So after a couple of years posting irregularly, I've decided to hang up the towel and take an honorable bow from the world of Blogger. If this were a romantic relationship, it was definitely an on-and-off one where I sometimes couldn't find the time for you and when I could, sometimes I couldn't be bothered coming back. And when I was in the mood, I would sit with you for hours just working on you with projects and neglecting all my homework and household chores. You made me forget about the stress back then. Those were the days.
Well, I'm not going to purge this blog and I'll be around to comment on all the other blogs I follow, so you'll see me around. I just won't be here anymore to do my irregular rants and such. I won't be updating this blog anymore. It will end with just a few of my sentimental words and a classic goodbye.
Can it be?
Image credit: i1.ytimg.com
Yes. So, goodbye my lover and my fellow readers (yeah, I know, there are only a couple of you actually following me). Thank you to everyone who ever visited, watched the videos I posted, read what I had to say and left me comments. Well, except for you damned spammers and bots that decided to take a dump in my CBox. You're one of the reasons why there's a data shortage on the Internet. But anyway, it's been a generally enjoyable ride.
I bid you farewell. Adieu!
With love,
TAQ
...
PSCYCHE! I'M TOTALLY JUST KIDDING! I wasn't joking about the last post here, because this will be my last post here, on Blogger. I'm actually just migrating over to Tumblr, since I think their platform may be more applicable to me. In the sense that I can more easily reblog things and also not have to worry about posting videos. I'm looking for a cleaner interface. I guess I'll talk more about it once I've moved all my things there. So, just bear in mind while I'm tidying things up and in the process of moving over to my new place. See you there!
So welcome back to you and me, sometimes real life not in the blogosphere really does take its toll on you. But this time, I've brought you the final video playlist for the tribute series - the last part in the trilogy. I've decided to focus on the late stars Teresa Teng and Roman Tam. It is, of course a well-known fact that songbird Teresea was not originally from Hong Kong but, I believe she had a lot of affinity with the Pearl of the East. It wouldn't be too much if HK claimed her as one of their own precious pearls, since her music had such a great influence on this small island. Born in Taiwan, and gifted with a clear and sweet voice, she managed to conquer much of the world where Chinese people resided. She did this by learning to sing and speak in several other languages, such as Japanese, Indonesian, Cantonese and English, in addition to her mother tongue, Mandarin. Her voice has inspired many, including 'Heavenly Queen', Faye Wong with her clarity and high, pure-sounding tones. She was definitely one of a handful of artists that possessed great vocal technique, an extremely clear voice and the ability to interpret lyrics in her own way.
Image credit: wikipedia.org
As for Roman, he was known for paying careful attention to the pronunciation and enunciation of lyrics to produce a clear song. He believed it was important to get the underlying message of the song across. I've gotta agree with the man. Although I do tend to node my head with the other people who say that Roman sung his lyrics, a little too clearly. But you know, sometimes more is actually more, and better than less, especially for Cantonese. Get the tone wrong and the meaning changes. Sure, Mandarin has tones too but the number in Cantonese absolutely outweighs what Mandarin has. Along with the variety of combinations of extra sounds, well you can see where this is going. Singing badly in Cantonese is at least ten times worse than hearing someone with a fobby Engrish accent singing in English. It's worse than someone with a gweilo accent singing in Mandarin, in my opinion. Alright, rant over and back into tribute mode.
Roman actually achieved and contributed a lot in the making of TVB history - his classic duets with 70's-80's diva Jenny Tseng for the LOTCH trilogy and theme songs for several other classic series like 'The Romantic Swordsman'. Sometimes listening with the ears is not enough, in these cases - his songs fueled the emotions you felt when you watched the series. But for this playlist, I've featured songs that were from none of these TV dramas. Surprise? Not exactly. I wanted to draw attention to his dazzling character, which can only be evidenced by live stage performances and feature music videos.
Well again, it's been a long time coming with this mini-tribute series, so I do hope you take the time to enjoy. And let us not forget the great works of these super artists, since they were surely superstars. I'll leave you with a quote from the song, "Superstar: to wrap up:
"When you see the sparkling stars in the sky,
I pray that you keep a place for me in your heart. "
Playlist here(sorry, some users had disabled the embed feature for their videos, so you'll just have to watch it by clicking the link on Youtube. Boo-hoo. Opens in a new window! And for you people who like to play singles - down below...)
