Ten Days in the Madhouse (Album)
Encyclopedia
Ten Days in the Madhouse is an album, by Denise Ho
, released on December 12, 2008. It focuses on a kinder perspective of society's outcasts, which includes recovering mental patients. Every song title in this album have a running theme of 4-character, taken from famous names of real celebrities and fictitious characters. The album was released in conjunction with Ho
's documentary DVD titled "The Decameron" (十日談).
whom has previously worked with Ho and produced highly-acclaimed music videos of Ho's. During the research, Ho was amused by the problem of lack of awareness towards the mentally-disabled in Hong Kong. Since then, she decided to embrace this in her then-upcoming album and the documentary "The Decameron".
Since the project involved the topic "mental disability" or what Hong Kong people would simply describe as craziness, she recruited the composer Hanjin Tan, who is famous for his non-commercial style music, and her elder brother Harris Ho, who is a formally-trained musician, to be responsible for the composition and song-production of all the songs on the album.
Thelma from the Castle Peak is the first single released to radio. This song describes the main character of the album, Thelma, who is a patient in the oldest psychiatric hospital of Hong Kong, Castle Peak Hospital
. Ho sings about how bad she wants to be like Thelma, whose way of thinking is much simpler and innocent compared to all the "normal" people in the rest of the world. This song shows that Ho is capable of reaching very high note, which was thought to be a difficult task for Ho to achieve due her low voice. It also showcases her improved interpretation towards a song. The cracked voice at the very end of the song was a new attempt for Ho.
Misora Hibari, the second single, is a tribute to the child living in Sham Shui Po District
, one of the improvished areas of Hong Kong. The song's title literally means "birds under the beautiful sky". The birds are the metaphor to those children, whom possess hindered talent and innocent hearts
Charlie and Cherrie was sent to radio as the third single. This song is a praise to a couple Ho met during her research session. The couple have been recovering from mental illness. They met and fell in love with each other when one day Charlie saw Cherrie being raped by some street stalker and saved her from the incident. Their love was described as zero selfishness by Ho.
Denise Ho
Denise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.-1996-2001:Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong and received her education in Canada and Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Hong Kong. She emigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec at the age of 11. She studied and graduated High...
, released on December 12, 2008. It focuses on a kinder perspective of society's outcasts, which includes recovering mental patients. Every song title in this album have a running theme of 4-character, taken from famous names of real celebrities and fictitious characters. The album was released in conjunction with Ho
Denise Ho
Denise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.-1996-2001:Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong and received her education in Canada and Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Hong Kong. She emigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec at the age of 11. She studied and graduated High...
's documentary DVD titled "The Decameron" (十日談).
Development and Inspiration
During the promotion of her third greatest hits album, "Goomusic Collection 2004-2008", Ho mentioned that she wanted to embrace social messages in her future work rather than telling her own stories. Since then, she started doing a lot of research with her long-time collaborator Yan Yan MakYan Yan Mak
Yan Yan Mak is a Hong Kong based female award-winning director. She was born in the 1970s and graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1998. Since 1993, as a student, Mak had worked for the film industry as a continuity girl, assistant director, production manager, art director...
whom has previously worked with Ho and produced highly-acclaimed music videos of Ho's. During the research, Ho was amused by the problem of lack of awareness towards the mentally-disabled in Hong Kong. Since then, she decided to embrace this in her then-upcoming album and the documentary "The Decameron".
Since the project involved the topic "mental disability" or what Hong Kong people would simply describe as craziness, she recruited the composer Hanjin Tan, who is famous for his non-commercial style music, and her elder brother Harris Ho, who is a formally-trained musician, to be responsible for the composition and song-production of all the songs on the album.
Singles
The album spawned 3 singles. Ho's prefer to release songs with more positive messages rather than the rest which question about different social phenomenon in Hong Kong.Thelma from the Castle Peak is the first single released to radio. This song describes the main character of the album, Thelma, who is a patient in the oldest psychiatric hospital of Hong Kong, Castle Peak Hospital
Castle Peak Hospital
Castle Peak Hospital is the oldest psychiatric hospital in Hong Kong. Located at the east of Castle Peak in Tuen Mun, the hospital was established in 1961...
. Ho sings about how bad she wants to be like Thelma, whose way of thinking is much simpler and innocent compared to all the "normal" people in the rest of the world. This song shows that Ho is capable of reaching very high note, which was thought to be a difficult task for Ho to achieve due her low voice. It also showcases her improved interpretation towards a song. The cracked voice at the very end of the song was a new attempt for Ho.
Misora Hibari, the second single, is a tribute to the child living in Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District
Sham Shui Po District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the Shek Kip Mei, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Yau Yat Chuen areas of New Kowloon, and Stonecutter's Island of Kowloon...
, one of the improvished areas of Hong Kong. The song's title literally means "birds under the beautiful sky". The birds are the metaphor to those children, whom possess hindered talent and innocent hearts
Charlie and Cherrie was sent to radio as the third single. This song is a praise to a couple Ho met during her research session. The couple have been recovering from mental illness. They met and fell in love with each other when one day Charlie saw Cherrie being raped by some street stalker and saved her from the incident. Their love was described as zero selfishness by Ho.
Track listing
- 青山黛瑪 (Thelma from the Castle Peak) - 3:55
- 安妮寶貝 (Baby Annie) - 3:30
- 楊子經書 (Book of Yangzi) - 3:05
- 丹賴斯隊 (Dan Rice) - 3:09
- 查理淑儀 (Charlie and Cherrie) - 3:51
- 堂吉訶德 (Don Quixote) - 3:26
- 少年維特 (Young Werther) - 3:33
- 愛德蒙多 (Edmundo) - 3:30
- 風見志郎 (Kazami Shiro) - 3:40
- 美空雲雀 (Misora Hibari) - 12:28
DVD
Included with the album.- 青山黛瑪 music video
- 少年維特 music video
- 美空雲雀 music video
- Ten Days in the Madhouse" - Making-of