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The Best Newcomer of the 12th Golden Melody Awards goes to...
Stefanie Sun.
Congratulations, Stefanie Sun!
You've won the Best Newcomer Award!
Congratulations, Stefanie Sun!
Without xinyao,
there wouldn't be Billy Koh, there would be no Kit Chan.
Without Tan Kah Beng, there would be no Mavis Hee.
Without Li Wei Song and Li Si Song, there would be no Stefanie Sun.
When the sky is dark, I recall that song
I look forward to that quiet rain
Granny had sung the truth for me
That even when it rains we must bravely carry on
I was exposed to Mandarin songs only after I started attending Li Wei Song's school.
I wish I were back home
When the Li Brothers talk about music,
they can picture the song in their heads.
it's just like a painting.
The dialect wasn't foreign to me, because we lived with my granny.
The sky is dark, the rain is coming.
The sky is dark...
I face the crossroads every day
When I sang that song, I felt the melody was very simple.
But there was something in it I could relate to.
So lonesome
The award for Top 10 hits of 2004,
Hong Kong and Taiwan, goes to JJ Lin for "River South"!
The wind that blows here becomes a trap
That captures the thoughts of those who pass
Sing along!
Xinyao had a great influence on me
through its songs, and in my learning process as a songwriter.
This side!
Fate brought you to my side
A destiny written on the Rock of Three Incarnations
Sing along!
When I started learning music and the instruments,
it was just simple solo practice,
playing xinyao songs on the piano or guitar.
Which is why xinyao brings back memories of my childhood
and years of growing up.
Together now!
As a Singaporean songwriter,
I believe I can create Singaporean music for the world.
We who know not how to express tenderness
Believing that star-crossed lovers exist only in ancient folklore
The pain of separation
The intensity of this pain
Of dreams that are lost amidst the misty rain of the River South
Can only be understood after our hearts have been broken
Please share your umbrellas.
-Will the sun come out soon? -Yes!
Will it?
Yes!
Will you leave?
No!
Let me hear you!
What brings you here today?
Xinyao!
Long live xinyao!
What a lovely evening
With the cattle grazing freely
On this scenic mountain
The cows are so carefree
Sisters and brothers
Are you as innocent as the cows?
The sun will set in the blink of an eye
Come on out to the rolling hills
In those days, Chinese songs in Singapore came from overseas.
Songs from mainland China were mostly the rousing revolutionary type.
Not our cup of tea.
Songs from Hong Kong were the mainstream, mainly Cantopop
and theme songs from TV drama series.
As for Taiwan, in the '70s,
many of their songs were influenced by Japan and movies.
At Nanyang University, many students sang at Yunnan Lake in the evenings.
But they were usually foreign songs.
What about our own songs?
We felt that something was missing.
I was President of the Nanyang University Poetry Society then,
and my good friend Ken Chang was Head of the Music Society.
One day, while chatting we decided
to write our own songs!
Inspired, I wrote a poem, and gave it to him.
I asked him to set it to music and said we would sing it together after class.
And so, our very first verse song
was written in class.
I thought the poem was pretty good!
So I wrote a tune for this poem called "Story."
Pan Cheng Lui
You are a shooting star
I am a ferry boat
Ferrying beautiful stories
Members of the Poetry Society contributed their poems
which were collated by Cheng Lui.
He also invited some of the lecturers
to contribute their poems.
Bravo!
In 1976, when I entered Nanyang University, society was changing.
Most subjects, except Chinese Studies,
were switched to be taught in English.
The switch to a less familiar language
was stressful for the students.
Everyone was busy looking up words in the English dictionary.
Yet, despite these stressful times thrown into such an environment,
studying was no longer the priority in our university life.
As young undergrads at Nanyang University,
there were opportunities to participate in all kinds of activities.
From early in the morning till late at night,
we were busy with campus activities.
Studying was just one part of university life.
The environment on campus was amazing.
Two guitars, one harmonica and the choir,
plus, some recycled props as decor,
and we're ready for tonight's presentation.
They organized their first concert in 1978, at the Faculty of Arts.
I attended the performance that evening.
It was packed!
The lecture hall was full.
Even the corridors were filled with people.
At the beginning, the rise of verse songs came from Literature.
As undergrads, we were passionate about creative writing.
So the merger of poetry and music came to us naturally.
Secondly, it was the times we were in.
When verse songs first appeared in 1977,
it was then Nanyang University was facing its imminent closure.
After four months of private discussions,
the debate between the government
and members of the Nanyang University Council was brought out into the open.
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew was in favor of merging
the Nanyang University with the University of Singapore
in order to save Nantah from an inevitable death.
He based his arguments on the overwhelming preference of good students
for the University of Singapore.
We were halfway through our degrees at Nanyang University
when we learnt that the university was slated to be closed down.
It was earth-shattering news.
Frankly, we were not motivated to study.
Our strength was in writing and composition.
We spent most of our energies on that.
As long as we could graduate, wasn't that good enough?
Organizing activities gave us exposure
that we, as demoralized students,
would never have experienced in the classroom.
ME AND THE LITERARY ESSAY CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY
The song "Outdoors" should be familiar to many of you.
Professor Wong Yoon Wah dedicated this poem to the graduating class.
One of the verses goes, "Three years...
Spring came, yet there were no flowers."
How do the students feel?
Let's hear it from them.
I am a camellia
Budding for three years
Spring came
Yet, there were no flowers
I ran for President of the Student Council in my third year.
CONFERENCE THE VISION OF OUR MUSIC INDUSTRY
I wanted to organize an ASEAN students' festival
to give us, Chinese-educated Nanyang undergrads, a platform
to showcase the leadership of
Chinese-educated youths on a global stage,
to gain recognition.
The choir from the Poetry Society was honored
to be invited to the ASEAN festival
to perform our own compositions.
"Nanyang and Singapore University Merged as National University of Singapore"
Regarding Nanyang University,
the issue was not about the closure of the university itself,
but rather a cultural one.
That was why, during that period, as students at Nanyang University,
we felt very strongly about the matter.
Look across the sky
Not see the wind and moon
In the verse song "Yellow River,"
I used a lot of metaphors,
such as "looking up at the Big Dipper," "a moving superstition,"
"I am a dragon light," "dancing a path of hope
to the end of the land."
I am a dragon light
Dancing a path of hope
To the end of the land
"Big Dipper," "Dragon light," these are strong cultural images.
The key imagery is the "Yellow River," which is the song title.
These images were inspired by the cultural climate of that time...
WHERE IS THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH?
...in expressing conviction towards one's ethnic language and cultural roots.
Just like the lyrics of the poem,
"Going towards the uninhabited east."
The east may be uninhabited, but we, being part of the river,
will still flow east.
Because the river must flow eastwards.
Hence, it was about cultural identity.
On the 7th of July, the National University of Singapore came into being.
There was little sentiment among graduands
at the last convocation of the University of Singapore.
Speechmakers hardly gave any prominence
to the significance of the historic occasion.
In contrast, the 21st convocation ceremony of Nanyang in August
marked its final end.
The atmosphere was emotional as graduands spoke proudly
and with nostalgia of the years they had spent at Nantah.
Nanyang University symbolized the highest level of Chinese academia.
When such an institution is shut down,
to be blunt, it meant...
the destruction of Chinese education!
To put it less bluntly,
Chinese language was irrelevant.
