夏禮章／Glen Campbell的冠軍曲《Southern Nights》

文／夏禮章

許多歌手會唱別人的歌，例如Glen Campbell 1977年的冠軍曲Southern Nights就是一個例子。

Glen Campbell (圖／達志影像提供)回憶：我在Jimmy Webb家裡找歌，我當時問他有沒有別人唱的而他很喜歡的歌，Jimmy Webb就在唱機上放一首Allen Toussaint的Southern Nights給我聽…。（Jimmy Webb是一位知名作曲家，Glen Campbell的名曲By The Time I Get To Phoenix、Wichta Lineman與Galveston都是他的作品）

Glen Campbell後來寄了一個拷貝給他的製作人Gary Klein，Gary說他也喜歡這首歌但不懂歌詞的含意。

Gary Klein 最後替Glen Campbell版的Southern Nights做了一段很好聽的開場，這小小的改變讓Southern Nights這首歌登峰造極。

Glen Campbell的Southern Nights在1977年元月底進入鄉村歌曲排行榜，在3月19日獲得冠軍，這是Glen Campbell第39首鄉村歌曲排行榜暢銷曲，也是第5首冠軍曲，這首歌同時也獲得流行歌曲排行榜冠軍曲。

Glen Campbell是四座Grammy獎的得主，但去年宣佈患了阿茲海默症，以致記憶漸漸喪失，令歌迷們不勝唏噓。

GLEN CAMPBELL
"Southern Nights"

Have you ever felt a southern night
Free as a breeze
Not to mention the trees
Whistling tunes that you know and love so
Southern nights
Just as good even when closed your eyes
I apologize
To any one who can truly say
That he's found a better way
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed
Southersn skies
It's precious beauty
Lies just beyone the eye
It goes running through the soul
Like the stories told of old
Old man
He and his dog that walk the old land
Every flower touched his cold hand
As he slowly walked by
Weeping willows would cry for joy
Joy
Feels so good
Feels so good it's frightening
Wish I could
Stop this world from fighting
La-da-da-da-da, da-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da
Mystery
Like this and many others
In the trees
Blow in the night
In the southern skies
Southern nights
They feel so good it's frightening
Wish I could
Stop this world from fighting
La-da-da-da-da, da-la-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da