"Champa Battambang" (ចំប៉ាបាត់ដំបង, which means "The Frangipani of Battambang”) is a popular song of the 1960s composed by Sinn Sisamouth, which has become part of Cambodian heritage.[1]
The title which literally translates as the frangipani of Battambang refers to a flower commonly seen in this city of Cambodia.
In 1965, Sin Sisamouth's song "Champa Battambang" was the first content played on Khmer Republic Television as part of his Album Chlangden Vol. 125.[2] By the 1970s, it had become part of the repertoire of the upcoming scene of Cambodian rock music. It rapidly became a classic, as Khmer Rouge Khieu Samphan remembers his Communist friend Hou Yuon singing it with a certain nostalgia before his death in 1975.[3]
For the Khmer musicians who managed to escape the ruthless persecution of the Khmers Rouges who forbade any foreign influence and almost every form of music apart from propaganda, the refugee camps in Thailand were a safe haven where listening to "Champa Battambang" or the Khmer version of The House of the Rising Sun and others pieces of Cambodian rock music was a certain consolation in their desolation: "Khaodang was a dream encoded in music."[4]
In 2012, "Champa Battambang" was still "one favourite amongst new musical students" in Phnom Penh.[5]
Champa Battambang has become a Cambodian classic uniting several generations. It is the link that connects three generations in the 2018 Khmer drama In the Life of Music.[6] The track was covered by Sin Setsochhata, the granddaughter of the "legendary Sin Sisamouth, perhaps Cambodia’s most celebrated singer from its pre-war period of cultural renaissance."[7]
| ១-ឱ បាត់ដំបងបណ្តូលចិត្តអើយ ខ្ញុំសូមលាហើយ លាទាំងអាល័យ តាំងពីខ្លួនខ្ញុំបានឃ្លាតទៅឆ្ងាយ ខ្វល់ខ្វាយនឹកស្តាយ ពុំមានពេលល្ហែ ។ | 1- Oh Battambang ! Center of my heart | I struggle so hard to say goodbye Since I have parted away, I worry with regrets and can never fin sleep. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ២- ឱ បាត់ដំបងកងកម្មវាសនា ដែលខ្ញុំប្រាថ្នា គ្មានពេលទំនេរ បើសិនជាគូ ខ្ញុំពីបុព្វេ សូមឱ្យមាសស្នេហ៍ នឹកឃើញគ្រាដើម ។ | 2- Oh Battambang ! Karma wheel of my destiny which gives me no time to free If we were a couple in a past life Would Cupid also miss these good old times | ||
| បន្ទរ- កន្លងយូរឆ្នាំចាំទេស្ងួន មានតែរូបអូនដែលជាដង្ហើម ចំពោះនួនល្អងចិត្តបងសង្ឃឹម សង្ឃឹមញញឹម ថាបានជាគូ វាសនា ។ | Chorus - Has it not be so long my dear? You alone are my air that I breathe Towards you goes every hope of my heart Hoping to see you smile like the pair love had destined. | ||
| ៣- ឱ!បាត់ដំបងខ្ញុំប៉ងយូរហើយ តើថ្ងៃណាឡើយ បានយល់ភក្ត្រា ចិត្តជ្រួលច្របល់រាល់ថ្ងៃខ្លោចផ្សារ ចង់បានចំប៉ាបាត់ដំបងអើយ ។ បញ្ចប់-ចង់បានចំប៉ាបាត់ដំបងអើយ... | 3 - Oh Battambang! Long have I desired but when will I see your face?My heart is confused both day and night hoping that I may one day hold the frangipani of Battambang |