Hong Kong had long been a British colony. Western cultural influences started early and seeped into people’s daily life as early as the 1920s.
Cultural influences from the West took an upward turn in the 1950s, firstly through films. During the time when Wong Jum-sum grew up, the number of Western films on show every year was never less than 200. The West was also prominent in radio broadcast. Thanks to the work of progressive radio show hosts like Aileen Woods and Uncle Ray, a whole generation came to be exposed to all styles and genres of Western pop music. They helped to nurture a world where one could embrace simultaneously the diverse sound and sentiments of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Benny Goodman. A new collective outlook was thus embodied in the skin and bone of the baby boomer generation.
Composer: Jay Livingstone
Lyricist: Ray Evans
Vocalist: Doris Day
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
“What will I be?”
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me
Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be will be
When I grew up and fell in love
I asked my sweetheart
“What lies ahead?”
Will we have rainbows day after day?
Here's what my sweetheart said
Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be will be
Now I had children of my own
They asked their mother
“What will I be?”
Will I be handsome?
Will I be rich?
I tell them tenderly
Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera sera
What will be will be
Que sera sera