The year I graduated,
the headline on the front page of The Straits Times read,
"Nantah grads worth $300."
This was too much!
It was as good as telling parents not to send their kids to Chinese schools.
The Chinese-educated were at a disadvantage
in the corporate world, in society.
When we had to adapt to the mainstream language,
we were made to feel like idiots.
But we're not idiots!
It is difficult to assess wisdom and knowledge,
while language proficiency can be easily assessed.
So when a person is judged by his language proficiency,
for those of us who are Chinese-educated, very often...
The wind and rain come and go
These three years are turned into a solitary birdsong
I exit from the painting
Leaving these trees and hills in the clouds
The wind and rain come and go
These three years are turned into a solitary birdsong
I exit from the painting
Leaving these trees and hills in the clouds
In the university, we had the poetry society.
After graduation, to continue our activities,
we had to start a similar organization.
So we expanded our focus and passion on literature and verse songs
to society and the community,
and we founded the Aljunied Creative Writing and Translation Society.
COMMUNITY NEWS 1
STRATOSPHERIC
We organized a concert called "February Green,"
and some young people came
and were inspired.
Wern Fook said he was there, too.
In 1981, we organized "April Wind."
We had this idea to leverage on the popularity of overseas artiste
to boost the lineup for our concert.
So we invited two Taiwanese folk singers,
Wu Chu Chu and Yang Tsu Chuen to the concert.
WU CHU CHU YANG TSU CHUEN
Children, do you know
Where do we get the rice we eat
I know, I know
The rice is planted by the farmers
After "April Wind", we organized "A Look At Our Literary History."
"APRIL WIND" - POETRY AND FOLK MUSIC CONCERTS SPECIAL COLLECTION
AUGUST NEWS
We had hoped to get people to relook into our literary history.
Whether it is Malaysian or Singaporean literature,
how do we re-examine our literary history and our cultural identity?
It is my hope that younger Singaporeans will come to learn about
Chinese literature in our region.
Perhaps we could also expose...
"BABA AND NYONYA THE FIRST NOVELLA - 1934"
...the English-educated to local Chinese literature.
We must reach out to more people.
By providing English translations,
we hope to attract the English-educated to attend.
I felt that the students who attended the event
found new confidence.
They realized that they could write and compose their own songs.
STUDENT ARTS SYMPOSIUM
Whether it was good or bad, it didn't matter.
At least they now had the confidence to create,
and once they believed in their ability to create,
they would begin to experiment.
I was exposed to Nanyang University verse songs gradually.
As student audiences from secondary schools and junior colleges,
we were filled with envy
watching our seniors perform their own compositions.
With our level of proficiency back then,
we might not have completely grasped the meanings of those verses.
But compared to foreign pop songs,
we felt we could relate better to the local verse songs.
From what I remember,
Chinese-educated students who were older than us by ten years or more
still carried a little melancholia of their past with them.
Brushing away the view of trees at the window
I welcome countless soundless mornings
Warmed by the lights from the many homes down the hill
It is emotionally complex.
So deeply passionate yet gripped by helplessness
and a further sense of loss.
The wind and rain come and go
These three years have turned into a solitary birdsong
For us, of the xinyao generation,
I guess we were in the period of transition.
We still had the opportunity to gain a strong foundation in the Chinese language.
Back then, we felt that, "Wow, their songs...
sounded like they hailed from the Qin dynasty."
But I felt they were very intellectual.
I was in awe of them.
We didn't really identify with verse songs
which were written by the last batch of Nanyang University graduates.
They went on to work in the education and media sectors
and inspired students to write their own songs,
which led to the birth of xinyao.
After Nanyang University was closed down,
Nanyang University Poetry Society naturally ceased to exist.
We felt it was a pity.
Since we could not carry on at tertiary level,
we would revive it at the junior colleges.
I've not seen her since she left school.
Back then, we held a concert at Lecture Theatre 3,
and that was how she shot to fame!
Hi, Dawn!
It's been 30 years...
Yes! I was just speaking of you!
Is this a surprise for me?
I was their accomplice.
Mr. Chew!
I recalled you once took me to a cultural exchange event,
and Focus was filming there.
The producer of Focus was my form teacher in grade four.
He was stunned because I was very shy in primary school.
I never dared to perform in front of the class,
and here I was singing.
After it was broadcast on TV, I was approached by the record company.
-Yeah -So--
So you are my benefactor!
Is that right?
I don't deserve the honor.
A LOOK AT OUR LITERARY HISTORY
I wish I could say it to you
I wish I could tell it to you
No one desires a heavy heart
I wish I could say it to you
I wish I could tell it to you
No one desires a heavy heart
We hid our troubles,
all that was unspeakably painful inside us,
and showed only our sunny sides to the world.
I am the eldest in my family.
Yes, we were not well-to-do.
We did not have a lot...
What we had was barely enough, for me to continue...
Wished to open the small door in my heart
I was just hanging on, pressing on...
My life at National Junior College was hectic,
I was in a Christian cell group.
Every morning before class, we met for prayers by a large drain.
I hung out with friends.
I was in Chinese society. Chinese dance and brass band.
I was involved in many activities, but perhaps it was my way of escaping.
So we put our emotions, ourselves, into the song lyrics.
Many of the lyrics expressed my struggles at that time.
I was facing many crossroads in my life.
Who desires a heavy heart?
In 1980 or 1981, a group of students made an impression on me.
They didn't make the mark at the exams.
The Ministry of Education sent them to National Junior College to repeat a year.
They were thoroughly demoralized.
They couldn't see a future for themselves.
The main obstacle was their proficiency in English.
From using Chinese as first language,
they had to switch to English, which was difficult,
especially in such a short time.
Do you know why is it that the alcohol is boiling but the water is not?
Because...
Very good!
Look, the alcohol is burning!
Boiling! Boiling...
Stand!
-Bow! -Good afternoon, Teacher!
We were from Chinese secondary schools.
We had no idea that our standard of English was that pathetic.
When we came to Hwa Chong Junior College, everything was taught in English.
Sam said to me that he'd noticed a strange word in the Physics textbook.
He had opened the book and saw a very long word.
He could not recognize the word, so he looked it up in the dictionary.
The word was "elephant."
He didn't even know the word "elephant!"
How did you pass?
This sudden change from Chinese to English was painful.
Inevitably, one generation would have to be the sacrificial lamb.
We were unfortunate to be in that generation.
What could we do?
We just had to grit our teeth and carry on.
After I finished high school, I didn't go to university.
I felt quite lost.
I did not know what to do.
With my qualifications, what could I do?
I could only work as a factory worker...
at one of the factories near my home.
I also took on...
a job as a packer.
My Geography, Literature and Chinese teachers,
they all taught in Mandarin.
Their teaching styles were very engaging.
Especially my Geography teacher.
He made the mountains, rivers and valleys come to life.
It felt like he was talking about his children.
Because there were no more Chinese schools,
they had to use English to teach instead.
The switch in language
affected them and their teaching styles.
You might know the subject very well,
but because of your lack of proficiency, you are restricted.
It's disheartening.
Sometimes I felt quite insecure.
Everyone was speaking English, but mine was not good enough for me
to express how I felt.
I felt like...
the odd one out.
It also meant I had no future.
Please concentrate on your studies this year.
Most parents are Chinese-educated
and it is hard to communicate with them.
The future of the Chinese language at that time was bleak.
