Medicine has healing powers. So does music.
From ‘One World: Together at Home’, a virtual concert organized by the World Health Organization, to the live free performance given by Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli from an empty Duomo Cathedral, musicians all around the world are using music to soothe souls during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Recently, two pandemic-related songs, “Only One possibility” and “Spring Comes to Wuhan”, went viral on WeChat Moments, a Chinese social media platform, yet few people know about the artist behind the making of the two songs. Today, our report features Li Fahong, an amateur musician and doctor from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Fudan-Huashan Hospital.
Li Fahong
Like all other medics across the country on the frontline against COVID-19, Li had a schedule packed with checking on patients, reading CTs and doing contact investigation.
Usually it was already late into the night when Li was discharged from her duty. On her way home, she would hum a song to herself to relax her nerves. “Music is my armor against anxiety after a long busy day. It gives me inner peace,” she said.
It was at a moment like that an idea came to her that she might actually use music to cheer other people up like she did herself.
Li Fahong in protective clothing
February 2 was her first day off since the Spring Festival on January 25. Li was home listening to music. When the song “A Million Possibilities” by Christine Welch was played, the expression of loneliness in the lyrics reminded her of her colleagues away aiding Wuhan, making her wonder how they were doing there.
“At that moment, all I thought about was to make a song for them, hoping that it can be of some comfort,” she said. For four hours, she glued herself at her desk, rewriting the lyrics to its melody. The song was named “Only One possibility”, for Li believed that with so many people united to fight against the coronavirus, the victory is sure to come.
A few days later, more of Li’s colleagues left for Wuhan to help relieve the burden at module hospitals. Zhang Wenhong, director of the Huashan Department of Infectious Diseases, proposed to make a music video to send their best wishes to front-line health care workers. Li saw this as a good chance. On February 9, she recorded the song with Dr. Zheng Yuwei from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center accompanying her on the piano. During the brief breaks she had from work , Li filmed the video of the song with other medics at Huashan Hospital. In the video, they hold a handmade placard that reads “Come home safely when spring arrives”. It took two nights for Li to complete editing the video.
You say with a smile
that sorry you can’t stay
There are people calling
Tears trickling down the face
of people who love you dearly
and watch you go away
This is the moment
There is only one possibility
Trains carry guardians in white
to the people in pain
My prayers are with you
when you are away
Hope you are fine
in the coldest days
Time will not wait
To save lives
You risk your life
Fingers numbed, breath held
Still we will thrive
This is the moment
There is only one possibility
Fight for your people to the end
And our victory is in certainty
You are not alone in this fight
My heart is with you on the frontline
This land
Forbids the triumph of the virus
We stand with everyone
Waiting for the call
The rising sun
ushers a new day that will come
This is the moment
There is only one possibility
Fight for your people to the end
And our victory is in certainty
You are not alone in this fight
My heart is with you on the frontline
This land
is where our heart beats
Take my hand
I will give you all my best
Blooming flowers
Chirping birds
Will bring back the message
That you will be home soon afterwards
Before releasing “Only One Possibility”, Li got in contact with Christine Welch, the performer of the original song “A Million Possibilities”, who soon filmed a video at her house in the U.S. to show her support for the Chinese people during the pandemic.
Christine Welch is an American singer, who went popular on YouTube for singing Chinese songs. As a Chinese language and literature major in college, Christine Welch has been keen on writing songs in Chinese. The song “A Million Possibilities”, written and performed by her, blew up in 2018 on Douyin, a Chinese video-sharing platform.
Christine Welch expressed her best wishes to those affected by the virus.
“Only One Possibility” immediately received sweeping praise on the official Wechat account of Huashan Infectious Diseases Department.
“Only One Possibility” received sweeping praise.
The most-upvoted comment came from a doctor who said, “Both my wife and I are medical workers. She left for Wuhan on our son’s twentieth birthday on the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year. Now her birthday is approaching and I have made a video to celebrate her birthday. This song literally speaks to my soul.” It received nearly 7,000 likes.
Li’s supervisor, Professor Zhang Jiming, watched the music video from the frontline in Wuhan. In his phone call to Li, he said, “Wuhan is an impressive city. So many people put their life at risk to help the city. Why not write a song about it?” Li took his advice and started working on the song.
At the time, good news came from the once epicenter of COVID-19, with a sharp decline in newly confirmed cases and an increase of patients cured and discharged from module hospitals. “The second song was dedicated to the city that was about to recover from the epidemic and enjoy a fresh start in this springtime,” Li said. This time, she was both the lyricist and composer of the song. Named “Spring Comes to Wuhan”, the song was released on March 20, the vernal equinox day signifying the beginning of spring.
Besides Li’s colleagues, their kids were also invited to record the song. “The pure and sweet voices of children can get to your heart without using any singing techniques. The power of their voices lies in their innocence,” said Li.
Having not learned music theory in any systematic way, the only principle Li abode by when creating music was to make sure her songs really move people in own voice.
Her straightforward approach worked very well given the viewers response to the launch of the song.
“I can’t image how the kids of the medics managed their life with their mom and dad being away in Wuhan for two months! I’m in tears.”
“I cried when I heard the kids sing ‘Wuhan, Wuhan, I’l lend you my dad/mom’.”
Wuhan
Are you alright?
I’ll lend you my dad/mum
Hope you will soon regain your might
Wuhan
Spring is around the corner
And gorgeous cherry blossoms are almost in bloom
Over a beautiful scene the sun is lingering
Alive with birds and sweet with breath of early spring
To pick the thawing sod a pair of swallows fly
Basking on the warm sand, two by two lovebirds lie
I have just drunk the water of Yangtze
And come to eat the fish of Wuchang
Now I am swimming across the great Yangtze
Looking afar to the open sky of Hubei
Us together
We are fearless
Your eyes, your smile
carry me through the storm and darkness
When spring is in full bloom
blessed with fragrant cherry blossoms
We shall let our guard down
And hold each other tight with no problems
Us together
Fight to the end
I know how you feel
Even without one word spoken
The day will come
when I can look at your face
You smile
And your clear beautiful eyes
Wuhan, get well soon
We’re waiting for our parents’ safe return
to our peaceful home
Li sees music as a way to unite people by evoking their genuine emotions and feelings. In these two songs, she shared her experiences and observations not as a professional artist, but as a medical worker. “We are not mythical angels with halo. There is nothing fancy about being a medical worker. Every day we should humbly remind ourselves of our duty, which is to serve people and save lives, because life matters,” she said.
Li (middle) shares how she created the songs at an event to celebrate the safe return of Huashan Hospital medics from Wuhan.
When asked about what she would write about for her next song, Li said, “Life. We should remember the lives lost to the virus, be they patients or medical workers. In the meantime, we should take this chance to reflect on the purpose of life.”
Music transcends all boundaries. Here we share the two songs with all the doctors and patients around the world fighting the pandemic. United we stand, together we fight. There is only one possibility — human being will win!
Source: Office of Publicity, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College
Editor: Deng Jianguo, Li Yijie
