Cui Jian – My Wish 崔健-我的心愿 1985

"My Wish" comes from Cui Jian's 2nd album – a cassette one – called " Calling In A Dream" 1985. I only discovered Cui Jian through my Mainland China part of the project. He is probably the most successful and influential musician in Chinese Rock history, and yet is not as well known – outside of his genre – as perhaps he should be. Cui Jian was born on August 2, 1961 into a musical family in Beijing. His father was ethnic Korean and a professional trumpet player, and his mother was a member of a Korean dance troupe. Cui Jian followed his father to start playing the trumpet at the age of fourteen and joined the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra in 1981. He was first introduced to rock during this period when friends smuggled in illicit recordings from Hong Kong and Bangkok. Inspired by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel and John Denver, Cui began learning to play the guitar

In 1984 Cui Jian formed his first band – The Seven-Player band – with six other classically trained musicians, including the saxophonist/suona player Liu Yuan, who wrote "My Wish". They were greatly influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Talking Heads. They performed their own works—mostly soft rock and love songs—in local hotels and bars. Progressive and folk rock influences began to show in their work which was new and innovatory.in China then. Electric guitar was prominent, an instrument rarely heard in Chinese popular music. After the 2nd album in 1985, the band split. Cui shot to stardom in 1986, when he performed "Nothing to My Name" at the World Peace Concert in Beijing. The next year he left his permanent job with the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1988, he played at the Seoul Olympics broadcast live worldwide. A special moment given his Korean Heritage.

His first real album, Rock and Roll on the New Long March, was released in 1989. This featured "Nothing to My Name" and the moody "False Monk" It became a seminal album. He released his second solo album "solved", in 1991 , and in 1992,"Resolution". He began touring different countries, and making his mark worldwide. In 1994 he issued "Red Flag eggs"1998. His fourth album "incompetent power" was digital avant-garde rock, and very different to his previous works.

On 24 September 2005, Cui was finally granted permission to headline his own show at the Beijing Capital Stadium, which signified the end of the unofficial ban on his performances in Beijing. It also confirmed a major turn-around in government attitude towards rock music in general. Cui finally played with the Rolling Stones at the Shanghai Grand Stage on 8 April 2006, singing and playing "Wild Horses". Cui was quoted as saying, "This is the 20th anniversary of Chinese rock 'n' roll... We have an appointment. In the near future, they will be back, and we'll rock again in Beijing."

Mandarin Lyrics:
我的心在草原 我要骑在马儿上去追回遗失的光阴
我的心在高山 我要做那山鹰展翅飞翔在群山之上
我的心在大海 我要飘向远方
我愿是那海鸥 迎着狂风迎着巨浪
不管我在哪游荡 不管我在哪流浪
那热爱生活的心 永远在跳动
我要走 我要走完这漫长的路 去寻找一条真正的生活道路
我要歌 我要唱 唱尽我的欢乐悲伤
让这歌声伴随着我 找到希望 找到光明 啦
English Translation
Lyrics and music: Liu Yuan
I wish in my heart that I was riding a horse through the grasslands making up for lost time, Recovering lost time
My heart is in the mountains and I wish I was an Eagle flying over these mountains
My heart is in the sea, drifting in the ocean
I wish that I was a seagull facing the wind and facing the waves
No matter where I am wandering, no matter where I am wandering
My heart will always beat to my love of life
I'm going to finish this long journey and find a real path in life
I want to sing this song and hope that it turns my sorrow into joy
Let my song accompany me as a friend as I seek to find the light ....
Pinyin:
Wǒ de xīn zài cǎoyuán wǒ yào qí zài mǎ er shang qù zhuī huí yíshī de guāngyīn zhuī huí yíshī de guāngyīn
wǒ de xīn zài gāoshān wǒ yào zuò nà shān yīng zhǎnchì fēixiáng zài qún shānzhīshàng
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wǒ de xīn zài dàhǎi wǒ yào piāo xiàng yuǎnfāng
wǒ yuàn shì nà hǎi'ōu yíngzhe kuángfēng yíngzhe jù làng
bùguǎn wǒ zài nǎ yóudàng bùguǎn wǒ zài nǎ liúlàng
nà rè'ài shēnghuó de xīn yǒngyuǎn zài tiàodòng
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wǒ yào zǒu wǒ yào zǒu wán zhè màncháng de lù qù xúnzhǎo yītiáo zhēnzhèng de shēnghuó dàolù
wǒ yào gē wǒ yào chàng chàng jǐn wǒ de huānlè bēishāng
ràng zhè gēshēng bànsuízhe wǒ zhǎodào xīwàng zhǎodào guāngmíng la……