There may be no need for a special telephone line to be opened up to provide counselling to distraught fans but the news that Westlife are to split will have had many a besotted groupie1 crying into their pillow.

　　也許不用開辟專門的熱線電話來安慰歌迷受傷的心，但西城男孩解散的消息足以讓許多忠實(shí)擁躉哭濕枕頭了。

　　[2] After a hugely successful 14-year career, the Dublin-Sligo boyband say their decision to break up “is entirely amicable” and that “after spending all of our adult life together we want to look at new ventures. Westlife has been a dream come true for us.”

　　〔2〕這支來自都柏林和斯萊戈的男孩組合擁有14年輝煌的演唱生涯，他們稱，解散的決定“完全是在友好的氣氛”下達(dá)成的，“我們的成年時(shí)光都是在一起度過的，這之后，我們希望探索新的事業(yè)。西城男孩使我們夢(mèng)想成真”。

　　[3] Having sold 44 million records worldwide—including 15 number one singles and seven number one albums in the Irish/UK charts—Westlife remain one of Ireland’s best-selling musical acts. They set a new chart record for having their first seven singles go to number one and had massive merchandising sales.

　　〔3〕西城男孩唱片的全球銷量達(dá)4400萬，其中包括愛爾蘭/英國(guó)排行榜15首冠軍單曲和7張冠軍專輯。西城男孩是愛爾蘭最賣座的組合之一，他們最初的7首單曲連續(xù)奪冠，創(chuàng)下了排行榜的紀(jì)錄，其相關(guān)產(chǎn)品也是大賣。

　　[4] They formed in 1998 when their manager, *Louis Walsh2, held auditions in Dublin for a younger Boyzone3-style band. Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily were from Sligo, a small town in Northwest of Ireland, and Nicky Byrne and Bryan McFadden (who left the band in 2004) were from the hometown of Boyzone, Dublin.

　　〔4〕西城男孩于1998年成立。當(dāng)時(shí)，他們后來的經(jīng)紀(jì)人路易·沃什在都柏林舉辦試唱，以期組建一支更為年輕的男孩地帶風(fēng)格的樂隊(duì)。尚恩·菲南、奇恩·伊根、馬克·菲海利來自愛爾蘭的西北小城斯萊戈，尼基·伯恩和布萊恩·麥克法丹（2004年離隊(duì)）來自男孩地帶的老家都柏林。

　　[5] They were signed by *Simon Cowell4 to the BMG label and their immediate success was helped along by (for the boyband genre) a very strong group vocal ability and a photogenic, clean-cut image. Although all still teenagers when they first tasted success they handled their fame and popularity very well and avoided the usual tabloid scandal pitfalls.

　　〔5〕他們被西蒙·考威爾簽到BMG旗下。憑借（對(duì)于男孩組合來說）出色的組合演唱功力和清純上鏡的形象，西城男孩成立后便迅速躥紅。盡管他們?cè)诔醌@成功時(shí)還都是十幾歲的孩子，但卻很好地處理了成名與聲望的問題，并沒有落入經(jīng)常會(huì)出現(xiàn)的小報(bào)丑聞的陷阱。

　　[6] Shane did his first proper stage show when he was 12 years of age, the show was Grease at the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo. The three Sligo lads, all studying at Summerhill College at that time, started to know each other by performing this. Boyzone’s success really made Shane want to be in a pop group. Then Shane asked Kian if he was interested and he just laughed at that time since Kian was really into heavy rock band then. Later Shane, Kian and Mark joined 3 other members—Michael Garrett, Derek Lacey and Graham Keighron—from the same school and started off a group called IOU and realease their debut (and last) single “Together Girl Forever” which was co-written by Shane and Mark.

　　〔6〕尚恩12歲時(shí)首次正式登臺(tái)，在斯萊戈的霍克斯維爾劇場(chǎng)演出音樂劇《油脂》。三個(gè)來自斯萊戈的小伙子當(dāng)時(shí)都在薩莫希爾中學(xué)讀書，他們通過這次演出相識(shí)。男孩地帶的成功讓尚恩很想?yún)⒓右粋€(gè)流行樂組合，于是他問奇恩是否有興趣，奇恩嘲笑了他，因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)奇恩迷戀的是重?fù)u滾樂隊(duì)。后來，尚恩、奇恩、馬克以及來自同一所學(xué)校的其他三人——邁克爾·加雷特、德里克·蘭西、格拉漢姆·凱隆——組建了一個(gè)叫做IOU的組合并發(fā)行了第一支（也是最后一支）單曲《和女孩永遠(yuǎn)在一起》，這首歌由尚恩和馬克合寫而成。

　　[7] Shane’s mom Mae Filan got in touch with the manager of Boyzone Louis Walsh, he came to hear their group in some *Backstreet Boys5 songs. Three members of the band were told they would not be part of the new group, and auditions were held in Dublin where Byrne and McFadden were recruited. The new group, formed on 3 July 1998, was named Westside but as the name was already taken by another band, it was later changed to Westlife.

