"I am afraid that one day I will fall": Huang Jiaju's swan song journey | 30th anniversary of his death

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the band Beyond. June 30 is the 30th anniversary of the death of Beyond's soul Huang Jiaju. On June 24, 1993, while recording a variety show in Tokyo, Huang Jiaju accidentally fell off the stage and was seriously injured and fell unconscious; Huang Jiaju died on June 30 at the age of 31.

40 years on, Beyond is still a cultural phenomenon, witnessing an era. "Really Love You", "Glory Years", "No More Hesitation", "Sea and Sky" ... Their music has influenced generations. Perhaps there are already young people today who are unfamiliar with Huang Jiaju's name, but they must have heard his songs. Before Huang's death, Beyond's last album was Rock N Roll, which included Beyond's most widely sung song, "The Sea and the Sky." Every year on the death of the family, many memorial articles emerge, remembering the prematurely fallen rock star and reminiscing about his youthful years inspired and enlightened by his music.

Today's article is from the new book "Joy and Fury: Beyond Biography," which will be published in July. The author combed through a large amount of information and traced the experience and state of Jia Ju in the period before his death. Beyond member Huang Guanzhong once revealed that "Jia Ju was actually very unhappy for a period of time before leaving" and "seemed to be discouraged by many things". He doesn't want to be blindly pursued by fans, instead thinking that they should "accept something better."

Huang Jiaju (June 10, 1962 – June 30, 1993), profile picture.

No matter then or now, Jiaju's values are difficult to tolerate in the entertainment industry, he said, "There is no music scene in Hong Kong, only the entertainment industry." The idol packaging method he disgusted has now intensified, with no music, only traffic. Missing Jia Ju is actually nostalgic for his idealism and naked heart for music. "In May 2018, an asteroid named after Huang Jiaju and numbered 41742 was officially announced, and since then he has been like a star in the night sky, illuminating those lost in the darkness with his afterlight."

Written by | Zuo Anjun

"Joy and Fury: Beyond Biography", by Zuo Anjun,

Nanjing University Press, to be published in July 2023.

Conquering the Japanese market:

A common dream

In May 1991, Beyond traveled to Tokyo to perform at Children's Aid For Asia, which became Beyond's entry into the Japanese music scene. After the performance, veteran Hong Kong musician Zuo Yongran (Beyond's first short-lived manager) introduced Beyond to Yokichi Osato, founder of Japanese entertainment company Amuse. Yokichi Osato hosted Beyond at home, and dinner was shared with the famous Japanese musician Kitaro. At the dinner, Beyond agent Leslie Chan asked Yokichi Osato if he was interested in "helping Beyond develop the Japanese market," but Osato immediately dismissed the possibility.

In September of the same year, Beyond held the "Life Contact" concert at the Hung Hom Stadium in Hong Kong, and Chen Jiantian specially invited Yoyoshi Osato to watch, and Yoyoshi Osato was deeply shocked, and immediately after the performance, he expressed his willingness to sign Beyond to Japan for development.

On December 23, 1991, Beyond and Amuse signed a contract to officially start the rock road into the Japanese music scene, but Japan's dream journey also caused the pain of the Beyond members' lives. In some interviews in the new century, both Huang Guanzhong and Huang Jiaqiang said that the band was originally "sold" to Japan by Chen Jiantian, in order to emphasize the band's weak and passive position. Many fans also used this as strong evidence to attack Chen Jiantian.

In 2011, Chen Jiantian said on Weibo that the contract with Amuse "was ultimately decided by Beyond", and two years later he also responded in the book, "If they did not agree at the beginning, I would not continue to talk with the Japanese, and the final decision or not to sign is entirely in the hands of the four of them." Since the two sides went to court in April 1993, followed by the upheaval of Ieju's death, their relationship has completely broken down, and their hostility between them has not abated for more than a decade, and they have disagreed on some issues.

Cover of the Beyond album "The Glorious Years".

In fact, since the release of "Really Love You" in 1989, Beyond has become a household name in Hong Kong, and in the following two years, the band has appeared in many TV, variety shows, movies, etc., and his career has been booming, and his five performances at the Hung Hom Stadium in September 1991 have pushed the band's reputation to the top.

