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Showing posts with label Hong Kong Popular Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hong Kong Popular Music. Show all posts
21 August 2012
05 January 2012
Hong Kong Popular Music (Part 5)
by Ming Leung, May 2011
05/ Conclusion
As we go into the mobile‐Interneted age, media need to change to fit for this new environment. The popular music, need to distributed through the media, we see that in the past, there is only one radio in the herbal tea shop, which is already share to the whole district already. Later, when the TV has appeared, the distribution has scale down to one TV for each family. And now, in the mobile era, we properly have 3‐4 physical screen for each person to obtain different content, and inside the computer, there should provide unlimited screen by opening unlimited windows, which depend on the computer power, so the media will not have a single mainstream one can push the content to the public. So to make the song popular, it needs to plan on the content that can fit for most of people in the market. And it should need to competitive with the old media which already existed, since this is easy to retrieve now. As Ma Kar‐fai said, these generations have education already and should have their mind to choose the content that fit for their own environment. So hope that for the Hong Kong pop music can meet with this media change, as the pervious success cases for the media change from radio to TV. Yes, the pop music industry is collapsing, but there are still hopes for the new generation since, if the society has no popular music, which can reflect there will no hope for that place.
05/ Conclusion
As we go into the mobile‐Interneted age, media need to change to fit for this new environment. The popular music, need to distributed through the media, we see that in the past, there is only one radio in the herbal tea shop, which is already share to the whole district already. Later, when the TV has appeared, the distribution has scale down to one TV for each family. And now, in the mobile era, we properly have 3‐4 physical screen for each person to obtain different content, and inside the computer, there should provide unlimited screen by opening unlimited windows, which depend on the computer power, so the media will not have a single mainstream one can push the content to the public. So to make the song popular, it needs to plan on the content that can fit for most of people in the market. And it should need to competitive with the old media which already existed, since this is easy to retrieve now. As Ma Kar‐fai said, these generations have education already and should have their mind to choose the content that fit for their own environment. So hope that for the Hong Kong pop music can meet with this media change, as the pervious success cases for the media change from radio to TV. Yes, the pop music industry is collapsing, but there are still hopes for the new generation since, if the society has no popular music, which can reflect there will no hope for that place.
Hong Kong Popular Music (Part 4)
by Ming Leung, May 2011
04/ Pop Music and Society
As the development of Hong Kong, which from a small village, then in the later time that many Mainland China immigrate come to Hong Kong. With the stable development from 60s, Li Ka‐shing work from plastic flower to the top 11 richest person in the world. Hong Kong pop songs have also such kind of development and changed.
The initial pop music as mentioned from Cecil Clementi are mostly related to some simple song, and basically have no very serious production which similar just speak from mouth, this is matched to the people at that time, they don’t know what is music production, basically the topic is just related to work and love, and the melody is just produce from their inborn music talent.
With the immigrate from mainland China around 60s, since they have already adopt the production from the western, so when they bring these songs to Hong Kong, they automatically also required the full set environment, such as the theater and dance hall in order to provide the suitable environment for the audience and the performers.
Later on, the Hong Kong governor want to make Hong Kong is more suitable for live in 60s, they have do many things for the Hongkonger at that time (as I mentioned previously), Hongkonger have found the way to claim up to have a better living environment. In order to achieve this, people who are in lower education background, they just know do and do no matter what job they are, so Cantonese popular songs will have talk about their feeling. For the people who have a higher education background, they know that English is the tool that for them to claim up higher due to the big company and the government are use English for communication, so in order to learn better English, English pop song have become more popular in the field of the students at that time, which meet with the bomb of The Beatles, Don McLean, etc, the students then fierce in learning English, which indicate they look smart. Besides, with a classical Guitar, it is the icon of what is cool at that time and the boys are likely to learn this for all reason, included increase the smart image in front of the girls.
In 70s, pop music meet with TV drama, as with Hong Kong manufacturing claim up, Hong Kong become the Asian tigers at that time. Most people are working in the factories, so the TV drama are related to these topic. Besides, the HongKonger have realized the woman position in the society can be updated, with the Western mind learn from other countries. Woman are not just only the housewife at home and can work nearly as capable as man, the most icon for this is Lisa Wong, she have produced the strong woman image in front of TV and become an idol. But since the TV is just the only screen at home, or even some home still have no TV, the popular songs have not produced with this wave to have the strong woman feeling. The reason is since each TV drama have just only one theme songs can become popular, and in case the TV drama is popular, the songs must also popular and so the songs need to fit for most audience of the TV drama and hence the producer have less chance to write so specific topic for the strong woman at that time, mostly related to the change of family such as Frenzy, Home Change, etc.
In 80s, Hong Kong needs to face the problem of the further, as Hong Kong need to handover to Mainland China from British government. Many people have immigrated to other Western countries like United State, Canada or United Kingdom. So the HongKonger have the “doomsday” mentality that need to earn as much money as they can so they can escape the rule from the China Communist Party. Then what so call “Era” have created. The songs at that time then follow the “Era” ideology. From the production perspective the music companies is just brought the license from other countries and fill in the Cantonese lyrics. This is the fastest method for this which they are using the success cases in other countries that they will have less chance to loss. Besides this way, band sound has discussed this “Era” also in term they are discussing with this by using metaphor (like Beyond and Tat Ming Pair as I mentioned before). And the song for TV drama, since there are several drama about the huge local company earn money, so that songs will most likely have such manner like You Shock My Spirit (by Andy Lau).
These operation methods run until 90s, when many of the singers are claimed to retired.
After 1997, Hong Kong have honey moon for the first several years after handover. Hong Kong people need not to hurry to earn money that needs to go to other countries. They seem no need so scare about Hong Kong after 1997 and hence seem no target for them to fight for. Pop music then have lost such main stream context to discuss, love song then naturally be the main stream then. There is one kind of love song that has not appeared before which discussing about the weak side on the feeling from male. Which discussed they are also very week in the relationship, the most famous is The Most Hurt of Man (by Andy Hui).
In the tradition, man should need to have a strong image in front of any kind of things, especially in term of ideology. Yes, the male have the right that cry for this weak side and this was hit to the market with such kind of this songs. But if this song becomes famous, which means the society has structurally changed. From around 60s and before handover, Hong Kong basically moving upward, most of the people basically have a steady living at that time, most people can use their power to earn their living. In such environment they have built up their confident unconsciously. This generation has created legend of Hong Kong. But for their next generation, mostly likely have not such tough like their parent. When they growth up to the age of youth, which meet this male sad song and agree with this. Yes, you can buy this song to express the personal feeling from these songs, or even can sing this song in the karaoke. But they have not the mindset of male identity inside, and have not thought about the responsibility of man when they become mature. So they just want to sing this song like crying like a baby in front of the mother, so that is why the current 70s and 80s generation male is not so man enough, and there is a stupid and naive though that “male is very simple, they just want cry in front of mother when young, and just want to cry in front of girlfriend/wife when they are growth up”.
Since Hong Kong basically is a patriarchal society, even there is a strong woman concept from Lisa Wong in 70s, the pop music is still not straight to discuss the strong woman. When the sad man wave have come to the popular music, for the song of female is also need to follow this wave and so there is some extreme song come out started from (You Don’t Have) Good Result, Knife into Your Heart. And then these concepts carry forward to a current pop female singer Joey Yung. Her lost love style is basically having different way similar to the punishments of China in the past. Her famous songs Pain Love, which have the lyrics “Love you that let me sink, Love you that let me cry/Love you that to be fickle, Love you that you’re callous” [9].
