Video Of Dr Noor Hisham Singing 'Shanghai Beach' In Cantonese Is Going Viral. Watch It Now
An old video showing Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham singing the classic song has resurfaced on social media recently and we are not complaining.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 05 Oct 2020, 05:04 PM
It seems like other than being a reliable figure on issues concerning national health, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has a secret talent for singing too
A video showing Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham singing Shanghai Beach onstage is going viral on social media.
In the one-minute-and-32-second video, he can be seen singing the classic song in Cantonese along with someone who seems to be Dr Margaret Chan, the former World Health Organization (WHO) director-general.
The duo is believed to have performed during the 67th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, which took place in Manila, the Philippines four years ago.
During a break between choruses, Dr Chan says Dr Noor Hisham dedicated the song to her because the song "actually talks about pretty much what I did in 10 years"
The song, originally sung by Frances Yip, is about the emotional impact of the drastic change of an era on people, using the tides at the Shanghai's Bund as a metaphor.
A verse in the song goes, "Washed away the worldly affairs, torrential mixing of the tidal currents. Is it happiness? Is it sorrow? Hard to differentiate between happiness and sorrow in the waves."
It seems like Dr Noor Hisham dedicated the song to Dr Chan as an acknowledgment of her efforts in serving the top post in WHO, a position that oversees the policy of the organisation's international health work while acting as its chief technical and administrative officer.
Dr Chan can be seen referring to a piece of paper while singing the song. As for Dr Noor Hisham, it is a breeze for him as he seems to know the lyrics by heart.
The video was also posted on the Lowyat.NET forum and it has amused netizens online.
One person even started singing along with Dr Noor Hisham.
"Long ban... Deng deng deng... Long lau... Deng deng deng," a netizen typed out the transliteration of the lyrics.
Another forum member said Shanghai Beach is the best song if one wants to spark a connection with the older folks, while another netizen commended Dr Noor Hisham for his singing talent.
