Nha Phuong edited the lyrics of the 1986 song Hoa Sua and musician Hong Dang's unexpected reaction

Nha Phuong changed the lyrics of the song Hoa Sua on the first recording

"Hoa sua" is a song about Hanoi, associated with the name of musician Hong Dang. This song was composed by him in 1978 under the "order" of director Duc Hoan as the theme song for the movie "Hanoi in the season of birds making nests".

Sharing with Dan Viet , Ms. Le Anh Thuy - wife of musician Hong Dang said that when he was alive, musician Hong Dang told her in detail the origin of this song. Accordingly, when asking musician Hong Dang to write the theme song for the movie "Hanoi in the season of birds making nests", director Duc Hoan said that this was her first film, so the soundtrack required a love song that was typical of Hanoi's youth. This request made musician Hong Dang struggle for a long time, until the movie was almost finished but he still couldn't think of the theme song.

Musician Hong Dang and Ms. Le Anh Thuy. Photo: NVCC

"One day, while chatting, poet Nguyen Huong Tram suggested: "You see, Hanoi has a flower with a very special scent, the milk flower. The word "milk flower" suddenly brought out the first musical phrase of the song, although at that time Mr. Hong Dang did not know what the milk flower looked like. The theme song was born very quickly. And as usual, Mr. Dang completed the soundtrack that night and sent it to the studio. The song recorded for the soundtrack was performed by People's Artist Le Dung. She sang it clearly, simply and full of sadness. The film was shown, the song was loved by students, sung and circulated widely among students in Hanoi. At that time, I had a friend studying at the Central University of Music and Fine Arts who sang this song very well and often sang it to me," Ms. Le Anh Thuy said.

The song "Hoa sua" has been successfully performed by many singers. The first person to perform it to be included in the film "Ha Noi in the season of birds making nests" was People's Artist Le Dung. Next, in 1986, Nha Phuong recorded this song on cassette tape. At that time, the duo Bao Yen - Nha Phuong were a musical "phenomenon", thanks to which the song was widely popularized to the public and loved.

Nha Phuong recorded the song "Hoa sua" in 1986. Clip source: Trung Nguyen

"During the time Mr. Hong Dang was in Ho Chi Minh City, the sisters Nha Phuong - Bao Yen were "making waves" all over the music scene. Once, Nha Phuong asked Mr. Hong Dang "Do you have any song for me to sing?" Mr. Hong Dang gave her the song "Hoa Sua". And it was Nha Phuong who first brought "Hoa Sua" to the professional music scene.

According to Mr. Hong Dang, after having the recording, Nha Phuong gave it to him to listen to, after listening, Mr. Hong Dang really liked it. Although he really liked it and praised it, Mr. Hong Dang still discovered that Nha Phuong sang a line wrong: "But common friends, small roads" but Nha Phuong sang it as "But old friends, small roads".

Mr. Hong Dang told Nha Phuong, she laughed and said: "I made that line better than yours." And they both laughed heartily. Recording at that time was very difficult. Recording meant singing it again with the band, not cutting and pasting it as easily as it is now. Nha Phuong performed the song very well, with a lot of emotion. Nha Phuong took the song out of the movie, gave it its own life, was independent... and many people loved it. And the author of "Hoa sua" only found out what hoa sua really was long after the song became famous," Ms. Le Anh Thuy added.

Musician Hong Dang has been complained many times because of "Hoa sua"

According to Ms. Le Anh Thuy, "Hoa sua" was originally a song written for the movie "Ha Noi in the season of birds making nests" - the movie is a love story of a couple of Hanoi students and the problem of job assignment after graduation. At that time, many people were still struggling with the thought of staying in the capital to work to have leisure or going to where the country needed them. Therefore, the movie was widely shown in universities, colleges... and was very popular among students. Not because of the main message of the movie but because the movie depicts a romantic love that is very Hanoian. The dating scenes between artist Nhu Quynh and artist Tran Van in the movie are very beautiful.

During his lifetime, musician Hong Dang encountered many funny and sad stories because of "Hoa sua". Photo: TL

As soon as the film was released, "Hoa sua" was very popular among students at that time. Many people copied the song in their scrapbooks. Although the song did not mention any place in Hanoi, it was very Hanoian. Thanks to the popularity of the song, Hoa sua was planted more in Hanoi and many other localities. However, the dense density of flowers made the scent strong, causing people around to always complain about the scent of this flower. Even musician Hong Dang was once "complained" about the scent of Hoa sua.

The song "Hoa Sua" was later performed by a number of singers such as: Thanh Hoa, Hong Nhung, Ho Quynh Huong, My Linh, Le Quyen, Thanh Lam... The most popular version is by diva Thanh Lam. During his lifetime, musician Hong Dang said that each singer performed with a different style and perception, bringing their own beauty. Hong Nhung's performance was clear, while Thanh Lam's voice was passionate and seductive.

Musician Hong Dang also jokingly told that every autumn, many people call him and say: "My sin is so great, because of me people plant milk flowers all over the streets". On Facebook, many people also quote the song to complain because the flower smell is too strong and suffocating. Musician Hong Dang considers it a funny story in his profession. For him, the important thing is that the work is well received and lives forever in the hearts of the audience.

On October 28, 2021, musician Hong Dang was awarded the Bui Xuan Phai Award - For the Love of Hanoi for his outstanding contributions to the capital's music, including the song "Hoa Sua".

Source: https://danviet.vn/nha-phuong-che-loi-bai-hat-hoa-sua-nam-1986-va-phan-ung-bat-ngo-cua-nhac-si-hong-dang-2024071508130571.htm