This situation is still until around 2003‐04. In this SARS period most of songs are then related to society start with Internal Affairs (無間道) as I mentioned before.
Then starting from Lisa Wong, the position of male and female position have changed slowly and now seems have inverse position in Hong Kong compare to 60s. Female positions have upper in term of education background, job position, etc. This very specific phenomenon in the generation of 80s, which is the generation listen to such sad male song. After 2003‐04, this situation have become more obviously, for instance there is higher proposition of female student in university which hence that naturally female will be easier to find a high pay job. So the real living standard of female is not such bad to the male in Hong Kong, and so which is the main issue of the problem between KongMale and KongGal[10]. And so, man sad song have disappeared at this moment but just let the position feeling female song, for instance The Letter for Myself by Sherman Chung.
Besides in the relation between different genders, pop song is also having topic about homosexual love. This topic basically is to be avoid in the past, the first discuss should be from Tak Ming Pair, there is a song call Forbidden Porn, which just talk in the way using metaphor. Later on, when Leslie Cheung back to the stage after his retirement, he have very clear to state that he is gay and so there is some song for this relationship and example like Left and Right Hand, which discussed about the change of his sexual orientation, lyrics like “I don’t care where is front or back, I have mess with left or right, from that day”[11], and for Great Heat, he even have the outlook that mixed with the sexual identity.
Starting from Leslie Cheung, similar songs have become popular. And even the lyrist Wyman Wong and said not sure the reason that these songs will become popular, his work like Roll‐Royce, The Boy like You is totally straightly talk about homosexual love.
04/ Pop Music and Society
As the development of Hong Kong, which from a small village, then in the later time that many Mainland China immigrate come to Hong Kong. With the stable development from 60s, Li Ka‐shing work from plastic flower to the top 11 richest person in the world. Hong Kong pop songs have also such kind of development and changed.
The initial pop music as mentioned from Cecil Clementi are mostly related to some simple song, and basically have no very serious production which similar just speak from mouth, this is matched to the people at that time, they don’t know what is music production, basically the topic is just related to work and love, and the melody is just produce from their inborn music talent.
With the immigrate from mainland China around 60s, since they have already adopt the production from the western, so when they bring these songs to Hong Kong, they automatically also required the full set environment, such as the theater and dance hall in order to provide the suitable environment for the audience and the performers.
Later on, the Hong Kong governor want to make Hong Kong is more suitable for live in 60s, they have do many things for the Hongkonger at that time (as I mentioned previously), Hongkonger have found the way to claim up to have a better living environment. In order to achieve this, people who are in lower education background, they just know do and do no matter what job they are, so Cantonese popular songs will have talk about their feeling. For the people who have a higher education background, they know that English is the tool that for them to claim up higher due to the big company and the government are use English for communication, so in order to learn better English, English pop song have become more popular in the field of the students at that time, which meet with the bomb of The Beatles, Don McLean, etc, the students then fierce in learning English, which indicate they look smart. Besides, with a classical Guitar, it is the icon of what is cool at that time and the boys are likely to learn this for all reason, included increase the smart image in front of the girls.
In 70s, pop music meet with TV drama, as with Hong Kong manufacturing claim up, Hong Kong become the Asian tigers at that time. Most people are working in the factories, so the TV drama are related to these topic. Besides, the HongKonger have realized the woman position in the society can be updated, with the Western mind learn from other countries. Woman are not just only the housewife at home and can work nearly as capable as man, the most icon for this is Lisa Wong, she have produced the strong woman image in front of TV and become an idol. But since the TV is just the only screen at home, or even some home still have no TV, the popular songs have not produced with this wave to have the strong woman feeling. The reason is since each TV drama have just only one theme songs can become popular, and in case the TV drama is popular, the songs must also popular and so the songs need to fit for most audience of the TV drama and hence the producer have less chance to write so specific topic for the strong woman at that time, mostly related to the change of family such as Frenzy, Home Change, etc.
In 80s, Hong Kong needs to face the problem of the further, as Hong Kong need to handover to Mainland China from British government. Many people have immigrated to other Western countries like United State, Canada or United Kingdom. So the HongKonger have the “doomsday” mentality that need to earn as much money as they can so they can escape the rule from the China Communist Party. Then what so call “Era” have created. The songs at that time then follow the “Era” ideology. From the production perspective the music companies is just brought the license from other countries and fill in the Cantonese lyrics. This is the fastest method for this which they are using the success cases in other countries that they will have less chance to loss. Besides this way, band sound has discussed this “Era” also in term they are discussing with this by using metaphor (like Beyond and Tat Ming Pair as I mentioned before). And the song for TV drama, since there are several drama about the huge local company earn money, so that songs will most likely have such manner like You Shock My Spirit (by Andy Lau).
These operation methods run until 90s, when many of the singers are claimed to retired.
After 1997, Hong Kong have honey moon for the first several years after handover. Hong Kong people need not to hurry to earn money that needs to go to other countries. They seem no need so scare about Hong Kong after 1997 and hence seem no target for them to fight for. Pop music then have lost such main stream context to discuss, love song then naturally be the main stream then. There is one kind of love song that has not appeared before which discussing about the weak side on the feeling from male. Which discussed they are also very week in the relationship, the most famous is The Most Hurt of Man (by Andy Hui).
In the tradition, man should need to have a strong image in front of any kind of things, especially in term of ideology. Yes, the male have the right that cry for this weak side and this was hit to the market with such kind of this songs. But if this song becomes famous, which means the society has structurally changed. From around 60s and before handover, Hong Kong basically moving upward, most of the people basically have a steady living at that time, most people can use their power to earn their living. In such environment they have built up their confident unconsciously. This generation has created legend of Hong Kong. But for their next generation, mostly likely have not such tough like their parent. When they growth up to the age of youth, which meet this male sad song and agree with this. Yes, you can buy this song to express the personal feeling from these songs, or even can sing this song in the karaoke. But they have not the mindset of male identity inside, and have not thought about the responsibility of man when they become mature. So they just want to sing this song like crying like a baby in front of the mother, so that is why the current 70s and 80s generation male is not so man enough, and there is a stupid and naive though that “male is very simple, they just want cry in front of mother when young, and just want to cry in front of girlfriend/wife when they are growth up”.
Since Hong Kong basically is a patriarchal society, even there is a strong woman concept from Lisa Wong in 70s, the pop music is still not straight to discuss the strong woman. When the sad man wave have come to the popular music, for the song of female is also need to follow this wave and so there is some extreme song come out started from (You Don’t Have) Good Result, Knife into Your Heart. And then these concepts carry forward to a current pop female singer Joey Yung. Her lost love style is basically having different way similar to the punishments of China in the past. Her famous songs Pain Love, which have the lyrics “Love you that let me sink, Love you that let me cry/Love you that to be fickle, Love you that you’re callous” [9].
This situation is still until around 2003‐04. In this SARS period most of songs are then related to society start with Internal Affairs (無間道) as I mentioned before.
Then starting from Lisa Wong, the position of male and female position have changed slowly and now seems have inverse position in Hong Kong compare to 60s. Female positions have upper in term of education background, job position, etc. This very specific phenomenon in the generation of 80s, which is the generation listen to such sad male song. After 2003‐04, this situation have become more obviously, for instance there is higher proposition of female student in university which hence that naturally female will be easier to find a high pay job. So the real living standard of female is not such bad to the male in Hong Kong, and so which is the main issue of the problem between KongMale and KongGal[10]. And so, man sad song have disappeared at this moment but just let the position feeling female song, for instance The Letter for Myself by Sherman Chung.
