Lessons from a lyric

Upon its release at the end of April, the song "Vietnamese People Love Each Other" by composer Chau Dang Khoa, about the country and homeland, featuring two famous female vocalists, sparked rather harsh criticism from the public. This all stemmed from a line in the song: "The ripe rice stalks are tall but do not bow their heads."

The public's reaction is understandable; the author made a mistake in both factual and cultural knowledge. From a natural perspective, rice plants usually bend over when ripe because the grains are plump, heavy, and ready for harvest.

In the cultural sphere, the image of "rice stalks bowing their heads" carries many layers of meaning, most notably in the familiar idiom "Deep rivers flow silently, ripe rice stalks bow their heads," which is often understood to represent humility, maturity, and wisdom.

Thus, with the lyrics "The ripe rice stalks stand tall but never bow their heads," the composer reversed the element, making the ripe rice stalks "hold their heads high" to fulfill the idea of ​​expressing defiance and spirit.

But in a society as deeply rooted in agriculture as Vietnam, creating such forced lyrics makes it difficult for audiences to accept the logic, let alone the content.

Many people also believe that, literally, only empty-grained rice can "hold its head high," and empty-grained rice is considered worthless. Figuratively, the flattering terms the author uses for rice are very familiar in literature, but are usually reserved for bamboo!

The author promptly realized their mistake and corrected the lyrics. However, this story serves as a wake-up call to many authors, especially young ones, about the importance of equipping themselves with extensive knowledge.

The trend of drawing inspiration from folklore is gaining attention; however, to transform traditional elements into contemporary creations, artists need understanding to avoid creating something that unfortunately becomes a misguided interpretation.

Because when artists choose to explore folk materials and long-standing symbolic images, they are not only approaching an aesthetic element, but also touching a part of the nation's memory and value system.

The audience's reaction to the phrase "ripe rice" shows that the public is increasingly interested in appreciating cultural products, especially when it comes to traditional national culture.

LAN VY

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bai-hoc-tu-mot-ca-tu-post850728.html