Faye and Teresa – Where Comes the Wind

To fully understand Faye Wong’s (王菲) history, we first have to grasp Teresa Teng’s (鄧麗君, Deng Lijun) place in the ’70s and ’80s Asian pop scene. In short, Teresa ruled. She was the inspiration for aspiring young singers, and Faye was no exception. Thus, on 15 June 1985, when 15-year-old Faye released her first album in China, the title track was taken from one of Teresa’s hits, “Where Comes the Wind” (風從那裡來). To place this event in perspective, we could say that Faye’s first album and the first track on that album are directly linked to Teresa. In fact, most of the tracks are covers of Teresa’s songs. To listen to Faye and Teresa’s versions, click on the audio icons below.

As we listen, though, I realize it’s nearly impossible to resist comparing the two. Thus, we have to remember that, in 1985, Faye was barely into her teens and her voice was still maturing, while Teresa was already in her prime when she recorded this song. Also, and perhaps more importantly, the production resources available to both were vastly different, with Teresa enjoying a huge advantage. What Faye had access to in Beijing in 1985 couldn’t compare to Teresa’s resources in Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong. Ten years later, in 1995, when Teresa tragically dies from a severe asthma attack, Faye is poised to become the diva of Asia and the inspiration for youngsters who dream of becoming pop stars. Judging from the countless numbers of novices who try to cover Faye’s songs, I think we can safely say that Faye is following in Teresa’s footsteps in serving as an inspirational model

Faye’s version

Teresa’s version

Note: Other posts in this series:Faye and Teresa – 1,000 Words, 10,000 Phrases