Given the band's situation at the time, they were fully capable of talking to their manager on an equal footing and discussing the band's future. Fortunately, 20 years later, Huang Guanzhong finally put down the mustard and shook hands with Chen Jiantian to make peace; Ye Shirong, who experienced the unexpected death of his girlfriend and his identity transformation, has long been calm, not only reconciling with Chen Jiantian, but also living next to each other in their Beijing office; Only Wong Ka Keung and Chen Jiantian do not interact with each other, and sometimes stage mutual choking.

In the face of these difficult pasts, whether right or wrong, one thing is always unclear: as an ambitious band and insightful manager, Beyond and Chen Jiantian shared a common dream at that time, that is, to conquer the Japanese music market and realize their ambitions.

As the world's second largest music market, Japan has a mature operating mechanism and a broad market space, which is the most attractive place for Beyond. The band will use this as a springboard and transition to prepare for its subsequent entry into the U.S. market. However, entering the Japanese music scene is undoubtedly a huge adventure. On the one hand, the four members of Beyond do not know anything about Japanese and have difficulty communicating with record companies; The band, on the other hand, has no listener base there at all, and has essentially zero influence. Navigating such an unfamiliar environment, everything has to start from scratch, and the difficulty can be imagined.

The team is excellent and has benefited a lot

Amuse assembled a new production team for Beyond, led by a producer named Ryo Kunihiko. During the recording of the album, Beyond often spent time with Leung Bangyan and translation assistant Ben Lee. Yang Bangyan was born in Tokyo in 1960 to Korean parents who lived in Japan. Ben Lee, who is from Hong Kong and studied in Japan, is a Cantonese and Japanese speaker, so he is the only bridge between Beyond and Japanese musicians. However, because Ben didn't know much about music, Beyond had a hard time communicating with the musicians.

In working with the Japanese production team, Beyond gained a completely different experience from Hong Kong. The new team members have a strong sense of time and are never late, which is exactly what happened to Wong Ka Kui when he was in Hong Kong; Above all, they are professional and extremely conscientious. "The Japanese have a good attitude towards work, they respect each other, even the staff in charge of the key strap have sheet music, unlike in Hong Kong, where only the director has a score. And in Hong Kong, sometimes we try to do things because of the tight schedule, they will ask them to pass, or things that fans may not understand, they will also give up!

In Japan, it was different, and although it was difficult for us to communicate, they could feel what we wanted. So we will always try again and again until everyone is satisfied. "They will take a long time to accomplish something that doesn't seem very important, and they won't save time like Hong Kong people trying to do quickly." ”

Huang Jiaju performance picture.

Beyond was originally the kind of band that demanded more from itself, but compared to the Japanese production team, they also had to sigh to themselves. "We've always been quite rigorous about our music, but when we compared to their sound engineers, we realized that we had a lot to improve." However, when Liang Bangyan first revised their arrangement, they were not so receptive. Because they wanted to make heavy music, but after the former's drastic modifications, the song became much softer, and the whole style was very different from the original. This interference in the creative method is difficult for Beyond to accept, and there have been many disputes between the two sides.

In July 1992, after half a year of hard work, Beyond finally released its debut album "Continue the Revolution" recorded in Japan. The band was very satisfied with the album, and the band members also gave unanimous praise. In the following months, the band held a "Continuing Revolution Concert" for the album and flew to Malaysia, Singapore and other places to promote the public. However, to the disappointment of the band, despite the good results of "Looking Away" and "The Great Wall" on the charts, the album still sold more than 50,000 copies a few months later.

At the end of September, Beyond's debut Japanese-language album, Beyond, was released in Tokyo. Strictly speaking, "Beyond" is not a purely Japanese record, because the Cantonese versions of "Farmer", "Morning Train" and "Speechless Ask the Sky" are also included, and the album even includes a Chinese version of "The Sin of Love" adapted from "Continue to Indulge", there are only 7 Japanese songs, and they are all rewritten from the works in "Continue the Revolution". The Japanese single "Can You Break It", released at the beginning of the month, was also a bit messy, as it also came with a Cantonese version of "Morning Train". This practice of mixing songs in two or even three languages into one album does not seem to be smart. Because of this, the album lost its core, and both Japanese and Cantonese songs were not highlighted.

