Copy thachin

Last updated

Copy thachin, or simply "copy music" is a genre of music in Myanmar that originates from the early 1980s. It merges the melody and instrumentals of international songs with Burmese vocals. Proponents of copy thachin argue that the style is separate from cover songs due to it having unique vocal arrangements and lyrics. [1]

Contents

A small portion of copy thachin songs are direct translations of their foreign counterparts, while the vast majority often have different meanings. [2] [3] Additionally, copy thachin is known to change locations from Western landmarks to local Burmese locations. [2] Thukamein Hlaing, Min Chit Thu, Maung Thit Min, and Win Min Htway were known to use clever wordplay and innuendos to refer to deemed "explicit" or banned content such as gang violence or premarital activities. [2]

As of 2023, fewer than 140 vocalists recorded the more than 3,000 songs that make up the copy thachin repertoire. According to available data, just 22 bands accompanied half of all these songs. Notably, the band Iron Cross worked on a total of 660 songs. [2]

Origins

During the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma period, the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party heavily blocked the importation of foreign media and restricted VISAs for foreigners, which caused the large absence of Western music for a long period. However, officials such as diplomats and scholars were allowed to bring Western instruments, songbooks, and cassette tapes into the country, which were often slowly spread through small circles, often through teenagers. [2]

Copy thachin takes much inspiration from the heavily psychedelic "stereo music" genre popularized by artists such as Naang Naang and Sai Htee Saing. [4] Playboy Than Naing's Shwe Thachin Myar or "Golden Songs" is considered to be the first copy thachin album. Released in 1975, the album had versions of songs by Western artists such as The Beatles and The Doors along with that of Indonesian artist Vivi Sumanti. [2]

Popularity

While most copy thachin songs are taken from European and American artists, Asian artists such as Vivi Sumanti were also covered. Vivi Sumanti Majalah Aktuil Edisi 22 Tahun 1968.jpg
While most copy thachin songs are taken from European and American artists, Asian artists such as Vivi Sumanti were also covered.

Despite the government of Myanmar attempting to censor copy thachin throughout its history, it can widely be heard today in many public spaces. Most copy thachin was released during the 1990s. However, it has seen a level of decline in recent years. This decline can be attributed to younger artists taking pride in making their own unique music, the influence of music producers who have taken a disliking to copy thachin, and stronger copyright law being passed into law under the military regime since 2019. [1] For much of the country's history, the Copyright Act of 1911 was the only copyright law relating to artistic and musical creations. The law didn't include any protections for foreign media, it wasn't until Burma joined the World Trade Organization and signed the TRIPS Agreement agreement in 1994 that the nation began to enforce foreign copyrights. [1] There is a perceived stigma around copy thachin in modern-day Myanmar, as many musical critics and artists view it as embarrassing and as a cheap replication of original music. [5] [6]

Examples

In the 1984 Burmese film, Achit Hlay starring Playboy Than Naing, he sings a song named "Sate Kuu Yin Eain Met" meaning "Fantasy Dream" in which the instrumental is directly taken from John Lennon's "Imagine". The title itself, "Fantasy Dream", is a reference to Lennon's 1980 album Double Fantasy . [2] Naing Myanmar's "Kabar Ma Kyay Buu  [ my ]" is a copy thachin and protest song borrowing the composition of "Dust in the Wind" by American rock band Kansas. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beatles</span> English rock band (1960–1970)

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionized many aspects of the music industry and were often publicized as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.

<i>Help!</i> 1965 studio album by The Beatles

Help! is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride", appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side includes "Yesterday", the most-covered song ever written. The album was met with favourable critical reviews and topped the Australian, German, British and American charts.

<i>The Beatles</i> (album) 1968 studio album by the Beatles

The Beatles, also referred to colloquially as the White Album, is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Featuring a plain white sleeve, the cover contains no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed. This was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The Beatles is recognised for its fragmentary style and diverse range of genres, including folk, country rock, British blues, ska, music hall, proto-metal and the avant-garde. It has since been viewed by some critics as a postmodern work, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album was the band's first LP release on their then-recently founded Apple Records after previous albums were released on Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Capitol Records in the United States.

<i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> 1967 EP/soundtrack and LP by the Beatles

Magical Mystery Tour is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP was issued in the UK on 8 December 1967 on the Parlophone label, while the Capitol Records LP release in the US and Canada occurred on 27 November and features an additional five songs that were originally released as singles that year. In 1976, Parlophone released the eleven-track LP in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Day in the Life</span> 1967 song by the Beatles

"A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the song were mainly written by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney primarily contributing the song's middle section. All four Beatles played a role in shaping the final arrangement of the song.

A remix is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The only characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatlesque</span> Resemblance to the English band the Beatles

"Beatlesque" or "Beatles-esque" describes a musical resemblance to the English rock band the Beatles. The term is loosely defined and has been applied inconsistently to a wide variety of disparate artists.

