There are few things more satisfying than being able to belt out Mandopop tunes off-key at the top of your lungs through a karaoke machine, while forcing your equally tone-deaf friends to sway along to the melody with a beatific smile on their faces.
But enough about my childhood. These are the classic 90s Mandopop songs that GEN Xers will remember 100% of the lyrics to, despite not having listened to them for 20+ years. The Mid-Autumn Festival is the perfect time to fire up the karaoke machine, so round up five close friends, get a box of mooncakes and some Chinese tea and get ready to sing your heart out.
1. 月亮代表我的心 – 邓丽君
This magical ballad from Teresa Teng (RIP) is a testament to the timelessness of music. 月亮代表我的心 is considered one of the most beloved songs of all time, and easy enough to sing along even if your Mandarin is, as they call it in the local vernacular, half-past-six.
2. 愛相隨 – 周華健 Emil/Wakin Chau
We don’t have much to say except that both the song and Emil Chau have aged really well.
3. 听海 – 張惠妹
Try this only if you take it two octaves down, or if your friends have active noise cancelling ears. Otherwise why not just let A-Mei do the heavy lifting? Lip-syncing is performance too.
4. 关怀方式 ~ 蔡礼莲 & 陈汉伟
I know you can play the guitar interlude for this – let’s just say you, me and 38,437 other guys growing up in the 90s have this specific skill set.
5. 吻別-張學友
This song is so catchy you’ll never kiss it goodbye. No really, it’ll haunt the halls of your head space from the time of the Hungry Ghost Festival all the way through to Halloween.
In a good way, of course.
