Connie's contemporary films almost always featured a couple of songs, which were also released on 45rpm EP records. Mixing elements of Cantonese folk melodies and Western popular music, her songs helped give birth to what would later become known as Cantopop.
A splendid example of Connie's hybrid pop sound is the following song from Lady Bond Strikes Again (1966), which takes "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music and turns it into “Let’s Practice Kung Fu Fighting”!
Although Connie's legendary Lady Bond movies are criminally unavailable on DVD, you can at least get a taste from M59's wonderful homemade music video. The translated lyrics below are courtesy of Connie Chan fans Webbburt and Cindy Law.
“Let’s Practice Kung Fu Fighting”
from Lady Bond Strikes Again (1966)
Throwing a punch and a kick requires method
(repeat verse)
The energy and agility must be appropriate
(repeat verse)
Eyes in four directions, while ears in eight
Keep the cool, facing battle without haste
(Practice our kung fu, even better than James Bond
The fast paced attack is fun)
Attack the enemy while he is not on guard
(Let’s practice till we are strong as King Kong)
Hope everybody will be diligent in practicing
(But we must strengthen our physique first)
This kung fu tactic is fierce as it uses both fists
(Yes, this one is very fierce)
This kung fu tactic is to target the enemy’s stomach
(Yes, hit the enemy’s stomach)
This kung fu tactic is to make the enemy underestimate our tiger-fierce attacks
(Yes, this tactic is really tricky and very effective)
Attacking the enemy with a few quick punches is hard to defend
(repeat verse)
This kung fu tactic flies like a butterfly, stings like a bee
(repeat verse)
This kung fu tactic flies like a ruthless eagle
(repeat verse)
This kung fu tactic kills without the enemy even knowing
(repeat verse)
This kung fu tactic gives the enemy a misty eye so he can’t defend
(repeat verse)
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6 comments:
So does that mean the Lady Bond films all still exist? I wasn't sure when I was making the Jane Bond splash page
Yes, all four Lady Bond films still exist... and you can even watch them at the Hong Kong Film Archive's resource center. But for some reason that I'm not clear on, the copyright owner refuses to sell the licensing rights. :(
Wonder if Connie was ever auditioned for a real James Bond film. She was THE action star in the 60s, can't imagine EON Productions who made all the Bond movies actually missed her.
I guess she could have played the role of Ling in You Only Live Twice (played by Tsai Chin), but Connie didn't fit the profile of the sexy Bond girl. Besides I'm not sure that Sean Connery would have wanted to share the screen with a cross-dressing teenage girl who could probably kick his ass! ;p
You know what, Connie's voice has always amazed me.She was trained as a Cantonese Opera cross-dressing male lead "Man Mou Sang" ,so even when she sang all these canto-pop songs, she still sounded like Cantonese Opera in disguise. It is a very strange kind of hybrid to some extent, it is kitsch and chic all in one.
Yes, her opera-style singing is what makes these songs so charming!
And while Connie's female voice (which she uses in her romance songs) doesn't place her in the ranks of great singers, her sincere delivery always wins me over.
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