Cover of Beyond's album "Sea and Sky".

Despite Beyond's efforts to tie in with Amuse's promotional plans, not many fans are willing to pay for Beyond. The record sold less than 30,000 copies in Japan and Hong Kong combined. During this period, the band also recorded and released Chinese album "Faith" and Cantonese mini album "Endless Emptiness", and carried out a series of promotions in Taiwan.

At the end of January 1993, Beyond once again boarded a flight to Tokyo and began recording a new album. After the cooperation of the last album, producer Liang Bangyan and Beyond have a good tacit understanding. Although he also participated in the arrangement, after all, Beyond controlled the entire album. He no longer forcibly modified the orchestra's arrangement, but treated their ideas with consultation and even support.

"Music and Fury" album cover.

In May, ahead of the official launch of "Joy and Fury," Beyond returned to Hong Kong for a three-week promotional tour. On May 26, the day "Le and Fury" was released, he flew to Kuala Lumpur. On the 30th, Beyond returned to Hong Kong to continue his promotional activities for a week, and then left for Tokyo again on June 6. Their third Japanese single is about to be released there, and new promotional efforts are already on the agenda. Four days later, Ieju celebrated their 31st birthday, but instead of stopping to celebrate, they continued to bury their heads in work.

Sensationalism and exhaustion

Japan's publicity is much the same as in Hong Kong, and the chart work was on track before the record was released. The Japanese version of "I Want to Take Your Lips" (くちびるを取いたい) and the Japanese version of "Distant Dreams" of "Sea and Sky" received good reviews after they were broadcast on the radio. Sometimes they hear their songs in some record stores and video stores, and they are recognized even walking down the road.

However, Beyond did not get more joy from this, because frequent interviews and appearances, especially in sensational game shows, made them feel so powerless after years of hard work. At the same time, the image of the band is being created in the direction of idols.

This is the case with the upcoming Japanese album cover and music video, and although they try to dress up as the big boy next door in the MV for "I Want to Take Your Lips", the movements are like shadow puppets behind a curtain, being manipulated at all times. On the cover of the record, they looked at the camera together with a smile on their faces, as if they had returned to the era of "Beyond IV".

All of this was criticized by them in the past, but now they have become the object of their own criticism and have once again fallen into the trap of tacky. Beyond tries to say no to things they don't want to do, and even argues with the agency every day about it, but in the end they are persuaded by various reasons. A feeling of meat on the cutting board, that's how they feel together. Despite their grievances, they are not tough enough to tear up the contract and leave. So the disgusting propaganda work continued.

Half a month later, the physically and mentally exhausted Jia Ju finally couldn't bear it anymore. At a band meeting in mid-June, he proposed to pause the band's activities for a while when Beyond's 10th anniversary tour was over and go about what he wanted. "When I heard the decision, it felt sudden," Mr. Huang recalled, "but I was also very clear about his thoughts, and I had to respect his decision." But then again, it's all up to him. He didn't mean to give up music entirely, he just wanted to put aside the band's affairs for a while, because he was deeply disappointed in everything in the music industry, and he had enough. Although they all understood Jia Ju's inner pain, they still completely "did not expect him to propose to temporarily disband the band."

Old Year Beyond, profile picture. Courtesy of Leslie Chan.

Seei also remembers a time when he was in the studio in Tokyo, Ieju suddenly told them that he wanted to leave the band temporarily and make his own album. Because he has a lot of personal works, it is not suitable for Beyond to play, and now the direction of the band is increasingly deviating from his original intentions, which further strengthens his idea of temporarily disbanding the band. The recollections of Ah Gong, Jia Ju's former personal assistant, confirm this once again. "He wanted all four of them to have their own albums, because everyone had their own ideas and could come up with their own compositions." Gong said, "He mentioned it a few times. ”

Jiaju's helplessness and pain seemed to have nowhere to hide on June 23, so he called his best friend Liu Hongbo that night and talked for four or five hours. Although Beyond has been in Japan for a year and a half, his true sense of belonging is still in Hong Kong, so he often calls friends and family far away in Hong Kong.