As you all probably know, it’s been 10 years since the HK entertainment industry lost one
of its icons, Leslie Cheung. Of course, many of his fans gathered to
commemorate him by folding over 190,000 paper cranes in honor of his memory,
which really shows that his impact was more far-reaching than HK alone (you can check out this clip where you can read some of his fans heartfelt letters - they really are quite touching). Even
actor Gregory Charles Rivers (the guy that played/plays just about every foreign
European in every TVB drama) has his Chinese name based on Leslie’s (Ho
Kwok-Wing).
No one,
currently in the industry possessed so much charm, charisma, good looks, sound and
talent like Leslie did. Gor gor, in my opinion had one of the BEST voices that
I have every heard, not just of HK artists but overall. Leslie’s voice is not
overly rich, yet masculine and clear. None of that whiny squealing or monotone
stuff that a lot of other artists do these days. And zounds! Watching short
clips of those who had met Leslie in person, just average Joes, no celebs, they
all gave the same response. That he was handsome (no doubt) and very nice. It
sounds like Leslie was quite a joy to be around, by the looks of things.
Now I’ve
made a little playlist as a small tribute (and no, I didn’t get to watch the
tribute concert because there was no broadcast for me – I might see if I can
watch/find a link online and share) Just found the tribute here. As usual, I’m late on the ball but as
always my intentions are good (heheh!). As the years have gone by, we’ve lost not
only stars like Leslie, but treasures like Anita Mui, Teresa Teng, Danny Chan,
Wong Ka-Kui and Roman Tam. And quite recently, we have also lost some of
screen’s finest actors, like Jacqueline Law (who had cancer).
Anyway I’d
like to not only draw attention to Leslie alone, so I’ve pulled a playlist out
of my sleeve to pay a mini-tribute to these stars, I hope I’ve at least done a
better job than the show <“Our Chinese Heart”> in making a playlist that’s more
representative of the songs that most people heard and fell in love with. This
playlist, I think, is a little more special not only because I’ve really taken
more care in hand-picking the tracks, but because these songs were sung with
the voices of superstars. In my opinion, they weren’t only the pioneers of
Cantopop (and in Teresa’s case, Mandopop), they were the essence of it, as well
as the “entertainment” part of the industry. Still, this playlist is not
supposed to be all about tears of the bygone but of celebration and
commemoration.
So let’s put
the records on play and take some time to remember and appreciate some of the
classics these stars really made their own. I’ll be covering the artists in
pairs and updating the playlist as I go. And, as with all my playlists, please
enjoy!
I know, I
know, this was the first song from my playlist but I swear this is the only
‘repeat’ from all my playlists. And I just couldn’t resist – it felt strange
not to include this track. It is one of my favourite songs from Gor Gor and
definitely one of his signature tracks. I really do love everything about this
song – from Joseph Koo’s melodic composition, Wong Jim’s brilliant lyrics, down
to Leslie’s voice. Can’t fault this classic or the movie from which it came
from.
Okay, so
this was originally released as a Japanese single, as probably everyone knows.
But it’s one of Leslie’s first upbeat pop tracks that caught the public’s
attention. I’ve put in his live performance at the 1984 JSG Song Awards. You
can hear all the fangirls screaming in the background whenever he sung out
“Monica” and you can certainly see why! Leslie was very, very handsome and he
looked really adorable with his sweet smile on stage. He really lit up the
stage back then.
Again, a
Momoe Yamaguchi single that got used for Leslie. I know there has been a lot of
criticism regarding originality for Cantopop taking Japanese tunes and pasting
lyrics over the compositions. I don’t actually have a problem with this as long
as the consequences are good. In other words, as long as the composition is
good in the first place, the lyrics are suitable and the singer is able to
imprint their own style onto it and make it sound good at the same time. I
would say that with Leslie’s voice, this was not a hard feat for him. This live
performance clip from his concert is where he gets caught up with the emotion
and, even with tears in his eyes, he still managed to give a rendition that was
worthy of an ovation. And may his songs keep blowing on.
This was
actually a little song which Leslie himself composed but had the help of
legendary ‘God of Songs’ Sam Hui to pen the encouraging lyrics for him, just as
he was going through a rough patch in his life. This was a collaborative
effort, so I’ve chosen to put in a clip from Sam Hui’s retirement concert where
Leslie and Sam sing this song together. Well, less talking from me and more
listening. After all, silence is golden!