The Beatles' bootleg recordings are recordings of performances by the Beatles that have attained some level of public circulation without being available as a legal release. The term most often refers to audio recordings, but also includes video performances. Starting with vinyl releases in the 1970s, through CD issues in the late 1980s, and continuing with digital downloads starting in the mid 1990s, the Beatles have been, and continue to be, among the most bootlegged artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Apples in Stereo</span> American pop/rock band

The Apples in Stereo are an American indie rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, of Montreal, and Circulatory System. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider, who writes the majority of the band's music and lyrics. Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill and Eric Allen (bass), as well as more recent members John Dufilho (drums), John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar/trumpet).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Myanmar</span>

The music of Myanmar shares many similarities with other musical styles in the region. Traditional music is melodic, having its own unique form of harmony, often composed with a 4
4 (na-yi-se), a 2
4 (wa-let-se) or a 8
16 time signature. In Burmese, music segments are combined into patterns, and then into verses, making it a multi-level hierarchical system. Various levels are manipulated to create a song. Harmony in Mahagita is known as twe-lone, which is similar to a chord in western music. For example, C is combined with F or G.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennon–McCartney</span> Songwriting partnership between John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collaborations ever by records sold, with the Beatles selling over 600 million records worldwide as of 2004. Between 5 October 1962 and 8 May 1970, the partnership published approximately 180 jointly credited songs, of which the vast majority were recorded by the Beatles, forming the bulk of their catalogue.

<i>Something New</i> (Beatles album) 1964 studio album by the Beatles

Something New is an album by English rock band the Beatles, released in 1964 for the North American market only.

"Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World and later, in a different form, on their 1970 album Let It Be, the group's final released studio album. The original version featured on two different albums both titled Rarities: a 1978 British release and a 1980 US release. It was also included on their 1988 album Past Masters, Volume Two. The song has been covered by many artists, including David Bowie on his 1975 album Young Americans, which featured contributions from Lennon.

<i>Yesterday and Today</i> 1966 American studio album by the Beatles

Yesterday and Today is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in the United States and Canada in June 1966, it was their ninth album issued on Capitol Records and twelfth American release overall. Typical of the Beatles' North American discography until 1967, the album contains songs that Capitol had withheld from its configurations of the band's recent EMI albums, along with songs that the group had released elsewhere on non-album singles. Among its 11 tracks are songs from the EMI albums Help! and Rubber Soul, and three new 1966 recordings that would appear on Revolver in countries outside North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mun Awng</span> Burmese musician and pro-democracy activist

Mun Awng is a Kachin singer, songwriter, and pro-democracy activist.

Lazum Khun Yi, better known as L Khun Yi, is a Burmese singer, and is considered one of the pioneers of modern Burmese pop music. The ethnic Kachin singer of the Lazum clan was known for her Burmese language covers of 1970s Western pop songs, particularly ABBA songs. Many of her popular songs of the era were again covered by successive generations of singers like May Sweet, Tun Eindra Bo, and Yadanar Oo.

Kaiser is a Burmese singer-songwriter who was most popular in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. The ethnic Rakhine singer was arguably the most successful male singer in Myanmar in the early 1980s. His nonthreatening rockabilly songs were popular with the young and the old alike. He collaborated with leading songwriters of the day like Saw Bwe Mhu, Naing Myanmar, Soe Lwin Lwin, Maung Maung Zan, and Thukhamein Hlaing. His most successful songs were written by Naing Myanmar and Saw Bwe Mhu.

<i>The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963</i> 2013 compilation album / live album by the Beatles

The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 is a compilation album of 59 previously unreleased recordings by English rock band the Beatles, released on 17 December 2013, exclusively through the iTunes Store. While it was initially only available for a few hours, it later became available again for purchase. The release was timed to extend the copyright of the 1963 recordings under EU law by 20 years – the EU protects recordings for 70 years only if they are formally released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar Music Association</span>

The Myanmar Music Association is Myanmar's music industry association. The organisation was established in 1952 and consists of 5 divisions: historical traditional music, modern traditional music, contemporary music, production and technical work.

Naing Myanmar is a Burmese musician notable for writing "Kabar Ma Kyay Buu", a protest song used during Myanmar's 8888 Uprising and again throughout the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stubblefield, Sam (June 30, 2016). "A Song by any Other Name". The Irrawaddy. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alternate World of Copy Songs". Kontinentalist. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  3. ↑ Ferguson, Jane M. (2013). "Burmese Super Trouper: How Burmese Poets and Musicians Turn Global Popular Music into Copy Thachin". The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology. 14 (3): 221. ISSN   1444-2213.
  4. ↑ X, X. (2019-05-22). "Grieving in Stereo: The Fall of Burmese Psychedelic Rock". The Turnaround. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ↑ Ferguson, Jane M (2015-07-26). "Creative Tribute or Cheap Copy? The Ubiquitous, Controversial Copy Thachin In Myanmar". Burma Library. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ Ferguson, Jane (2016). "Yesterday Once More: Tracking (un)Popular Music in Contemporary Myanmar". Journal of Burma Studies. 20 (2): 229–257. doi:10.1353/jbs.2016.0008. ISSN   1094-799X.
  7. ↑ MacLachlan, Heather (9 February 2023). "Revolutionary Songs from Myanmar: Reconsidering Scholarly Perspectives on Protest Music". Music & Politics. 17 (1). doi: 10.3998/mp.3853 . ISSN   1938-7687 . Retrieved 12 September 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.