Mei Li Love Song/Oh Mama, Can You Hear Me? are two emotional ballads segued into one to present Mei Li’s journey of love, loss, and self-discovery. At the heart of these songs is the universal bond between mother and child, a connection that transcends life and death. For Mei Li, the longing to communicate with her dearly departed mother reflects the yearning felt by all who have lost one who has shared with them the best years of their lives.
This nine-minute medley merges the more recently written Mei Li Love Song with the original Oh Mama, Can You Hear Me?, which was the first song written for In America. The two combined songs draw heavily on Eastern European musical styles heightened by Cantorial echoes which blend spiritual resonance to traditional pathos-filled melodies. The extended length of the piece allows listeners to fully immerse themselves in Mei Li’s raw, personal story as she gloriously sings.
As the scene opens, we find Mei Li in her apartment, lighting incense before the family altar. Laden with sorrow and heartache, she laments to her mother her undying love for her teacher, Mr. Johnson, and her desire to be with him. She describes him as a person of kindness and intellect who could bring her happiness if they were together. Mei Li reflects upon the loss of her mother, who left this world at far too young an age. It is she who is the source of Mei Li’s strength and inspiration.
Mei Li Love Song/Oh Mama, Can You Hear Me? is a song of mourning and longing; it is also a celebration of the joys of motherhood felt by all, a testament to the strength and resilience of all women who in their daily lives provide for others while standing firm in their own beliefs and expectations.
The song also raises the age-old question of death and the afterlife, the desire to meet again, no matter how far the distances that separate us. Its memories resonate with anyone who has lost a guiding light in their life, reaffirming that the love we have shared with our dearly departed family and friends lives on, shaping us and the paths we take.