Yet it was also at that time
that there was a positive energy buzzing on the cultural front.
It was a contrast.
Though we felt that we had lost some things,
that didn't stop us from looking for ways to reclaim them.
Pride and inferiority are two sides of the same coin.
If English made you insecure,
Mandarin would become your source of pride.
"THE WATERCRESS TRIO" "WHAT IS DASHING?"
There were two camps in the Chinese papers then.
One was "Nanyang Siang Pau," and the other was "Sin Chew Jit Poh."
They had many student reporters
writing for "Sin Chew Youth" and "Nanyang Students."
Through these student papers, we learnt that
there was already a group of students at National Junior College writing songs.
There was an unspoken understanding
that when a new singing group forms in any of the junior colleges,
they would have to invite the existing groups for guest appearances.
There were groups in different junior colleges:
National, Hwa Chong, Temasek, Jurong.
There was a songwriting fervor spreading across schools all over Singapore.
Whenever someone composed a new song, we were eager to listen to it.
If we liked it, we would learn to sing it.
I EXIST BECAUSE OF THE SONG, BECAUSE OF LOVE
Back then, we all yearned to have our own voices,
and we were influenced by Taiwanese folk songs
so in every school, every junior college,
there was this cultural movement going on.
It wasn't known as xinyao then.
It was simply called "original folk songs."
At Nanyang University, I was responsible for reporting about this phenomenon.
We were never sure what to call it.
We used terms like "campus folk songs" or "folk song trend" to describe it.
When they wanted to organize a conference,
they decided they needed a proper term.
After much debate,
they still went with "Original Songs by Singapore Youths."
"ORIGINAL SONGS BY SINGAPORE YOUTHS" ABBREVIATED AS "XINYAO"
"Let's play xinyao" and "Let's talk xinyao" were phrases used
and that was how the term "xinyao" came to be.
"LET'S TALK XINYAO"
Hi, everyone.
In today's Our Singers and Songwriters program,
we will be playing new original xinyao songs.
Back then, when I got acquainted with verse songs
by the Nanyang University Poetry Society
and some original songs written by students,
I felt it was a pity
that these youths' compositions were known only on campus
and not to a wider audience.
So I decided to produce a program
to showcase these youths' compositions.
Back then, it was considered a bold and risky idea.
In the beginning, things did not go smoothly,
but I finally managed to convince my boss.
And that was how Our Singers and Songwriters began.
In today's program,
we will be playing two original compositions.
The first song, "Love of the Wind Chimes," is written by Sam Lee.
I return the wind chimes to their perch
The chimes, they sway in the breeze
The tinkling sounds They knock on my heart
Her image revisits again in my mind
How did you come to write songs?
I had a group of friends in college who later became members of Yayun Group.
We loved to sing, so we often got together to sing folk songs.
But after a while, we asked ourselves,
"Why don't we try to write our own songs?"
Tell us more about your song "Love of the Wind Chimes."
The setting is a balmy evening.
I hear the wind chimes tinkle and think of someone, whom I miss so much it aches.
I take down the chimes.
Though the chimes have been removed, yet they continue to tinkle in my heart.
Did you write the song for a special girl in mind?
No...
Not at all.
In the first week, I showcased the group Yayun Group
because their songs have catchy melodies.
They were also one of the first campus bands.
An innocent South Korean passenger plane with 269 people onboard
was senselessly destroyed by a Soviet Su-15 fighter jet.
The Soviet Union had shot down a Korean civilian plane.
That incident spurred me to write a song about peace.
Under the skies, signs of life abound
Except for the fragrance Of flowers of peace
The Soviet Union had no legal right under international law
to shoot down the Korean civil aircraft.
Hope, hope
May the light of peace Banish all thoughts of war
Hope, hope
May the flowers of peace Be fragrant once more
In the early '80s,
Taiwanese folk songs began to gain popularity.
Those songs gave me courage,
knowing that even young people like us can write our own songs.
It was not as complicated as we thought.
May the flowers of peace
Be fragrant once more
YAYUN GROUP WAS ESTABLISHED 5 YEARS AGO SAM LEE
Sam was already taking part in songwriting competitions.
He had won some awards.
So I knew of him.
When I met him on a bus, I asked for his number.
I met Colin from The Merlion on bus 170.
He invited me to attend the concert "Night at The Underground."
After I went to the concert, I felt like I had an epiphany.
Our songwriting style changed right after that concert.
I realized their songwriting style and ours was a world of difference.
But I really liked what I heard.
We met other young people who were also passionate about singing and songwriting,
and that was how we forged our friendships.
A LOCAL RHYTHM
The beginning of the MRT.
It is my pleasure now to ask you to proceed with the groundbreaking operation.
At that time, Singapore was preparing to build the MRT,
our underground transport system.
This was something of the future.
And that was how we got our name, The Underground.
Eric fell in love with Shen Wanqing.
She had published a poem "Lake Of Dream,"
and he decided to set music to the poem.
You entered my dream lake silently
Creating ripples across the water
Reflecting you Reflecting me
Thus cloudy, thus so clear
After we listened to it, we all thought it was pretty good!
If he could write such a good song, why couldn't I?
I was in love for the first time, I was on cloud nine.
So the songs I wrote then were refreshing.
Even if there was sadness, it was not for real.
I was quite the rebel.
I was in the Commerce stream which I found to be boring.
So I often sat at the back of the classroom.
And while the teacher was writing on the board,
I would sneak out.
My most vivid memories of Jurong Junior College
were an empty basketball court
and an empty canteen.
I would often sit at the corner strumming my guitar, singing.
After class, many classmates slowly gathered in the canteen.
The first person they would see was me in the corner.
I became the landmark of that corner.
I got hooked!
I wonder how many classmates had a crush on me.
Who knows!
What song are you playing?
I always waited there for the others to join me after class
for practice sessions.
Oh, brook, tarry a little while
Tarry with the soft gentle breeze
Resist from rousing the tiny caterpillar So deep and sweet in sleep
Quietly listen to the patter Of morning's feet
May naughty children temper the pace of your steps
I stroll along Greeting the morning breeze
Eric is a natural performer.
He only attended Chinese class and played truant the rest of the time.
When he picks up the guitar, he gets carried away.
When he sings, everyone starts to sing along.
Even the English-speaking students would join in.
The English stream students would say to us,
"Sorry, I don't speak Chinese, I speak English."
It was a common divide back then.
But they could tell there was something different about us.
What did they see in us?
They saw passion, friendship,
unity, music and joy.
They didn't have any of that.
They looked at us with envy.
They asked, "How could you Chinese-stream students compose such good songs?"
Who wrote this line?
"How many times in one's life can one be enlightened?
For the enlightened, how many times can life begin?"
So precocious, it must be Ywai Cheng!
It must be Ywai Cheng!
Enlightened!
There was this day when our music sheet was blown away.
That often happened because of the wind.
We ran out of the classroom, chasing after that sheet.
It was such a memorable scene
that it inspired us to write "City of Wind."
"City of Wind" was also the first song I sold to Taiwan
for singer Pan Anbang's album.
Rapt in the arms of the city of wind Blithe and misty
Joy that allows him To trace his light touch
We were merely pursuing our passions.
That was also the spirit
behind our first concert "Night of The Underground."
He jolts my once serene soul
Sending waves crashing in my heart
Setting dreams ablaze Making verses eternal
The wandering wind is my messenger
The hall erupted in thunderous applause.