"We started with family routines, and then the more Jia Ju talked, the more angry he became." Liu Hongbo recalled, "Jiaju felt that they had been subject to a lot of restrictions over the past year, and he was afraid that if he continued to do so, it would go against his original wish to make music." He would rather go back to Hong Kong and make some music that he loves, even if it's pure music. During his time in Japan, it was a big change for his whole person, and he felt that freedom was so important. He feels that as a creative person, he must have an unrestrained heart to think and create freely. Liu Hongbo said that there seemed to be an "endless pressure" on Jiaju, and Jiaju even "felt like crying when he spoke."

At the farewell tour in 2005, Huang Guanzhong also revealed that "Jiaju was actually very unhappy for a while before leaving" and "seemed to be discouraged by many things". He doesn't want to be blindly pursued by fans, instead thinking that they should "accept something better."

Accidentally fell off the stage,

The dream came to an abrupt end

Despite Iekoma's inner pain and disappointment in the Japanese music scene they once yearned for, he was positive in front of the media. Six hours before the accident, he even told a magazine reporter that they had "adapted to life in Japan and will work very hard in the future." However, with the fall in the early hours of June 24, those hopes that were difficult to distinguish between true and false came to an abrupt end.

At that time, the four members of Beyond were recording a show called "Kouchi Konan's Do What You Want (ウッチャンナンチャンのやるならやらねば) in Fuji TV's Video Room 4, and fifteen minutes after the group game, the stage was wet with water splashed in the pool, and the two sides of the duel pushed each other, causing Ieju and another host to slip and rush to the stage hoarding.

But who expected that the baffle was just a prop board for film shooting, and it was easily washed away, and then Jia Ju and the host fell off the three-meter-high stage. The back of Jia Ju's head hit the ground first, the injury was serious, and he remained unconscious after falling, and the host with the chest injury quickly recovered.

After the accident, Ieju was rushed to Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital for treatment. On the way to the hospital, Ieju's condition became extremely bad, blood kept flowing from his ears, and he even had a cardiac arrest. The hospital gave a diagnosis of "acute internal bleeding and brain contusion", after which he was transferred to the intensive care unit, but because of the severity of the injury, the attending physician did not dare to operate on him.

After the accident, Jia Ju's five relatives, friend Liu Hongbo, and former Blue Warrior lead singer Shan Liwen all rushed to Tokyo. Jiaju's first love girlfriend Gari, her husband, Chen Jiantian and others also rushed to the hospital where Jiaju was located. Subsequently, Hong Kong also reported on the situation of Jiaju in an overwhelming manner, and even several radio employees flew to Tokyo to visit Jiaju in person.

Stills from the movie "BEYOND Diary: Don't Bully the Poor Boy".

In Japan, the situation was the opposite, with Amuse and the label Fun House not only making no announcements in the first five days, but even releasing the band's Japanese single "I Want to Grab Your Lips" on June 25, the day after the accident. At the same time, Amuse was also trying to block news about Jia Ju's condition, and it was not until the day of the record's release that a sports tabloid covered the accident in a headline, but most of the content was about the injured host.

After barely lasting for two days, on the 26th, Jia Ju's condition began to deteriorate, his blood pressure continued to drop, and in the evening, the attending physician told Jia Ju's parents that Jia Ju "has no hope." Under the plea of Huang Guowen and his wife who knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, the attending physician changed his decision to turn off the life support system and continued to treat Jiaju. Jia Ju's mother kept holding Jia Ju's hand, and then Jia Ju's vital signs began to increase, and his condition did not stabilize until the 27th, but Jia Ju remained unconscious for the next few days.

In Hong Kong and Tokyo, thousands of fans spontaneously gather every day to pray for Ieju, and his family and friends are doing everything they can to save him, but the sleeping Ieju still does not wake up. On June 30, 1993, the afternoon of the seventh day after Ieju fell into a coma, his condition took a sharp turn for the worse, until at 4:15 p.m. Tokyo time, his brain waves and electrocardiograms gradually went to zero, and his life stopped forever at the age of 31.

The causes of death were "acute subdural haematoma, fractured skull, brain bruise, and acute brain swelling". The genius who had a loving heart and worked hard all his life for Hong Kong's original music said goodbye to the world.

