(Author: Snow Mountain Viewing Snow)
The album "White Dove" contains the exploration and research of life. From then on, Wu Bai's songs were no longer just about love. Together with the two subsequent albums, they were all-encompassing and had ever-changing themes. "White Dove" explores life, "River of Dreams" is a dream poem, and "Bridge of Tears" is about comprehending life.
After Taiwan suffered a major earthquake, where should it go? How to boost the morale of the Taiwanese people in trouble and let everyone see hope and tomorrow. Therefore, Wu Bai said that "White Dove" is a song written for Taiwan. .
I have always believed that "White Dove" represents Wu Bai's highest achievement. When discussing Wu Bai with my friends, I often say: "After "White Dove", Wu Bai will no longer be." Although this is obviously I'm biased, but in my mind, after "White Dove", there are indeed no truly obsessive albums like "The End of Love", "Lone Bird on the Branch" and "White Dove". This year, Wu Bai is 31 years old.
Although "Addicted" is the first song in the album, it really didn't attract me. After listening to it many times, I don't know what kind of emotion Wu Bai wants to express. It seems decadent. But it is passionate, so I have always been confused about this song. Maybe Wu Bai wanted to express a confused feeling.
"Real World" is by far the best song I think Wu Bai has in Mandarin. I first listened to it in 2005. At that time, I had little life experience and had no feeling for this song at all. I even disliked it. It was not until 2008 that I suddenly fell in love with this song. No matter the lyrics or music, it is the most real and touching. Yes, because I have experienced more in life, my feelings towards the world are different from those when I was young, and I truly understand the meaning of the "real world", how should we face this society, its complexity and diversity, the simultaneous emergence of love and hypocrisy, and the dedication We must also beware that reality and ideals cannot be integrated. Where should we go from here. When I understood this song, I clearly understood that I have really grown up and will never dream of the utopia I conceived when I was a child. Reality will always be reality. Only by hard work can you finally gain something. Understanding this song helped me learn to think and explore.
"Never Care About Me" is also a very nice song. It continues Wu Bai's usual sad love song type. This song is like a poem. Wu Bai's voice sings it, which makes people touching and distressed. The tune is very It sounds nice, gentle and sad, "Life is lonely after all." When I heard this sentence, my heart and Wu Bai had a scream. After the glory, there is only dimness. After the flowers have passed, there are only dead branches. No matter how vigorous life is, It's still dull, and it ends up being lonely.
If this album represents Wu Bai's highest achievement, then the album's title track "White Dove" is naturally the best among the best. Wu Bai was originally written to cheer up Ms. Zhuang Jiahui, who was injured in a shooting. But the subsequent September 21st earthquake gave this song a deeper mission and meaning. This song allowed Taiwan, which was suffering from disasters at the time, to see hope and a future. Thinking of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a group of star singers They all went to the disaster area to perform live performances, but neither Wu Bai nor "White Dove" was released. No matter how beautiful the disaster area is rebuilt, so what if the scars on the body are healed as before. When will the wounds on the soul be healed? , Really, sometimes I really think that Taiwan is really happy to have Wu Bai.
The song "God Save Me" seems to describe the boredom of life and the longing for relief. The song is both dull and light. It sounds like a Western song, and it is also a song I often sing. . I don’t know where I heard it, but Wu Bai is going to hold a concert in mainland China. The Chinese government banned him from singing this song before he was allowed to hold a concert in mainland China. Actually, I don’t see anything special about this song. I guess the tune of this song has a Western flavor, and the title of the song mentions the Western god-God. What does it matter? Wu Bai is a Taiwanese and has been educated and influenced by Taiwan since he was a child. What does he want to write? There's nothing wrong with songs, but this topic is a sensitive one after all. To avoid getting into trouble, it's better to say less. Such things will be mentioned again in the future. Anyway, Wu Bai is a very sensitive and controversial figure in mainland China.
"Look at Me" is a slow song, very nice. We will talk about it later at the Heat of Life concert. We will skip it here. The "White Dove" album has 13 songs in total. Let's talk about others. It's relatively important.
