you to say love
When I say “love you”
You just say “me too”
But I want you to say love”

It weakens me from the inside and successfully brings my vulnerable part to light. Sometimes you may not need to count on beautiful words to your loved ones, because all that they need to hear is “love”.

#2. Last kiss – Pearl Jam

I always believe that when you cry along with a song, it must be related to you somehow, just like when you are dumped, listening to a break-up song may make you cry like a baby. But whenever I listen to “Last kiss” – Pearl Jam, I cannot stop tears falling from my eyes. If I can make a list of “Songs that ruin my mood”, the No.1 will belong to “Last kiss” too. It does have a storyline that tells a tragic date of a young couple. On that rainy day, the boyfriend borrows his father to take his girlfriend out and a horrible car crash happens on their way that takes the life of the girlfriend who dies in the arms of her boyfriend. I remembered crying a lot when the singer sings “I lost my love, my life that night”. Unless you are a robot, you will feel weak in your knees too.

To me, what haunts me the most is not sad ending but opening one with optimism, which explains why this song never fails to make me cry my eyes out every time I listen to it.

Oh where, oh where can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She’s gone to heaven so I’ve got to be good,
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

PS: “Last Kiss” was originally sung by Wayne Cochran but I recommend Pearl Jam version. With warm voice and slow melody, there is nothing you can do with “Last Kiss” of Pearl Jam, except for crying. So, prepare a tissue box.

#3. See You Again – Carrie Underwood

After listening to it, you may wonder why this song took a place in my list while it does not have sad melody (it is a power ballad song) or heartbreaking lyrics. To be frank, this is a special case that I take very, very personally. The Billboard described this Carrie Underwood’s hit “a taste of heaven” but everytime I listen to it, it hurts like hell. I can imagine in every second, it stabs an invisible knife to my heart. Nothing is worse than being helpless when your beloved ones suffer because it makes you feel like dying. This is the song that I heard in the office when our dog died 2 years ago. I had no intentions of playing it, just randomly. Now, time heals my pain and I am completely over it. It still always chills me to the bones whenever I think back horrible time when a part of me was gone though. “See You Again” was together with these bad memories.

I will see you again,
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me,
‘Til I see you again

I am getting very emotional now and need my tissues now. Is anyone there to allow me to cry on your shoulders ^^?

#4. Dance with my father -Luther Vandross

It is said that when you miss someone, it is not that the person you miss but memories you spend with him/her. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to me that songs that carry memories of old good days always touch my heart, for example: Cool (Gwen Stefani), Our last summer (ABBA) and Stay (Mayday Parade), etc. But “Dance with my father” does an excellent job of making me shed tears. Luther’s vocal and RnB slow successfully delivered a beautiful piece of music. The sing tells sweet childhood memories with his father that everyone of us can share the same too. As I mentioned above, it is not very easy to be separated from those we love.  It is unbelievable that soft song can smack me right in the heart like this.

Sometimes I’d listen outside her door
And I’d hear how my mother cried for him
I pray for her even more than me

Bittersweet feeling. I love this part but feel so much pain

OMG. I have wasted a tissue box and I know it is not good for the environment

Don’t be like me ^^

1. Still into u – Paramore

Normally in the wedding ceremony, classic and romantic songs will mostly be played. So, I am going to make an exception out of this. When I get married, I want to turn it into a small party where people (at all age, of course) can dance. And a Paramore’s song is a good idea, isn’t it? I truly love Paramore’s “Still into you” – A fun love song. Perhaps it can be because Hayley (the main singer) wrote this song for her fellow, I can feel a lot of affection. When I came to know the lyric, I couldn’t feel wow-ing at its cuteness. I felt like it was about a young girl who has yet to have a direction for her life (she is still tempted by undiscovered things in her life) but loves her boyfriend so much. I love the part when she met her boyfriend’s mother and said how much she loved him after all the time. I think she will put an end to her single life and tie a knot with her boyfriend. A perfect song for the wedding. Maybe I can dress up like Hayley and turn my wedding party into cosplay one. LOL.

2. All I want is you – Barry Louis Polisar

I came to know this song thanks to the film –“ Juno”, which is about a high school girl getting pregnant with her boyfriend. I ended up liking the soundtrack more than the film itself. From the very first seconds it was played, I could tell that it would be my favorite. Particularly, I got hooked and the song did stay for days at a time in my brain. Besides that the lyrics and the melody are so cute. I mean, “If I were a flower growing wild and free, all I’d want is you to be my sweet honey bee. And if I were a tree growing tall and green, all I’d want is you to shade me and be my leaves….”, who wouldn’t fall for that? A couple is destined to be together. It could not get any perfect. I remember I was in 12^th grade, I promised myself to play this song in my wedding. It is time to fulfill teenager’s promise. Actually, this song suits to be a proposal song rather than wedding one, but who cares?

