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| Illustrative image. – File photo |
But up-and-coming singer Ky Ky offered a hip mash-up with a guitar accompaniment that made it not only possible but loved by thousands of young people.
On her Facebook account, the singer posted on May 11 that she had not contacted the composer of Chú Voi Con ở Bản Đôn Pham Tuyen to say that she agreed to remove from YouTube the video clip where she sang the mash-up and warned her fans not to upload a copy on YouTube. She said she really liked the song but had to do this due to a YouTube copyright-related warning.
In another message to communications companies, she asked them to draw a clear line between infringements and not-for-profit music covers for the public benefit.
Posting a screenshot of an email sent to her by Hong An Communications and Entertainment Co Ltd authorised by Pham Tuyen to represent him in copyrighting his songs, Ky Ky took the opportunity to thank her fans and subscribers to her S.K.M. Pham channel on YouTube, which currently has nearly 6,000 subscribers.
Pham Tuyen is a famed Vietnamese composer, who wrote hundreds of beloved children’s song including the Little Elephant, Cánh Én Mùa Xuân (The Wings of Spring Swallows) and Trái Đất Này Là Của Chúng Mình (This Earth Belong to Us, the Children). It is not an overstatement to say that all Vietnamese children grow up on at least a couple of the songs he wrote.
But he is most famous for another song, composed in April 1975, when Vietnam was reunified after many years of devastating war and family separation: Như Có Bác Hồ Trong Ngày Vui Đại Thắng (As if Uncle Ho Were Here on Great Victory Day). The song’s chorus, “Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh” sang three times has become well-known nationwide.
As the young son of decorated high-court monarchist Pham Quynh of Vietnam’s last dynasty, who was killed in 1945, it sent the message that Pham Tuyen had reconciled his family tragedies with his country’s bigger accomplishments for the people.
The elephant song was written about a stray baby elephant in Don Hamlet, heart of the kingdom of elephant taming by the E De ethnic people. Traditionally, villagers go into the jungle to catch grown elephants and take them home to train to carry large logs, goods and later, carry tourists on their backs. The tamers would spare smaller elephants to let them live in peace.
Pham Tuyen visited Don Hamlet with some other composers to look for inspiration when they heard about this E De tradition. He wrote the song about the baby elephant that strayed to Don Hamlet and was taken care of by the villagers.
The chorus goes: “Hey baby elephant, you shall grow up fast into a sweet giant with a beautiful pair of ivory, you would fathom the far and deep jungle and carry logs home to build new houses for our village.”
The lyrics have been sung by generations of young children with naivety about the elephant, the nature and the tradition of the E De. No one ever questions otherwise.
When Ky Ky first improvised the song, she had made the little elephant into the image of a person’s love by adding a simple line from Nobody: “I want nobody but you, the Little Elephant”.
Comments on her video showed people liked her cracked voice, which made her cover appealing. Nguyen My Linh, a VTV reporter on culture and music, even commented on her voice on the cover of a popular Trinh Cong Son song: “Listening to you, I’m reminded of Khanh Ly in her youth.” Khanh Ly is a living legend in her 70s renowned for her prowess at singing Trinh Cong Son songs.
Things are complex enough to just end the matter there, but the conservation NGO PanNature took it further by uploading a video by Ky Ky with the totally new lyrics and uploaded it on their YouTube channel on April 16.
The lyrics had completely switched the original lyrics into a declaration that denounced the elephant taming tradition and denounced tourists who sit happily on the back of elephants in the Central Highlands.
PanNature operates under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations and receives funding from the EU and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale or German International Cooperation).
Nguyen Thuy Hang, PanNature head of Communications, told Việt Nam News: “We have not sought permission of composer Pham Tuyen upon rewriting these lyrics.”
The clip has been turned into a pathetic song emphasising that only baby elephants who lost their mothers to the taming tradition would go astray.
“The little baby elephant of Don Hamlet, grew up without his mother, so he would not be happy and always feels lost,” a couplet has it.
The song goes on to blame irresponsible people, who became blind for profit to push the illegal and cruel trade of hunting elephants for their ivory and the hairs on their tails, which are made into gold rings, supposedly to bring good luck.
“I am afraid that our message to save our elephants and nature now will get a twisted reaction,” Hang said.
Her organisation’s motto on the website is “reconciliation between humans and nature”, but now they need to follow the law and reconcile with the composer, who wrote the song and lyrics in goodwill.