On July 2, Ka Kui's body was transported back to Hong Kong by a special plane, and three days later, on July 5, amid thousands of cries, hearsees carrying Ka Ku's body gradually drove into the road leading to Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery in Tseung Kwan O. He was subsequently buried in Section 15 of the cemetery, Unit 6, No. 25. He was joined by his favorite Martin D-28 twelve-string acoustic guitar. The stone book opened in front of the tombstone bears his epitaph: "Life does not care what it gets, only what it does." ”

Many reactions make Beyond

a body blow

Jia Ju's departure was a fatal blow to his family and friends. Ye Shirong, who was guarding Jiaju, fainted immediately after seeing the electrocardiogram go to zero. Before that, he also prayed for his family: "As long as he recovers, I will fast for the rest of my life." Huang Guanzhong also said that the week when Jiaju was in a coma was the "longest seven days of his life", and he had been holding on to the hope that Jiaju would wake up, but it was finally dashed.

Although he struggled with Death for a week and still did not wake up, Iekoma's friends believed that he walked without pain. Shi Rong said that Jia Ju walked "very peacefully", he just went to a far away place, and they would all go there to get together, just sooner or later. Liu Zhiyuan, who was very grief-stricken, also said that "Jiaju has always taken his life and death lightly, and I believe that this time will be a very easy death."

Yes, as Ieju said, "Playing life to the end at its most brilliant time is eternity". He has indeed become eternal, and in the more than two decades since his death, his works have become more and more widespread in the Chinese region, and his singing can be heard everywhere. Not only did he not leave, but he was forever young, always with those he loved and those who loved him.

In May 2018, an asteroid named after Huang Jiaju and numbered 41742 was officially announced, and since then he has been like a star in the night sky, illuminating those lost in the darkness with his afterlight.

Huang Jiaju, profile photo. Courtesy of Leslie Chan.

After Jiaju's death, the reaction of the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry disappointed Beyond's third son. Those who used to mock and ridicule Beyond are now praising them, and even "a lot of unknown friends have suddenly appeared." The same is true of the market's reaction.

The price of the band's previous records was raised to dozens of times, especially the items signed by Jia Ju, which were ridiculously expensive. Reprinted records and memorabilia and books about the family horse continue to appear; The previously slow-selling album "Music and Fury" soon exceeded 300,000 copies.

The arrangement between Amuse and Rolling Stone Records also angered Beyond. Less than a month after the band returned to Hong Kong, Amuse called them and said it was time to release the film. So the record company (Fun House) took the lead on July 25 to release seven songs from the originally planned double album "This Is Love", and the other part of the album was put on hold forever with the death of Ieju.

It wasn't long before Rolling Stone Records called the three of them into the studio to record Chinese versions of Delusional and Totally Love. Immediately afterwards, Rolling Stone Records soon released a patchwork album "Sea and Sky" in Taiwan.

Beyond's hesitation and helplessness are revealed in Huang Guanzhong's "Can't Help Yourself". Although the lyricist of the song is not Huang Guanzhong himself, Liu Hongbo is clearly aware of their inner pain. "Right and wrong make people tired / Pretend not to care / The shadow of the body can't help but turn around" was Beyond's situation at that time.

Although years later, when Huang recalled these events, there was still a sense of anger that "if I had a machine gun, I would have taken it out and killed it," they had to accept these arrangements.

Beyond Sanzi has always been unable to resist the pain and emotional fluctuations caused by Jia Ju's absence. Huang Jiaqiang felt that "the whole person is hopeless"; Huang Guanzhong "didn't even have the strength to pick up a guitar"; Ye Shirong, on the other hand, "every time I see the instrument he uses and where he stands in rehearsals", he will "think of him, it is very uncomfortable".

It didn't take long for them to have the idea of disbanding the band, and Huang Guanzhong even made the decision to disband directly. Because "the family horse is not there, everything is meaningless." Grief-stricken and confused, Jia Qiang didn't know how to deal with the upheaval in front of him, so he agreed to let the band take a break.

During the rest period, the three of them basically did not meet, because as long as they met, they would think of Jia Ju, so they had to find ways to escape. Shi Rong kept playing drums every day to make himself so tired that he couldn't get up. Jia Qiang spent time with his family or chatted with friends, because during that time he was "very afraid of being alone" and very "afraid of being quiet, afraid of remembering things from the past."