Not
strictly a Leslie song since it’s been covered by quite a number of artists.
You can really tell why James Wong was responsible for this and Leslie was one
of those artists who could cover pretty much every track and put his own spin
on it. He also had a better live singing voice than on recording, which is
something quite remarkable. Listening to all this Autotune and unnecessary
technology involved in recordings always makes me miss those kinds of artists
even more. Veteran singer-actress Deanie Ip also pulls off a fantastic cover of
this very same song, for instance. Leslie was truly ‘the pride and glory of a
nation’ (a translation of his name Kwok-Wing). Whenever we look at the stars,
we will remember Gor Gor along with the other brilliant stars that graced the
stage.
Yes, a
Japanese ‘remake’, like several of Leslie and Anita songs but definitely a
classic. This song and awed many people at the 1989 JSG Song Awards because of
its beautiful melody and its heart-wrenching lyrics and, still lives on today.
Speaking of the song’s beautiful melody, Priscilla Chan used this as the
backing to her ‘farewell song’, “Thousands of Songs”, in te very same year. I
like to think of these songs as flipsides to a mixtape or vinyl record. Same
melody, different voices, but both beautiful songs. GroggyBot wrote about these
two songs here, and I’m answering just three years late, but for me, Anita’s version is the
one that wins hands down, as much as I’m a sucker for Priscilla’s pretty voice
and felt it was a shame that she ‘left’ the industry at her peak. Or maybe I'm just biased or slightly masochistic. The main
reason would have to be Anita’s ability to interpret lyrics and carve a very
moving tale out of them. With this skill, she also had a powerful voice and
control like no other.
Continuing
the theme of sad but beautiful songs, this one always makes me watery-eyed just
because of how melancholy it is. I suppose Anita’s tragic life, including her
unhappy childhood and upbringing contributed to this sense of emotion and
wanting to be loved. The song’s lyrics reflect this and Japanese composer
Kitaro’s music carries the song through with strings sounding like falling
raindrops or tears. This was one of the songs that I have translated personally
but I shall leave you with a translation (that I found at this particular Cantodict thread) by a fellow Youtuber, cheunggal88, who I think not only appreciates but captures the heart-breaking beauty of it
all.
"Who is controlling
my destiny: This daily struggle, in a sea of humanity? My heart is saddened;
Years had passed like flowing water; Yesterday just would not stay! … What
remain are only memories; One after another, forever intertwined. In the vast
mystic waves, My memories drift back to those yester-years. Their faces have
changed, Their status too, But the passion forever remains!"
Now I know
the last two songs were sad ballads, but I haven’t forgotten that Anita was a
very versatile performer. This track was chosen as a performance for the 1988
Seoul Olympics and you can tell why. It’s an upbeat, catchy and daringly sexy
(yes I said it, but that is what the song is about) song with lyrics by Poon
Wai-Yuen and a very 80’s electropop sound from composer and friend, Anthony
Lun.
A little
revision of a not so well-known 80’s Europop song, featuring Grasshopper. Now
Mui Jeh took on a lot of disciples during her lifetime but, none probably got
as popular as Grasshopper after she got them to be her backup dancers/singers. Though, of course, the music video originally featured her other disciple, Andy Hui. As for the song itself, it is a really ‘cool’ kind of style with stiff kind of
dance moves and an icy stare. Synthesizer beats too.
A remake of
Momoe Yamaguchi’s “Rock & Roll Widow” and rightly so. Okay, so I cheated on
this one – this is a performance featuring Leslie. An Easter egg surprise! I
know they also had the duet “Fate” but that song doesn’t showcase their dance
skills and chemistry as much as this one. The pair really could work up the
stage in-sync, like a special bond or contract they shared.
Okay, so I made a playlist and typed out all the song titles and artist names in English (or English romanization at least) until BAM! I accidentally hit the delete key, which ripped off half my document. Damn, I knew I should've kept that back-up. Oh well, mental note for next time. Anyway, this really isn't so much a playlist but a tracklist from a covers CD of HK TV theme songs. I mean just look above. Pretty much all the shots are from "The Bund", which is slightly misleading, I guess. And if you told me that Kent Tong was gonna be bald 20 years ago, I would've just laughed myself silly.
Note: No. 12 from this list of clips won't be in the video playlist above since the uploader has disabled embed tags, but you can still watch the others. To watch the whole thing on YouTube click here, otherwise you can just watch the playlist above and/or click on the individual links below for each video.