Besides in the relation between different genders, pop song is also having topic about homosexual love. This topic basically is to be avoid in the past, the first discuss should be from Tak Ming Pair, there is a song call Forbidden Porn, which just talk in the way using metaphor. Later on, when Leslie Cheung back to the stage after his retirement, he have very clear to state that he is gay and so there is some song for this relationship and example like Left and Right Hand, which discussed about the change of his sexual orientation, lyrics like “I don’t care where is front or back, I have mess with left or right, from that day”[11], and for Great Heat, he even have the outlook that mixed with the sexual identity.
Starting from Leslie Cheung, similar songs have become popular. And even the lyrist Wyman Wong and said not sure the reason that these songs will become popular, his work like Roll‐Royce, The Boy like You is totally straightly talk about homosexual love.
Hong Kong Popular Music (Part 3)
by Ming Leung, May 2011
03/ Pop Music Characteristic
With the definition of pop music is easy to listen, as a product to sell. Hence their properties should be structural and easy to remember, and need to very easy to catch the listener attention so that this will easily to have a good result in the selling.
As mentioned by Adorno, he used one word to summarize the characteristic pop music: standardization. Standardization included short time interval with just only 32 bars and the range is limited to one octave and one note, pattern is easy to understood, content is also limited, mostly about mother songs, nonsense or “novelty” songs, or laments for a lost girl, etc which not like the serious music have more variety, more details can be present since the length is not limited. (Adorno, 1990) But this standardization is actually let the pop music is easy to distribute and sell, basically this is the one of the main requirement to become pop music.
With this standardization, actually one Hong Kong indie singer has reconstructed the Hong Kong pop song called The Elegy for Hong Kong. The content is re‐construct the existing pop songs, each pop song just cut some segment and combined it together to become a another one, which actually apply the theory of standardization from Adorno, but actually is really look like a new pop song also. Besides, Jan Lam, he have a song which called Pop Music directly to discuss the formal pattern of the pop songs after 2000.
Standardization, if the popular songs need to be selling as product, this actually just like the manufacturing in factory, so shot of standardization is necessary to be preform. Yes, this is not like the serious music, but this actually not the serious music, which just similar to the food type, some people like to have a full set dinner, but some people just like to have a cup noddle for dinner, depending on the mood or the job of that day. We know cup noodle is not health, but in case we have over time work until 10 at night and just one person at home, cup noodle is the most suitable choice instead of the full set dinner.
And serious music actually need have play in a pleasure environment, for instance a room or listen in the auditorium, which have not such flexible and portable as pop music. In this Internet era, all the things are need to be fast, make it instantly and so serious songs will have less chance to contact to the public in this mobile internet era, music can be play in many location like playing in iPod when walking on the street, or playing gym, etc.
Standardization
If the standardization is the reason that make all the songs become the same, and which the listener is just have only got the same materials and the same feeling, this is just fall into the production concept of similar to factory, all toy product is identically the same with no characters.
But the listener of the pop music is actually human.
Listening to pop music, this is similar the scenario of a group of students attending the lecture from professor, professor is just only one, the teaching materials is also only one set, but how come different student have different responses: some will have questions, some will not know what the professor talking, etc. Besides the interpretation of the materials is different for each student, their interpretation is based on their knowledge, past experience and their environment where they growth up.
If the listener have not well listen and understand the pop music, it is not the fault of the pop music. There is the problem of the listener actually when we see there is a collection what called Mozart Effect[8], they are the collection of Mozart’s music, but actually it is just collect a part of this, since the producer know their target listener have not practice to listen such long whole completed music piece, so they package similar in the pop music way and let them feel it is worth to buy it. Moreover, the customer of this Mozart Effect, yes this time is not for entertainment, but they buy as a tool for them, to train their baby to become “smarter” or just make them have a “clear mind” for their work. Actually even they will not know what is about from Mozart music, just listen it to have some noise and think they will become better like taking the medicine from doctor.
On the other side, pop music in Hong Kong has much variation. About 80s, since there is the band sound movement and the Hongkonger need to face the problem of 1997, apart love song from boy and girls, political related songs have released like Tat Ming Pair or Beyond, their songs like Ten Youth for Fire Fighting or Tai Dei, which using metaphor to discuss the local Hongkonger have leave Hong Kong or about the unfamiliar country that need to facing at that time.
In recent year, the type is much more different way, like talking about the current Hong Kong situation, the disc Hacken Lee Auditorium II from Hacken Lee related to Hong Kong actually, especially the first songs Tin Shiu‐Wai Sing, which directly talk from the point of view of Tin Shiu Wai to Hong Kong whole situation, which main idea is if want to alive, need to claim out from the wall of the weal. Besides, there are also other types: Great Article Reason by Siu‐Fei which about the stupid adjustment from The Obscene Articles Tribunal, about environment protection like Snow in June (by Eason Chan) & Where Should the Flower Go (by Hacken Lee), about prostitution of young girl (24 City by Hacken Lee), about hope and dream like If I am Eason Chan (by Mr.), etc.
Yes, the content is still love song driven, as Lin‐Xi said if he fill the lyric which is love unrelated, he need to fill the form to apply from his boss (Wong chi‐wah, 2010). But there is many kind of love in the world actually, not just fall in love deep, lost love, there is also forbidden love like loving the other’s wife, or telling leaving a relation is how pain, just similar to the film Love Actually or Paris, je t'aime, which can have many different perspective to describe it. For instance, fall in love with the wife have Unhindered (by Eason Chan), Sinner (by Hacken Lee), etc. Teach to break the relationships like Eyes Cannot without Tears (by Leo Koo). Or some is directly talk about the philosophy of love like Difficult to Love, When the Grapes Matured, etc.
So if it is said the pop song have narrow the choice for the listener, I think this is not very fair for the pop music in Hong Kong. Yes, there is still love song driven. Since the pop song is the product for sell, which actually the market is driven by the customer, the producer and the company is provide the songs for the market depending what is the market need. For instance, there is a song from the movie Internal Affairs (無間道), this is very popular at that time, the content which is talk about how to leave the hell in term of working hard and preform many things when still living in the hell, which meet the economic environment at Hong Kong at that moment, Internet bubble have crushed, the flat price dropped and there the start of SARS under the rule by Tung, the CE of HKSAR at that time.
So this song is hit naturally at that moment, together with the promotion with the films. This song is not love songs, actually the content is tailor made for the movie, but in other interpretation, which have the spirit of the Hongkonger at that time, which hard to fight for this bad situation.
But why love songs is still the major one. Since love is a good things which actually not very clear to define, no smell, no color physically and also when start to fall in love, you cannot very clear to tell the situation, so when the song topic is about love is try to help the people to understand more if they are in the situation of love.
In case the topics of popular music have narrowed in the society, it is not the responsibility of the popular music. As some people (Hong Kong Policy Viewers, 1994) said the popular songs need to have some responsibility to teach the public or encourage to the public to preform upward. This actually is the responsibility of the parents, teachers in secondary school and the government. They have some mistake in their mind that popular songs should take some responsibility. Popular songs are the market driven product. If the market need some music have a positive mind, then the popular songs will naturally create this, as the examples of Internal Affairs (無間道) previously, Pound of You, etc. And since this is market driven, this will also very naturally adopt to the most people in the public.