When the audience felt that clapping wasn't enough,
they added these...
to participate more fully in each song!
It was great!
The students at Jurong Junior College were really high that night,
demanding one encore after another.
I was moved by them.
What I heard that night was one voice.
The voice of a group of people
who were talented, passionate and sincere about music.
I remember Roy saying this to me.
He attended our concert and was inspired.
Previously, he only listened to western pop, never to Chinese music.
But after that night,
he vowed to go back to his school to start his own group.
And that was how the proliferation of xinyao groups started.
So many of them started to appear,
each one with its own identity.
I was friends with Ywai Cheng.
As a friend, I helped out
by playing the piano at their concert.
I realize now the significance.
From the beginning, xinyao was about setting differences aside,
making friends, helping one another,
spurring one another on.
We would invite The Underground to join us at our homes
to practice together for fun.
We just wanted to hang out together.
We really got into the spirit of things and even set up microphones.
We also invited our classmates to come and watch
and performed the songs we had been rehearsing.
Our audience really grew.
Do the groups perform only their own songs?
You'll be surprised.
Here's Yayun Group singing "Goodbye Homesickness."
A song written by The Underground.
It goes to show how the different groups value and support one another.
Shades of dusk melt into heaven
Returning to the sky's other end
We are members of The Underground, I'm Teo Bee Hoon.
And I'm Kelly Loo, there are eight of us in total.
We're The Straws, I'm Billy Koh.
And I'm Koh Nam Seng, and we have a third member Sunkist Ng
who is not here today.
In 1983,
most of the guys in the xinyao groups had to enlist for National Service.
It marked the end of our student days.
Since we were so hyped up,
we decided to round things off on a high note,
before going separate ways.
We decided to organize a first-ever public xinyao concert.
At that time, xinyao didn't have an official association.
We had to use the name of the Telok Ayer Community Centre
to organize the concert.
The concert was held on the 6th of June in 1983, at the Singapore Conference Hall.
For the guys, it was an awkward phase
as we were in the army.
The song "Footprints in the Desert," which we sang,
was a coming-of-age song, from boys to men.
We sang till we felt like our lungs were bursting!
Once this was a desert
Once there was nothing here
No song drifted in the air
No notes could be found
When was it
"Footprints in the Desert" was actually written for the concert.
The song spoke of our hope for the future,
for a more vibrant and progressive culture.
Footprints endlessly go on and on
WHERE ARE THE TRACKS IN THE DESERT HEADING?
Back then, our standards were quite low.
When I played the bass, I think it was off-key!
Wu Jiaming was a storeman in the army camp.
When I was at the store,
he saw me and asked, "Are you Teo Kay Kiong?"
I asked, "Are you Wu Jiaming?" And he walked away.
He told me later
he had heard me sing "Footprints in the Desert"
and was very disappointed.
He had heard my name before.
But when he heard me live, it was such a let-down.
This tells you how low our standards were!
Yet it was moving
that many people came to support us in spite of everything.
Following Night of The Underground,
we decided to hold our own concert.
"Tomorrow Will Still be Beautiful" was held on 30th July, 1983.
TOMORROW WILL STILL BE BEAUTIFUL
Remember that day
When we first met
You took a glance at me
I took a glance at you
Between 1983 and 1984, I wrote over 100 songs.
It didn't take much time.
Once an idea came, I could finish a song in five to ten minutes.
There were too many songs to choose from.
Many new songs were performed only once.
And so we met
In a sliver of time
Leaving you my number
Hoping we'll meet again
Colin, here's another question!
I'm nervous!
"Your songs strike me as being rather commercialized,
especially the lyrics, they sound contrived.
There's something jaded about them.
Please explain!"
I didn't make the story up.
Like the song "Remember That Day," it was based on a true story.
I felt that The Merlion was quite unconventional then.
But our strength was also our weakness.
People felt we were too modern, too commercialized.
The term used then was "commercialized."
They felt that as students we shouldn't be taking the commercial route.
We felt, "Why not?"
They felt that all you need is to strum a guitar and sing, that's how it should be.
WHERE IS XINYAO HEADING?
DOES XINYAO HAVE AN IDENTITY?
When xinyao first started, it was pure and simple.
The singers and songwriters were youths, mostly under 20.
Their lives revolved mostly around family, friends and school.
I wrote a song titled "Lunatic on Campus."
It was about a female classmate at Nanyang Junior College.
After the first year, the pressure was too much.
She had a mental breakdown.
She took a year off and returned to repeat her first year.
After the exams,
she sat on the stairs, tore up the exam paper
and swallowed it bit by bit.
That song was played once on "Our Singers and Songwriters."
It has never been performed at concerts,
nor has it been recorded.
This was the common fate of early xinyao songs.
But don't forget,
while many groups were formed, many also eventually disbanded
because people got too emotionally invested.
When their life experiences became more complex,
their songs reflected this change,
and their styles evolved.
Would you rather xinyao never change?
That is not fair.
Let's listen to "Warrior's Farewell", another song by Mu Zi and Lan Zhao Pang.
Performed by Chen Zong Geng.
"Warrior's Farewell" is about a soldier
entrusted with the duty of defending his country.
Maybe he was feeling emotional.
Just as he was to set out on a mission,
he realized he couldn't bear to leave the girl he loved,
and he cried out in desperation.
I want to cry out
But the east wind's footsteps are still too slow
Our Singers and Songwriters was broadcast once a week.
We couldn't reach many listeners.
So I wanted xinyao songs to also be played at other timebelts.
I wanted to see if listeners would like the songs.
So I recorded xinyao songs in 8-track cartridges
and left them in the studio
so that the other radio DJs would play them as well.
When Cher Hui recorded xinyao songs in 8-track cartridges
and left them in the studio, it made all the difference.
Because back then,
we all had LPs that the record companies would send us,
and these would be the LPs of the singers they wished to promote.
But because Cher Hui had prepared the cartridges,
during my shift, I would use them instead.
I believe this is most evident
with the success of Eric Moo and Ywai Cheng's song "Encounter."
One evening,
after listening to one of Danny Chan's albums,
I had a moment of inspiration.
I said to myself,
"He's only a few years older than me.
Why is it that he can write such great songs?
Let me give it a shot!"
The melody for "Encounter" was composed that night.
This was the tune from Danny Chan's song...
Whereas my version goes like this...
After I wrote the melody,
everyone tried their hand at writing the lyrics,
but no one succeeded.
Finally, I said, "Ywai Cheng!
You're the last one!"
Ywai Cheng took the score with her.
She worked on it for a long time.
When she finally gave me the lyrics, I didn't know how to read the characters.
"In the dusk on the hill I walk alone."
I asked, "Why did you separate this character?"
She said, "These are two characters, not one."
I asked, "What two characters are these?"
She said, "It means to walk for a while,
and pause for a while, before continuing to walk again."
I had no idea what she had written.
What do the lyrics mean?
I think we should ask Ywai Cheng to explain them to you?
The song is about romantic illusions
or rather, an idealized relationship.
An "encounter" is a happenstance.
But in the song I am not referring to an actual encounter between two people.
It's about a meeting of souls.
Recording, five seconds from now.
Once, when The Underground came to the studio for a recording,
Eric Moo said "Cher Hui, we don't feel so good today.
Is it okay if we don't record today?"
