(1961– )
Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock and roll, was born to ethnic Korean parents in Beijing in 1961. His father was a professional trumpet player and his mother was a dancer in a Korean minority troupe. At the age of twenty, Cui secured a position as a classical trumpet player in Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra. Inspired by Western rock music (Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, etc.) which had found its way into China’s cultural underground, Cui formed a band called Seven-Ply Board in 1984. Two years later, his sensational performance at a concert in Beijing propelled him to national stardom, and the song “Nothing to My Name” became the biggest hit in Chinese history. His first album, Rock ’n’ Roll on the New Long March, was released in 1987. In the post-Tiananmen years, Cui has remained the most popular and politically contentious musician in China, a powerful spokesperson for the powerless silent majority.
I keep asking endlessly
When will you go with me?
But you always laugh at me.
I’ve nothing to my name.
I’ll give you all my dreams,
Give you my freedom too.
But you always laugh at me.
I’ve nothing to my name.
Oh-o-o-o-oh! When will you go with me?
Oh-o-o-o-oh! When will you go with me?
The ground beneath my feet is moving.
The water by my side is flowing.
But you always laugh at me.
I’ve nothing to my name.
Why do you always laugh?
Why do I always chase you?
Do I in your eyes forever
Have nothing to my name?
Oh-o-o-o-oh! When will you go with me?
Oh-o-o-o-oh! When will you go with me?
I tell you I’ve waited too long.
I tell you my last wish.
I want to take your hands in mine
Then you’ll go with me.
This time your hands are trembling.
This time your tears are flowing.
Perhaps you’re saying you love me
Tho’ I’ve nothing to my name.
Oh-o-o-o-oh! Then you’ll go with me.
Oh-o-o-o-oh! Then you’ll go with me.
(Translated by Yunte Huang)