3. Wouldn’t it be nice – The Beach Boy

Time for the classic. Another song featured in the film that I have watched for a hundred time –“ 50 first dates”. I expect that I will invite different generations to my wedding ceremony so songs in my wedding playlist should be diverse LOL. When I listened to this song, my mind was filled with happiness. Imagine the world just revolves in love of two people, everyday they walk up next to each other and spend the rest of their life together too, it is how happiness is defined. So, I decided to feature this song on my important day. Actually, I am sort of biased to this song as this is favorite song of the main character in my fiction (he sings it all the time, even in the restroom)

4. Nam lay tay anh – Tuan Hung (Hold tight my hands)

This song’s presence is an evidence to the diversity of my playlist. LOL. A typical ballad love song and the only V- pop song in the playlist. I am Vietnamese after all. Actually, I was torn between Mot Nha (under one roof) and Nam Lay Tay Anh (Hold tight my hands) but considering Tuan Hung is handsome, I chose the latter. I rarely listen to V-pop but when I played Nam Lay Tay Anh, I could not get it out of my head. Since it is Tuan Hung’s official wedding song, it can relate to mine too. Let alone Tuan Hung’s manly charm, his super sweet voice and the song’s melody touched and melt my heart. An eternal love until the very last breath is more romantic and sweeter than anything. “And I thank this life that brings you to me so that. Every morning I wake up, I will say. “Love me and stay by my side, honey”. Lyric is a bit cheesy but makes you weak in your knees and you fall for it eventually.

5. No one else comes close – Joe

This song reminds me that I am a 9x kid. I grew up with Backstreet Boys’ version. Until when I came to know the original song in the Internet, I realized how beautiful this song was. I feel so much love from Joe to his significant other. She is one of a kind and no one else can be compared to and replaced her. I do not know, maybe because of his RnB influenced voice, I think he means his love from the bottom of his hear, which is more touching than BSB. This song is purely a vow for love, especially from a matured man. Isn’t it a good song to represent love for the other half, especially on wedding day? My playlist includes Pop, Pop Rock and 60s Rock, another RnB 90 would be so great.

6. Mirror – Justin Timberlake

As a 9x kid, I used to get head over heel for flower boybands such as Backstreet Boys, N’ Sync, 911 and Boyzone, etc. Justin Timberlake used to be my favourite in N’ Sync (Kind of liked him back then). So, I have a place for him on my important day to remind me of my adolescent days. My Justin’ favourite song was “My love” but when “Mirror” was released, I knew the first place belonged to it. In the interview, Justin said that this song was inspired by his grandparents who were married for such a long time. I really appreciate the idea of how two people in a relationship helps each other change in a positive way. There is no place they would not go, is it? Justin sings his heart out for this song, hence, it deserves to be played in my wedding.

7. Stand by you – Rachel Plattern

I will stand by you regardless of heaven or hell. Because of this message that the song carries, I choose it to be on my list. Probably, you haven’t heard much about Rachel Plattern but I have checked out some of her songs which are really fantastic. People in love sacrifice and cover for each other. Just by actions, it is apparently seen that they love each other. With Rachel’s confident and strong vocal, we can clearly sense it “’I’m gonna stand by you. Even if we’re breaking down, we can find a way to break through”. I want to include a song that shows strong determinations for love and it turned out to be “Stand by you”.

Other songs can be taken into considerations

8. You are still the one – Shania Twain
9. Beautiful/ One in a million – Bosson
10. Mot Nha – Da Lab
11. All of me
12. Just the way you are – Billy Joe
13. Smash into you – Beyonce

Etc

For Yunho sshi, who took 6 years of my youth,

Dear Yunho,

I am actually running on empty in terms of finance and health. It has been for 2 years that I began to catch up with practical life. My circle of life revolves around working environment, colleague affairs, fear of deadline, fear of being fired, and other gossips. It is likely that I may forget you. I barely log in my Twitter account to keep up with my Twitter timeline to hear about you. As for Facebook, I subscribed only 1 Fanpage. After spending around 10 minutes, I have to go back to work. That’s my routine. Just so you know that, on April 30^th- May 1^st, I went to Dubai, which was the first time I sponsored myself a hardcore trip. It came as no surprise that that trip really cost me a big deal. I did not have enough budget to afford a good seat. The big matter was that I was freakingly occupied with my job. I delayed buying tickets to next week. It turned out to be that I had to choose from-the-behind seats. I did scream my lung out: ”Goddamn! Who do I have to sleep with around here to get double A zone tickets?”

