SONG OF THE DAY Sinn Sisamouth – Beloved Girlfriend

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My weary ears needed to hear something soothing and coaxing tonight and it just so happens that I  managed to find the perfect sound for this job!

It’s not the easiest of feats writing about an artist who’s well-earned title of “King of Khmer Music” stemmed from decades of prolific song writing, but this Cambodian singer-songwriter really did shape the music of his day – and, indeed, for years to come! Sinn Sisamouth was a Cambodian singer-songwriter active from the 1950’s to the 1970’s who was part of a thriving music scene in Phanom Penh.

Together with Ros Serey Sothea (whose career he help to launch & with whom he performed many a duet), Pen Ran, Mao Sareth, and other Cambodian artists, Sinn’s creations blended elements of Khmer traditional music with the sounds of R&B and Rock’n’Roll to develop a Cambodian rock sound. He also wrote many songs for the soundtracks of a number of popular Cambodian films and though it was his parents wish for him to become a Dr, music was always his dream!

Sisamouth displayed a natural talent for singing and learned to play stringed instruments at the age of six or seven.  He was composing before he left school (at 16) and was soon hired by the Cambodian national radio station as a singer with its band! You only have to hear his voice once and it becomes immediately evident that his tender, crooning tones were a defining and striking feature! One that was likened to that of Nat King Cole, while his stage presence has been compared to that of Frank Sinatra.

During the Cambodian Civil War in the early 1970s, Sisamouth was a supporter of the Khmer Republic military and recorded patriotic songs supporting the Republic’s stance against the Khmer Rouge insurgents. His career continued until the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh in April 1975 and what became of him during the Khmer Rouge genocide was never known. His exact fate has never been confirmed and just like Ros Serey Sothea, his last days are a mystery.  What he left behind, however, is a wealth of beautiful sounds and literally hundreds of songs – his son, Sinn Chanchhaya, believed that he wrote roughly one song for every day that he was a professional musician and this covered a period of nearly 20 years!).

One of his many original songs is today’s offering (translated as), Beloved Girlfriend, and though I cannot confirm an exact release date, I can recommend that you delve deeper into this artists extensive repertoire if you find yourself enjoying this? His voice really is a thing of beauty!…especially also in his cover of the old and much-loved Mexican song from 1945 called Besame Mucho. Listen above.