　　〔7〕尚恩的媽媽梅·菲南聯(lián)系上男孩地帶的經(jīng)紀(jì)人路易·沃什。路易過去聽他們唱了幾首后街男孩的歌。其中三個(gè)成員被告知不能留在新的組合里，而在都柏林的試唱選定了伯恩和麥克法丹。這個(gè)新組合于1998年7月3日成立，起名西部男孩，但由于已經(jīng)有另一個(gè)樂隊(duì)叫這個(gè)名字，所以后來改名西城男孩。

　　[8] Westlife’s first big break came in 1998 when they opened for the Boyzone and Backstreet Boys’ concerts in Dublin. In 1999, the group released their debut single, “Swear It Again”, which immediately topped the charts in Ireland and in UK for two weeks. Later, their second single “If I Let You Go” and the third one “Flying Without Wings” all went straight to No.1s in UK single chart.

　　〔8〕1998年，西城男孩迎來首個(gè)重大突破，他們?cè)诙及亓譃槟泻⒌貛Ш秃蠼帜泻⒌难莩獣?huì)暖場(chǎng)。1999年，西城男孩發(fā)行了第一首單曲《再次發(fā)誓》。這首單曲立即登上了愛爾蘭和英國(guó)排行榜的榜首，并在榜首待了兩周之久。接著，他們的第二首單曲《如果放你走》和第三首單曲《無翼飛翔》也在發(fā)行的第一周便拿下英國(guó)單曲排行榜冠軍。

　　[9] Westlife’s eagerly-awaited debut album, Westlife, was released in the UK in November 1999, with their fourth No.1 single “I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun” becoming the UK Christmas number one of the year. With their fifth UK No.1 single “Fool Again”, they became the first ever British group to have 5 consecutive No.1s in the UK chart, so they broke this record in the UK music history and they even have a Guinness Record for this.

　　〔9〕1999年11月，西城男孩在英國(guó)推出了眾人期待的第一張專輯《西城男孩》，他們的第四首冠軍單曲《我有一個(gè)夢(mèng)想/陽光季節(jié)》也成為了那一年英國(guó)圣誕節(jié)冠軍單曲。隨著第五首單曲《愛情愚癡》登上英國(guó)排行榜榜首，他們成為第一個(gè)連奪五首單曲冠軍的英倫組合，創(chuàng)造了英國(guó)音樂史上的紀(jì)錄，也因此被列入了吉尼斯紀(jì)錄。

　　[10] Already in their brief career Westlife have broken records as fast as they have set them—their second album, Coast To Coast, went triple platinum in Ireland after only one day of release, and their seventh single release, “My Love”, gave them a place in chart history as they became the only band in UK chart history to have their first seven singles debut at number one.

　　〔10〕盡管成立時(shí)間不長(zhǎng)，西城男孩打破紀(jì)錄的速度和創(chuàng)造紀(jì)錄一樣快——他們的第二張專輯《咫尺天涯》上市后僅僅一天便在愛爾蘭創(chuàng)下三白金的成績(jī)。而第七首單曲《親親吾愛》使他們成為唯一一支從一開始發(fā)行單曲便在英國(guó)排行榜上連奪七冠的組合。

　　[11] While largely specialising in cover versions they did make a fair stab at writing their own material and as a hard-working touring band they became not just a big live attraction in Ireland and the UK but also in Europe and Australasia6.

　　〔11〕盡管很大程度上依賴翻唱歌曲，他們?nèi)匀贿M(jìn)行了很多的創(chuàng)作嘗試，還勤奮地到各地巡演。他們的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)演出不僅在英國(guó)和愛爾蘭受到歡迎，還風(fēng)靡歐洲其他國(guó)家以及澳大拉西亞。

　　[12] March 2004 saw a new chapter begin for the group as Bryan McFadden announced his departure from the band, citing his desire to spend more time with his young family. Rumours suggested that this might be the beginning of the end for the group, however Westlife have set the critics wrong once again.

　　〔12〕2004年3月，西城男孩翻開了新的一章。成員布萊恩·麥克法丹宣布離隊(duì)，他說他想多花些時(shí)間給新組建的家庭。有人說這可能是西城男孩解散的開始，但是他們又讓評(píng)論家們跌了眼鏡。

　　[13] Even reduced to a four-piece following the departure of Bryan, their appeal showed no signs of wavering and although they were most popular in the teen market they did have a substantial fan base among older fans who appreciated their slick and shiny music and dance routines.

　　〔13〕麥克法丹離隊(duì)后，西城男孩減為四人，但其魅力不減。盡管他們的歌迷多是十幾歲的孩子，但也有很多喜愛他們流暢明亮的音樂和舞步的成年歌迷。

　　[14] In October 2005, Westlife returned with their comeback single, “You Raise Me Up”, which was taken from their Face to Face album. On 5 November 2005, both the album and the single were at No. 1 in the UK at the same time at the second week of the single. It was the first time that Westlife have held both top album and single position in the same week. “You Raise Me Up” was awarded as their fourth *Record of the Year7 in UK for 2005.

