Kebab worker dream came true with Hotel California adaptation
September 20th, 2011 by Annie Lee | Posted in Entertainment, Viral Video | 51 Comments »From Yangtze Evening News and sohu:
Recently a video clip named “Hotel California adapted by a cook” has brought a kebab worker into the spotlight. The clip generated over 2.7 million clicks and 60,000 retweets on weibo within the first 6 days. Netizens forwarded the clip saying “everyone is remarkable as long as you have dream” or “if you are touched by his voice, forward on”.
As shown in the video, a group of people were sitting around dinner table at a restaurant, listening to a man in cook clothes singing the Eagles’ Hotel California with self-adapted Chinese lyrics. His husky voice along with the classic guitar slamming voiced out the current condition of city drifters who left hometown to chase after their dreams.
“I sang this song to farewell another cook of the restaurant, my colleague recorded it on cellphone and uploaded it onto the Internet. I didn’t think it will trigger so much attention” said Sha Jianwei, a post-90s kebab worker at the restaurant who was from a sugarcane farming family in Yunan and came to Beijing hoping to realize his dream as a singer.
In Feb 209, Sha came to Beijing with only 600 yuan and his guitar, thinking about singing at the tunnels and underpass to earn a living. But he was often kicked out by security guards soon and it was too cold in the early Spring to stay long at the tunnels. His 600 yuan vanished. Then he started working at a small restaurant as a delivery boy, earning 1100 yuan per month. At spare time, he bought a few guitar tutorial books and taught himself how to play better.
“I didn’t want to be delivery boy forever, I still want to live on my music.” So Sha left the restaurant and became a full time underground singer for 20 months, during which he found that it wasn’t easy, there were also many rules such as queuing, timing. “When I got lucky I could make 60 yuan a day, sometimes only 10 something, sometimes I can only afford one meal a day. I began to feel that my dream is fading further away.” Just under such despair, he adapted the Eagels’ Hotal California, “for the song sounds a little bit sorrow but somehow still contains hope”.
One time he and another drifting sketcher were working at an underpass, the sketcher was moved by his music and said “I don’t have money, let me give you a sketch as a present”. And so the sketch was now on Sha’s guitar, to remind him of the old days.
Now Sha helps at the kebab restaurant during the day, and sings with his guitar every Friday, Saturday and Sunday outside the restaurant. Together he is able to earn 3000 yuan a month now.
On Sept 15, he received invitation from CCTV-3 to perform for the famous “I wanna be on the Spring Gala” show and many other invitations followed.
“I have always like music and have been dreaming this day since I was 7. But I have never thought that my singing can be heard by so many people.”
Lyrics of Sha Jianwei’s Hotel California adaptation:
走在空荡的街上，枯叶随风飘荡。
Walking on an empty street, dead leaves are dancing in the wind.
仍是无眠的夜晚，走得没有方向。
Still sleepless nights, walking with no direction.
来到这城市两年，却没有归宿感。
It’s been 2 years since I came to the city, still I don’t belong here.
已回不去我来的故乡，只为了梦想。
But I can’t go back, just stay for my dream,
那就像远处的灯火，仍然飘渺遥远，
Which is like the faraway light, so remotely out of reach.
但始终有微微的光亮，让我继续向前。
Only some feeble beams, enough to keep me going.
转身走进地下道，拿起红木吉他，
I turn around and walk into the tunnel with my red wood guitar
轻轻弹起那旋律，放声自由唱，
Gently play that melody, sing freely,
这就是我最好表演的地方，充满了力量，充满了希望。
This is the best spot I perform, full of power full of hope.
也许你曾经听过，这首哀伤的歌，
Maybe you have heard of this sad song
走出这地下漆黑的路，为生活奔忙，
When walking into the dark underpass, busy for your living.
我们都曾经怀揣，年少时的梦，
We all have dreams when we are young,
也许你已经成长，已事故老成，
Maybe you have grown up and become sophisticated,
但请你偶尔驻足，听听我的歌声，
But please stop for a while, listen to my song,
审视你现在走过的路，是否一切洪荒，
And look back on your path, are they all gone?
