【煽峰点火】第10期：一首歌争论三十年

用他的手指抚平我的创伤
用他的词句歌唱我的生活
他的歌让我陶醉
他的歌让我陶醉
他的词句告诉我全部生活
他的歌让我陶醉
……

Killing Me Softly With His Song

文章相关内容

Killing me softly with his song 
Roberta Flack
 
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song.
I heard he sang a good song,
I heard he had a style,
And so I came to see him and listen for a while.
And there he was this young boy,
a stranger to my eyes,
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song.
I felt all flushed with fever,
Embarrassed by the crowd,
I felt he found my letters and read each word out loud.
I prayed that he would finish,
But he just kept right on
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song
He said as if he knew me
In all my god's spaer
And then he looked right through me
as if I wasn't there.
And he just kept on singing
singing clear and strong
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song.
Oh,oh
la la la la la
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song,
Killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly
He was trumming my pain,
Here he was singing my life,
Killing me softly with his song,
killing me softly with his song,
Telling my whole life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song.

　　这是一首非常优美的歌曲《他的歌让我陶醉》（Killing Me Softly With His Song）中的一部分歌词，它的演唱者是70年代黑人女歌星罗伯塔•弗莱克（Roberta Flack），这首歌不仅获得过排行榜冠军，弗莱克本人也因此获得格莱美奖。

　　关于这首歌，想必很多人都听过，甚至还有不少人都能跟着哼唱几句，但是很少有人知道歌曲中“他”指的是谁、“他的歌”又指的是哪一首歌。
　　其实很多常见的问题往往被我们忽视，当我们要追寻上面问题的答案时，就会发现，这个看似平常的问题后面有一个极其不平常的故事——“他”和“他的歌”的故事。
　　“他”就是美国70年代民歌手唐•麦克莱恩(Don McLean)，“他的歌”就是他在1971年创作的《美国派》（American Pie）。

　　提起《美国派》，不仅仅是中国人，连现在很多美国人首先想到的都是那部青春片《美国派》，如果你稍稍愣一下的话，还会想到麦当娜唱的那首《美国派》，就是不会想起麦克莱恩的《美国派》。30年前发生的事情对于一个信息爆炸社会的人来说也许太久远了，恍如隔世。1971年，麦克莱恩写下了这首《美国派》，不夸张地讲，这首歌从被人们第一次听到直到今天，关于这首歌究竟唱得是什么，就一直没有停止争论过，为这首歌赋予的文化外延远远超过歌曲本身。换句话说，《美国派》就是美国文化的缩影，于是你也很容易理解为什么麦当娜要站在星条旗前扭来扭去唱这首歌——也是美国文化的缩影。

　　麦克莱恩70年代初期开始歌坛生涯，第一张专辑就是《美国派》，也正是因为《美国派》这首歌，使他一夜成名，他在回忆这段经历时说：“那时我还是个穷小子，但这首歌让我一夜之间成为百万富翁。”迄今为止，麦克莱恩共出版了20多张专辑，也有很多热门歌曲，但不幸的是，后来所有歌曲都被《美国派》的辉煌掩盖了。
　　人们为什么要饶有兴致把这首歌争论30年？歌词里到底说了些什么？
　　首先，要搞清楚“美国派”是什么意思，非常遗憾地告诉你，这30年美国人也没搞清楚它到底什么意思。关于“美国派”的含义，有数不清的解释，有人说麦克莱恩以前曾经有个美国小姐候选人的女朋友；也有人认为麦克莱恩把美国本土音乐（尤其是民歌）比喻成美国派，因为唱片界有个传统，常把市场份额称作Pie，美国派就是指美国的那部分份额（因为在60年代英国流行音乐入侵美国后有很大一部分份额被英国音乐瓜分了）；还有一种说法是摇滚歌星巴迪•霍利（Buddy Holly）乘坐飞机失事时那架飞机的名字，这种解释很大程度出于对麦克莱恩内心的猜测，因为歌曲第一部分基本上是在谈巴迪•霍利。

　　也许有人会问，关于歌名以及歌词的含义，难道麦克莱恩自己不清楚么。问题就在这里，麦克莱恩在这首歌曲出版之后就有关这首歌的任何问题都拒绝做出解释，缄默至今。而这首分为6部分共8分34秒的歌曲从字面上看是他对过去美国摇滚乐做出的一个很私人化的总结，但由于比喻、暗示、双关、典故、代名词等在歌词中比比皆是，有些词句的意思模棱两可，所以人们在分析歌词时发现它带有普遍性，每句歌词都能说出一个意思来，并且怎么解释都能说得通。于是，关于这首歌的真正含义就变得更加扑朔迷离，有说是关于鲍勃•迪伦的、有说是关于肯尼迪总统的、有说是圣经典故的，五花八门，不一而足。
　　在歌曲一开始，麦克莱恩唱道：

很久很久以前
我清晰记得音乐常常让我带着笑意
如果给我机会我也会让那些人闻声起舞
也许他们会度过一刻快乐甜蜜
但是二月的一天让我心碎
我投递在台阶的每一张报纸上都有一个坏消息
我无法继续
当我读到关于那个寡妇新娘时
记不清当时是否哭泣
但有一种东西震撼在我心底
这一天，音乐已经死去

American Pie - Don McLean

文章相关内容

American Pie
Don McLean

A long long time ago 
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile 
And I knew if I had my chance 
That I could make those people dance 
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver 
With every paper I'd deliver 
Bad news on the doorstep 
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried 
When I read about his widowed bride 
But something touched me deep inside 
The day the music died

So Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the Book of Love 
And do you have faith in God above 
If the Bible tells you so 
Do you believe in rock 'n roll 
Can music save your mortal soul 
And can you teach me how to dance real slow

Well, I know that you're in love with him 
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym 
You both kicked off your shoes 
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck 
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck 
But I knew I was out of luck 
The day the music died

I started singin' 
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die
Now for ten years we've been on our own 
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone 
But that's not how it used to be 
When the jester sang for the King and Queen 
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean 
And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the King was looking down 
The jester stole his thorny crown 
The courtroom was adjourned 
No verdict was returned

And while Lennon read a book of Marx 
The quartet practiced in the park 
And we sang dirges in the dark 
The day the music died

We were singing 
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter 
The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter 
Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul out on the grass 
The players tried for a forward pass 
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume 
While the Sergeants played a marching tune 
We all got up to dance 
Oh, but we never got the chance 
'Cause the players tried to take the field 
The marching band refused to yield 
Do you recall what was revealed 
The day the music died

We started singing 
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die

Oh, and there we were all in one place 
A generation Lost in Space 
With no time left to start again 
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick 
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage 
My hands were clenched in fists of rage 
No angel born in hell 
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night 
To light the sacrifical rite 
I saw Satan laughing with delight 
The day the music died

He was singing 
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die

I met a girl who sang the blues 
And I asked her for some happy news 
But she just smiled and turned away 
I went down to the sacred store 
Where I'd heard the music years before 
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed 
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed 
But not a word was spoken 
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most 
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost 
They caught the last train for the coast 
The day the music died

And they were singing 
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die 
This'll be the day that I die

They were singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie 
Drove my chevy to the levee 
But the levee was dry 
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 
Singin' this'll be the day that I die

　　这一段主要是在写1959年2月3日发生的那次飞机失事事件，当时摇滚歌星巴迪•霍利和另外3位歌手（实际上威龙•詹宁斯因堵车没有赶上这次航班而幸免于难，从此他拒绝再坐飞机）乘飞机去依阿华州演出，飞机在途中遇到暴风雪而失事，因此这一天常常被称为“摇滚乐消亡日”。而这时，麦克莱恩还是一个送报员。歌曲一开始便笼罩在凶兆和不祥的气氛之中，这一段的伴奏只有一架低沉的钢琴。
　　比如在第三部分中有一句歌词“滚石上长出了丰满的苔藓”，人们至今不明白“滚石”究竟指的是谁。有人猜测可能指鲍勃•迪伦，他在1965年写出了《像一块滚石》（Like a Rolling Stone）并且成为热门歌曲之后，他开始热衷于写一些赞美纯洁爱情的歌曲，并靠丰厚版税陶醉在幸福家庭生活之中，在1966年到1974年期间他甚至没有进行过巡回演出，那个早期愤怒的抗议歌手迪伦不见了，“苔藓”在这里就暗指迪伦沉醉于小富即安的幸福生活；“滚石”的另一种解释是指埃尔维斯•普雷斯利，人们在60年代末期看到的摇滚偶像是一个肥胖臃肿的“猫王”，显然“苔藓”在这里就指是猫王身上的肥肉；还有一种泛泛的解释是60年代巨变使商业得到快速发展，音乐家赚钱变成一件很容易的事情，因此音乐创新上失去了动力，“苔藓”显然是指金钱对音乐的腐蚀；当然，在这些说法上肯定少不了“滚石”乐队，因为这时“滚石”乐队的愤怒早就“卖光了”，“苔藓”就是失去棱角的“滚石”。总之，“滚石”就是指摇滚精神，“苔藓”就是造成丧失摇滚精神的原因，布满苔藓的石头还能滚得起来么？

　　类似这样的词句有很多，根据现在比较流行的分析结果，这首歌歌词中涉及到三十多个人物、近二十首歌曲、二十多个音乐事件和政治事件以及三部电影。
　　麦克莱恩以其特有的忧郁和绝望来演绎这首歌，6部分歌曲以民谣（ballad）层层递进的表现方式，每一部分都加入一部分乐器，节奏也随之加重、加强，让人有种难以喘息的感觉。
　　2000年，麦当娜根据她自对对摇滚乐和五六十年代文化的理解又重新翻唱了这首歌，招来了无数麦克莱恩歌迷的抗议，在歌迷眼里，这是一首神圣的歌曲，不能容忍麦当娜在星条旗面前扭捏淫荡地演唱这首歌。最后，麦克莱恩不得不给歌迷写了一封信，他在信中说：“我一生中从上帝那里收到过许多礼物，但是从女神那里收到礼物，这还是第一次。”总算平息了这场风波。通过这件事，也不难看出，这首歌在人们心中的地位是多么高。

American Pie - Madonna

　　《美国派》是一首关于破碎美国梦的挽歌，它就像一部音乐版的《阿甘正传》，对于不了解50年代和60年代文化和历史的人来说，也许这首歌不知所云，了解历史的人也同样因麦克莱恩的缄默而被这首歌的含义所迷惑。历史上还从来没有一首歌曲像《美国派》被如此多的歌迷、历史学家、社会学家所关注过，它是一个奇特现象，因此，在这首歌出版30年之际，“美国派”话题又将被重新提起，人们还将继续解读其中的谜团。

本期音乐打包下载