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Cadenza movement
In the courtyard of a villa in Vancouver, Canada, an old man is sitting with his eyes closed and his expression peaceful. He has gray hair, a kind face, and his whole person is surrounded by a peaceful and far-reaching atmosphere.
This is Mr. Jian Ning, a famous lyricist who once dominated the Hong Kong music industry and has now retired for many years.
The years are like arrows, spring and autumn are fruitful, and in the blink of an eye, Jian Lao is already dying. But when he meditates on the evening breeze blowing outside the window, he can't help but recall the glorious time when he wrote the legendary years in Hong Kong City.
The enthusiastic and high-spirited youth seems to be just yesterday.
At that time, he was in the prime of life, with dreams and the courage to shoulder heavy burdens, chasing the ideal of music career in Hong Kong, a brilliant city like the Pearl of the Orient. His footprints are in every corner of the city, and his notes are reverberated in every street and alley of Victoria Harbour.
Now, he has unloaded his burdens, away from the hustle and bustle, and is enjoying his old age in peace. But that love and dedication to music has never weakened with the passage of time. It's just that now, he is no longer disturbed by fame and fortune, he is at ease, living a leisurely life, and knows how to appreciate the quiet years.
Although he is getting older, whenever he closes his eyes and takes a break, he always inadvertently recalls the bits and pieces of those legendary years, as if it was just yesterday. That glorious time, like the breeze of Vancouver, will forever be engraved in his heart.
Bright new stars
It was the mid-80s, and the pop music scene in Hong Kong was booming. As a young manager of PolyGram's Chinese department, Jian Ning's talent and ability soon stood out and became the most valued right-hand man in the company's upper echelons.
In addition to being good at operation planning and promotion, Jian Ning's biggest unique secret lies in his superb talent for songwriting. He is not only proficient in music production, but also proficient in the creation of Chinese lyrics, and can often contain profound philosophies in simple imagery, creating lifelike and engaging masterpieces.
According to some rumors in the Hong Kong circle, most of the Hong Kong Phil market relied on the cooperation and blessing of Jian Ning and Japanese musicians Miyuki Nakajima and Koji Tamaki. As the lead singer of the famous band Safe Zone in the 1980s, Koji Tamaki has a very high status and influence in the Hong Kong circle.
With her extensive experience and efficient execution, Jian Ning has successfully held a number of record promotions and concerts for the band in Hong Kong.
Jian Ning is not only talented, but also has a keen sense of the market and the courage to innovate. Under his leadership, the preparations for the 1988 Alan Tam Singers Association in Hong Kong were a complete success.
It can be said that it is precisely by relying on this extraordinary ability and extraordinary vision that Jian Ning was able to show his strength on the stage of Polygram.
With a solid foundation in lyrics and music and a unique artistic taste, Jian Ning quickly won the favor and trust of the company's upper echelons. In the following years, the representative works of many powerful singers under Polygram were all carefully created by Jian Ning.
During this period, there were many rumors about him "controlling the music scene" circulating in the circle.
Write an immortal legend
It is precisely by relying on her innovative talent and keen sense of the market that Jian Ning has written an immortal legend on the road of lyric creation. His most well-known and proudest work is the album of the same name "An Unchanging Heart" tailored for Jacky Cheung.
"Friend, I have gazed deeply at the thorny road, and how many days and nights I have been looking forward to seeing you again. At the beginning, it was such an unpretentious but touching sentence, just like Jacky Cheung himself, simple and pure.
From the inside out, this song perfectly shows Jacky Cheung's unique musical style and became his representative work in 1991. So far, whenever this album is mentioned, Jacky Cheung always praises it from the bottom of his heart and expresses his favorite.
In addition, the cooperation between Jian Ning and Jacky Cheung is even more fruitful, and excellent works are frequent. from the fresh and nostalgic "You in My Dreams" to the very graphic "Forgetful Cold Rainy Night"; From the inspiring "Great Day" to the poetic "Subtle Memory" and "The Waiting Season", all of them are popular Chinese classics.
And the song "Lovesick in the Wind and Rain", which came out of nowhere, perfectly interprets the moving combination of Jacky Cheung and Tang Baoru in the lyrics. "A little rain is sprinkled on my hair, tears come to my eyes, and the tide of lovesickness overflows my heart.
These simple and unpretentious lyrics are like a picture of lovesickness in the rain, telling the distressing parting feelings.
However, even such excellent works are difficult to compare with those masterpieces that Jian Ning personally created for her idol Alan Tam. Not only because he personally organized the Principal Tam Singing Club, but more importantly, when Alan Tam celebrated the 40th anniversary of his debut in 2015, Jian Ning, who had been retired for many years, specially composed the song "Galaxy Years" for him to express his highest respect to the former teacher.
Looking back on Jian Ning's classic masterpiece for Alan Tam, it is naturally the well-known "Flowers in the Water". "The purple and red are blooming all over the place, waiting for the children and grandchildren to have their own masters.
As soon as this song came out, it was widely circulated in the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and almost everyone knew about it. At that time, some people even said that if Principal Tan had not retired early, it would probably have become his next award-winning work.
Not only that, the popular poem "Where Do You Not Meet in Life" written by Jian Ning for Chen Huixian is also an immortal classic. "Drift with the waves, grow the river with people.
With its complex melody and profound lyrics, this song perfectly fits the social reality of Hong Kong's prevalent immigration tide at that time, and has become a classic portrayal of Hong Kong culture at the turn of the century.
Take control of the times
Once upon a time, Jian Ning was undoubtedly the head of the lyrics and music in the Hong Kong music scene. He is good at skillfully using poetic imagery such as "rain", "night", "snow" and "dream" in his works, and uses simple elements to create immortal classics.
Just like his name "Jian Ning", his style of words has always pursued simplicity, purity, sincerity and touching. Every lyric he has written is like a gentle breeze, blowing through people's hearts, nourishing the depths of their hearts in a silent way.
It is no wonder that the fans who fell in love with his works back then were deeply moved by this gentle, simple, quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
It is precisely with this unique style of words and extraordinary aesthetic taste that Jian Ning has won the trust of countless singers and has become one of the most important behind-the-scenes promoters in the history of the HK Phil.
In addition to the above-mentioned Jacky Cheung, Alan Tam and Chan Wai Xian, Jian Ning has also created representative works for a group of powerful singers in their careers.
For example, he wrote the well-known "Meet in the Rain" for Liming, which helped him win the Most Popular Newcomer Award for Golden Songs; created the "ice-breaking work" of "Can You Can" for Andy Lau, and helped Andy successfully win the first Top Ten Chinese Golden Melody Awards.
Even in the lineup of the "Polygram Seven Little Golden Flowers", Jian Ning also tailored a number of masterpieces for Liu Xiaohui, Guan Shuyi, Tang Baoru and Zhou Huimin.
He presented "First Love" to Liu Xiaohui, "Lovers Under the Stars" to Guan Shuyi, and "Definitely a Dream" to Tang Baoru. And the high-profile "Golden Flower" Zhou Huimin was presented with three of Jian Ning's masterpieces, namely "Nostalgia", "Lonely Heartache" and "The Morning of Marriage".
There is no doubt that Jian Ning's musical footprints have spread to every corner of the Hong Kong music scene, and his innovative talent and superb songwriting skills have left an immortal mark on this era, which is enough to witness his important position as a promoter in those days.