"With You Forever", I always thought it was a love song written by Wu Bai. Compared with other sad songs such as "Roman Love Song" and "The Crying Man", this song is full of Cheerful, sunny and beautiful. When I first fell in love, I often sang to my girlfriend, but later I learned that this song was written by Wu Bai for his fans who always supported him and accompanied him, but I always regarded it as a love song, with beautiful melody, simple words and sincere feelings. , in line with Wu Bai’s style of life, this love song, which is not fancy at all, is indispensable for me and her to be where we are today.
The only Five Hundred rock song in the album "The Loved One in My Life" is also a very nice one. "You used your unique tenderness to sting me severely, proving that you have Don't love me..." Wu's love song is unique, feel it with your heart, no need to say more.
"Finally" is also a very nice song, but in this "talented" album, its light has been obscured a lot. It can only be said that it was born at the wrong time. This song seems to be about aftertaste and awakening. Love songs can also be performed in this way. This is Wu Bai's uniqueness.
"Diary of a Lazy Man", listening to this song is like listening to a city man complaining about life, but he is comforted when he learns that others are like him. Living in a real society, everyone will feel tired sometimes. Whether we are complaining or complaining, we still have to get through life. So why are we bothered? Wu Bai explained: "The wisdom in life is not enough."
The song "11 O'Clock in the Midnight" makes me feel pity for both the music style and Wu Bai's singing voice, but I still don't listen to this song often, although it sounds good. , Wu Bai has so many great songs that sometimes I can’t listen to them more than once a month. I just have to put this song down and listen to it another day.
The last song is called "Last Tenderness", which is obviously deliberately arranged. This is a little-known song, mainly because few people have heard it, but everyone who has heard it says it well. Wu Bai once said that this song is about the separation between men. It is obvious that Wu Bai is getting further and further away from the theme of love. There are no songs specifically with the theme of love in this album. After listening to this song, It feels like I will be glued to it. I can't help but listen to it a second time to understand the feeling of separation between men. At that time, Wu Bai had a clear voice and a soft style. Listening to his songs at that time was like enjoying it. . "If it weren't for the wind, the rain wouldn't be more beautiful." Very philosophical lyrics. It reminds me of a lot, especially the outro music after the song is sung, which really makes people obsessed with it as soon as it sounds. Just this song, I will love Wu Bai all my life and never regret it.
The album also comes with a song "Brave New World". This song will become a frequent guest in future concerts. Wu Bai often sings this song near the end. It indicates a new beginning and hope. When I first listened to this song, I was fascinated by the hope it gave. It turns out that we work hard just to have a warm family and soothe our exhausted souls. Restless young people, remember to listen to Wu Bai often. You will understand that there is a beautiful new world ahead, waiting for you, where there are innocent children and girls' dimples...
Album All the songs in it are majestic and show the style of Wu Bai. At the end of the year, Wu Bai held the "Real World Tour" with a strong lineup. It is said that 10% of the proceeds from the concert will be donated for disaster relief. It seems that Wu Bai at that time at least almost became the spiritual support of Taiwanese people. The image quality of this concert is the most beautiful. If the Air Raid Warning Concert is the most awesome concert of Wu Bai, then the Real World Concert is undoubtedly the most beautiful concert of Wu Bai. From the lighting to the stage scenery, every Beautiful design is reflected in every detail.
Especially when Wu Bai sang "White Dove" in the second show, the piano played, and the shot of a group of white doves flying in the sky on the big stage set was my deepest impression of that concert. Many years later, maybe I will I forgot the other songs in that concert, but I still will not forget the group of strong flying white doves...
Freely flying white doves with musical philosophy
Today, probably I There is no need to spend too much space to write about the past musical journey of "Wu Bai & China Blue", because this name has not only been a household name in the history of Taiwanese pop music in the 1990s, but they even set off the scene despite the impossibility of the market at that time. The craze of the concert is a legendary music revolution that everyone talks about.
