Conversations With Children of Mars (ET) (与火星的孩子对话)
Single released on October 28, 2019. Be included in Hua Chenyu’s 4th album “NEW WORLD”.
1. About the song
Mars Triology - Part Three
First duet song since his debut, and expressing Hua Chenyu’s bond with his fans, whose nickname is Martian (ET).
To Love Is to Understand
In the promotion trailer for “Conversations With Children of Mars”, we see this quote: “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.” It seems that Hua did his soul-searching and decided that out of the many theories about the significance of life, to love and to be loved is what he identifies with.
But how can one be convinced that he is loved? This is such an old topic that talking about it could be boring. But do we really understand it? In my own observation, we may know about this in theory but rarely can we practice it effectively.
Obviously, being loved as a target of desire is flattering since it’s a response to, and a kind of approval of, a person based on his merits. Some people’s love is conditioned on whether their loved ones can maintain these merits and consequently it is egocentric. More often than not, the admiration of a person will evolve into a concern over their well-being, such that we would care about the pain and suffering of those we love. Over time, we grow attached to them. We worry about them, miss them, think about them, be happy for them, cheer for them, and encourage them when they stumble. Our love will gradually mature from being egocentric to altruistic, from being demanding to nurturing.
Barrier…
Having many, many fans, one would think that Hua Hua must have already attained his happiness by being the center of so many people’s attention and desire, and certainly a lot of fans love him as dearly as a family member. However, in the first half of the “Conversations With Children of Mars” MV, we see a metaphorical scene in which he is alone in a cave while his fans are separated from him and gazing on him from behind a transparent barrier. In the cave, the environment is dark and gloomy and Hua is confused and in pain. I can’t help wondering if this barrier has been imposed by himself, by Martians, or by both?
Do you know about my pain?
We do know that even among loving family members if there is a lack of mutual understanding, there is often a chasm between the giving end and the receiving end. If you are concerned about the well-being of those you love, but you don’t understand their vulnerability or their fear and you stay ignorant of their pain, then you may deeply offend their sense of dignity. They may feel that you have reduced their whole person to a few merits that please you and are of value to you. They may also feel that you project your own views of what is good and bad onto them and ignore their interests and needs. In all of these cases, no matter how strong your love is, it will drag down your loved ones like a burden rather than nurture them to be a better version of themselves.
Of course, sometimes, the barrier is not entirely our fault. After all, we can’t even understand ourselves completely let alone another person. So it is necessary to communicate with each other. We see that Hua Hua has decided to open up to let us know about his happiness, anger, sadness, and joy so that we can have a chance to understand his inner struggles. It’s not just a conversation with Martians, but also a plea for understanding. An appeal for the beautiful, which hasn’t been accorded for some time but is “finally favored”.
“I am no longer silent because you choose to understand me”– I think Hua’s line of lyrics is the essence of the whole song. To love is to understand. The effort in trying to understand another human being is the ultimate respect and love that we can offer. It’s about taking a person for what he is on the whole instead of distorting him to fit him into our narratives in order to please ourselves. Only through understanding, can we offer unconditional support to those we love.
You have brought light into my world
By calling out for understanding, Hua Hua bravely walks out of his cave and reconciles with that lonely and battered self treading water, who wants love yet can’t open himself up and who rejects people who come too close. “Martian Children” then reach out to him and reflect light into his world by holding up a mirror, and subsequently, his world is depicted in a warmer tone in the second half of the music video.
Children’s view of the world is not tainted by ideas
Here I have to bring up the metaphor in the song title. He calls it “Conversations With Martian Children”. Obviously, most Martians are not children but adults. However, only a pure and childlike mind can be observant and can take in a person in his totality. Therefore, by addressing Martians as children, he is calling out for the kind of understanding which is prejudice-free and only conceivable by a childlike mind.
Reconcile with oneself
This is indeed a first step towards the ideal of universal love. We have to reach out for mutual understanding if we want the chance to love and to be loved. Maybe most people still can’t understand each other, but there are always some who can. In sharing our own vulnerabilities, we allow other people to find resonance and strength in our struggles, and in the process, we start to look at each other as real human beings instead of being defined as a few ideas which we may or may not like.
The MV
Hua Chenyu invited fans of all ages and identities to sit down and chat, and organized the chat content into lyrics. This communication process was also recorded as a MV.