I said, "What do you mean you don't feel so good?
I made so much effort to get us this once-a-month slot.
How can you waste the opportunity?
How can you be so irresponsible?"
I remember Cher Hui looked quite upset,
and she reprimanded us.
We obediently completed the recording that day.
I was also in charge of the Billboard program Top of the Pops.
In that program, I had a segment
which was for listeners to predict the following week's hits.
One of the listeners I had picked the song "Encounter."
I asked him if he was sure that the song would not enter the chart
because the votes were tallied every fortnight.
He said he knew it wouldn't get on the chart so quickly,
but he wanted to use the opportunity
to have the song played, so that more people would get to hear it.
Two to three weeks later, the song made it to the chart.
I think that listener deserves some credit for the song's success
because he gave up his chance to win $20.
Solitary and hesitant On the trail at dusk
The sunset is ever so desolate
Humming that haunting sad song
Trembling, my voice so cold and bleak
The melody drifts like a shadow Into the waves of my heart
Calling to me from the hills
Encountering your bright starry eyes
Dancing, quivering I'm spirited away into a dream
At that time, we were all students.
Most of us
did not come from families where kids were sent for music lessons.
Most of us taught ourselves to play the guitar and practiced in secret.
We were just a bunch of kids messing around,
and we stumbled upon something great.
May that moment become a monument of grace
Listening to the old songs now,
even though there were many flaws and imperfections,
they touched us with their simplicity and sincerity,
and it is something we will not be able to replicate today.
I was only allocated one evening slot per month.
It took a long time to record a song.
In comparison to the other radio programs,
the production of Our Singers and Songwriters was very tedious.
It was the media who made things possible.
I feel that people from the media back then
had a deeper sense of social responsibility.
Here!
This is Studio B, which we used for our recordings.
Now it's no longer called Studio B.
Everything is different inside.
This was one of the larger studios in the old days.
It could accommodate an entire orchestra.
This was the only studio with recording facilities.
It had the best recording equipment.
We are talking about the '80s.
There was one time when the whole troupe turned up for a recording.
Cher Hui nearly fainted when she saw such a big group.
We did not realize that bringing in a big band
would be an issue for the technicians.
They had to set up a microphone for every instrument
and then do the sound check for each one as well.
Everything had to be done in one take.
Even though there were five or six in a group, no one could make mistakes.
Before we went on the show,
we would have rehearsed the song till we had perfected it.
Our Singers and Songwriters took a lot of effort to produce.
We started from scratch.
So every time I opened an envelope, I would feel that perhaps
it carried the aspirations of our youths.
It was very genuine.
I would receive the cassettes...
with all the lyrics enclosed.
There were no Chinese typewriters then, nor computers.
The lyrics were all handwritten.
Some sent in beautifully designed cards.
Each week...
I usually received four or five cassettes.
When I fail at my exams, you console me
Some of them were still in their school uniforms.
They would rush to the studio after school.
Some girls even had to be accompanied by their elder brothers.
Everyone was unique.
It was touching.
Now that we have listened to Qingling's first song,
let's get to know her better.
Are you still schooling?
I'm in Secondary 3, Mayflower Secondary School.
What inspired you to write songs?
I have always liked writing songs, but didn't have the courage to.
One day, a friend wrote a song for me.
That spurred me to write my own song.
I have always felt that dreamers are naturally charismatic.
Take Sam Lee for example.
We've always joked about how he is like Singapore's Liu Chia Chang.
He can write, sing and play musical instruments.
It was always my wish then that when the program went on air,
people would hear the songs and remember them.
A listener from Malaysia wrote in some time ago
to give some feedback to the local singing group Yayun.
After listening to the three local compositions,
I realize that what makes most of these compositions distinctly xinyao
are themes of sorrowful parting and heartfelt emotions.
Indeed these works are inspirational.
The future is bright for xinyao.
When I wave goodbye with tearful eyes
My heart is filled With sadness and longing
That this brilliant songwriter is about to leave for overseas studies.
is truly a loss to the local music scene.
I would like to urge him to carry on writing songs
so as not to let his great talent go to waste.
Affection and friendship Are etched in my heart
Our happy past drifts before my eyes
Thank you, Grandma.
I will visit you next year when I return.
Take care.
He will be all right, don't worry.
Remember to eat more.
Farewell Farewell, my friend
My anticipation has eroded the time before our next reunion
It's a very good discount!
Peanuts, $1.80...
SPEAK MORE MANDARIN, SPEAK LESS DIALECTS
Ah Gui, it's one each...
If a blind person asks you for directions, how would you help him?
Oh, friend Oh, friend, I wonder
Oh, when will we meet like this again
For there are so many miles between us
Yet the hills cannot sever our friendship
Here's the Minister of Culture and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dhanabalan,
officiating at the Singapore Press Holdings'
inauguration ceremony for Lianhe Zaobao
heralding the start of a new era for the Chinese press in Singapore.
IN 1923, NANYANG SIANG PAU WAS ESTABLISHED
IN 1929, SIN CHEW JIT POH WAS ESTABLISHED
IN 1983, BOTH PAPERS WERE MERGED
TO FORM LIANHE ZAOBAO
Nam Seng and I joined the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company.
One day, we were reminiscing about the 6th June concert
wishing we could produce a commemorative album for the concert.
Then someone approached us.
He said that he liked our songs,
and he could play the piano.
He told us that his schoolmate was
the President of Hwa Chong Junior College's student council
Liang Wern Fook...
and he himself was Samuel Tan.
He asked if I was interested in music arrangement.
I had no experience then.
We hit it off.
We were both passionate about music and decided that we would collaborate.
The whole album was arranged by Samuel Tan.
He was my idol.
I needed money so I approached Ken Chang
who was a manager at Yamaha Music School.
We were quite democratic.
We gathered the singers who had performed at the concert
to vote for 12 songs, from the 20 from the concert
to be compiled in the album.
Eric Moo, Liang Wern Fook, Sam Lee were better songwriters.
So I decided I would take care of the other miscellaneous things
like a coordinator.
That was how I became the producer of the first xinyao album.
We were all 20 that year,
so we named the album Tomorrow We'll be 21.
Little breeze, please don't hurry
Stop a while for us to speak
Let me ride on your wings
Let me follow you to distant places
Xinyao, to me,
was like tiny sparks of fire.
How we were going to pass it on
would have to depend on subculture,
popular culture and through songs enjoyed by young people,
to expose them to the Chinese language.
I would do anything to encourage it.
Once the master tape was recorded, I had to figure out
how we were going to market and promote the album.
Ken Chang used about $4,000 of his own money to pay the musicians.
We also organized a promotional event with a slideshow presentation.
The slides were taken by Nam Seng.
You can call it the earliest version of a music video.
Through Ken's connections, we rented the auditorium at Goethe Institute.
We invited the record companies like PolyGram, Tony Records,
as well as senior management from other record companies.
Two things happened after this event.
Firstly, PolyGram engaged Samuel Tan
for the music arrangement for Tracy Huang's album.
Secondly, Tony Records signed on Dawn Gan as their artiste.
Still, no one was interested in our album.
Nobody came...
I could tell Billy Koh and the rest were very disappointed.
What do we do?
There was someone I knew back then who played a vital role.
Without her support,
xinyao would not have reached the masses.
She was a TV variety show producer then. Her name is Irene Lim.