They are some people have made the mistake in another way that want to enforce some false concept to the public by using popular music, as have done before by HKSAR government when they try to use Under the Lion Rock. As they see the popular music are well adopt from the public and it look like a good tools that can be used to brainwash the public. But actually they are told the wrong things: first, the Hongkonger will not trust you for their bad policy. Also the background of this song is about 70s Hong Kong. With some history knowledge of Hong Kong we know there were many people come from Mainland China to escape the Communist, and Hong Kong has affected by the Communist in the late 60s and there is riot that let the Hong Kong out of control. So the governor at that time has done many things like the public housing, establish ICAC and free education for children, etc. The HongKonger then have a mind that cannot back to the mainland, so long stay in Hong Kong is much better that back to home town and even the situation is not so good like this moment but still can work together under the lion rock hill. But this story cannot be repeat again, at least the flat under the Lion Rock is already HKD$9800 per square feet (already under the market price), even if the Hongkonger want to under the lion rock with you, but where can they get such kind of money?
So this is a very wrong interpretation of the functionality of the pop music can group of people to doing something. There should be a market that fit the people need and the popular song to serve this. If the content of pop music is really have problem, it is the problem of the market, which is means it is the problem of the society. This just like the scenario that a person is just listen specific one songs to learn love, which is just similar to the case the just watch only the movies Titanic, there only DiCaprio as the boyfriend in the world and jump to sea together to indicate the true love, but do not think about why four days will have such a deep love that need to “You jump, I jump”. This is just a primary school student behavior.
More Portable
Popular music is easier portable then the serious music in term of the entertainment environment. For instance, it can be played as a theme song for movies, or listen in iPod in a short time during the travel to work, as content for karaoke, for the game playing, etc. This will also have the reaction with the environment that they play. For instance, karaoke is the place that need to consume the pop music, but karaoke is also an entertainment place that maybe celebrate birthday, farewell people etc, so people here is not just singing, most of them are play and drunk instead. So if a person just want to more serious to sing songs inside, there will have some bad feeling so that there is a song called King of Karaoke‐Song (by Eason Chan), Favorite song (by Twins), which is totally matched with such kind of situation.
Also, for Big Incident in a Small City (by Miriam Yeung), this song is just derive from only one part of background music of movie sound track. The produce is just listen this part and ask the compose to use this segment to produce a song, which is very success in the public as the producer Paco Wong said he can hear the market from this segment form the sound track.
03/ Pop Music Characteristic
With the definition of pop music is easy to listen, as a product to sell. Hence their properties should be structural and easy to remember, and need to very easy to catch the listener attention so that this will easily to have a good result in the selling.
As mentioned by Adorno, he used one word to summarize the characteristic pop music: standardization. Standardization included short time interval with just only 32 bars and the range is limited to one octave and one note, pattern is easy to understood, content is also limited, mostly about mother songs, nonsense or “novelty” songs, or laments for a lost girl, etc which not like the serious music have more variety, more details can be present since the length is not limited. (Adorno, 1990) But this standardization is actually let the pop music is easy to distribute and sell, basically this is the one of the main requirement to become pop music.
With this standardization, actually one Hong Kong indie singer has reconstructed the Hong Kong pop song called The Elegy for Hong Kong. The content is re‐construct the existing pop songs, each pop song just cut some segment and combined it together to become a another one, which actually apply the theory of standardization from Adorno, but actually is really look like a new pop song also. Besides, Jan Lam, he have a song which called Pop Music directly to discuss the formal pattern of the pop songs after 2000.
Standardization, if the popular songs need to be selling as product, this actually just like the manufacturing in factory, so shot of standardization is necessary to be preform. Yes, this is not like the serious music, but this actually not the serious music, which just similar to the food type, some people like to have a full set dinner, but some people just like to have a cup noddle for dinner, depending on the mood or the job of that day. We know cup noodle is not health, but in case we have over time work until 10 at night and just one person at home, cup noodle is the most suitable choice instead of the full set dinner.
And serious music actually need have play in a pleasure environment, for instance a room or listen in the auditorium, which have not such flexible and portable as pop music. In this Internet era, all the things are need to be fast, make it instantly and so serious songs will have less chance to contact to the public in this mobile internet era, music can be play in many location like playing in iPod when walking on the street, or playing gym, etc.
Standardization
If the standardization is the reason that make all the songs become the same, and which the listener is just have only got the same materials and the same feeling, this is just fall into the production concept of similar to factory, all toy product is identically the same with no characters.
But the listener of the pop music is actually human.
Listening to pop music, this is similar the scenario of a group of students attending the lecture from professor, professor is just only one, the teaching materials is also only one set, but how come different student have different responses: some will have questions, some will not know what the professor talking, etc. Besides the interpretation of the materials is different for each student, their interpretation is based on their knowledge, past experience and their environment where they growth up.
If the listener have not well listen and understand the pop music, it is not the fault of the pop music. There is the problem of the listener actually when we see there is a collection what called Mozart Effect[8], they are the collection of Mozart’s music, but actually it is just collect a part of this, since the producer know their target listener have not practice to listen such long whole completed music piece, so they package similar in the pop music way and let them feel it is worth to buy it. Moreover, the customer of this Mozart Effect, yes this time is not for entertainment, but they buy as a tool for them, to train their baby to become “smarter” or just make them have a “clear mind” for their work. Actually even they will not know what is about from Mozart music, just listen it to have some noise and think they will become better like taking the medicine from doctor.
On the other side, pop music in Hong Kong has much variation. About 80s, since there is the band sound movement and the Hongkonger need to face the problem of 1997, apart love song from boy and girls, political related songs have released like Tat Ming Pair or Beyond, their songs like Ten Youth for Fire Fighting or Tai Dei, which using metaphor to discuss the local Hongkonger have leave Hong Kong or about the unfamiliar country that need to facing at that time.
In recent year, the type is much more different way, like talking about the current Hong Kong situation, the disc Hacken Lee Auditorium II from Hacken Lee related to Hong Kong actually, especially the first songs Tin Shiu‐Wai Sing, which directly talk from the point of view of Tin Shiu Wai to Hong Kong whole situation, which main idea is if want to alive, need to claim out from the wall of the weal. Besides, there are also other types: Great Article Reason by Siu‐Fei which about the stupid adjustment from The Obscene Articles Tribunal, about environment protection like Snow in June (by Eason Chan) & Where Should the Flower Go (by Hacken Lee), about prostitution of young girl (24 City by Hacken Lee), about hope and dream like If I am Eason Chan (by Mr.), etc.
Yes, the content is still love song driven, as Lin‐Xi said if he fill the lyric which is love unrelated, he need to fill the form to apply from his boss (Wong chi‐wah, 2010). But there is many kind of love in the world actually, not just fall in love deep, lost love, there is also forbidden love like loving the other’s wife, or telling leaving a relation is how pain, just similar to the film Love Actually or Paris, je t'aime, which can have many different perspective to describe it. For instance, fall in love with the wife have Unhindered (by Eason Chan), Sinner (by Hacken Lee), etc. Teach to break the relationships like Eyes Cannot without Tears (by Leo Koo). Or some is directly talk about the philosophy of love like Difficult to Love, When the Grapes Matured, etc.