Our ticket ^^

It was not my concern though. I had a feeling that I was not crazy for you like before. Around 2 years, I could not feel the hype when I first saw you with “Keep your head down”. Everyone grows up. When they do, they leave. I was not the same girl whose thought was “me and DBSK against the world” anymore. You and me had walked together in a long journey. Then I took my turn to step into a new and practical world. I had to carry financial burden and take care of myself. When hearing about your Thailand – based upcoming concert, I texted to Cheese, who would be my companion to the concert. Below was briefly our conversation:

Me: “DBSK will hold a concert in Thailand. Wanna go?”

Cheese: “Yub. When?”

Me: “May, 30^th. Is H&M available in Thailand?”

Cheese: “Of course”

Me: “How about F21?”

Cheese: “Yes. Much cheaper than Singapore”

Me: “Me likey. Go”

Yeah, I do love shopping (not seriously a shoppaholic), which was my main motivation for this Thailand trip. Yeah, no excuse for me.

I got to admit that I was not really a good fan. I was trying to navigate my affection to you. When hearing about your August enlistment, I swore that I did not talk to anyone for a whole 5 minutes despite their efforts to talk with me. You know, I had a driving test to get license and the toughest part was to “climb” on the bridge, which I almost failed. Actually, I was under pressure, if I had failed to pass my driving test, my parents would have not let me go to Thailand. When I thought it was the end and nothing I could do, I thought of your face and held on to it. You told me to keep on my feet on brake pads and then my car successfully passed the bridge. Other than that, everything was just fine. You know that, I almost bit my tongue when knowing that you would shoot a film and release Solo album? It was really hard to be a human being. I booked concert and flight tickets, my wallet was empty. There was no other way, except for using salary I worked as a freelance. So, it was clearly proved that I still love you so much. Never doubt my love!

The concert was announced to begin at 17 PM on Saturday. That morning, me and Cheese departed from Tan Son Nhat to arrive at Thailand (Sorry, I could not remember a single word in Thailand airport’s name). I was not really in a good mood, it could be that I had sickness symptoms. According to our plan, when we reached Thailand, it was around 12 PM, then, within 30 minutes, we would be at our hotel, find something to eat, take a short nap then rush to Impact Arena at 15 PM. But everything did not turn out the way as expected. Or it could be God that created obstacles to challenge one’s persistence? I met an asshole taxi driver, and did not have enough rest to take. Generally, my condition was not that good. And OMG, Impact Arena was packed with people queuing a long line and a lot of hassles. It was very wrong to think that I was the only one fond of you. Your popularity was no joke. I got to the line to get my physical ticket and found myself surrounded by Japanese people. Yeah. I saw Chinese, and Indonesian… but not Vietnamese.

This is me ^^

Cheese (LOL – a non fan)

I was perfectly delighted when finally getting my two ordered tickets. Me and Cheese run to a big electric screen that displayed you in 2009 – 2010 era when I was still crazy for your hotness. But when there was my turn, Daesung’s picture jumped out of nowhere. Super mad! Unlike the previous concert in Hongkong, we arrived 45 minutes earlier, so, Official Goods counter still left some items for me, except for brochures and lightsticks. I bought two bracelets for me and Cheese and stationery set for myself exclusively. When returning to Vietnam, I put in my bookshelf.

There was a Déjà vu feeling in me when we entered Arena. I meant the U-shaped stage, red seats and cool air condition. I thought two seats I ordered could make it hard for us to see clearly but they were not that bad and rather close to the stage. I hated “counting back” part because I almost vomited when screaming my lung out. It dawned on me that I was not that old and still had a lot of energy to play hard, which was also the best part I liked when joining a concert, “smells like teenage spirits”.

“Catch me” was thought to be the “main boss” in the concert, but DBSK performed it right on the get-go. Before entering the inside hall, I purchased stupid and super useless stuff but not lightstick – the most important item. So, I felt like nothing to do in the concert. Then, I had no option but to wave my cell phone. Later, there were two lightsticks – green and blue – was put underneath my chairs before. I could not tell how happy I was when discovering it. As for this matter, I truly apologized for red-ocean Cassies made for you.

Tist0ry concert (I am so sorry for mistyping this word for a hundred times. I was not even able to speak it) was a showcase of Tense album’s songs, from “Smoky heart”, “Beside”, “Double Trouble”, “Stepping” to “Your Man”… It was really good that I knew more songs than “Catch me” album. I remembered melodies, so, able to mumble along with songs. So, you see, I am still your fan!

