Because it is a Hong Kong film, it is normal for Hong Kong people to speak and sing Cantonese. Moreover, Cantonese pop culture was strong in those days, and Cantonese songs themselves were a trend. Besides, Shanghai Beach is not just for Shanghainese, but also for people from all over the world. They should sing Mandarin if they want to sing it, and they have never heard popular songs from Shanghai.
Before liberation, 800,000 Cantonese people lived in Shanghai. Shanghai has been a port for less than 200 years, and the trade between Guangdong and foreigners has a long history. When Shanghai opened its port, it was like Shenzhen 30 years ago, and the foresight of Lao Guangzhong got ahead of us. Before the liberation of old Shanghai, several major department stores were Cantonese, mainly funded by Guangdong, and even had such names as "Great World" and "Big Sanyuan". More than forty years ago, the streets were full of old people who spoke Guangfu dialect. The gramophone in karaoke bars and teahouses keeps playing Cantonese opera and even Cantonese opera. It's not strange to sing Cantonese on the beach!
In the early 1980s, TVB and ATV, two television stations in Hong Kong, were in full swing, and everyone was busy preparing conscience TV dramas to grab the viewing share. The dramas such as Grace of the Earth, Hero Huo Yuanjia and Zhen Chen released by ATV spread all over Xiangjiang, and TVB produced Shanghai Raiders to compete with them.
This TV theme song "Shanghai Beach" of the same name came into being and became a classic Cantonese song that spread all over the Chinese world.
In the big environment, not only "Shanghai Beach" is a Cantonese song, but almost all Hong Kong TV dramas are Cantonese songs as the theme song.
Especially in the 1980s, after the Hong Kong pop music scene was brewed and started in the 1970s, Cantonese opera, English songs and Chinese songs were just kicked out of the pop hall, and only Cantonese songs occupied the absolute mainstream.
The theme song of TV is the pillar industry of Cantonese music, supporting half of Hong Kong pop music. Guan, Tan,,, and Ye Liyi, the lead singer of "Shanghai Beach", are all heavyweights of TV theme songs.
Huang Hui Ersheng, Gu Jiahui and Huang Zhesi, who wrote Shanghai Beach, are the founders of Guangdong pop music. Another pair of gold medal partners are Lu Guozhan and Li Xiaotian. Huang Hui is the main creator of the theme song of TVB TV series, while Lu Li mainly writes songs for ATV.
Gu Jiahui composed music and David Henry Hwang wrote classic lyrics, and the list goes on. Shanghai beach is just one example. As we all know, most Cantonese songs are written after songs, so the lyrics are also called lyrics, mainly because Cantonese has only five sounds and Mandarin has seven sounds, so the lyrics of Cantonese need to rhyme.
Hui and Huang write songs together, which are usually delayed after receiving the case. When the deadline for submission approaches, Huige will show his creative passion in generate. Of course, the time left for James J.S.Wong to write lyrics is even shorter.
Later, according to James ·J·s· Wang's own interview, when he wrote Shanghai Beach, it was the moment when he had loose bowels and flushed the toilet. "The waves are flowing, and there is more than Wan Li Jiangyong" suddenly appeared in his mind, and a masterpiece was born!
For more exciting content, please pay attention to "Good Songs for You"
Why does Shanghai Beach sing in Cantonese?
Shanghai Beach is a drama of the Republic of China produced by tvbi, directed by Chun Keung Chiu and Tan Ruiming and starring Chow Yun Fat, Angie Chiu and Lv Liangwei.
The play is set in Shanghai during the Republic of China and describes the love story between Xu Wenqiang and Feng Chengcheng.
Note that the Chow Yun Fat version of Shanghai Beach is a Hong Kong drama, while the Huang Xiaoming version of New Shanghai Beach is produced in the mainland.
