Ex-Boyfriend: Mayday's "Zhi Ming & Chun Jiao"

This is not a translation; just thought I'd touch on the OST for a bit, since this song is tied thematically to the show and plays a central part in the OTP's meeting: Mayday's Zhi Ming & Chun Jiao. Like I said before, Mayday was already fairly famous then, with this being the song that catapulted them to big-time fame beyond Taiwan. It was THE song to sing in KTVs (the chinese equivalent of noraebangs) and due to the simplicity in its meaning and breezy lyrics, it easily became the theme song for the 90's. So you can imagine why everyone in the show starts bursting into the song when they learn of the two leads' name. The name "Juliet" itself will not raise eyebrows, but Romeo and Juliet? Commence snerking and egging.

On the song's meaning... it's actually sung in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect), so I don't really get what is sung if not for the lyrics (i.e in Mandarin). The song is about a couple who were in love but drifted apart (though it's one-sided, for Chun Jiao loves him no more). Yeah, the irony of it is not lost on me. Foreshadowing for the teenage couple, perhaps?

The office workers singing... you guessed it. "Zhi Ming & Chun Jiao"

Though in the song it is not known why Chun Jiao does not love him anymore (Zhi Ming wonders why), I have always thought it was because he cheated on her. Why? Here's my hypothesis: the alternate (i.e English) title for Zhi Ming & Chun Jiao is "Peter & Mary," and the name Peter sounds like "cheating" when you say it Chinese. Hur hur, geddit? 

OK maybe I'm the only one lame enough to have this line of thought, but could it be that the writers were inspired by this too, and hence this drama? LOL, probably not huh. I give myself too much credit.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a not-to-be-missed live version of Zhi Ming & Chun Jiao from their Just Rock It concert in Sydney, Australia. He gives an introduction (in English!) about the song. In the lead singer's words:

Ashin: "It's just a song about uh, love. Two people, uh... a boy and a girl. They fall in love and then they... don't fall in love." 

LOL. Too adorable. See it for yourself here:

It feels like a low-key affair (though by no means low energy); Ashin interacts with his fans, making small talk. He goes about how it has been 13 years [since Mayday's debut], and jokes about "a very special item he brought all the way to Australia" (a chair LOL). Apologizing for a joke, he says "sorry" (in English), leading fans to comment his English is good. Hence his introduction of Zhi Ming and Chun Jiao in English. So cuteee.