Everybody meant well in this complex matter: the composer wrote a loving song for a baby elephant, who went stray and lost its herd, the singer wanted to breathe new life into a popular song and the non-profit organisation wanted people to protect wildlife and nature.
But they need to follow the law to carry their goodwill and intentions through.
“I feel quite disappointed,” wrote Ky Ky in her Facebook statement. “I was happy when I sang the song and wanted to channel positive energy to my audience.
“My apologies to all my fans and those who supported me. I will never sing this song again on any stage.
“I hope I’ll keep my energy and joy intact to provide you with more quality cover songs.”
Sadly, it may be too early to dream about a reunion concert when Ky Ky can sing the song on stage with Pham Tuyen in the audience and appeal to the public not to use products made from elephants or ride on their backs. VNS
The little elephant in Đôn Hamlet
Chú voi con, ở bản Đôn
The Little Elephant in Đôn Hamlet
Chưa có ngà nên còn trẻ con
He has not have any tusks so he’s still a child
Từ rừng già chú đến với người
He has come from the deep jungle to be with humans in the village
Vẫn ham ăn với lại ham chơi He still likes good food and likes playing
Voi con ơi, voi con ơi
Hey, baby elephant, baby elephant!
Mau lớn nhanh có đôi ngà to
You shall grow big fast with beautiful long pair of ivory tusks
Có sức đi muôn dặm rừng xa
Strong enough to fathom miles and miles of the jungle
Kéo gỗ cho buôn làng của ta
To carry wood for our villagers,
Chú voi con thật là khôn
The baby elephant is very smart
Quen thiếu nhi khắp vùng Bản Đôn
He knows all the children in Đôn Hamlet
Đầu gật gù, lúc lắc chiếc vòi
His head nods, his trunk wags
Khéo đung đưa theo nhịp chiêng vui
Along with the gongs beat
Voi con ơi, voi con ơi Baby elephant, baby elephant
Mau lớn lên có thân mình to
You shall grow up fast to have a giant body
Khắp chốn Tây Nguyên còn nhiều voi
In the Central Highlands there are still many elephants
Góp sức xây buôn làng đẹp tươi
They would help build happy villages
Voi ơi voi ơi…
PanNature version:
Chú voi con ở bản Đôn
Little elephant in Đôn Hamlet
Thiếu bóng mẹ khi còn trẻ con
Từ rừng già lạc đến với người
Strayed from deep jungle to the humans
Rất bơ vơ nên chẳng ham chơi
So abandoned he would not want to play
Chú voi con ở bản Đôn
Little elephant of Đôn Hamlet
Chưa có ngà vì còn trẻ con
Not having ivories yet because he was small
Mà già rồi chú cũng mất ngà
But even if he’s older, his ivories would be cut off
Vẫn còn hơn mất mạng voi ta
It’s better than losing his body
Voi con ơi voi con hỡi
Hey baby elephant, baby elephant
Chớ có mau lớn nhanh làm chi
Don’t rush to grow up, baby
Thế giới kia bao người khinh khi
The world out there would take you down
Bất chấp lương tâm và công lý
Despite the conscience and justice
Voi con ơi, Voi con hỡi
Hey baby Elephant, baby Elephant
Chớ lớn lên với đôi ngà to
Don’t grow up with a big pair of ivories
Khiến trai tim bao người u mê
Making so many people’s hearts squeezed
Đánh mất trí tuệ và từ bi
They lose their wisdom and kindness
2. Chú voi con, ở bản
Đôn Little elephant of Đôn Hamlet
Thiếu bóng mẹ khi còn trẻ con
Growing up without his mum when small
Ngoài rừng già mẹ đã xa đời
Deep in the jungle his mother had passed away
Mất lông đuôi với cặp ngà voi
Losing her tail’s hair and the pair of ivories (Note: Asian female elephants do not have tusks)
3. Chú voi già ở bản Đôn
The Old Elephant of Đôn Hamlet
Sống với người nên phải làm công
Living with humans thus he had to work
Vượt rừng già voi đã rã rời
Exhausted to pass large jungle
Cưỡi trên lưng người vẫn tươi vui
People riding on his back sport happy smiles
Chú voi già, ở Việt Nam
The Old Elephant in Việt Nam
Biết lúc nào mới tạo trẻ con
Who knows when to make his babies
Rồi một ngày chú cũng qua đời
One day he would die away
Voi chỉ còn là truyền thuyết thôi
All elephants become legend only
by Nguyen My Ha