They passed their recordings in a cassette to me.
Disappearing into the crowd
Heavy with helplessness
A babbling throng without yearning
After I listened to it, I was so moved beyond words.
I could feel their passion and sincerity.
I knew I had to invite them on TV shows quickly.
We were filming in Studio 1.
Even the crew was impressed with them.
I remember telling them how rare it was
to hear such good songs from campus songwriters.
The first ones we invited were Ywai Cheng and Eric.
I remember them being innocent and modest.
In every tuft of grass
Comes the sound of life
Brief days of youth are no more
Later, we had many other xinyao singers on the show,
like The Straws.
Thomas Teo.
Pan Ying.
Seeing each other My thoughts are in a whirl
Liang Wern Fook.
I do not believe that beauty repeated Is found only in the ephemeral
I do not believe that truth is told Only by the loudest voice
Thereafter, they started to make frequent appearances on TV.
I do not believe that history
Is a melancholy sigh
Where are our songs?
The lyrics repeatedly go, "Where are our songs?"
What are you trying to express?
To me, songs are a beautiful way
of expressing what's in your heart.
This is my way of saying,
let's not write shallow songs.
Instead, let's write songs from the heart.
I totally agree with you.
TOMORROW WE'LL BE 21
After overcoming many hurdles in April 1984,
the album was finally released.
It was a hit from the start, selling more than 10,000 copies.
We were all very ecstatic.
We had always believed in it, and now we were proven right.
"XINYAO ALBUM, 'TOMORROW WE'LL BE 21' NOW ON SALE"
How well do xinyao cassettes sell here?
Quite a lot.
Who are the people who come and buy xinyao cassettes?
More often, students.
The songwriters are about my age.
Later we found out that the record company went bankrupt,
and the boss had fled,
so we didn't even get a single cent.
Subsequently, we received another offer
from another record company, Tony Records.
Soon after that, our second album was released.
Ocean Butterflies Chasing After the Sun was launched in August 1984.
Singapore is a garden city.
The butterflies do not wish to remain in the garden,
so they fly towards the ocean, in pursuit of their dreams.
Hence the name, Ocean Butterflies Chasing After the Sun.
That year was also Singapore's 25th year of nation-building.
We held a large-scale concert at Hong Lim Park.
This was to be the beginning of many future xinyao festivals.
Maybe because we were a bunch of rebellious youths
going against tradition and convention.
Since everyone did not think we could do it, we had to prove that we could.
Days and nights shrouded in dreams
From day to night No longer any peace
Look at the waves That have turned snowy white
I wanted to rebel against the circumstances I was in.
I was dissatisfied
and frustrated with the situation then.
In the cultural desert, that was the arts and music scene of Singapore.
I was determined to have a music career.
The waves, the waves
An old friend's chalice
When Ocean Butterflies Chasing After The Sun was launched,
we were all in the army.
But there was someone who had a lot of time on his hands, Eric Moo.
He was often our representative on TV programs
because we couldn't book out of camp.
What song will you be singing today?
"A Hint of A Smile."
-This is a love song, isn't it? -Yes.
Why do you always sing love songs?
I like songs about love.
Love songs allow me to express my feelings fully.
Let's hear it now from Eric Moo.
I became famous very quickly
because my rivals were all in the army.
You have gone away
Our dreams have stopped A shadow of neon
Misty flashes of a light rhythm
It was Eric Moo at the TV station every other day, singing those songs.
This was how I started my career as a professional singer.
There was a TV producer called Lim Sek
who later became Tanya Chua's manager.
He was an unconventional producer and very supportive of xinyao.
When things go wrong
As they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging
Seems all uphill
I was fortunate to work on both English and Chinese variety shows.
There was a variety show on weeknights.
I was in charge of the Thursday show.
Game segments were very popular, but I was not for them.
I felt that game segments were uninspiring
because they were dictated by the sponsors.
Look at all these National Panasonic and Technics products.
Handy gadgets for the housewife.
Wow! So many prizes!
Even if the darts land outside the target,
you will still walk away with a dozen cans of insecticides.
Do you use Mortein insecticides at home?
-Yes, a lot. -A lot?
There were no game segments on the Thursday show,
so the ratings were not as high.
I preferred the set not to be lit too brightly.
It wouldn't feel right.
Before filming, I would ask the lighting technician to dim the lights.
Once he got mad and turned off all the lights
and said, "Okay, you can film now!"
The Executive Producer once told me
my Thursday show had the lowest ratings
but the best reviews.
People would talk about the celebrities on the show,
so it did reach out to the appropriate audience.
I had quite a free hand.
I could invite any artiste.
And if your guest couldn't come for the "live" show,
you could shoot a music video for them.
It was pretty gratifying.
You enjoy the rays of a peaceful dawn
Shining on your tears from yesterday
Growing up in the harmony of music
Let us sing together
Perhaps today we might be burdened
Perhaps tomorrow nothing will change
But let's not be disheartened
Let time dispel these dark clouds
Even if we were stuck in ruins
We have the courage to survive
Let's hold on tight to our confidence
Our fate is in our hands
Give me a youthful heart Give me your passion
Let the sun shine for you
You and I are entrusted with a mission
Give me a youthful heart
Give me your life
Appease the crashing waves
Smile at the months and years to come
When the singers came on set, they were very cooperative.
They were happy to be on the show.
They enjoyed what they were doing and were enthusiastic.
That was the most important,
because if they had been competitive,
it would have been meaningless.
If we cared only about ratings,
we wouldn't have been able to do the show.
The person in charge of the drama unit then was open to ideas.
My husband was also involved in the filming of Flying Fish.
He recommended a xinyao song to the producer,
who agreed to use it as an interlude song for a local TV drama serial Flying Fish,
and it was sung by the lead actress Maggie Teng.
I wish I could say it to you
I wish I could tell it to you
Just that our encounter is too hurried
In the '80s, there were some exemplary producers at the TV station.
They were from Hong Kong and Singapore,
such as George Wu, Michael Woo, Chua Swan.
They would commission original theme songs based on the scripts
instead of using a ready-made song.
Life is filled with goodbyes and sorrow
Life is filled with hapless wounds
The mist rises in the south The mist descends in the south
The rising sun is hiding a wounded heart
The Awakening is a 30-episode drama.
It took three years to complete.
Today, it probably has a turnaround time
of two months for the same number of episodes.
The Awakening had a huge budget.
There was even a songwriting competition for the theme song
with cash prizes to attract talented songwriters.
It was the one and only time.
There were no more drama theme song songwriting competitions following it.
I was in camp, with a Walkman
when I heard Lan Zhao Pang humming as he was strumming the tune.
It took me ten minutes or so to write the lyrics.
On the last day of the contest,
at the very last minute, we submitted the song.
As long as you believe in the future
You won't be lost
At the end of darkness, dawn will come
The mist rises in the south The mist descends in the south
The mist dissipates with the rising sun
The winning entry of the The Awakening Theme Song Songwriting Competition
goes to the song written by Lan Zhao Pang and Mu Zi.
My first thought was, what a good way to make money.
The winner will receive $800 cash prize and a souvenir.
A poem published in Nanyang Siang Pau then would pay between $5 to $7.
But for a song like "The Awakening," which was about the same length,
the prize money was $800.
Around the time "The Awakening" became known,
you had another song, "Hometown Wine,"
that Taiwanese singer Pan Anbang recorded on his new album.
