"Champa Battambang" (ចំប៉ាបាត់ដំបង, which means "The Frangipani of Battambang”) is a popular song of the 1960s composed by Sinn Sisamouth, which has become part of Cambodian heritage.[1]

Translation

The title which literally translates as the frangipani of Battambang refers to a flower commonly seen in this city of Cambodia.

History

The standard of Cambodian rock

In 1965, Sin Sisamouth's song "Champa Battambang" was the first content played on Khmer Republic Television as part of his Album Chlangden Vol. 125.[2] By the 1970s, it had become part of the repertoire of the upcoming scene of Cambodian rock music. It rapidly became a classic, as Khmer Rouge Khieu Samphan remembers his Communist friend Hou Yuon singing it with a certain nostalgia before his death in 1975.[3]

In the camps

For the Khmer musicians who managed to escape the ruthless persecution of the Khmers Rouges who forbade any foreign influence and almost every form of music apart from propaganda, the refugee camps in Thailand were a safe haven where listening to "Champa Battambang" or the Khmer version of The House of the Rising Sun and others pieces of Cambodian rock music was a certain consolation in their desolation: "Khaodang was a dream encoded in music."[4]

Uniting generations

In 2012, "Champa Battambang" was still "one favourite amongst new musical students" in Phnom Penh.[5]

Champa Battambang has become a Cambodian classic uniting several generations. It is the link that connects three generations in the 2018 Khmer drama In the Life of Music.[6] The track was covered by Sin Setsochhata, the granddaughter of the "legendary Sin Sisamouth, perhaps Cambodia’s most celebrated singer from its pre-war period of cultural renaissance."[7]

Lyrics

Khmer English translation
១-​ឱ​ បាត់ដំបងបណ្តូលចិត្តអើយ      ខ្ញុំ​សូម​លា​ហើយ លាទាំងអាល័យ

តាំង​ពី​ខ្លួន​ខ្ញុំ​បាន​ឃ្លាត​ទៅ​ឆ្ងាយ    ​ខ្វល់ខ្វាយ​នឹក​ស្តាយ    ​ពុំ​មាន​ពេល​ល្ហែ ។

1- Oh Battambang ! Center of my heart !   

I struggle so hard to say goodbye

Since I have parted away,

I worry with regrets and can never fin sleep.

២-    ​ឱ​ បាត់ដំបង​កង​កម្ម​វាសនា           ដែល​ខ្ញុំ​ប្រាថ្នា    ​គ្មាន​ពេលទំនេរ

បើសិន​ជា​គូ ខ្ញុំ​ពី​បុព្វេ               សូម​ឱ្យ​មាសស្នេហ៍    ​នឹកឃើញ​គ្រា​ដើម ។

2- Oh Battambang ! Karma wheel of my destiny

which gives me no time to free

If we were a couple in a past life

Would Cupid also miss these good old times!

បន្ទ​រ​-​    ​កន្លង​យូរ​ឆ្នាំ​ចាំ​ទេ​ស្ងួន               មាន​តែ​រូប​អូន​ដែល​ជា​ដង្ហើម

ចំពោះ​នួនល្អង​ចិត្ត​បង​សង្ឃឹម    ​  សង្ឃឹម​ញញឹម    ​ថា​បាន​ជា​គូ​​ វាសនា ។

Chorus - Has it not be so long my dear?  

You alone are my air that I breathe

Towards you goes every hope of my heart

Hoping to see you smile like the pair love had destined.

៣-    ​ឱ​!​បាត់ដំបង​ខ្ញុំ​ប៉ង​យូរហើយ       តើ​ថ្ងៃ​ណា​ឡើយ    ​បាន​យល់​ភ​ក្ត្រា

ចិត្ត​ជ្រួលច្របល់​រាល់ថ្ងៃ​ខ្លោចផ្សារ            ចង់បាន​ចំប៉ា​បាត់ដំបង​អើយ ។

បញ្ចប់​-​ចង់បាន​ចំប៉ា​បាត់ដំបង​អើយ​...

3 - Oh Battambang! Long have I desired 

but when will I see your face? My heart is confused both day and night hoping that I may one day hold the frangipani of Battambang !

References

  1. Kerr, Dallan (2008-12-18). "Akin to Killing Elvis? The sad song of Sin Sisamouth". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  2. Jeff Cole, liner notes, Cambodia Rock Spectacular!, 2011.
  3. Samphân, Khieu (2004). Cambodia's Recent History and the Reasons Behind the Decisions I Made. Puy Kea. p. 24.
  4. Seng, Sophea (2016). The Soriya Band: A Case Study of Cambodian American Rock Music (PDF). California: University of California Riverside. p. 48.
  5. Meas, Roth (2012-08-10). "Cambodia's Frank Sinatra still sings from beyond the grave". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  6. Leon, Pristine L. De (2018-12-24). "'Crosscut Asia': Music with a twist of the knife". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  7. Sochieata, Roth (2021-01-19). "Sin Setsochhata carries on a music legacy". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2022-05-22.


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