So if it is said the pop song have narrow the choice for the listener, I think this is not very fair for the pop music in Hong Kong. Yes, there is still love song driven. Since the pop song is the product for sell, which actually the market is driven by the customer, the producer and the company is provide the songs for the market depending what is the market need. For instance, there is a song from the movie Internal Affairs (無間道), this is very popular at that time, the content which is talk about how to leave the hell in term of working hard and preform many things when still living in the hell, which meet the economic environment at Hong Kong at that moment, Internet bubble have crushed, the flat price dropped and there the start of SARS under the rule by Tung, the CE of HKSAR at that time.
So this song is hit naturally at that moment, together with the promotion with the films. This song is not love songs, actually the content is tailor made for the movie, but in other interpretation, which have the spirit of the Hongkonger at that time, which hard to fight for this bad situation.
But why love songs is still the major one. Since love is a good things which actually not very clear to define, no smell, no color physically and also when start to fall in love, you cannot very clear to tell the situation, so when the song topic is about love is try to help the people to understand more if they are in the situation of love.
In case the topics of popular music have narrowed in the society, it is not the responsibility of the popular music. As some people (Hong Kong Policy Viewers, 1994) said the popular songs need to have some responsibility to teach the public or encourage to the public to preform upward. This actually is the responsibility of the parents, teachers in secondary school and the government. They have some mistake in their mind that popular songs should take some responsibility. Popular songs are the market driven product. If the market need some music have a positive mind, then the popular songs will naturally create this, as the examples of Internal Affairs (無間道) previously, Pound of You, etc. And since this is market driven, this will also very naturally adopt to the most people in the public.
They are some people have made the mistake in another way that want to enforce some false concept to the public by using popular music, as have done before by HKSAR government when they try to use Under the Lion Rock. As they see the popular music are well adopt from the public and it look like a good tools that can be used to brainwash the public. But actually they are told the wrong things: first, the Hongkonger will not trust you for their bad policy. Also the background of this song is about 70s Hong Kong. With some history knowledge of Hong Kong we know there were many people come from Mainland China to escape the Communist, and Hong Kong has affected by the Communist in the late 60s and there is riot that let the Hong Kong out of control. So the governor at that time has done many things like the public housing, establish ICAC and free education for children, etc. The HongKonger then have a mind that cannot back to the mainland, so long stay in Hong Kong is much better that back to home town and even the situation is not so good like this moment but still can work together under the lion rock hill. But this story cannot be repeat again, at least the flat under the Lion Rock is already HKD$9800 per square feet (already under the market price), even if the Hongkonger want to under the lion rock with you, but where can they get such kind of money?
So this is a very wrong interpretation of the functionality of the pop music can group of people to doing something. There should be a market that fit the people need and the popular song to serve this. If the content of pop music is really have problem, it is the problem of the market, which is means it is the problem of the society. This just like the scenario that a person is just listen specific one songs to learn love, which is just similar to the case the just watch only the movies Titanic, there only DiCaprio as the boyfriend in the world and jump to sea together to indicate the true love, but do not think about why four days will have such a deep love that need to “You jump, I jump”. This is just a primary school student behavior.
More Portable
Popular music is easier portable then the serious music in term of the entertainment environment. For instance, it can be played as a theme song for movies, or listen in iPod in a short time during the travel to work, as content for karaoke, for the game playing, etc. This will also have the reaction with the environment that they play. For instance, karaoke is the place that need to consume the pop music, but karaoke is also an entertainment place that maybe celebrate birthday, farewell people etc, so people here is not just singing, most of them are play and drunk instead. So if a person just want to more serious to sing songs inside, there will have some bad feeling so that there is a song called King of Karaoke‐Song (by Eason Chan), Favorite song (by Twins), which is totally matched with such kind of situation.
Also, for Big Incident in a Small City (by Miriam Yeung), this song is just derive from only one part of background music of movie sound track. The produce is just listen this part and ask the compose to use this segment to produce a song, which is very success in the public as the producer Paco Wong said he can hear the market from this segment form the sound track.
Hong Kong Popular Music (Part 2)
by Ming Leung, May 2011
02/ Pop Music Distribution
For the distribution of the pop music, we are not hard to think the situation in the old days. As Frith mentioned, if people need to listen music, they need to go to auditorium and listen lively in front of the performers or orchestra. Otherwise, the song can just only distribute in the way human by human. Hence, for the distribution in this way, it is very difficult to distribute compare with the technologies at this moment and then popular music is just only serving for a very less amount of people within the group.
Storage Media
Song recording devices is start from musical box, which can reproduce the songs that pre‐setup in the pins in the revolving cylinder, but the musical box can just only the sound only, it will not provide the whole songs including the human voices. Later on, phonograph disc recording has been invented and the songs with voices can be recorded, the disc which can just only record about 3‐4 minutes at the beginning. Since this 78 rpm disc is just too limited for recording and then longer recording time is need, hence LP have invented which have increased the recording time to 15 minutes each size and run in 33½ rpm.
Later on, the appearance of cassette tape have become one of the main device for the pop music carrier, then CD have appeared and each can carry about one hour long and now we can have other different storage media in digital format, mostly MP3, and the size of the player can from the desktop size to walkman to iPod now we have.
Selling Songs
In Hong Kong, the distribution of the pop songs in the pre‐Internet age is mostly through radio. Pay cable radio have fully covered most of the urban area in Hong Kong and then most of Hongkonger can have this broadcasting to receive the music. At that time these are nearly the only entertainment for them to receive new things from other world. The radio will broadcast the songs from western and even the Hongkonger cannot afford the services from the cable radio, they will go to some herbal tea shop to buy a cup of tea and listen to them, since these shops have the cable radio service subscription for them.
And so these shops can group the people together and hence the radio is the main media at that time. Later, in 1967, TVB have open. They are the first color television broadcast and free of charge to get their service. Hence, TV dramas are the main programme that the people will receive at that time. Pop music then naturally go into the most popular media and adjusted it’s a role in this period. They are not only just the songs themselves but work with the TV drama, when the drama become popular, the songs can popular also. In 70s‐80s, Hong Kong movies become famous and can sell to overseas, similar situation of TV and the movie also need to consume the songs also. Singer not just only singing, they also need to be a movie actor, when they become popular, their songs will also popular, until 1997.
In Internet age, Hong Kong popular songs basically working in the pre‐Internet period, even there are some online portal which is selling pop songs like moov.hk or kkbox.com, but they are actually not selling songs in the concept of selling a product to their customer. Yes, they claimed they are “selling” the songs to customer which from the concept of iTunes, but basically they are just rent the songs to the customer, which the rent period claimed is forever until they have closed. For the customers who buy the songs in old media age, they are bought the songs which offline from the controller/producer company, which they actually do what they want. When a person has brought the things, actually they want to own the things itself. So this type of online “buying” (or cloud buying) cannot let the user own the things, not like iTunes, even the have the encryption which control the files that copy to other locations, but they can provide the “owning” concept to the customer and they are really buy the songs actually, all stored in iTunes, which have not change much on the concept of buying.
Distribution in Mass Media
In the history of the pop music development, we can see that the music is selling itself only at the age before TV, and then in TV age, the songs cooperate with the TV drama together. The music itself has changed the position, or added one more position with the new media has appeared.