It was a big deal then.
Xinyao was not popular yet,
but an overseas artiste had picked up your song.
How did you feel about that?
I don't know if I should say this
because it had to do with intellectual property rights.
We didn't know the Taiwanese company had used the song.
A friend had gone to Taiwan as part of army training
and came back with a cassette which had my song on it.
It was only a month later that the album was released in Singapore.
The record company then apologized to us
for not getting our consent.
I have had this wish before
Today it has been forgotten
A sailor had told me
He'd made his way around the world
In every forlorn corner
Blessings never called out to me
In the '70s and '80s,
songs were mostly imported, not exported.
We were paying for songs.
Of course we resorted to the cheapest means, which was piracy.
The newspapers reported that Singapore was the number one piracy hub.
Singapore had no intellectual property laws.
We only had a set of outdated IP laws drawn up in 1911,
from the colonial days.
When I went to the office, it was an empty shell.
There were no composers in the society.
How on earth do we even get started?
And then I told myself we would have to start from scratch,
and the first thing to do was to round up all the composers and songwriters.
She asked us to join her society, as there were only five members.
She explained to us about music rights.
I was wondering, what kind of society was this?
We did not have to pay any fees, yet we could get paid?
Are you a con artist?
LOCAL SONGWRITING SYMPOSIUM
There was a music fund in the society.
Two percent of the fees could be used as sponsorship.
I had to use the money wisely of course.
On the one hand, I was playing the nice guy,
helping the local songwriters,
encouraging them to write,
but on the other hand, I had to be aggressive about collecting the dues.
If you don't pay up, expect my lawyer's letter.
We were fortunate we were aware of the copyrights for our music from the start.
All the people involved in xinyao were members of the society.
In 1985,
we released an album called Eric Moo and The Underground - The Starry Sky.
Starry Sky...
Under the starry sky, a half-lit fire
The album was in preparation for Eric Moo's solo career.
In the same year, a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, Lo Ta-yu,
wrote a song called "Tomorrow Will Be Better."
It was similar to the song "We Are The World,"
written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
Overseas Chinese communities were invited
to send representatives to Taiwan for the recording of the song.
Rousing gently the soul that is asleep
Slowly opening your eyes
Take a look at the bustling world
Is it spinning as lonesome as before
The winds of spring
Have moved the hearts of the young
Let yesterday's tears be dried
By gusts of memory
Mr. Loke Tai Tay at Shin Min Daily News coordinated the trip.
The five representatives from Singapore were
Yueh Lei,
Eric Moo,
and The Straws.
It was my first time in Taiwan.
We didn't have solo parts. We were just a part of the chorus.
Some of the singers with solo parts were
Su Rui, Yvonne Jeng, Chyi Chin, Chyi Yu and Tracy Huang.
Let me embrace your dreams
Let me hold your true countenance
It was an important trip.
We met the famous music producer Tan Chien-Chang
and a veteran of Taiwanese folk songs, Yao Housheng.
We also met the boss of Rock Records Duan Chung-Tan
and the general manager of Forward Music Barry Lee.
We listened to all their stories
and were very much in awe.
We were overwhelmed.
Back at the hotel, Mr. Loke said to us,
"This is nothing...
Twenty years on, it'll be your turn to tell the story."
Sing with all your might Hold out your hand
Let me embrace your dreams
Let me hold your true countenance
Let our smiles be radiant with the pride of youth
Let us hope for a better tomorrow
When we returned to Singapore,
we were thinking about
how much we wished for xinyao to be run
professionally so that it would have a future.
If we didn't do something, it would mean the end of xinyao.
If we did something, xinyao would have a chance.
Besides the three of us, we roped in Teo Kay Kiong as well.
But we needed someone to manage the finances.
So we got an old secondary school classmate, Colin Goh, to join us as well.
In 1986, after we completed National Service,
we decided to set up our own company
called Ocean Butterflies.
Five shareholders, one employee, we had more bosses than staff.
We were all relying on our other part-time jobs
to support this full-time business.
Billy Koh was a guitar instructor at Yamaha.
I did voice acting for advertisements.
What did Sunkist Ng do?
He was selling insurance.
Back then, Sunkist Ng would carry a case packed with cassettes.
They were demo recordings.
We went round knocking on doors of record companies trying to sell our songs.
Singapore's market was too small for us to sustain.
The only other option was to head overseas
to "sell our songs."
Tomorrow will see results
Wonderful life, happy times
We are filled with joy
Beautiful scenery, blissful place
For you to enjoy
I felt that Ocean Butterflies needed to have idols.
Only idols could break sales records.
Only idols could give us the breakthrough.
I suggested that we launch my solo album as soon as possible.
The others didn't agree with me.
Eric was a little disgruntled,
so he came to me.
I approached the TV station on his behalf.
At that time, they were filming a series called The Coffee Shop.
Eric said, "The song should just be called 'Kopi-O'."
Chua Swan said, "Dialect was not allowed."
I was worried Eric would offend the TV producers.
He should be grateful for the opportunity
instead of quibbling about the song title.
Later, Chua Swan rang me and said, "Okay, we'll go with 'Kopi-O'."
Kopi-O, Kopi-O
Drink a cup of strong Kopi-O
Kopi-O, Kopi-O
Forget all your unhappiness
In this place where you and I live
We have our dreams
Let's carry on each day
To make tomorrow a better day
We didn't expect the song to catch on.
We released an album, and it sold very well.
The second album, Youthful Hearts, also flew off the shelves.
I was one of the biggest culprits for getting xinyao commercialized.
Young girl, oh, young girl
You know the floating clouds
Deserve not your care
They carry raindrops
Which are stained with dust
Xinyao didn't have to be restricted to the campus.
Becoming commercialized wasn't a bad thing.
The first generation of xinyao was made up of The Straws and Wern Fook,
who were academics.
Their lyrics were profound.
I'm from the English stream,
sometimes I had no idea what they were talking about.
As if a shadow like this
Drifted past in the hazy memories
Then you had singers like Eric, who was more commercialized.
His music resembled Hong Kong pop music.
It was fantastic, so many different styles of xinyao.
It meant we had choices.
Destiny's warrior on the back of dawn
Grasping tightly his own ruthless hands
We wrote our songs in Mandarin
because if we had used English,
we would be up against competition from Europe and America.
That would be too ambitious.
Whereas with Mandarin,
we were only competing against Taiwan.
So it made more sense.
A moment's carelessness And my heart was stranded
In your eyes a limpid watery realm
Taiwanese campus folksongs had simple yet profound lyrics.
Xinyao lyrics were either too simple or too profound.
But its music had a special quality.
It was accommodating of the differences between eastern and western cultures.
The quality of xinyao compositions
was already at a very high standard from the start.
What does the title of this song mean?
It has a double meaning, wading through water,
and the lyrics describe the feelings of a young man
who meets a girl as gentle as calm waters.
The first album released by Ocean Butterflies was The Initial Dream.
There was a songwriter whose work was gaining maturity.
So we released the very first singer-songwriter xinyao album.
And that was Liang Wern Fook's Door.
New cotton, New clothes
Sewn by Mum
New clothes on me
Mum is smiling
Many new clothes have I worn with pride
Year after year, one piece after the next
Worn with happiness, worn with time
I used to think new clothes were the best Sewn with pride by Mum
Time and again, without meaning to
Tearing apart Mum's hard toil
My life is made up of two key things,
literature and music.
