Jonathan Lee is one of my all-time favorite lyrists. Unfortunately, the English translation in this music video did not do the song justice. I took a ten minute stab at do my version of the translation (see below) and hopefully this landed a tiny bit closer to the original score. Karen M. is a great actress but perhaps not the best live performer (studio version much better!). 陰天 在不開燈的房間 當所有思緒都一點一點沈澱 Overcast, in a room, lights off. Let all thoughts and emotions precipitate bit by bit. 愛情終究是精神鴉片 還是世紀末的無聊消遣 Is love the spiritual opiate, or a banal entertainment at turn of the century? 香煙 氳成一攤光圈 和他的照片就擺在手邊 Cigarette smoke turns into an aperture, with his photo right by her side. 傻傻倆個人 笑得多甜 That silly couple. How sweet their smile was. 開始總是分分鐘 都妙不可言 誰都以為熱情它永不會減 In the beginning every minute was brilliant. All assume that passion would never recede, 除了激情褪去後的那一點點倦 except a sliver of fatigue that intense loving left behind. 也許像誰說過的貪得無厭 Perhaps it’s “infinite greed” like some have said, 活該應了誰說過的不知檢點 or it’s deserving “shamelessness” like some have prophesized. 總之那幾年 感性贏了理性那一面 Regardless, sensibility defeated sense in those years. 陰天 在不開燈的房間 當所有思緒都一點一點沈澱 Overcast, in a room, lights off. Let all thoughts and emotions precipitate bit by bit. 愛恨情慾裡的 疑點 盲點 呼之欲出 那麼明顯 Mysteries and blind spots in love, hate, and desires are all screamingly obvious. 女孩 通通讓到一邊 這歌裡的細微末節就算都體驗 All girls step aside, to live the nuances of this song, 若想真明白 真要好幾年 even if you can see through them, it takes a few years. 回想那一天 喧鬧的喜宴 Reminiscing the day of the extravagant wedding banquet, 耳邊想起的究竟是序曲 或完結篇 was the music prelude or the finale? 感情不就是你情我願 最好愛狠扯平倆不相欠 Love ought to be mutually willing. It’s best to be equally debt free in love and hate. 感情說穿了 一人掙脫的 一人去撿 To be candid, love is one breaking away and another picking it up. 男人大可不必 百口莫辯 女人實在無須 楚楚可憐 No need for men to argue with the world; no need for women to be delicately pitiful. 總之那幾年 你們倆個沒有緣 Regardless, you two weren’t meant to be in those years. 陰天 在不開燈的房間 當所有思緒都一點一點沈澱 Overcast, in a room, lights off. Let all thoughts and emotions precipitate bit by bit. 愛情終究是精神鴉片 還是世紀末的無聊消遣 Is love the spiritual opiate, or a banal entertainment at turn of the century? 香煙 氳成一攤光圈 和他的照片就擺在手邊 Cigarette smoke turns into an aperture, with his photo right by her side. 傻傻倆個人 笑得多甜 That silly couple. How sweet their smile was.
The lyrics of the song "Overcast" have a distinctive style unique to Jonathan Lee, similar to the "白描" style in Chinese Literature (The plain sketch technique, simply put, involves describing a scene or story through straightforward and simple sentences. Initially a method in Chinese painting, it later extended into Chinese literature.). Through some seemingly unrelated and plain descriptions, it creates an atmosphere. The entire song, much like its title "Overcast," conveys a "gloomy" feeling, a sense of low energy (丧丧的感觉) . After "Overcast," Jonathan Lee wrote another song for Karen Mok called "Twelfth Floor," which shares the same stylistic features as "Overcast," both exuding a low energy and calmly feeling. 《阴天》这首歌的歌词有李宗盛特有的一种类似于中国画“白描”的风格特点。通过一些前后关系不大的平淡描述来呈现出一种氛围。 整首歌如同曲名《阴天》一样，是一种“丧丧”的感觉，一种低能量的感觉。 《阴天》之后，李宗盛给莫文蔚另外写过一首歌《十二楼》，其风格特点和《阴天》一样，都是一种“丧”的感觉。
A reminder: a lot of comments recommending 罗大佑 （Tayu Lo), another Tainwanese grand master of pop music equally or even higher recognized than李宗盛. Lo has more socially-historically meaningful and profound lyrics even in those classic folk love songs, as well as catchy melodies.
Love these videos! Highly recommend listening to anything by Crowd Lu (盧廣仲) next! He's a phenomenal singer/songwriter from Taiwan. Some great songs are: 大人中，一坪半，刻在我心底的名字，etc. Also, from Mainland China, 五條人 is a great band with some awesome character: 阿珍愛上了阿強，鮮花在岸上開，夢幻丽莎发廊， etc.
陰天and給自己的歌，are Jonathan Lee's feel about his second wife. 陰天at 1999, the end of his second merraige. The song is not for Karen at all, is not like the other Jonathan's song,the others are all written for that singer, and is about the life story of that singer, that's why it is a little bit strange.
Sorry, Chinese lyrics just cannot be translated into English. How would it be Chinese poetry anymore when it's filtered into English?!?! LOL. To understand Chinese poetry you'd just have to learn Chinese to the level where you FEEL the language, especially when it's put to melody, the rhyming, the rhythm, the cadence, the nuances. This song gets me EVERYTIME.
