Once upon a time, a few million years ago🦕 to be specific, I was a child growing up in a suburb of Tokyo, Japan.
Having a Hispanic mother and a father with a job in international development, has given me a unique childhood.
Maybe it shaped my brain a bit differently, but most likely, I was just a peculiar child.
I became interested in English at around the age of six.
American culture was hugely popular in Japan at that time.
There were always sitcoms, drama series and Hollywood movies on TV.
These were the days of no computers, smartphones, or Internet.
Blockbuster movies were immensely popular and if they were to be aired on TV, literally every single person in Japan gathered around the TV to watch it.
These movies were, of course, dubbed by Japanese voice actors, but if they were musicals, I could hear the singing in the original English.
As I loved music from a day I was born, I became obsessed with musicals (I still am).
I was mesmerized by the smoothness of English songs. It sounded so different, so beautiful.
I tried to sing along to some Sound Of Music songs as much as I could, knowing nothing of the language, pretending to be one of the von Trapp children.
I certainly got a few parts right like "Do-Re-Mi," which I wouldn't count as English, but I did catch "goodnight" and "goodbye."
Maybe my parents helped me.
Anyway, my young heart swelled just singing the "goodnight" part in English.
With Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I could only sing the title itself, but I didn't know I was singing it wrong.
For some reason, the Japanese title was modified to "Chiki Chiki" Bang Bang and I thought they were singing Chiki Chiki.
I realized the truth decades later.
With The Jungle Book, the Disney musical, I could only remember trying to sing The Bare Necessities but failing miserably.
I only managed to make a sound like "bare" and couldn't hear nor could I pronounce "necessities" well.
With West Side Story, I proudly sang "Maria" because I could go on forever just saying Maria, and it did feel like "the most beautiful sound I ever heard."
To be Continued...
✔Corrected
I like your first sentence. And the rest of your sentences too, for that matter!
Thanks for that insight into your life :). I can relate to that, when I was a kid I also tried to sing along, but just a decade later I realized that all I have chanted has been completely wrong ^^. Well nowadays with the Internet stuff has become so much easier, and we can learn whatever we want.
Thank you for the corrections @Nemvagok and I'm glad you liked it🙏🏻✨
Indeed @Dustin, it's far easier to know the lyrics these days. Glad you know how it was back then hahaha😆