I was at a low point in my life, living in an old residential building in Beijing. Sometimes when I looked out the window and saw how busy the pedestrians were, I felt like I was stuck in time and wanted to leave Beijing for another life. It was in this mood that Midian was written, longing for love and a new life.
There are two kinds of fruits in the lyrics of "Midian", "apple" and "grape". The apple symbolizes love, and the phrase "a home with tender leaves of grapes" comes from the prayer of Princess Atieh in the Serbian novel "Khazar's Dictionary," which I loved at the time.
It was the first song I ever wrote, and I'm ashamed to say that someone once categorized my song as a Northwest ballad, because my first song was about rice, not noodles.
The first official performance of the song after it was written was in Lianzhou, Guangdong, at the opening concert of a photography festival curated by Zhang Xiaozhou. The lyrics were not finished until the bus from Guangzhou to Lianzhou, and I forgot all the words when I was nervous on the stage on the day of the performance, and sang for a few minutes to mix up the "debut". After that, I went back to Beijing and had a European friend who wanted to make a charity album in his country and asked me to give him a song, so he paid for a studio to record the first version of "Rice Shop".
The studio was at the China Conservatory of Music, and it was the first time I recorded a song for myself, as I had previously recorded backing tracks for bands and singers. I stood alone in a studio that could hold a symphony orchestra, and the recording engineer was a bit arrogant, so I didn't get along very well. In addition to Guo Long's percussion, I had to record two tracks of guitar, two tracks of accordion, and backing vocals in three hours. There were no interludes on "Rice Shop" at the time, and when I got to the interlude, I improvised an accordion melody, which I never thought I'd use to this day.
All in all, this is how the "rice store" was born, "our boat is docked at the pier", but the actual sailing of the boat is not as romantic as it seems. Luckily, God values your will, not your behavior.
Before I wrote "The Rice Shop" I was a musician, accompanying some singers or bands on the accordion, and I had a great time. But being a musician is like flying in someone else's dream, and when they wake up, there's nowhere else to fly. So I had to make the transition to being a singer, to create a dream world where I could fly all the time.
"Rice store" is the beginning of this dream, so the last part of the song is actually an inspirational song.
After a period of hesitation and self-denial, I made "Rice Shop" available to Douban musicians, and it has been on its own path ever since.
Songs are like children to authors. Some are beautiful, some are honest, some are lucky, and some are born alone. Each song has its own destiny, what the people who hear it give it, and the author has no control over that.
"Rice store" belongs to the more fortunate type of children, out of the family door smoothly grew up. A few days ago, someone compiled a list of "Midian" covers, which included covers of "Midian" by Old Wolf, Li Zhi, Song Dongye, Zhao Lei, Five Stripes, and Wet Clothes. I listened to every single one of them and was so moved that I stood on the balcony for a long time. They are all great musicians, and they each have a lot more to offer than "Rice Shop". What an honor.
Long before the old wolf in the "I am a singer" interpretation of the "rice store", there are many people asked about and the old wolf cooperation feelings, I also piggybacked on the first answer in my Zhihu to tell:
Wolf in the "I am a singer" choice "rice store", and invited me to join his band for the first time, and I was very happy to see you. I was of course honored that Wolf chose "Rice Shop" on "I'm a Singer" and asked me to join his band to back him up. The whole thing is normal for me, as a musician, I have to face all kinds of stages. I was a little awkward when I first came on stage, but once Wolf was on stage, I felt more comfortable, and he always brings his special warmth to the stage, which makes people feel at home.
Wolf chose two songs for the final stage, "The Gift" and "Rice Shop", "The Gift" he sang only two lines, "Rice Shop" is a song completely unknown to the public. It's a testament to his attitude that he's sharing the music and the stage with everyone, rather than competing to win or lose.
The appearance of "Rice Shop" in the fierce competition at the end was peaceful and beautiful, reflecting Wolf's gentlemanly demeanor.
"Rice Shop" appeared on "I'm a Singer," and some listeners left comments on the Internet such as "another song is going to suck". I think this sentiment is understandable, but there is no need to worry too much. First of all, we should make Main Street better, not always default to "bad," and secondly, "Rice Shop" doesn't really have the elements of Main Street popularity.
I don't consider myself a musician, and I write nothing more than normal, popular songs, which have to be with everyone, not too high and not too low. It's popular, not kitsch, and I think it's just fine.
A song is loved by everyone, I am of course honored and happy. What I've said is only my story, your "rice store" should remain your story, and it's up to you to interpret it.
I'm not a prolific songwriter, but I've written a few songs since then, and without sounding too pretentious, I've never considered "Rice Shop" to be a song I couldn't top.
Or maybe my next song will be titled: "Grain Stations".