17. ກ້ຽວສາວແຄມງື່ມ Keow Sao Kham Gnum by Phouvieng and Athit
Like the previous song, this one is about romance by the Ngum River. It must have been poppin' there back in the day, apparently all the pretty bachelorettes were river girls. Anyway, the song is sung by a famous husband-and-wife duo, who despite her being older than him, they both use "Ai" (older brother) and "nong" (younger sister) when referring to each other. This might come from the idea that a man is expected to be older/wiser and therefore his love is offered as protection. Another explanation is perhaps because saying "I love you" straight out in Lao "Koy huk jow" doesn't sounds as flowery as "Ai huk nong/Nong huk ai".
I enjoy the flute playing in the beginning, but also because I get to hear my official Lao name being sung. And no I'm not going to share what that name is, that will be another post. Maybe.