A song that never misses the Spring Festival Gala
Overview
Chinese Name: 难忘今宵
English Name: Unforgetable Tonight, Nan Wang Jin Xiao
Composer: Wang Ming 王酩
Lyricist: Qiao Yu 乔羽
Original Singer: Li Guyi 李谷一
Unforgetable Tonight is a song written by Qiao Yu 乔羽, composed by Wang Min 王酩 and sung by Li Guyi 李谷一.
Story Of Unforgetable Tonight
The annual Spring Festival Gala shows are refreshing. However, there is one show that has been on the Spring Festival Gala stage for many years in a row. So far, it has been on the stage 15 times, and almost every time it is the finale. For many viewers, the Spring Festival Gala would not be complete without Li Guyi singing Unforgetable Tonight.
In 1984, Huang Yihe 黄一鹤, the chief director of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, felt that there was a lack of a song that matched the entire program. So Huang Yihe found the lyricist Qiao Yu, hoping that he could write the lyrics for the ending song of the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Rat. Qiao Yu fully reflected the theme thought by Huang Yihe in the lyrics.
After the lyrics were completed, Huang Yihe asked composer Wang Ming to compose the music. However, there was controversy over the song within the director’s team. Some people said that the rhythm of the song was too sad to be played at the Spring Festival Gala.
But Huang insisted on recording the song with Li Guyi, which is why today’s Unforgetable Tonight is born.
Li Guyi was born into an artistic family. When Li Guyi was 30 years old, he became a soloist of the Central Orchestra. Five years later, Li Guyi brought a turning point in her career. In 1979, director Ma Jinghua 马靖华 found Li Guyi and asked her to sing his own song Hometown Love 乡恋.
Soon, the song became popular, which also became the opportunity for Li Guyi to appear on the Spring Festival Gala for the first time.
Unforgetable Tonight is soothing, melodious, with friendly lyrics, easy to get close to the hearts of the audience, easy to sing, and has a more emotional penetration. This song not only expresses the sincere blessings when the feast is about to end and farewells affectionately but also expresses infinite expectations and good wishes for meeting again in the coming year. At the same time, Li Guyi’s soft singing makes the song catchy and memorable.
Green mountains, green waters, ends of the earth, and sea corners, with easy-to-understand lyrics and euphemistic melody, make the song Unforgetable Tonight a classic. Unforgetable Tonight, which has never been absent from the Spring Festival Gala for more than 30 years, has conquered generations with its strong emotions, profound heritage, and beautiful melody.
In 1986, Unforgetable Tonight won the “Morning Bell Award” for Chinese music. Due to the good lyrics, good melody, and the good platform of the Spring Festival Gala, Unforgetable Tonight has gradually become a song sung on specific occasions, and it has also become a classic among the classics.
Whenever Mr. Li Guyi’s familiar voice sounds, it means that another year of the Spring Festival Gala has come to an end, and the new year has officially started. Since 1983, the Spring Festival Gala has gone through 40 Spring and Autumn Festivals. Li Guyi participated in 20 Spring Festival Gala, of which 15 times sang the song Unforgetable Tonight.
Since Unforgetable Tonight is almost always arranged as the last program of the party, Li Guyi is basically the last to appear on stage and the last to leave. Usually when I get home after the performance, it’s almost two o’clock in the morning.
For many people, Unforgetable Tonight has become a kind of collective memory. It not only draws the most beautiful ending to the Spring Festival Gala night after a few hours of carnival, but also draws a new year. Made the best wish.
Lyrics of Friends
Chinese Lyrics
难忘今宵 难忘今宵
不论天涯与海角
神州万里同怀抱
共祝愿祖国好 祖国好
共祝愿 祖国好
共祝愿 祖国好
告别今宵 告别今宵
不论新友与故交
明年春来再相邀
青山在 人未老 人未老
青山在 人未老
青山在 人未老
共祝愿 祖国好
共祝愿 祖国好
English Translation
How unforgettable tonight is
How unforgettable tonight is
One greeting springs from Divine Land to the end of the earth
To our motherland we send our best wishes
May she be well
May she be well
Goodbye tonight goodbye tonight
All my friends and acquaintances let us meet again when next spring comes
The mountains are ever green and we are still youth
Mountains are green and we are youth
Mountains are green and we are youth
May motherland be well
May motherland be well