Previously: Brenin Llwyd.
Type: CS (Cursed Song).
Period/location of origin: 1984, Hong Kong. Subject, an allegedly “forbidden” or cursed song entitled “夜夜痴纏” — rendered variously in English as “Nights Of The Night,” “Night And Night,” “Cling To You Every Night,” and “Nights Of Entanglement” — was specifically the main theme for the 1984 Ronny Yu-directed supernatural film The Occupant (靈氣迫人) starring Chow Yun-Fat and Sally Yeh.
Appearance: Subject does not have an appearance, per se, due to the fact that it is purely an auditory piece of work. However, insofar as it has an appearance, it may be described as a piece of Cantonese popular music (that is, Cantopop) performed by Connie Mak Kit-man. A classic ‘80s pop ballad, it features a sea of violins and soaring vocals. The sound is perhaps a bit sentimental for some listeners’ tastes, but art is, after all, subjective. The curious may listen to it here.
[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]
Modus operandi: Subject’s status as a “forbidden,” cursed, or haunted song is due to incidents and phenomena reportedly observed by radio DJs when they have played — or attempted to play — “Nights Of The Night” on the air, particularly late at night. These incidents and phenomena include, but are not limited to:
- Melancholy female voices speaking over or humming along with the track while it plays. These voices are not present within the recording itself; their source remains unidentifiable.
- Dark shadows, also without identifiable sources, drifting down the hallways and corridors of the studio building.
- Lights in the studio switching on and off of their own accord.
- Full studio blackouts lasting several minutes in length, resulting in dead air in the middle of live broadcasts.
- The music suddenly cutting out mid-broadcast.
- Loose papers flying around the studio, even in the absence of wind or a draft.
- And/or objects moving around the studio of their own accord.
These incidents and phenomena do not seem to occur during live performances of the song — only during late-night radio broadcasts.
It is worth noting that targets who find themselves in earshot of subject — or targets who decide to play subject — at the time of broadcast are not otherwise harmed by subject’s sound. No ill effects on listeners have been documented, other than a feeling of unease due either to subject’s reputation or to the observance of any incidents or phenomena that occur during the playing of subject.
Subject does not seem to have an agenda or goal beyond simply wishing to be noticed.
Containment: It is rumored that, for a number of years, subject was banned from the airwaves in Hong Kong as a method of containment. However, given that subject does not seem to do anything other than slightly unsettle those within earshot, containment is not strictly necessary.
If the idea of subject unsettles you, then simply do not play it.
Additional notes: Connie Mak Kit-man was born in Hong Kong on Dec. 19, 1954. She did not originally intend to go into music; in 1979, however, after having begun taking voice lessons simply for her own enjoyment, she somewhat unexpectedly wound up participating in an amateur singing competition and won the top prize. Following her win, she embarked upon a career that skyrocketed quickly and cemented her place as one of the top Cantopop stars of the 1980s.
Her 1984 hit “Nights Of The Night” — that is, subject itself — did not just play during key moments of the film for which it was written; it factored prominently in the plot. The Occupant, directed by an early-career Ronny Yu nearly 10 years before he would become a known quantity outside of Hong Kong with 1993’s The Bride With White Hair, features Sally Yeh as Angie, a graduate student returning from Canada to Hong Kong as she researches her thesis on superstition — only to find that the apartment in which she takes up residence is haunted by the spirit of its former occupant.
That occupant had been a singer in life; one of the ways in which her spirit makes her presence known throughout the film is by causing “Nights Of The Night” to begin playing from the apartment’s tape deck of its own accord.
Connie Mak Kit-man both recorded “Nights Of The Night” for use in The Occupant and portrayed the deceased singer haunting the apartment.
Mak has both stated she does not believe the stories associated with the song and played along with the legend at various points in time. She has performed the song live many times and has reportedly never experienced any unusual phenomena in performance.
The Occupant is currently somewhat difficult to access, especially for Western viewers; it is not at this moment available via any of the major streaming services, and although the film did receive a Blu-ray remaster in 2019, the DVD is no longer in print. Should one be willing to get… creative, one might be able to track it down — but secondhand reseller marketplaces such as eBay are likely the best options for acquisition.
The Occupant (1984) should not be confused with The Occupant (2020), a Spanish language Netflix thriller directed by David and Àlex Pastor, or The Occupant (2022), a horror film available via Amazon Prime’s Freevee service directed by Samuel Krebs.
Recommendation: You may freely listen to “Nights Of The Night” during the daylight hours with no ill effect. You may also freely listen “Nights Of The Night” late at night, likely with no ill effect — though if you want to be extra safe…
…Leave the music off.
Resources:
Local Myths: 5 Famous Hong Kong Legends at Shroffed.
Hong Kong’s Spookiest Ghost Stories And Urban Legends at TimeOut.
Connie Mak’s “Nights of Entanglement” in Ronny Yu’s The Occupant at Sinema.
Iconic Songs From Chinese Horror Movies.
Hong Kong’s 5 Major Urban Legends: The Song Was Banned On The Radio at Skypost.hk. (In Cantonese.)
12 Legends: “Nights Of The Night” Has Been Banned For 35 Years at hk01.com. (In Cantonese.)
“Nights Of The Night” at YouTube.
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[Photos via Splashi, PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay]
This legend is especially true within Hong Kong society. Some songs are best… left alone.