Mixed together with songs were video that satisfied me in terms of visual and content. It was generally about Changmin, a 20^th-century intellectual and Yunho-appearing in a futuristic world. They live a thousand years apart from each other but things they share in common are muscular bodies, irresistible hotness and super flawless girlfriends, namely Cassiopedia. It could be that I did not have to mention as audience really made a big noise upon seeing that renowned star. There were short “fan communication” so-called breaks. You and Changmin spoke in Korean with Thailand translation. Me and Cheese did not say anything but deep down in each other’s eyes, I knew each other’s intention to say “I know, I die”. When you rapped in Thailand, “Khap khap khap…”, I swore to God that I laughed in my ass off. DBSK’s muscular image in “Keep your head down” era has always stayed with me, but I am so glad that DBSK is flexible with their style, which is so refreshing. With the presence of female dancers, jaw-dropping background stages and cutting edge audio effect, I found you even sexier than Before You Go’s “We gonna make you slow down”. The stage was filled with feminist. I meant it was not too girl-ish but smooth, and smexy in general (smart + sexy).

It is debatable that Max is a stan attractor. Two years ago, when I came Hongkong concert with Janny, she got heels over heads for Max, that time, Cheese was not an exception. She kept on praising Max’ high note abilities and his 6 pack body. She was in nine cloud with Max’ solo “Heaven’s day”, especially with his T-shirt ripping moment that revealed his perfect body. Oh yeah, I admitted that Max took my breath away, leaving me speechless for a moment but I still stayed faithful to my Yunho.

Come back to my Yunho,

I have been your fan since 2009, but it does not mean that I am fond of clothes you wore on that day, from yellow, sparkling clothes to the pink suite to leopard feature clothes. From your tight leather pants to your Diva pose standing (I thought you would do an excellent job of performing Shinhwa’s This love, but I dislike a hundred times), I could not say a single word. As your fan, the day you’d enlist would leave an incurably traumatic pain in me but later, I learned that it could be a big opportunity to help you regain your 6 pack body. Cheese repeatedly shouted to me face “Your Yunho is so chubby”. That was really hard for me to take. Maybe she may have been possessed and blindfolded by Max, so I told her to shut the hell up. I actually was torn between mixed feeling, she was right somehow. Before the concert, I did expect a solo from you that I could jerk off just like “Honey Bunny Funny” performance 2 years ago that successfully made my pants wet. But “Bang” was turned out to be a dancing song with fast beat and hardcore move. Although it was not my style, I did enjoy and have a good time.

But the camping stage gained my love for you. You looked super cute with your short, white shirt and sport shoes (I saw your scar in your leg and could not help feeling pitiful to you). You, 30-year-old man, on the stage, looked like a Head boy in school. I never doubted your stage presence and your innate ability to connect with audience. It was so lovely to see you holding a micro to a band member. I was mumbling along a song that I did not have a clue “It’s your love, your love, blah blah blah…” as if I had known it before. Then, I learned that it is called “You are my melody”. It was too way back in 2009 when I was still your anti fan LOL.

When listening to a few seconds of Off-road (Running on Empty) in Make your move, I quickly decided that it was my jam. It could be that the concert was specifically designed for Off-road lovers like me as we did have two versions of this song, VCR and actual performance. I was so crazy in love with that song to the point that I sang a whole song in English (My limited brain did not allow me to remember a single Korean word). As an ordinary girl with two abilities of transforming oxygen into carbon dioxide and getting under my bosses’ skin, I could not believe that I could dance that hard and synchronously. Good songs never die young. I did enjoy “Crazy love”, “B.U.T”, and recently “Spellbound” (Cheese proudly said to me that she knew this song), and “Something”. And OMG. You did perform “Keep Your Head Down”. We could make it so clear when doing “Keep your head down” gesture. The military dance got me so excited and made me believe that it could be performed in the military too. Yunho ah, you are so badass! All performances chilled me to the bones, and of course, brought me unforgettable experience!

When the concert was about to end, DBSK did have a small talk with fans. Once again, you talked in Korean and there was a Thailand interpretation, which I had no clue what the heck was going! Then Cheese whispered in my ear “The girl standing next to me is crying”. I was like “Whatt???”. Then, it came to my acknowledgement that you were talking about your upcoming enlistment and it would take around 2 years later that we could meet again.

Your back – When i first saw you, i fell in love with your back. Becase of you, i find that a sexy man must have a sexy back.

I learned about your actual enlistment day right on my birthday but I calmly accepted it. I knew that day would come sooner or later. You know, I had experience of waiting, so waiting for another two years is nothing to me. We just go on our separate paths temporarily but in the end, we will walk the same road just like we did before. That day, you would be a 30-year-old adjusshi with muscular body and I would be chasing my dream of becoming a successful content writer. That why’s I did not cry and would never cry.

You are still my inspiration, so it is likely that I continue writing fictions about you LOL.

The day after, we did have a day for shopping. Oh heavenly. Shopping! I am going to die for you someday.

Bonus: Bangkok by night

Note that: there were some pictures i searched from the Internet. All pictures without tags were taken by me.