This MV is produced with a warm and healing style. It records the subtle changes of Hua Chenyu’s feelings inside. With the heartwarming accompany of Martians, he has become a stronger self from being seclusive and self-centered to gradually being open. This song is not only a gift to his fans but more so communication with people who love his music. They are experiencing the warmth from each other in this unique time and space. The healing power to both sides is the most touching.
In the completed MV, Hua and his fans asked each other questions and wrote what they wanted to say to each other:
Hua:If I ask you to use a word to describe me, what will occur to you?ET:Light and darkness are also in my heart
Even superman could get tired. It doesn’t matter
Feeling vulnerable occasionally is normalHua:I want to compose a song with everybody together
It’s a song about…
us
“Thank you”
2. Videos
Listen Online
MV
Mars Concert 2019
3. Lyrics Translation
Lyricist: Hua Chenyu, Martian (fans) |
| 与火星的孩子对话 | Conversations with Martian Children |
|---|---|
| 我 看著愛笑 | It may seem that I love to smile |
| 卻還有些失落和悲傷 | Yet I feel discontent and melancholic at times |
| 那些失落 那些悲傷 | Those discontent and sadness |
| 也在我心裡 | are also in our hearts |
| 我 看著自信 | It may seem that I am confident |
| 卻還有些退縮和逃避 | Yet still I would yield and evade at times |
| 那些退縮 那些逃避 | Please don’t mind those surrenders |
| 請你別在意 | and avoidance |
| 我 看著努力 | It may seem that I try hard |
| 卻還有些拒絕和懶惰 | Yet I am still rejective and indolent at times |
| 那些拒絕 那些懶惰 | Those refusals and indolence |
| 其實沒關係 | really do not matter |
| 我 看著堅強 | It may seem that I am strong |
| 卻還有些脆弱和疑惑 | Yet still I am vulnerable and confused at times |
| 那些脆弱 那些疑惑 | Those vulnerability and confusion |
| 有它的意義 | have their own significance |
| 那些感受慢慢被阻礙 | Those feelings are gradually suppressed |
| 我摸不到那痛苦 | I cannot touch that pain |
| 我 看著堅持 | It may seem that I am persistent |
| 卻還有些放棄和冷漠 | Yet I would give up and stay detached at times |
| 那些放棄 那些冷漠 | Those abandonments and detachment |
| 要做你自己 | let you be you |
| 我 看著勇敢 | It may seem that I am brave |
| 卻還有些害怕和怯懦 | Yet I am still fearful and timid at times |
| 那些害怕 那些怯懦 | For those fears and timidity |
| 我們在這裡 | we are right here! |
| 那些光芒漸漸被掩蓋 | Those rays of light are gradually concealed |
| 我猜不透下一幕 | I cannot see through the next act |
| 每當我還相信 好的結局 | Whenever I still believe in a good ending |
| 有個聲音在說 | There would be a voice saying: |
| 可笑的是我 | I am the ridiculous one |
| 每當我還願意 伸手靠近 | Whenever I am still willing to reach out and get closer |
| 有塊陰影拽著我 | A shadow will restrain me |
| 別再拽著我 | Don’t restrain me any longer |
| 我想再次用力解脫 | I want to struggle free once more |
| 我 雖然不說 | Although I am reticent |
| 至少有你在這陪著我 | At least you are here accompanying me |
| 你就是你 最好的你 | You are you, the best you |
| 是我的唯一 | our only one |
| 我 不再沈默 | I am no longer silent |
| 因為有你選擇理解我 | Because you have chosen to understand me |
| 你就是你 最好的你 | You are you, the best you |
| 沒人能代替 | the irreplaceable one |
| 那些美好終於被青睞 | Those beautiful eventually win affections |
| 我等到了這禮物 | I have been waiting for this gift |
| 我 有時難過 | I am sad sometimes |
| 卻還有些快樂和驕傲 | Yet I am still somewhat happy and proud |
| 那些快樂 那些驕傲 | Those happinesses and pride |
| 全都屬於你 | all belong to you |
| 我 有時孤獨 | I am lonely sometimes |
| 卻還有些撫慰和感動 | Yet I am still somewhat comforted and moved |
| 那些撫慰 那些感動 | Those consolations and emotions |
| 因為我愛你 | are because we love you |
| 這個結局是我的期待 | This ending is what I have hoped for |
| 我會一直為你祝福 | I will always pray for you |