More about Music Many email responses to my recent post on Cambodian music. It would be nice to have a 'sampler' of Khmer music to share with foreigners - not traditional music, but popular music, from now or the past. Cambodian readers: if you had to pick five Khmer songs, what would you share with foreigners? (It could be anything from Pen Ran or Sin Si Simuth to Preap Sovath). What are the best popular songs, and why? Barangs (Westerners): If you wanted to introduce a Cambodian to your favorite kind of music, what five tunes would you play to catch their interest? If they like music that is not to your taste, how would you explain why they should take interest? Let me know at jinja [via] ekit [dot] com and I'll blog up the results. Some day I would like to see a "Khmer Music for Beginners" page, like the "Bollywood for Beginners" page, or "SKA for the Skeptical". ********************************************************** Jinja’s 5 picks: (Songs I would use to introduce Cambodians/Asians to Western pop. My own personal favorites are a bit more obscure. I think these songs would 'translate' well.) Rock around the Clock – Bill Haley and the Comets. Possibly the first ‘Rock and Roll’ song, though it does have a ‘fox trot’ tempo. Respect – Aretha Franklin One of the pioneers taking the gospel sound to popular music, ‘Respect’ is about a working woman who would like her man to treat her right. Originally recorded by Otis Redding, he joked she had ‘stolen his song’ by having the woman being the ‘breadwinner’ of the house. Hey Jude – The Beatles Goes from a simple melody to a full orchestra in seven minutes, a classic sound by a classic band. One of the first bands to use the studio for its full potential. Covered by Sin Si Simuth on ‘Cambodian Rocks’ Volume Two. God Save the Queen – The Sex Pistols. A brief introduction to punk rock and the more edgier side of pop music. This was a reaction in part to bands that used the studio *too* much, such as the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Rapper’s Delight – The Sugarhill Gang. One of the first commercial ‘hip hop’ or ‘rap’ singles, one of the most innovative musical sounds in the last 25 years. It samples a popular track – Chic’s Good Times, a previous hit of the Disco genre. OK, your turn! Tags: Cambodia, music

. . .