Of course, the widespread influence of "Wu Bai" can also be seen from the high on-demand rate of his works such as "Wu Bai" and "Wu Bai" in KTV.
However, what is rare is that over the years, Wu Bai & China Blue have not only been satisfied with enjoying the superstar-like achievements in front of them, but have been reduced to copying one Wu Bai-style roaring love song after another to deliberately please people. Fans, on the contrary, from to, we saw that Wu Bai & China Blue have been seeking reforms in their own sound, constantly improving their sound from different levels.
Two years later, I had another interview with Wu Bai; he, who has never appeared in the entertainment media, still talked eloquently about all musical issues, as if he had endless personal opinions and His emotions and attitude toward music creation. Therefore, rather than one-sidedly saying that Wu Bai is a widely loved pop sales figure, we would rather think that he is a singer-songwriter with a deep self-awareness who is constantly seeking new music sparks within the existing commercial music system.
Flying Rock-Consciousness
From then to the birth of this new work in 1999, there was coincidentally about two years in between, so "two years" "Is such a Time Period an obvious creative cycle?
"For example, these songs have been alive for two years, so I have no intention of doing new things; another point is that I feel that within a year, my brain is full of The same thing, there is nothing new to say.”
What’s even more coincidental is that the two consecutive albums have “birds” as their theme. "Maybe I have a love affair with birds!" Wu Bai said jokingly. However, he immediately added seriously: "I likened my own music history to be flying, so my new album will continue to fly, and will use 'birds' as the theme again. ”
There is no doubt that the last album was an impeccable success both in terms of musical essence and reflected market sales. So when we start working on this new album, I would like to treat you like this. For a singer-songwriter who doesn't want to repeat his past works, how can he seek new breakthroughs? "When I was making this record, I didn't say that I wanted to make a breakthrough, but I was thinking about what new things would attract me. What factors would attract me to continue creating? I would only write after I thought about it clearly. Still. This is a relatively imaginary work, imagining what the lyrics of the song in front of the Liberation Front would look like if written with today's people's thoughts; but when making this album, I was thinking about how to do it as a rock musician. Do what rock musicians should do. When I went to Beijing and saw those rock bands and heard their music, I was actually a little embarrassed. Although they were not so accepted by the public, and although their music may not be that mature, they were. What they want to talk about, whether it is against themselves or against society, has a clear theme; and this theme is not about love and love, or moaning for nothing. This is a key point, so when I was making this album, I felt that I should go for it. I was exploring something, so I wrote these songs.
”
…”Rock musicians must be related and interactive with society. It does not mean that you are called a rock musician just because you hold an electric guitar and sing rock music; it should be said that you have a rock-n-roll attitude towards this society. Attention, rock-like care, rock-like protest, rock-like concepts and thoughts, this is how a rock musician..."
Then from the Beijing rock band "Yao Shi" (formerly known as "Zi Yue") Wu Bai also talked about the impact of his live performance with Cui Jian and the attention this piece of work injected into the land of Taiwan. Wu Bai also talked about his inner understanding of a rock musician.
"Rock musicians must be related and interact with society. It does not mean that you hold an electric guitar and sing rock music and you are called a rock musician; it should be said that you have a rock-and-roll focus on this society. Rock-like care, rock-like protest, and rock-like concepts and thoughts are what makes a rock musician. For example, I admire and admire Luo Dayou because he has said many wise words and his music can go far. A place far, far away; so I think the key is not to have a beautiful and brilliant musical appearance, but to have you say something very meaningful and profound."
Back To. Basic
In addition to the obvious differences between the creative theme and the past, the official album copy also specifically emphasizes that this album is to "return to the most natural and original essence of music", so what exactly is it going to present? What kind of musical sentiment is it?
