The contest was divided into a Mandarin and a Western pop section, with, rather symptomatically, no Cantonese section. More than a thousand people joined. Their choice of songs reflected closely the musical leanings of the time.
Wong Jum-sum was ousted at the final 15, an event he regretted for life. By contrast his good friend Judy Jim comfortably got the grand prize in the Western pop section, by taking a leaf from the Patti Page songbook.
The winner of the Mandarin section was Cheung Hoi-wan. She received classical music training and sang the ever-popular Liang Le-yin composition ‘The Song about Selling Sweets’ with a tantalizing mix of inflections.
Very soon, singers from both sections would take a big stride forward, stepping into a brave new world we call the 1960s.
Composer: José María Lacalle García
Lyricist: José María Lacalle García
Vocalist: Deanna Durbin
De amor, en los hierros de tu reja
De amor, eschuché la triste queja
De amor, que solo en mi corazón
diciendome así con su dulce canción
Amapola, lindísima amapola
será siempre mi alma
tuya sola
yo te quiero amada niña mía
igual que ama la flor
la luz del día
Amapola, lindísima amapola
no seas tan ingrata
Amamé
Amapola, Amapola
cómo puedes tu vivir
tan sola
Amapola, lindísima amapola
será siempre mi alma
tuya sola
yo te quiero amada niña mía
igual que ama la flor
la luz del día
Amapola, lindísima amapola
no seas tan ingrata
Amamé
Amapola, Amapola
cómo puedes tu vivir
tan sola
