Expert: Bong Santos - 5/6/2008

Question
sir bong, i would like to ask about the song lyrics of the song "asia" i think by MO, and can you pls. provide a background of the band or singer of the song. thanks a lot

Answer
Dear Art,

There's not much info about this band simply called MO (or THE MO) except that they were a Dutch band formed back in 1979 and disbanded in 1985 right after their 1984 album STOP STARING was released. From this album came the song ASIA. The final line-up consisted of HANS NIEWINT (keyboards), HANS VAN DER MEER (drums), TON VAN DER NEER (keyboards) and LINDA BLOEMHARDT (vocals). I believe it was HANS VAN DER MEER's predecessor, HARM BIEGER, the band's drummer from 1979 to 1984, who performed on their last album. Here's its lyrics:

ASIA / MO

Did you ever hear about the girls in China?
Did you ever listen to a tin drum?
Miraculous Mandarin, the man from the East
Sings a song about a Cantonese boy
I am here but I can't feel
The yellow magic of the rising sun.

I've never traveled far from Europe
Can't spare the money nor the time
The only oriental things I know
I got from list'nin' to the radio.

Chorus 1:
Asia,
Asia.

I'd like to go to the end of Asia
Riding on that New Delhi line.
(Repeat 2nd stanza)

Chorus 2:
(Asia/Asia, oh, Asia)
You've never been so close to me
(Asia/Asia, oh, Asia)
You're all I hear and all I see.
(Repeat)
(Instrumental)
(Repeat Chorus 2 twice to fade)

Maraming salamat po!!

BONG M. SANTOS
Manila, Philippines