Mayday – Sad People Should Not Listen to Slow Songs
A couple of months ago, Taiwanese band Mayday had launched a single titled Sad People Should Not Listen to Slow Songs (Stay Happy Through the End) (傷心的人別聽慢歌(貫徹快樂)), a song specifically used to promote Coca Cola for the summer… and what a summer it’s been (for you, guys). Record-breaking heat, rains and droughts…
I love how musicians in the west are now discovering the CRAZY idea to write music for companies — the so called “not-a-jingle” (because jingles ARE SOOOO TACKY) or how highbrow people seem to be calling it… the “branded pop song” [1]. Asians musicians have been working with products for what seems to be their whole careers and had been constantly looked down upon for doing so… because Western musicians made their money selling music, not other products. Well, not anymore!
The song, written and composed by A-Shin, is your typical upbeat fun Mayday tune. I don’t think it matches the good nature fun qualities of LOVE-I.N.G (戀愛ING) [MV], but it addresses the more pessimistic mood that’s been filling people’s life in the later years of this new millennium. You can check the English translation for yourself, if you activate the CC on the YouTube upload.
The music video was directed by Muh Chen Yi Ren, and it’s great as it follows four separate storylines with an office guy overwhelmed by work, a girl struggling with plastic surgery, a high school kid struggling with school, and a little kid dealing with his parents’ arguing.
The difference with this and the so-called branded pop song is that I doubt you’re gonna see me uploading Oreo Wonderfilled [1] to my iPod, but Sad People Should Not Listen to Slow Songs is actually a full-fledged song that you can purchase off of iTunes. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be available to buy through the US store despite being available in others…
— EDIT August 20th —
The Coca Cola Concert Version of the video has been uploaded.
— EDIT November 7th —
A Japanese version of the song featuring Teru from GLAY was uploaded, featuring an extra storyline in the music video and titled Dancin’ Dancin’.
The Japanese song will be included in the Japanese edition of the Best Of compilation titled Mayday×五月天 the Best of 1999‐2013, which will include the band’s hit singles in Mandarin, as well as the Japanese songs Belief (Belief ～春を待つ君へ～) [MV] which they performed with flumpool, as well as a version of OAOA [MV], which they performed with Ryuta Yamamura of flumpool [audio].
