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15 mars Chinese Music Part 2: The Elegant 80sWhile the 1970s saw the experimentations and beginnings of Chinese pop music, it was the 1980s when things really got going. The music began to develop and mature, along with new singers who became popular not just in Hong Kong but all over the Chinese-speaking world.
Stars who emerged in the early Eighties were Francis Yip with her songs "Shanghai Beach", "The Legend of Mulan", and "Heroine"; heartthrob Danny Chan ("I Just Love You" and "Take Care of Yourself"); and Paula Tsui ("Great Wall" and "Flowing in the Natural Direction").
In the mid-1980s, Cui Jian appeared as the first Chinese rock star from Mainland China. He is still admired today.
Songs from the early Eighties tended merely to echo the style of 1970s Chinese pop, which was often easy-listening vocal music. It was the latter half of the Eighties when distinctive styles of a fresh, catchy modern sound cropped up. The late Eighties, at least for Cantonese pop, are regarded as the musical Golden Age.
The biggest superstars of this "Golden Age" are as follows:
(To hear the songs, <CTRL>-left click the links.)
Alan Tam
Chinese Name: 谭咏麟
Cantonese Name: Tam Wing Lun
Mandarin Name: Tan Yong Lin
(b. 1952 in Hong Kong)
Mr. Tam, started out as member of the 1970s band Wynners. His objection to the band's merely singing British and American pop songs precipitated his departure. As a solo artist, in the 1980s, he was more productive in creating Chinese pop songs, especially ballads. Hits included "A Beauty on Fire", "Love (Is Always Mesmerizing)", "Unable to Say Goodbye", "Flower in the Water", "Friend", "Autumn Love", and "The Best Love of My Life". At the beginning of his career, Tam won a number of awards in both acting and singing. He would have won more awards had he not controversially decided to refuse all singing and acting awards from 1988 onwards. Tam is known for his clean lyrics and lifestyle. For lucky streaks at celebrity game shows, he earned the nickname Lucky. He started a trend among Hong Kong stars, to maintain eternal youthfulness, declaring every year that he is turning 25.
"Flower in the Water" (水中花)
"The Best Love of My Life" (一生中最爱)
"Unable to Say Goodbye" (讲不出再见)
Leslie Cheung
Chinese Name: 张国荣
Cantonese Name: Cheung Kwok Wing
Mandarin Name: Zhang Guo Rong
(1956-2003, born in Hong Kong)
Just when the Chinese were about to crown Alan Tam as their king of pop superstardom, another male singer popped up to steal the title from right under his nose. And that singer was Leslie Cheung. Like western fans who divided themselves into camps of support for either The Beatles or Rolling Stones in the 1960s, Chinese fans in the 80s tended to side with either Alan or Leslie. Arguments ensued over who was the better singer. Leslie distinguished himself by dancing on stage, a first for Chinese singers. He was to be dubbed "The Elvis of Hong Kong". He starred in some big movies including John Woo's A Better Tomorrow and Farewell My Concubine. He announced his retirement from the music industry in 1989 but made a big comeback in 1997 embarking on a world tour. He achieved a net worth of 40 million U.S. dollars.
Hits include "Monica", "Lady Ghost", "Deep Love", "Previous Love", "Silence Is Golden", "The Wind Still Blows", and "Stand Up".
I arrived in China at the beginning of March 2003. A month later on April Fools Day there was a big commotion among my Chinese workmates. I tried to find out what was going on. It turned out some were saying that Leslie Cheung had killed himself. The others thought it was a sick April Fools joke. Apparently this is what was happening all over China. Everyone was shocked when they discovered that it was no joke, and tears began to well up.
Leslie Cheung flung himself out of a window in Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 1 April 2003.
"Lady Ghost" (倩女幽魂)
"Deep Love" (侬本多情)
"Previous Love" (当年情)
Anita Mui
Chinese Name: 梅艳芳
Cantonese Name: Mui Yim Fong
Mandarin Name: Mei Yan Fang
(1963-2003 in Hong Kong)
Pop superstardom was certainly not restricted to men—enter Anita Mui. Her sultry stance and often provocative songs, like "Bad Girl", a cover of Sheena Easton's "Strut", earned her the nickname "Madonna of Hong Kong". Ms. Mui was undoubtedly the biggest Hong Kong female pop star in the 1980s. Other hits include "Debts of the Heart", "Love Also Uncertain", "A Woman's Heart", and "Intimate Lover". This longtime friend of Jackie Chan held a record-breaking 28 consecutive concerts from 1987 to 1988. She released 40 albums and starred in 35 films, including Rogue and Rumble in the Bronx. She lived a life of great suffering. Her sister died of cervical cancer. The press had a heyday over her heartbroken breakups after finding herself with the wrong man, and they circulated insinuations and rumors on various themes. Anita Mui died of cancer in 2003 at 40 years of age.
"Intimate Lover" (亲密爱人)
Sally Yeh
Chinese name: 叶倩文
Mandarin Name: Ye Qian Wen
Cantonese Name: Yip Sin Man
(b. 1961 in Taibei, Taiwan)
Sally was born in Taiwan but grew up in Canada. Being educated there, she had to learn Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese later on in order to launch her singing career. She released her first album, Spring Relief, in 1980 and her 30th original studio album in 2003. In 1996, Yeh married fellow Chinese pop star George Lam. She is the only Hong Kong singer to have received the Hong Kong Best Female Singer award four times. Her best-known acting role was starring in John Woo's acclaimed masterpiece, The Killer, in 1989, where she starred opposite Chow Yun Fat. Her best-known songs are 1991's "Being Nonchalant in Life", 1992's "Passing Through Life with Heartfelt Intentions", and my personal favourite 1987's "Good Luck".
"Being Nonchalant in Life" (潇洒走一回)
"Good Luck" (祝福)
Priscilla Chan
Chinese Name: 陈慧娴
Cantonese Name: Chan Wai Han
Mandarin Name: Chen Hui Xian
(b. 1965 in Hong Kong)
As far as the 80s women are concerned, Anita Mui remains the favourite of Hong Kongers while the sweet Priscilla Chan is the most popular in Mainland China. Ms. Chan released her first album when only 18 years old. She captivated the populace with her 1984 song "A Dying Promise." When her success peaked in 1989, her song "Always Your Friend" outsold heavyweights Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam. But she shocked everyone by announcing her retirement from the music industry to obtain a university degree in psychology in New York. Her last album before leaving for the States, Colours of Autumn, topped the charts selling half a million copies in Hong Kong. After her studies, she returned to Hong Kong and triumphantly released the smash hit "Remembering the Old Days" in 1995. Other hits from Priscilla include "Dancing Street", "Thousands of Songs", "Foolish Woman", "Please Come Home", and "The Lost Promise".
"Foolish Woman" (傻女)
"Thousands of Songs" (千千阕歌)
"Please Come Home" (归来吧)
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