老實說，我現在還沒有「很認真」地聽完安溥的新專輯《9522》。但我在第一遍初聽專輯的時候，就立刻被這首〈train to heaven〉吸引。
它的前奏讓我想到她兩年前以磁帶形式發現的〈外婆橋〉DEMO。那首歌的前奏也是緩緩地浮現出「舊舊」的音符，像是再現記憶裡童年聽到過的歌謠的旋律，讓人眷戀跟懷舊。如果說音樂也可以像老照片一樣復刻當下、帶著時間的痕跡留存至今，那這首歌就是從1999年（安溥寫下這首歌的時間）一路跨越到此時的。這首歌只比我小一歲唉！
不知道當時十七八歲的安溥是怎樣寫出這首歌的呢？她心中的heaven是是什麼樣的呢？我聽這首歌的時候也同時想到她以前在無歌單演唱會翻唱Bob Dylan的〈Knocking on Heaven’s Door〉，就算是bootleg的音頻也讓当年十八岁的我也聽得无比入迷 — — 錄音裡悠長淳厚的吉他聲和她的歌聲在音場裡迴盪，閉上眼聽感覺自己就真的好像在現場聽她唱著，當時的我努力想像著歌詞裡所說的「敲天堂的門」，天堂對我來說應該就莫過於此吧。
我想這首歌的創作她應該有從對她當年聆聽的音樂人那裡受到影響和啟發。我也很喜歡這首歌的詞：
Train to heaven is about to arrive
Arrive in some seconds here
Before the notice is about to release
Arriving here somewhere
Train to arrive oh the train to heaven
Don’t you know the train is about to arrive
安溥寫下這首歌時正是2000年新千紀將要到來之際。我想她當時想要傳達的，是她對一個充滿未知的新世紀到來前的美好憧憬與期望。這趟通往未來的列車要載我們去哪裡？應該就是天堂一般的地方吧？通往天堂的列車就要到了，不要害怕，我們馬上要抵達我們的理想國了。身在同一時代的我们能一同跨越到另一個嶄新的時代，是多么值得庆祝的一件事啊。
我想這首歌對我如此有份量，是因為它承載著當年安溥對新世紀的真摯希望和祝福；如同〈Love, New Year〉，它如此感動我，是因為让我窥见了当年青春时期的安溥面對新時代的未知和不確定，她選擇堅定地寄望未來。而它現在在2022年面世，意義更加非凡：面對現在如此動盪、撕裂、黑暗、看起來好似實在無法樂觀起來的時刻，它提醒了我們，二十多年前的人們其實對此刻擁有著多麼厚的寄望，而我們此刻也不該失去對更好未來的想像。唯有持有相信美好未來的信念和希望，才能讓我們在這個時代繼續前行。
謝謝妳安溥，妳是我們這個時代的寶藏。《9522》剩下的歌，我會繼續好好聽下去。
To be honest, I haven’t listened to Anpu’s new album “9522" seriously. But I was immediately attracted by the song “train to heaven” when I first listened to the album.
The intro of the song is also a slow emergence of “old” notes, like a recreation of the melody of a song I heard in my childhood, making me nostalgic. If it is said that music can be like an old photo that can be reproduced in the present and remain with traces of time, then this song is from 1999 (the time Anpu wrote this song) all the way to this time.
I wonder how Anpu, who was 17 or 18 years old at the time, wrote this song? Where is the heaven in her heart and what does it look like? When I listened to this song, I also thought of her cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”, I was fascinated to hear it at the age of 18, and I tried to imagine what the lyrics said “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”.
I also like the lyrics of this song:
Train to heaven is about to arrive
Arrive in some seconds here
Before the notice is about to release
Arriving here somewhere
Anpu wrote this song at the time when the new millennium was about to arrive in 2000. I think what she wanted to convey at that time was her vision and hope for a new century full of unknowns: Where is this train to the future going to take us? It should be a place like heaven, right? The train to heaven is coming, don’t be afraid, we will arrive in our ideal world soon.
I think this song carries a weight for me for it carries Anpu’s sincere hope and blessing for the new century; like “Love, New Year”, it touches me because it gives me a glimpse of the unknown and uncertainty of the new era that Anpu faced when she was young and she chose to hope for the future firmly. The fact that it is now coming out in 2022 is even more significant: in the face of a time that is so turbulent, torn, dark, seemingly unpromising, it reminds us of how much hope people had about now in 20 years ago, and how we should not lose our hope for a better future also. Only the belief and hope in a better future will allow us to continue to move forward in such a time.
Thank you Anpu, you are the treasure of our time. I will continue to listen to the rest of the songs of “9522".