So in the current Mobile‐Interneted age, pop songs should have to be modernized with the new media. For the music itself, it still mostly development about 3‐4 minutes for each, which is the length in 78 rpm era. For the media we have now, for instance, YouTube, which can let the most normal user to upload a video up to 10 minutes7. So as the example from Kara Uemura, her songs God of Toilet have total length in 9 minutes, which is totally fit with the YouTube as a distribution media. This is a very nice try of the length for this media, and since the length have widen, the whole feeling have changed and not just limited to the length before, and can fit in other environment which is not just for karaoke.
Besides, in the Mobile‐Interneted age, most of the devices actually have a screen, which can provide individual content with each individual screen. This is not like in the TV dominant era, each home basically have just only one screen, all the family members need to follow the same content in the same time. The programme is chosen by the person who has the most power in that family. But if this situation has collapsed, each person can choose their favorite programme themselves and so music can have a wide range of media for distribution. For instance, we can see there is some professional recording of music, which for the user who buy to challenge their audio equipment at home. But they still need to have really have songs, the karaoke songs may not suit for these purpose and so this have come out and the songs is actually re‐produced from the old stuff but have high‐up version actually.
So with similar concept of development, pop music can also develop in different scenarios, or more personalize environment, like have Jazz mixing which already been done by William So, or design for have a Sunday drive with a family, or even one song about 10‐30 minutes which for the travel to work, or go to gym. Selling old songs with specific context is really, but why not selling the brand new song in this way. There is just a case from William So in the past, but the society have not such culture at that moment and so this try is not very successful, but if an advertising become better, then I think this will a new way for the pop music.
In the entertainment perspective, like in the past songs work with TV, we are now can work with video game at this moment like the Taiko no Tatsujin and Guitar Hero, these video game is also need to consume pop songs in their game also, not just only karaoke. These things have already been done long time ago but this still a huge opportunities which have not done for the Hong Kong pop music.
The Music Video
Music video are basically help to advertiser the pop music. In the karaoke age, this is a major material for the songs, since the people actually cannot accept a blank screen with nothing inside but lyrics when they focus on the karaoke screen. This is only the text machine but not karaoke. But in this mobile age, music video can be another presentation of the songs visually, the songs can be upgraded to let the audience to watch the songs. This can be another presentation, or see as a very short movie which a songs.
02/ Pop Music Distribution
For the distribution of the pop music, we are not hard to think the situation in the old days. As Frith mentioned, if people need to listen music, they need to go to auditorium and listen lively in front of the performers or orchestra. Otherwise, the song can just only distribute in the way human by human. Hence, for the distribution in this way, it is very difficult to distribute compare with the technologies at this moment and then popular music is just only serving for a very less amount of people within the group.
Storage Media
Song recording devices is start from musical box, which can reproduce the songs that pre‐setup in the pins in the revolving cylinder, but the musical box can just only the sound only, it will not provide the whole songs including the human voices. Later on, phonograph disc recording has been invented and the songs with voices can be recorded, the disc which can just only record about 3‐4 minutes at the beginning. Since this 78 rpm disc is just too limited for recording and then longer recording time is need, hence LP have invented which have increased the recording time to 15 minutes each size and run in 33½ rpm.
Later on, the appearance of cassette tape have become one of the main device for the pop music carrier, then CD have appeared and each can carry about one hour long and now we can have other different storage media in digital format, mostly MP3, and the size of the player can from the desktop size to walkman to iPod now we have.
Selling Songs
In Hong Kong, the distribution of the pop songs in the pre‐Internet age is mostly through radio. Pay cable radio have fully covered most of the urban area in Hong Kong and then most of Hongkonger can have this broadcasting to receive the music. At that time these are nearly the only entertainment for them to receive new things from other world. The radio will broadcast the songs from western and even the Hongkonger cannot afford the services from the cable radio, they will go to some herbal tea shop to buy a cup of tea and listen to them, since these shops have the cable radio service subscription for them.
And so these shops can group the people together and hence the radio is the main media at that time. Later, in 1967, TVB have open. They are the first color television broadcast and free of charge to get their service. Hence, TV dramas are the main programme that the people will receive at that time. Pop music then naturally go into the most popular media and adjusted it’s a role in this period. They are not only just the songs themselves but work with the TV drama, when the drama become popular, the songs can popular also. In 70s‐80s, Hong Kong movies become famous and can sell to overseas, similar situation of TV and the movie also need to consume the songs also. Singer not just only singing, they also need to be a movie actor, when they become popular, their songs will also popular, until 1997.
In Internet age, Hong Kong popular songs basically working in the pre‐Internet period, even there are some online portal which is selling pop songs like moov.hk or kkbox.com, but they are actually not selling songs in the concept of selling a product to their customer. Yes, they claimed they are “selling” the songs to customer which from the concept of iTunes, but basically they are just rent the songs to the customer, which the rent period claimed is forever until they have closed. For the customers who buy the songs in old media age, they are bought the songs which offline from the controller/producer company, which they actually do what they want. When a person has brought the things, actually they want to own the things itself. So this type of online “buying” (or cloud buying) cannot let the user own the things, not like iTunes, even the have the encryption which control the files that copy to other locations, but they can provide the “owning” concept to the customer and they are really buy the songs actually, all stored in iTunes, which have not change much on the concept of buying.
Distribution in Mass Media
In the history of the pop music development, we can see that the music is selling itself only at the age before TV, and then in TV age, the songs cooperate with the TV drama together. The music itself has changed the position, or added one more position with the new media has appeared.
So in the current Mobile‐Interneted age, pop songs should have to be modernized with the new media. For the music itself, it still mostly development about 3‐4 minutes for each, which is the length in 78 rpm era. For the media we have now, for instance, YouTube, which can let the most normal user to upload a video up to 10 minutes7. So as the example from Kara Uemura, her songs God of Toilet have total length in 9 minutes, which is totally fit with the YouTube as a distribution media. This is a very nice try of the length for this media, and since the length have widen, the whole feeling have changed and not just limited to the length before, and can fit in other environment which is not just for karaoke.
Besides, in the Mobile‐Interneted age, most of the devices actually have a screen, which can provide individual content with each individual screen. This is not like in the TV dominant era, each home basically have just only one screen, all the family members need to follow the same content in the same time. The programme is chosen by the person who has the most power in that family. But if this situation has collapsed, each person can choose their favorite programme themselves and so music can have a wide range of media for distribution. For instance, we can see there is some professional recording of music, which for the user who buy to challenge their audio equipment at home. But they still need to have really have songs, the karaoke songs may not suit for these purpose and so this have come out and the songs is actually re‐produced from the old stuff but have high‐up version actually.
So with similar concept of development, pop music can also develop in different scenarios, or more personalize environment, like have Jazz mixing which already been done by William So, or design for have a Sunday drive with a family, or even one song about 10‐30 minutes which for the travel to work, or go to gym. Selling old songs with specific context is really, but why not selling the brand new song in this way. There is just a case from William So in the past, but the society have not such culture at that moment and so this try is not very successful, but if an advertising become better, then I think this will a new way for the pop music.
In the entertainment perspective, like in the past songs work with TV, we are now can work with video game at this moment like the Taiko no Tatsujin and Guitar Hero, these video game is also need to consume pop songs in their game also, not just only karaoke. These things have already been done long time ago but this still a huge opportunities which have not done for the Hong Kong pop music.
The Music Video
Music video are basically help to advertiser the pop music. In the karaoke age, this is a major material for the songs, since the people actually cannot accept a blank screen with nothing inside but lyrics when they focus on the karaoke screen. This is only the text machine but not karaoke. But in this mobile age, music video can be another presentation of the songs visually, the songs can be upgraded to let the audience to watch the songs. This can be another presentation, or see as a very short movie which a songs.
