American college kids in Beijing launch Olympics song
By Vivian Wang
Updated: 2008-06-17 16:48
A musical band of American college kids living in Beijing have launched a song to celebrate Beijing Olympic Games countdown.
Trevor Nichols and Todd Balazovic are members of Horse, Horse, Tiger, Tiger a Beijing-based pop band, and want to let all the 1.3 billion Chinese know how much young foreigners love China.
The song Wo Jiu Shi Ai Bu Guo (I Just Can’t Get Enough Love) is set to appear on Chinese television, Beijing radio. It will soon be launched on the web and the boys hope it will let everybody in China know that they just can’t enough of the people love.
Lead singer Nichols says Beijing is undergoing an amazing transformation and the song reflects the city’s vibrant mood and how much he loves the Olympic city.
“There is so much love in the hearts of Beijingers, both old and young, and my time in the capital has been one of the best times of my life,” he said.
“As our song says, we just can’t get enough of Beijing’s love.”
After the Olympics, the 20-year-old starts his freshman year at Duke University, one of America’s best colleges, and has been working as an intern at China Daily, the only national English language newspaper.
Nichols, whose family lives in Hong Kong, said has caught Olympic Games fever and was excited that Beijing was hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.
Nichols first started learning putonghua when he was at primary school living in Hong Kong and enjoys coming to capital practice his language skills.
The young man said his Chinese friends were surprised to hear an American singing their city’s praises in the local language.
“We had so much fun in Beijing this summer, the local people are fantastic and really friendly,” he said.
“I’m learning Chinese and I love to sing, so releasing this song was a perfect match.”
Balazovic, 23, who returns to Central Michigan University (CMU) later this year, is one many American students working or studying in Beijing.
He also works at China Daily and said experiencing China first hand was a lot differerent to what he learnt in American media.
“I think Americans, and people from all over the world will see a very different China during the Olympic Games, from what they have read in the newspapers or on TV,” he said. “I love this city, and just can’t get enough.”
Ma Ma Hu Hu producer Patrick Whiteley said the song was not an original composition but was a cover version of 1980s pop classic Just Can’t Get Enough by Depeche Mode.
Whiteley, who works as a senior editor at China Daily and lived in Beijing two years, said the band chose the song because many foreigners around the world will recognize the tune and understand the words even though they are in Chinese.
The Australian journalist said laughingly that the band’s name reflects the average ability of everybody in the band. “We are not talented people, we are Ma Ma Hu Hu,” he said.
“But you don’t have to be Lu Xia to be a winner at Beijing Olympics. You can be Ma Ma Hu Hu like us and share the winning spirit of the Games,” he said.
“Beijing is filled with so many great people, and in our eyes we think they are champions.
“The city and its people deserve gold medals and this song is our gift.”