In short, do everything possible not to let yourself idle, so as not to remember the sad past. But he didn't dare to touch the guitar at all, because as soon as he picked up the guitar, he would think of his family. "It wasn't until three months later that I picked up the guitar for the first time and tried to see if I could play it again," Wong recalls. ”

Continue to write your legacy and endure the pain on the road

After a while, when Huang Jiaqiang's mood stabilized, he finally realized that "he must be independent and self-reliant", because the future road can no longer rely on Jiaju. He began to think about how he should deal with the future and intended to get back on his feet. After 100 days and nights of struggle, Wong called Ye Shirong and Wong Guanzhong and told them that he wanted Beyond to get back on the road.

At this time, Huang Guanzhong also changed his mind and had plans to continue. "Later, I felt that it couldn't be like this, and if it was disbanded at that time, everyone would definitely be more sad, and the fans would definitely be more uncomfortable," Huang said. So we told ourselves to work harder, to promote his music and fulfill his dreams. Of course, the reasons don't stop there. On the other hand, they also "have only this path to go, there is simply no other option". At the same time, they also have a sense of mission: "If Beyond is gone, it can be said that Hong Kong will have no voice of the band." ”

In early July of the same year, Ye Shirong even told the media that they would "continue the musical ideals of Jiaju", but after Rita announced Beyond's decision to cancel the 10th anniversary show in September, rumors of Beyond's dissolution began to spread, and the band's months of stealth deepened fans' doubts.

In early October, Beyond finally returned to the studio. But they always felt that "a lot was missing", and every time they entered the rehearsal room, they felt that "the people have not yet arrived", and a lingering sense of absence haunted them. But they eventually overcame their fear and pain and began to try their hand at writing songs and improvising some tunes. Although they were slow to do in the first few days and couldn't feel it at all, as the tacit understanding deepened, they regained the confidence to continue doing it.

After spending 5 months in grief, on November 30, 1993, Beyond finally reappeared on the stage with a lineup of Yip Sai Wing, Huang Guanzhong, and Wong Ka Keung. In addition to "reviewing the works of Pan Yuenliang", the "Songwriters' Concert" of the evening mainly paid tribute to the "father of Cantopop" Zhou Cong, Chen Baiqiang and Huang Jiaju, three deceased musicians.

In the tribute to Jiaju, Tai Chi, Yalong Da, Mak Jiewen, Lin Yilian, etc. performed Beyond's works respectively, and Faye Wong sang "Can You Hold Me" composed by Jiaju for her. Liu Zhiyuan was also invited to play keyboards and guitar for them. Although Huang Jiaqiang and Huang Guanzhong, who cried dry, could not sing the feeling they used to feel, Ye Shirong's drumming still won a lot of applause for the band.

Picture of the variety show "Definition" (2021).

Those rumors about the dissolution of Beyond were also dissolved with the statements of Ye Shirong and Huang Guanzhong. Shi Rong said: "Beyond will continue to rock to the end until the moment of death. Huang Guanzhong said: "As long as you continue to support Beyond, we will continue to play until we can't play." ”

The coverage of the follow-up to the concert made Beyond deeply unhappy, because many media outlets did not say a word about the Yalong band participating in the tribute performance. "We're really angry, not just one or two newspapers, it's like the whole world doesn't approve of it." Huang Guanzhong said indignantly, "It's like a basin of cold water, it's really sad, they are really rude and disrespectful to people." ”

However, the reality is that when Jiaju was alive, few people in the Hong Kong media agreed with Beyond's critical spirit, and even dismissed it as extreme. But now, there are voices of regret everywhere, praise for his talent everywhere, and praise for him.

The snubbed "Sea and Sky" was awarded the "My Favorite Local Songwriting Award" and the "Top Ten Chinese Golden Melody Award", and RTHK even reissued the "Endless Memorial Award" for Jiaju, which had just been posthumously awarded to Chen Baiqiang two weeks earlier. Even TVB, which has not broadcast the Beyond song for a long time, awarded them the "Top Ten Golden Melody Honorary Award".

However, no amount of honor can save the life of the family horse; No amount of awards can stop the decline of Hong Kong's music scene. The departure of Jia Ju announced the end of the golden age of Hong Kong's music scene.