Hong Kong opera is naturally Cantonese, and the theme song of Shanghai Beach is naturally Cantonese. Because TV plays are audio-visual texts, we can't let a bunch of Hong Kong actors speak Shanghainese for ignorance. After all, if this is the case, the Mandarin version of the new Shanghai Beach is also inappropriate.
Besides, in the superhero worldview of Marvel comic company DC, the whole universe is speaking English. Why? It's not that the screenwriter is lazy, but that there are too many serious language problems to make the film go on. This is a reasonable concession to promote the development of the plot. The screenwriter obviously wants the audience to focus on the important places.
The first audience of the Hong Kong drama "Shanghai Beach" is Hong Kong natives. Cantonese itself is a common dialogue language, and in addition, the music scene in Hong Kong was in full swing in the 1980s and 1990s, so Cantonese songs had a very high status. Therefore, it is naturally no problem to sing "Shanghai Beach" in Cantonese.
Of course, the song "Shanghai Beach" also has a cover version in Mandarin, including the TV series "Shanghai Beach" broadcast in Chinese mainland.
Both Cantonese and Putonghua are tools. The most important thing in a movie is the plot. The audience's attention needs to focus on the plot story and learn its connotation. This is the most important thing.
Because Shanghai Beach was not created by Shanghainese, it was not filmed in Shanghai, and it was not shown in Shanghai without the participation of Shanghai actors. Shanghai Beach was created and filmed by Hongkong people in China. A scene on the Bund was shot at Guangzhou Beach (Jiang Yan Road, Guangzhou). At that time, Shanghai HSBC Building was running a grocery store. Obviously, it will be very difficult to shoot at the beach.
Shanghai Beach was sung in Cantonese because the producer was Hong Kong, which was the boundary of Cantonese, and the mainland was not very beautiful at that time. Unlike now, when the population is prosperous, Mandarin is not taken seriously.
Shanghai Beach is the memory of a generation. I like this work very much without nonsense, because the cultural atmosphere at that time was also rather dull, and there was no music every night now. Xu Wenqiang's strong debut suddenly became the object of admiration of boys and girls, especially those girls who are in love with spring. What's more, Xu Wenqiang was worshipped as a lifelong idol.
This song, sung in Cantonese, also shows the chaotic image of Shanghai Beach under the historical conditions at that time.
For many years, the Shanghai beach in people's memory is the Guangdong model. If you switch to Putonghua, it will be unpopular and will inevitably lead to fierce criticism.
It's a pity that Cantonese songs are not just a song on the beach, but also many well-known ones, all of which have been covered in Mandarin, but have lost their original flavor.
This song is the theme song of the Hong Kong TV series "Shanghai Beach". Lyrics, composers, actors and lead singers are all Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong people. The original version is Cantonese.
Shanghai Beach was sung in Cantonese because the producer was Hong Kong, which was the boundary of Cantonese, and the mainland was not very beautiful at that time. Unlike now, when the population is prosperous, Mandarin is not taken seriously.
This song, sung in Cantonese, also shows the chaotic image of Shanghai Beach under the historical conditions at that time.
For more exciting content, please pay attention to Coco DJ music network.
If you feel uncomfortable, you can find a Shanghai director to shoot a beach that can beat the old works, and then find a composer to write a theme song in Shanghai dialect that is better than the old works, then this problem will naturally disappear.
At the entrance of Yong 'an Department Store in Shanghai, a dressed-up Shanghai Ning, with a phonograph and a rickshaw beside him, heard a strong Cantonese rhyme "Waves rush, waves flow ... I asked him: Is it old Shanghai or old Guangdong? He said: Old Shanghai, of course. I asked: Why do you sing in Cantonese? As a result, he turned his head and ran.
When Shanghai opened, it had a population of 600,000,10,000 Cantonese. By the time of liberation in 1949, Cantonese people had controlled more than 50% of Shanghai's wealth. Among the richest people in Shanghai, Cantonese account for half. Many people in Shanghai can speak Cantonese, which shows the great influence of Cantonese.