请停下你的脚步，静静欣赏。
Please stop your pace and listen quietly
这首献给青春的歌，和我一起唱。
To this song for the youth, and sing along.
Tags: Beijing, california hotel, dream, eagles, hope, Internet, Internet Phenomenon, Music, sha jianwei, Singer, Viral Video, Youku
“They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can’t kill the beast…” Sounds like Korean guy
Mark
No, the beast they can’t seem to kill is the mentally retarded 900 lb gorilla called China.
TAP SUM BONG!
“Hotel California” is the name of the song; not “California Hotel”.
corrected, thx~
This song sucks greasy Chinaman dick!
TAPSUMBONG!
I haven’t been reading this site for that long, but just long enough to be bored to death from your posting.
“This song sucks greasy Chinaman dick!”
Really? Thats it? I refuse to believe that this isnt as tedious for you as it for everyone else.
Why do this? its fucking BOOOOOOOORING
You arse has smelt of that Chinaman’s dick ever since you allowed yourself to be fucked by one as a kid.
The song is “Hotel California” by “The Eagles”. I appreciate it might not be so well known in China so not complaining; but to a Western audience both making a mistake in the song name and mispelling the band’s name looks a bit shoking given how cult this is. Maybe you can correct that
corrected, thx
We have come to kick you all white nerds from the web!
All Hail the new yellow Nation!
White people are the new era pig!
TR! ASH!
You can’t do anything until you find Mao’s penis.
Hail MAo!
All your white bases are already belongs to us!
Mao needs his penis. Why did you lose Mao’s little penis?
this yellow singer is singing white man’s song, using musical instrument invented by white man, using cell phone/internet technology invented by white man. he has good taste!
….copyright violations.
The notion of violating copyright does not exist in China. You should know that.
TAP SUM BONG!
Wow! Even the post with a nice song generates so much trolling?
What can I say? “Trolls will be trolls”
Yes how true. So good of you to come forward about being a troll here.
Very original song choice. What, he couldn’t play “Country Road”?
Who puts a picture of himself on his guitar?
This guy is a dork.
White trash should all be sent to underground prison, know the danger, feel the threat !
YELLOW NATIONS!
nuts
I´m a white Pig who also hate negros!I´m a white Pig who also hate negros!I´m a white Pig who also
We already know that korean_guy
I’m not a pig. I’m mans best fried you moron. Now shut up and go find Mao’s cock!
Woof woof!
Then you are a dog!
We eat dogs!
Now eat shit you white dog and suck korean_guy cock!
Yellow Nations!
Mao can not leave here until he has his cock back. Find his good damn cock!
Woof woof!!!
I took on Expatrick when he made his racist remarks about Negroes and the basketball harmony fight. I also bitch slapped Korean Guy when he called blacks niggers several times. My record speaks for itself.
Why do you assume every American is white? FYI the U.S. is a diverse country.
Mark
“I also bitch slapped Korean Guy when he called blacks niggers several times.”
Get your facts straight. I never referred to blacks using the “n” word.
TAP SUM BONG!
This is a lie. don’t make us go find the exact link you pathetic piece of sewer matter. you belong in the china you describe.
David
“This is a lie”
No, you lie…just like every other Chinese.
Accusation without proof is worth less than cow shit. I dare you to find a comment by me with “n” word. You can’t!
TAP SUM BONG!
David
“you belong in the china you describe.”
Admitting China is a real shit hole only Chinese are deserving of living in.
TAP SUM BONG!
Now we are going to take over the world! M!UHA! HA!
Lets burn these white pigs!
White pigs with some sauce!
Yellow Nations
woof woof!
Yellow Nations
I would not be surprised to see Chinese eating human flesh with some sweet and sour sauce in some rural areas. When I say Chinese eat all kinds of creature I mean ALL.
TSB!
We need to put a bullet in those white pig heads!
Are you in or out? If you are out you are also a white pig, and should be executed 2 times in a row!
Yellow Nations!