　　〔14〕2005年10月，西城男孩重整旗鼓，推出單曲《你鼓舞了我》，這首單曲被收入《真情相對(duì)》專輯。2005年11月5日，在單曲推出的第二周，《真情相對(duì)》專輯以及那首單曲同時(shí)成為英國(guó)排行榜的冠軍。這是西城男孩首次在同一周同時(shí)登頂專輯榜和單曲榜。2005年，《你鼓舞了我》為他們贏得了第四個(gè)英國(guó)年度最佳單曲唱片獎(jiǎng)。

　　[15] With soulful harmonies, angelic voices and drop-dead good looks, Westlife remain Ireland’s most well-known and biggest selling pop export and undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest pop groups. As of October 2007, Westlife have released eight albums, and have achieved a massive fourteen number ones in the UK—the third-highest such total in UK history, behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and tied with *Cliff Richard8.

　　〔15〕憑借著深情的和聲、天使般的嗓音以及英俊的面龐，西城男孩一直是愛爾蘭最著名、在國(guó)外最賣座，而且無疑是全世界最走紅的流行組合之一。到2007年10月，西城男孩已經(jīng)推出了8張專輯，并且擁有了14首英國(guó)冠軍單曲——這是在英國(guó)歷史上第三高的成績(jī)，僅次于貓王和甲殼蟲樂隊(duì)，與克里夫·理查德持平。

　　[16] To mark their tenth year in music, Westlife staged a special 10 Years of Westlife sold-out concert at Europe’s fourth biggest stadium, Croke Park, on 1 June 2008. With a capacity of 82,300, it was the group’s biggest show to date.

　　〔16〕為慶祝成立10年，2008年6月1日，西城男孩在歐洲第四大體育場(chǎng)克羅克公園舉行了“西城十年演唱會(huì)”，演唱會(huì)門票提前告罄。到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀看演出的歌迷達(dá)82300人，是西城男孩迄今為止規(guī)模最大的演唱會(huì)。

　　[17] On 14 March 2011, Westlife confirmed that they had left Cowell after 13 years and his record label Syco Music after nine years. After going back to RCA Records for a one year album contract, they announced their Greatest Hits album to be released on 21 November 2011. On 19 October 2011, Westlife officially announced they were splitting after the album and a farewell tour.

　　〔17〕2011年3月14日，西城男孩確認(rèn)與考威爾及其唱片公司Syco Music分道揚(yáng)鑣，他們與考威爾合作了13年，與其公司合作了9年。在和RCA簽了一年的合同后，他們?cè)?011年11月21日宣布推出《精選集》。2011年10月19日，西城男孩正式宣布在這張專輯以及告別巡演后解散。

　　[18] While each member of the group has had their own individual humanitarian advocacies and activities, Westlife has been supporting various projects for a charity cause from the start. On 4 November 2005, they performed together with *Christina Aguilera9 and Diana Ross10 at Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa for The “Unite of the Stars” Gala Banquet charity concert that supports four charities: the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Unite Against Hunger, St. Mary’s Hospital and the Topsy Foundation.

　　〔18〕西城男孩的每個(gè)成員都有自己?jiǎn)为?dú)的慈善活動(dòng)，作為團(tuán)體，他們從組建之初便支持各種慈善項(xiàng)目。2005年11月4日，他們與克里斯蒂娜·阿奎萊拉和戴安娜·羅斯等人一起，在南非約翰內(nèi)斯堡的可口可樂劇場(chǎng)參加了“眾星云集”慈善演唱會(huì)。這一演出旨在為納爾遜·曼德拉兒童基金會(huì)、消除饑餓聯(lián)盟、圣瑪麗醫(yī)院、托普賽基金會(huì)等四家慈善機(jī)構(gòu)籌款。

　　[19] The boyband genre is one of the most difficult and demanding areas in the music industry, with many casualties who have been unable to keep up with the workload, the clean-cut image and the derision from serious music fans. Within the parameters of the genre, Westlife achieved excellence. Having a 14-year career in boyband circles would be the equivalent of a rock band having a 35-year career.

　　〔19〕在音樂界，男孩組合是最難、要求最高的音樂形式之一。很多人無法應(yīng)付高強(qiáng)度的工作，無法保持清純的形象，也無法面對(duì)嚴(yán)肅樂迷的嘲笑。在男孩組合里，西城男孩成就卓著。男孩組合圈中14年的演藝生涯相當(dāng)于搖滾樂隊(duì)35年的演藝經(jīng)歷。

　　[20] Worth an estimated €15 million each (and that would be a conservative figure), Shane Filan plans to embark on a solo career; Mark Feehily will stay in the music business as a songwriter; Nicky Byrne has plans to become a radio DJ and Kian Egan is planning to work in television.

　　〔20〕西城男孩每名成員的身價(jià)估計(jì)有1500萬歐元（這還是保守的數(shù)字）。尚恩·菲南將要開始獨(dú)唱事業(yè)；馬克·菲海利仍會(huì)留在音樂圈里，從事歌曲創(chuàng)作；尼基·伯恩有做電臺(tái)DJ的打算；奇恩·伊根則計(jì)劃去電視臺(tái)工作。

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