Cambodia will
always have a special place in my heart. It may have had a very troubled past,
but it has a great historic culture, very friendly people and delicious food
(loc lac !), so living there for a year was a joy.
In the 1960s, musicians converging in Phnom
Penh, lead by Sinn Sisamouth, were influenced by American Forces radio in
Vietnam and imported French & Latin America records. They created their own
unique version of rock 'n' roll with a Khmer twist, which became known as "Cambodia
psychedelia". They would often add their own Khmer lyrics to a Western
song (like "Hey Jude" or "Proud Mary") or write their own
original. Recordings were made quickly, live in the studio, with guitars, drums
and a Farfisa organ.
Ros Serey
Sothea from Battambang became the most popular female singer, lauded as
"The Queen with the Golden Voice" by King Sihanouk, no less. She
established a reputation for ballads with her powerful voice, but also dabbled
in rock 'n roll and frequently duetted with
Sisamouth. In a short career she produced a large body of work (the
Internet has over 100 examples), and frequently appeared in Cambodian movies
too.
"Wait 10
months" starts with fierce and thrilling guitar solo, then breaks into a
typical Khmer pop song beat. Sothea's voice is sweet, high-pitched but still forceful. Backing vocals in the chorus come from Sinn Sinnamouth. In the middle there is a distorted guitar solo
and the organ fills out the joyful sound.
With my
excellent Khmer skills ("SuesDay"), the song relates to a girl coming
on age on New Year's Eve, (Cambodia traditionally added a year to the age at
New Year, rather than the birthday). She has blossomed, and so has many potential
suitors ("men are gazing at
me"). However she is
reluctant ("I do not need to respond"), and vows to stay single for
another 10 months (why 10 months specifically is not explained).
Details of
the song's production are sketchy, I cannot credit the songwriter, but it seems
to have been released in 1970, a momentous year in Cambodian history.
Sothea's personal
life was tumultuous with two failed marriages (one of them abusive) and support
for the Khmer Republic (maybe even training as a paratrooper), but she kept performing
. There are conflicting stories of her fate under the Khmer Rouge regime, but
most agree she did not reach her 29th birthday.
However some
of her music managed to survive on old vinyl and bootlegs tapes, before a
revival was launched in the 1990s with the "Cambodian Rocks" CD. This was more widespread in the 2000s with
"City of Ghosts" movie (shot in Bokor) and the current US / Cambodian
group "Dengue Fever" (who cover this song with the title "New
Year's Eve").
The song is
best enjoyed with a $2 mojito and Deb Toby Jeffery.
Hear Next -
"Don't Think I've Forgotten" is a compelling and
heart-breaking documentary film about Cambodia's 1960's music scene, and 4 CD "Cambodia Rocks" is the best
compilation.