In my songs, literature and music come to me at the same time.
It's hard to separate them.
Back then,
most people felt that
if your results were good,
you would opt for the Science stream at junior college.
When I entered junior college,
I told myself that this was an opportunity to make a change,
since I was more suited for the humanities.
In the old days, we sat side by side
We fought over sweets
We climbed trees
Whoever climbed higher, whoever got more
We don't eat sweets anymore
There are too many honeyed words
We are running the rat race
Whoever climbs higher, whoever gets more
In Singapore,
there are much fewer opportunities to connect with Mandarin
through reading or expressing oneself.
That's how it is.
My friends from English schools tell me
that listening to xinyao helped them increase their exposure to Mandarin.
Whose pockets have the most name cards We wonder
You and I have hidden our tears
The interest in xinyao,
the popularity of xinyao,
has given new life to the language in society.
The stars in the skies are weary
In the old days, we sat side by side...
In the '90s, I realized that our Chinese language education
had deteriorated to a deplorable degree,
and so I wrote "The Soliloquy of A Stupid Bird"
Is my flight going crazy?
Does it conceal my confusion?
In the shreds of tradition
I can only fly like this
It was a helpless situation.
We could only write about how we felt.
As to what responses it would generate, I had no control.
I only wanted to put down my thoughts into a song.
When all the tired birds have returned
I am still in a foolish stupor
How xinyao came about was a blessed coincidence.
Many talented people just came together at the same time,
and xinyao was born.
Do you think there are young people writing songs today?
Perhaps, but not in the numbers we had in those days that formed a collective force.
Initially, xinyao was spontaneous.
Then it became more organized with the Xinyao Festival.
Every year, we received 800 to 1,000 songs.
We would select 20 to 30 songs for the concert.
NEW CONTACT CENTER A XINYAO CONCERT WILL BE HELD ON 21ST
Almost every community center had a xinyao group.
It really caught on. Everyone was writing songs.
Xinyao Festival was open to all Singaporeans.
We even accepted English songs,
and we had a Malay participant at the concert.
Let's welcome Nuradee, who will be singing "Ah Ben Ah Ben"!
The Xinyao Festival saw many non-Chinese participants such as Muslims and Indians
who joined in our performances with their musical instruments.
It was a reflection of our multi-lingual and multi-cultural society
that is uniquely Singapore.
The boy with a Walkman on Orchard Road
Where is he going?
To the disco, he says
"Oh, Ah Ben, Ah Ben You're still young, don't waste your time
Oh, Ah Ben, Ah Ben, you have to remember In life, always look ahead"
The festival pulled us closer together.
We spent time together organizing concerts,
supporting each other through the highs and lows.
From 1985 through to the '90s,
our ties grew from strength to strength.
The Sing Music Awards would not have come through
without the support of former President Mr. Ong Teng Cheong.
Tina Chng, who was the manager at the Performing Right Society,
helped us contact the relevant ministry and spoke to Mrs. Yu-Foo Yee Shun,
who relayed our message to former President Mr. Ong.
The Prime Minister's Secretary Mr. Ng Pock Too
helped former President Mr. Ong to organize a luncheon
and invited the CEOs of McDonald's and Metro.
Mr. Ng turned to us and said,
"Tell the two bosses here what you need?"
So we explained what xinyao was about and what we wanted to do.
Mr. Ng asked, "How much do you guys need?"
And we said, "$300,000."
He then turned to the CEOs and said,
"How about $150,000 from McDonald's and $150,000 from Metro?
Case closed! Let's have lunch!"
We were like, "That's it?"
In less than five minutes, we had $300,000.
That was how xinyao began to blossom
and was introduced to the masses.
...from the heart.
Sing-alongs have become a popular part of big celebrations.
Come on, sing it with me.
Come on, join me!
We are voices from the heart
Singing loud, we'll do out part
Working for ourselves and for our family
Do our best whenever we can
We will help our fellow men
We are happy people living hand in hand
Life is simple, life is free
Life is joy and harmony
We will strive each day Be the best that we can be
Growing stronger every day We'll make it you and me
We'll work together
Hand in hand, in joy and harmony
What is most special about xinyao
is that it is songs written by ordinary people for ordinary people.
When you compare xinyao songs
with sing-along songs officially commissioned for National Day,
the biggest difference is that
xinyao songs are not a top-down directive,
but rather, they originate from the inspiration of daily life.
For instance, the formerly banned song "Sparrow With A Bamboo Twig".
It is a patriotic song.
It didn't conform to the bureaucrats' idea of patriotism,
yet it was down-to-earth.
The emotions that are tied to our memories of country and childhood
are deeply rooted and unchanging.
I insisted on preserving the Cantonese lines
because the song was about kinship and treasured memories of home.
I remember inviting my father to the studio to sing the song.
Can we go a little slower?
Sure, no problem.
Baby sparrow picks up a bamboo twig
Visits auntie on the street
Auntie has a red flower
Tucked in her intricate hair bun
Which dragon boat is it amongst the three?
The one in the middle
Strike the cymbal Strike the drum, let's send auntie home
This is Singapore
"Sparrow With A Bamboo Twig" is about a baby sparrow who made a roundabout
and finally finds her way back home,
which is our home, Singapore.
Baby sparrow picks up a bamboo twig
Visits auntie on the street
Auntie has a red flower tucked In her intricate hair bun
This is Singapore
My elder cousin returns from overseas
Baby sparrow picks up a bamboo twig
'Tis better to take it back to your home
Baby sparrow with a bamboo twig
'Tis better to take it back to your home
Thank you!
Bras Basah Complex is known to many as the City of Books.
Filled with bookshops,
Bras Basah Complex used to be the mecca for young book lovers.
In the '80s, it was the launchpad of many xinyao albums and performances.
On 6th July, 2014,
the making of The Songs We Sang
brought xinyao singers and fans back to the City of Books.
The first reunion in 30 years, rain or shine.
Solitary and hesitant On the trail at dusk
The sunset is ever so desolate
Humming that haunting sad song
Trembling, my voice so cold and bleak
Thank you, everyone.
This song,
had it not been for the efforts of
a special mentor who put this song on radio,
you would not have come to know this song.
Today, I would like to give special thanks to her.
She is none other than the DJ of Top of the Pops
and the DJ of Our Singers and Songwriters,
Lim Cher Hui!
Let's invite her to join us on the stage.
Let us now invite all our singers
to sing your favorite xinyao songs onstage.
Come on!
Swee Chen!
Brenda Tang is here too!
Peter Ang!
Ken Tay!
Eric, you won't be lonely now.
Everyone is here!
Pan Ying, Siew Leng,
Kay Kiong.
Anyone else?
Everyone is up here.
Solitary and hesitant On the trail at dusk
The sunset is ever so desolate
Humming that sad song
Trembling, my voice so cold and bleak
The melody drifts like a shadow Into the waves of my heart
Calling to me from the hills
Cher Hui's singing voice is also very nice.
Encountering your bright starry eyes
Dancing, quivering I'm spirited away into a dream
Beautiful and everlasting legend
Was it your visitation in that moment
Silently I pray to the skies
May
That moment
Become a monument of grace
We were always looking for breakthroughs.
The key thing is, did we find what touched us,
the sincerity at our core?
The sincerity in our hearts, what is it?
It's a question for everyone.