Hong Kong Popular Music (Part 1)
by Ming Leung, May 2011
01/ About Hong Kong Popular Music
Definition
To discuss popular music, we need to define which music should be included in this discussion. With the reference from Simon Frith and Roy Shuker, their definitions are as follow:
From Simon Frith, he made the following definition for popular music as follow:
So the definition of the popular music in this discussion basically combined with these two approaches. Shuker is basically nearly the definition with Frith, but I agree with his approach since there need to have some adjustments for Hong Kong pop music, for instance, some serious music like Mozart have become popular in specific situation[1], or which have merged into the popular music in Hong Kong[2]. Beside, some popular songs are derived from movie sound track[3] and commercial music[4] and then find the lyricist to fill in lyrics and become also as popular music here.
In this discussion, I will put the history and the songs will be discussed together at the beginning, which try to provide the overview of what songs should be included as the type of popular music in Hong Kong.
02/ Introduction
At the Beginning
With the oldest record I have found in the history, the popular music in Hong Kong can back to the age around the beginning of 19 centuries. The 17th governor of Hong Kong, Sir Cecil Clementi, he have record the songs which sang by the people at that time. The songs mostly sang related to their daily life included love and jobs. These songs mostly produced by people who have not well educated, and the quality of the songs are actually low. Later, the popular song will include the Canton Chinese Opera (粵曲) and these local songs run in parallel.
40s‐50s
Later, since the Mainland China has changed to be rule by Communist Party and many Mainland people came to Hong Kong to escape the rule of them, and these new immigrate have also brought their culture included their popular music and the production technique at that time to Hong Kong together. Most of them are came from Shanghai, since Shanghai have governed by many western countries and hence have learnt many advanced production technique at that time, so the production quality is good at that moment in the Chinese. When these productions came to Hong Kong, the songs produced have been accepted and then they also become the mainstream at that moment. And the popular songs are already sold with the movie at that time. Since these people are come from Mainland China, their language is Mandarin but this can still popular for the most people in the place speaking in Cantonese. But there is also local Cantonese song production, the quality is low compare the Mandarin Songs like Tang Kee‐chan, people there not like most since they content are vulgar.
Mandarin songs have become popular, and later on, around 60s, since Hong Kong is colonized by British government and hence students are learning English in their school, and so English popular music are popular also. The reason is actually the production of Mandarin songs is cloned from the western production, and so the youth listen the Western one directly, for instance, The Beatles, Don McLean, etc.
Late 60s and 70s
After then, in around 70s, most of the Mainland immigrate have stay in Hong Kong steadily and have the mind that there is not the necessary to “back” to their home town, and most of them also have learnt Cantonese at that moment, plus the governor have promoted the public housing and the free color television are in service, so Cantonese popular music then have the chance to be adopted by most of the people at that time, so these Cantonese is the prototype or the first generation of the popular music in Hong Kong we know today. But there is still some friction to promote at that moment, and so the well know agree with the first contemporary pop songs is from Sandra Lang, Lovers Lovers5. This is the first type since Sandra Lang is look like the Western people and this will easy to be accepted by the people at that time (Wong, Jum‐sum, 2003). Also in the similar time period, there is Sam Hui also popular who is mainly performing Cantonese pop music with diversified content such as lover, the living of the people at that time, the worries in puberty, etc. He has voice out the situation of the HongKonger and so he was very popular at that time.
80s
In 80s, the most famous singer is Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung, and also has Danny Chan, Anita Mui, etc. The songs from Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung are mostly brought the rights from other countries, mostly from Japan and fill with HongKongese lyrics, and hence there many lyricists have chance to present their works included Lin‐Xi, Pan Yuan‐lian, Richard Lam, Andrew Lam, etc. The productions of their songs are not like the one which all are produced locally included the songs composing, arrangement in the previously time. The songs are just brought from other countries, and fill in HongKongese lyrics. They adopted this approach since it is save time and cost for production. And since the record label are mostly from Western company like PolyGram, Warner Music, EMI etc and so they are easy to get these resources with their international network. Beside, since these songs are the “successful cases” from other countries, the companies will just follow the cases and reproduced one locally and this was accepted by the people at that moment, and so some scholar (Chu Yiu‐wai) said the people is just follow the singer, or pop star, but not the songs itself at that time.
In the nearly same period in 80s, apart from these pop singers, there is also a band sound movement appear in the local popular music industry included Beyond, Tat Ming Pair, Tai‐chi, etc. They have produced their songs originally from the topic and song composing. They are not like the mainstream one which mostly about love, their topic will discussed about the society situation like Ten Youth for Fire Fighting, etc.
90s
In the 90s, Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung have announced retired, and then the Hong Kong pop music move to the era of Four Kings and Queen. They still follow the production model previously, which buy the song directly from other countries and fill in the Cantonese lyrics. Basically most of their songs are related to love also. In this situation, Hong Kong Commercial Radio (CR) has announced to support the local production, which included the song composing, and they don’t broadcast the songs which are cover version from other countries. Besides, the wave of karaoke have come which need to consumed heavy on the pop songs, music videos and songs are highly demand from this time.
After 1997
After 1997, and in the new 21 century, there are only few local composers supported the whole Hong Kong pop music market, like Mark Lui, Chan Fai‐Young, Ronald Ng, they produced nearly all the songs in Hong Kong, with two lyricists, Lin‐Xi and Wyman Wong. These two lyricists have 204 and 105 songs produced respectively in year 2002. Covered version songs from other countries have minimized, but the society have another voice that the popular songs become karaoklized, which means most of the songs are standard in pattern and just have only one topic – lost love.
The characteristic of karaoke songs is let the user easy to sing, no need to remember so hard for the lyrics and repetitive composing structure, which meet with the two major lyricists fill in the lyric focus on lost love. I think this is match with the situation of this two lyrists: For Lin‐Xi, he said he have depression problem, for Wyman Wong, his famous work is discuss about the humble way to lost love like his well know lost love songs (You don’t have) Good Result and Knife into Your Heart. And since most people like to adopt these songs and so this period songs are sad songs on lost love. Besides, as the popular songs can be easy adopt by youth, lost love is the most common issue in the life and these topic will also easy to sell also. Famous singer in this period included: Eason Chan, Miriam Yeung, Joey Yung, Twins, etc.
2003 ‐ Current
More recently, around 02‐04, bad economic Hong Kong environment and meet with SARS, flat bubble crash. Pop music has also collapsed. Due to such situation, there is a demand of songs which can reflect that situation, other than the love songs only. Besides, more singers have become producer also and included all the things together. One man band become popular with the advance technologies now, production is just only need a computer and sits in front of computer, with a quiet room or rent some band room, then you can become the producer also. Besides, people not just buy a songs only, actually they are buying something that can fit to their equipment which claimed good quality of sounds, and one some singer have focus to developed with this market like Hacken Lee, Susan Wang, but most of their songs are reproduced from the old stuff. Also, Internet, Apple has iTunes which sell songs in US.
This service has not landed in Hong Kong and Mainland at this moment but there are similar platforms
have created in Hong Kong to sell pop songs online like moov.hk and kkbox.com.