On the same subject I have consistently called for justice for Chinese dissidents. I was the first person on this forum to raise issue of China Nobel Prize winner before the thread appeared.
In same cause I call attention to the execution of a black man about to take place in the state of Georgia.
There is not doubt that his race is a factor in his execution and unfair trial.
An innocent man is going to be killed tonight. I emailed the Savannah Co attorney general to protest this execution and apparently a lot of other people called or emailed him because the attorney general announced later in the day he had no authority over the case.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/us/final-pleas-and-vigils-in-troy-davis-execution.html?_r=1&hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/us/troy-davis-is-denied-clemency-in-georgia.html?ref=us
Mark
“An innocent man is going to be killed tonight.”
You know this for sure? 100%? Would you put YOUR life in your conviction? I thought not.
TSB!
Innocent according to our laws. Not about 100 percent, just reasonable doubt.
Mark
“just reasonable doubt.”
Yes that’s correct. I heard the defense exhausted all appeals. I’d say we are expected to do the best we can with the system we have. It sure ain’t 100% but then again we will never know absolutely what percentage of convictions were just.
American justice system is light years ahead of that Chinese call their justice system. I’d rather put a bullet in MY head than to be stuck in shit hole China.
TAP SUM BONG!
Unfortunately, Kim aka KG, these cases are never about the defendant and justice, but the local police and courts with their siege mentalities defending and in denial about police malfeasance, and other practices that have already been discredited and in some cases reformed, nationally such as their procedures for witness identification.
Comparisons to China’s justice system are irrelevant when an innocent man is being prepared for death as I type this, so a few officials can continue to defend a broken biased judicial system that executes the poor.
Bureaucrats love to cover up their lies, and sloppy work be they Chinese or American.
Mark
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-09-21.html
Enjoy
TAP SUM BONG!
Jake Tyler Brigance: [in his summation, talking about Tonya Hailey] I want to tell you a story. I’m going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves. Go ahead. Close your eyes, please. This is a story about a little girl walking home from the grocery store one sunny afternoon. I want you to picture this little girl. Suddenly a truck races up. Two men jump out and grab her. They drag her into a nearby field and they tie her up and they rip her clothes from her body. Now they climb on. First one, then the other, raping her, shattering everything innocent and pure with a vicious thrust in a fog of drunken breath and sweat. And when they’re done, after they’ve killed her tiny womb, murdered any chance for her to have children, to have life beyond her own, they decide to use her for target practice. They start throwing full beer cans at her. They throw them so hard that it tears the flesh all the way to her bones. Then they urinate on her. Now comes the hanging. They have a rope. They tie a noose. Imagine the noose going tight around her neck and with a sudden blinding jerk she’s pulled into the air and her feet and legs go kicking. They don’t find the ground. The hanging branch isn’t strong enough. It snaps and she falls back to the earth. So they pick her up, throw her in the back of the truck and drive out to Foggy Creek Bridge. Pitch her over the edge. And she drops some thirty feet down to the creek bottom below. Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she’s white.
http://youtu.be/C7f-BgDgpmE
Don’t get it wrong. I love USA.China loves USA. USA is the best ceomstur and borrower. Chinese are businese minded people. They love money. Therefore, they love their ceomsturs and the persons who are paying back the loans plus interests.
fppEhc idbhtaoehmyk
All your base are belongs to us!
YO everyone is ok korean_guy is so cool man, motherfucker always got something up his ass and what ever that is must came from China cause shit this whole can bitch for hours, it’s like he everything you don’t want in life all in one.
I read some comment here after long long time not go into this website. coz i saw some people wasting the human race’s enegie and the mother nature earth which giving him the existence……but unfortunetely , they are still here and i think it’s the worst website i’ve never been to. hope the webmaster DO SOMETHING ! for make your website have more reader and make a better world!! PLEASE!!
Please Do Something! YOU wanna more reader like me that use to be lie to in China. Now I no likey free speech. I likey when Chinese govt. kill bad people who say n write thing I no likey or make me feel guilty or make party look bad. We no makey them disappear online like in China, so I no come here no mo.