The two original songs featured in 'Street Angel' are "Song of the Four Seasons" (四季歌) and "The Wandering Songstress"(天涯歌女), both composed by He Lüting, with lyrics by Tian Han. Like the character Xiao Hong, Zhou Xuan herself had barely escaped being sold: at the age of ten, she narrowly avoided being sold to a brothel, and was instead apprenticed to a song and dance troupe based in Shanghai. She went on to become known as the "golden voice," and after she performed the two abovementioned songs in the film, they became popular and are still recognized as musical expressions of the turbulent 1930s era of Chinese history. Today, these two songs continue to be considered two of the most famous songs in modern Chinese culture. The use of these popular songs, amongst other popular songs of their era, were used to express and emphasize national Chinese characteristics, distinguishing Chinese culture from that of the West.