01/ About Hong Kong Popular Music
Definition
To discuss popular music, we need to define which music should be included in this discussion. With the reference from Simon Frith and Roy Shuker, their definitions are as follow:
From Simon Frith, he made the following definition for popular music as follow:
- Music made commercially, in a particular kind of legal (copyright) and economic (market) system.
- Music made using ever‐changing technology, with particular reference to forms of recording or sound storage.
- Music, which is significantly experienced as mediated, tied up with the twentieth‐century mass media of cinema, radio and television.
- Music which is primarily made for pleasure, with particular importance for the social and bodily pleasures of dance and public entertainment.
- Music which is formally hybrid, bringing together musical elements which cross social, cultural and geographical boundaries. (Frith, 2004)
So the definition of the popular music in this discussion basically combined with these two approaches. Shuker is basically nearly the definition with Frith, but I agree with his approach since there need to have some adjustments for Hong Kong pop music, for instance, some serious music like Mozart have become popular in specific situation[1], or which have merged into the popular music in Hong Kong[2]. Beside, some popular songs are derived from movie sound track[3] and commercial music[4] and then find the lyricist to fill in lyrics and become also as popular music here.
In this discussion, I will put the history and the songs will be discussed together at the beginning, which try to provide the overview of what songs should be included as the type of popular music in Hong Kong.
02/ Introduction
At the Beginning
With the oldest record I have found in the history, the popular music in Hong Kong can back to the age around the beginning of 19 centuries. The 17th governor of Hong Kong, Sir Cecil Clementi, he have record the songs which sang by the people at that time. The songs mostly sang related to their daily life included love and jobs. These songs mostly produced by people who have not well educated, and the quality of the songs are actually low. Later, the popular song will include the Canton Chinese Opera (粵曲) and these local songs run in parallel.
40s‐50s
Later, since the Mainland China has changed to be rule by Communist Party and many Mainland people came to Hong Kong to escape the rule of them, and these new immigrate have also brought their culture included their popular music and the production technique at that time to Hong Kong together. Most of them are came from Shanghai, since Shanghai have governed by many western countries and hence have learnt many advanced production technique at that time, so the production quality is good at that moment in the Chinese. When these productions came to Hong Kong, the songs produced have been accepted and then they also become the mainstream at that moment. And the popular songs are already sold with the movie at that time. Since these people are come from Mainland China, their language is Mandarin but this can still popular for the most people in the place speaking in Cantonese. But there is also local Cantonese song production, the quality is low compare the Mandarin Songs like Tang Kee‐chan, people there not like most since they content are vulgar.
Mandarin songs have become popular, and later on, around 60s, since Hong Kong is colonized by British government and hence students are learning English in their school, and so English popular music are popular also. The reason is actually the production of Mandarin songs is cloned from the western production, and so the youth listen the Western one directly, for instance, The Beatles, Don McLean, etc.
Late 60s and 70s
After then, in around 70s, most of the Mainland immigrate have stay in Hong Kong steadily and have the mind that there is not the necessary to “back” to their home town, and most of them also have learnt Cantonese at that moment, plus the governor have promoted the public housing and the free color television are in service, so Cantonese popular music then have the chance to be adopted by most of the people at that time, so these Cantonese is the prototype or the first generation of the popular music in Hong Kong we know today. But there is still some friction to promote at that moment, and so the well know agree with the first contemporary pop songs is from Sandra Lang, Lovers Lovers5. This is the first type since Sandra Lang is look like the Western people and this will easy to be accepted by the people at that time (Wong, Jum‐sum, 2003). Also in the similar time period, there is Sam Hui also popular who is mainly performing Cantonese pop music with diversified content such as lover, the living of the people at that time, the worries in puberty, etc. He has voice out the situation of the HongKonger and so he was very popular at that time.
80s
In 80s, the most famous singer is Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung, and also has Danny Chan, Anita Mui, etc. The songs from Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung are mostly brought the rights from other countries, mostly from Japan and fill with HongKongese lyrics, and hence there many lyricists have chance to present their works included Lin‐Xi, Pan Yuan‐lian, Richard Lam, Andrew Lam, etc. The productions of their songs are not like the one which all are produced locally included the songs composing, arrangement in the previously time. The songs are just brought from other countries, and fill in HongKongese lyrics. They adopted this approach since it is save time and cost for production. And since the record label are mostly from Western company like PolyGram, Warner Music, EMI etc and so they are easy to get these resources with their international network. Beside, since these songs are the “successful cases” from other countries, the companies will just follow the cases and reproduced one locally and this was accepted by the people at that moment, and so some scholar (Chu Yiu‐wai) said the people is just follow the singer, or pop star, but not the songs itself at that time.
In the nearly same period in 80s, apart from these pop singers, there is also a band sound movement appear in the local popular music industry included Beyond, Tat Ming Pair, Tai‐chi, etc. They have produced their songs originally from the topic and song composing. They are not like the mainstream one which mostly about love, their topic will discussed about the society situation like Ten Youth for Fire Fighting, etc.
90s
In the 90s, Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung have announced retired, and then the Hong Kong pop music move to the era of Four Kings and Queen. They still follow the production model previously, which buy the song directly from other countries and fill in the Cantonese lyrics. Basically most of their songs are related to love also. In this situation, Hong Kong Commercial Radio (CR) has announced to support the local production, which included the song composing, and they don’t broadcast the songs which are cover version from other countries. Besides, the wave of karaoke have come which need to consumed heavy on the pop songs, music videos and songs are highly demand from this time.
After 1997
After 1997, and in the new 21 century, there are only few local composers supported the whole Hong Kong pop music market, like Mark Lui, Chan Fai‐Young, Ronald Ng, they produced nearly all the songs in Hong Kong, with two lyricists, Lin‐Xi and Wyman Wong. These two lyricists have 204 and 105 songs produced respectively in year 2002. Covered version songs from other countries have minimized, but the society have another voice that the popular songs become karaoklized, which means most of the songs are standard in pattern and just have only one topic – lost love.
The characteristic of karaoke songs is let the user easy to sing, no need to remember so hard for the lyrics and repetitive composing structure, which meet with the two major lyricists fill in the lyric focus on lost love. I think this is match with the situation of this two lyrists: For Lin‐Xi, he said he have depression problem, for Wyman Wong, his famous work is discuss about the humble way to lost love like his well know lost love songs (You don’t have) Good Result and Knife into Your Heart. And since most people like to adopt these songs and so this period songs are sad songs on lost love. Besides, as the popular songs can be easy adopt by youth, lost love is the most common issue in the life and these topic will also easy to sell also. Famous singer in this period included: Eason Chan, Miriam Yeung, Joey Yung, Twins, etc.
2003 ‐ Current
More recently, around 02‐04, bad economic Hong Kong environment and meet with SARS, flat bubble crash. Pop music has also collapsed. Due to such situation, there is a demand of songs which can reflect that situation, other than the love songs only. Besides, more singers have become producer also and included all the things together. One man band become popular with the advance technologies now, production is just only need a computer and sits in front of computer, with a quiet room or rent some band room, then you can become the producer also. Besides, people not just buy a songs only, actually they are buying something that can fit to their equipment which claimed good quality of sounds, and one some singer have focus to developed with this market like Hacken Lee, Susan Wang, but most of their songs are reproduced from the old stuff. Also, Internet, Apple has iTunes which sell songs in US.
This service has not landed in Hong Kong and Mainland at this moment but there are similar platforms
have created in Hong Kong to sell pop songs online like moov.hk and kkbox.com.
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