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: Sammy Fain
Lyricist: Paul Francis Webster
Vocalist: Johnny Mathis
A certain smile
A certain face
Can lead an unsuspecting heart
On a merry chase
A fleeting glance can say
So many lovely things
Suddenly you know
Why my heart sings
You love awhile
And when love goes
You try to hide the tears inside
With a cheerful pose
But in the hush of night
Exactly like a bitter sweet refrain
Comes that certain smile
To haunt your heart again
But in the hush of night
Exactly like a bitter sweet refrain
Comes that certain smile
To haunt your heart again
