“Child” by Eric HZ kicks off with the real laughter of his kids and that immediately sets the scene in a very intimate way. It’s all about fatherhood and the love that is unconditional. The song is in Chinese and the emotion is in the sheer truth of it. You grow up with all sorts of things going wrong, with all sorts of uncertainty and you do fall at times, but that doesn’t in any way take away from the love that a parent has for their child. The fact that it starts with the real laughter of the kids is the perfect way to get into that message which is really quite universal.
Rather than present parenthood as a journey without any problems at all, “Child” recognises that the child will grow, will wander and will make mistakes as they go through life. What’s important is the bond that remains through all that. It’s a very reassuring song in that it’s all about acceptance and love rather than any expectation of perfection. It’s a song that can also speak to people who have had their own experience of failure and it serves as a reminder that you can make mistakes and still be worthy of love.
Singing in Mandarin adds another layer to the release. Mandarin isn’t just a vehicle for conveying the message of the song, it’s an expression of identity. The rhythms and tones of the language, the very cultural memory associated with it, are part of the musical experience. “Child” is able to express something very personal and yet it’s grounded in the traditions from which it comes. The appeal is in the meeting of a very specific cultural expression with an emotion that people from all walks of life can relate to.
“Child” is in the end a very genuine piece about the enduring bond between parent and child. The message isn’t really one that you get by explaining it in any great depth. It’s all in the feeling that love can be constant through all the growth, all the errors and all the difficult times. Eric HZ links fatherhood to culture in a song which is very much about personal experience as well as something that is universally felt. “Child” is a quiet, poignant reminder that love doesn’t go away when you fall. In fact, that’s precisely when you realise how important it is.
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