“If it’s a arrogant and gorgeous record, then I tried to remove all the dazzling and stinky sounds this time to find a natural sound. When everything is gorgeous When things are happening, I go back and go back to the starting point. This is interesting and attractive to me." Then Wu Bai further added: "I think there are many ways to release power. What comes out does not necessarily have to be sung very hard or the lyrics written in a complicated way. Instead, it is a kind of philosophical and thinking power that I am pursuing now, and this must be expressed through purer music. . In other words, this is also a restrained way of expression, just like flying at a low altitude.”
In addition to the interesting sample of phone ringing in the beginning and the rapid guitar playing throughout. In addition to the familiar and typical Wu Bai-style rock energy that still bursts out of Xian, most of the works are like,,,,, but the emphasis is on a simple instrument configuration that overlaps with Wu Bai's voice that has changed from an outgoing to a restrained voice. The resulting quiet musical tension. What is even more noteworthy is that when Wu Bai interprets slow-tempo lyrical rock works this time, what makes people feel is no longer a world-shattering domination, but a dejected feeling of being alone and haggard. In this regard, Wu Bai said that during this period he liked the works of Red House Painter, a band under 4AD, and maybe he was also infected by their Moody sentimental Sadcore Folk style to some extent!
"I hope this album will not sound greasy, but like a bowl of delicious Yangchun noodles." Wu Bai used this simple metaphor to describe this work.
Release The Pressure
Over the past few years, from album sales, sold-out concerts to recognition from the Golden Melody Awards, it can undoubtedly be said that Wu Bai and China Blue are in the same music career The peak of the album, therefore, we know that there must be pressure from different aspects when preparing this album, so we saw a quote from Wu Bai in the official information: "I just want to do it well and without pressure." "Actually, I know that everyone is under a lot of pressure when making this album, including sales, Golden Melody Awards, etc., but once you are led by pressure, you will do everything. Not good. So when recording, I would say, get rid of all stressful things and do things that are not stressful, so that you can speak what you want to say and sing the songs you want to sing as naturally as you can now; because we are not When we make music, we are living life.
Furthermore, most of the songs this time have a serious theme, but you don’t think you will hear serious music like Luantan as a background. What you hear is easy, stress-free music explaining these serious things. . ” Indeed, the most obvious example is this piece. Although Chasing is a song that describes the depression and hope in the lives of ordinary people, the arrangement is packaged with a passionate Latin flavor that has never appeared in Wu Bai albums before. It reminds me of the old band Santana. Recently launched new works. "Actually, this arrangement model was born because I watched too much TV and saw how popular Ricky Martin was, and then I wanted to write a Latin song, a desert song."
The Show Must Go On
Finally, it is worth noting that in addition to the theme, this album is also different from the previous one in the writing of the lyrics; the lyrics in the previous album paid great attention to the literary use of words. The implication is that I hope to bloom the fragrance of music, so what kind of level do I want to capture in this way of writing lyrics?
"Before, I was pursuing the beauty of words, but now what satisfies me is the content, theme and attitude; too much grammar and rhetoric are not important anymore, what is important is how I use sincere things Come out. Only by continuing to explore your own life will an endless stream of new works be born. Especially if you want to make music for a long time, you can't say you are making music, but what kind of life you want to live. It is only right to bring life into music; I hope to have words that reflect my own views in my music."
Looking back on the past, Wu Bai is most satisfied with his creations: "I. The most satisfying part is that I gave myself the best lyricist award because it is in Taiwanese and classical Chinese. The music part is very difficult. I can only say that every song that has been popular in the past is good. It was a good thing I did at the time, and it could be liked by many people.”
So, looking to the future, has Wu Bai ever thought that he would continue to innovate and change in music creation like David Bowie? Spanning different musical generations, or will you stop performing in front of the curtain and retreat behind the scenes when the time is right? "This must be closely integrated with my life, so that I can always do what I think I should do at that time and now; of course I hope that I will always produce good works, but this premise is that there are some things in my life It’s always going on, always flying.”
“Satisfy yourself, and at the same time be able to maintain the interactive relationship that a rock singer should maintain with the entire society.” This is Wu Bai’s conclusion at the end of the interview, and it is also He has the greatest expectations for his future musical career.
Text/Lin Zheyi