Okay, every good artist has a signature song and for Frances Yip, this was it. Being created by partners-in-crime composer Joseph Koo and lyricist James Wong, coupled with the power chords of Frances Yip and being tagged onto a historical TV drama was a recipe for instant success. The songwriting duo once mentioned that no one could ever sing this song like Frances Yip, and that no other voice could be more suitable. I do not beg to differ.
Apparently, this was another award-winning hit from Joseph Koo and James Wong from "The Bund". This song is just another example of an epic masterpiece which makes use of a dramatic beginning that captures the attention of the audience. Frances Yip places all the right type of emotions in all the right places. She really is a powerhouse when it comes to belting, yet she has a lot of control over her voice when nothing more but a gentle whisper is needed.
This rather doting song about familial love (which is closer to the literal meaning of the song title) is really something different to the standard romantic love songs offered to us on a silver platter. Roman always stressed the need for clear pronunciation when singing and stood strong with his beliefs; sending us a message as clear as a bell.
This song definitely brings flashbacks of Chow Yun Fat and Carol "Dodo" Cheng's characters from the series. There's no wordy-yet-meaningless lyrics here, just good old-fashioned simple lyrics that really hit straight to the heart, with a slow, haunting but beautiful melody that builds up and winds down to give you something more than a lot of songs produced today ever could. Sometimes less is more.
Although another composition from the legendary music heavyweight Joseph Koo, this song doesn't really stand out as one of his more memorable classics. Sure, the song may be up-beat and sung by Adam Cheng but I seem to remember more about the short series (it was only 20 episodes long) and the untimely death of Barbara Yung (who starred in the series) and had such a short career in the limelight.
This was one of those catchy, up-beat theme songs which happened to work. Well, worked for me anyway. It's easily recognizable with its opening "Sha-la-la-la" chorus-like sounds at the beginning of the song.
7. "Heart Debt" - Anita Mui (Theme from "Soldier of Fortune")
Another classic from a gone-but-not-forgotten singer, Anita Mui. When Anita went into the studio to record this song, James Wong and Joseph Koo were worried that she might not be able to get the song right, being a newcomer that had just passed 18. However, being the super-talented singer she was, she only did one take for the recording and got it right the first time.
9. "People in the Shadows" - Michael Kwan (Theme from "People In The Shadows")
Actually, I wouldn't note this in my personal favorites or anything but it's just on the tracklist and for completeness, I thought I should include it. It actually sounds like it would be an exciting song with the dramatic entry which slows down. It's not a bad song but I just don't find it that interesting either. And the fact that it's supposed to be a song linked to a drama that's got to do with triads and underground societies, it should really be more exciting.
10."Reincarnated" - Michael Kwan (Theme from "Reincarnated")
Yes! That's what I'm talking about. Those catchy theme songs that are used for Wuxia/Mohap series'. You know the type. The type that Michael Kwan was particularly good at singing.
11. "Gone With The Wind" - Johnny Yip (Theme from "Gone With The Wind")
This song really isn't my cup of tea, as you could probably tell. It's just too leisurely for me (pace-wise and lyric-wise). Like a stroll in the park.
Or like leaves floating in the wind. I guess that's what the song title and the song sounds like.
12. "Walk With Me Through Wind and Frost" - Teresa Teng (Theme from "The Family")
I actually like this one theme song featuring the late but great Teresa Teng who was known for her sweet but melancholy voice. Her voice in my opinion fits really well with the song, like a match made in heaven. I suppose the song title would be closer to the figurative meaning of wind and rain equalling hardship than frost, but the emotion's all there, in the song.
13. "Hard to Endure Parting Tears" - Adam Cheng (Theme from "In Search Of")
Yes, I'll admit I think that Patrick Tse (father of bad boy Nicholas Tse) was one of those actors who had a lot of stage presence. And this song by Adam Cheng, who has sung many, many theme songs really added to the whole show.
16. "Tear Drops on the Journey" - Annabelle Lui & Michael Kwan (Insert Song from "People in the Shadows")
Oh a duet, a duet! Yes, I get excited over duets mainly because they just really don't make duets like they used to do. And no, Annabelle and Michael aren't married…haha, but the way I typed their names made it look that way. Ah, Annabelle Lui. She was a pretty good singer but somehow she didn't really get as famous as she ought to have. And I don't see how the theme song was chosen over this insert song because this one is clearly better.
