Preach in words. - Don Tears
I still remember that moment.
The youthful countenance, the unbridled dance steps, the clear voice and the stirring melody plucked the heartstrings.
September 25, 1990.
A first encounter, due to the name of "Can't Finish Loving You".
From Aaron Kwok.
The debut album, which sold more than a million copies across Asia, is already a myth.
The work that really belonged to him before was just a 47-second advertisement.
Along with the song that swept the entire Chinese world, there was also the hairstyle named after him, which is another myth that is even more incredible.
Two years later, he released his first Cantonese album and then reached the top of the Hong Kong music scene to recreate the myth.
Compare this with the other three who were also crowned kings. Jacky Cheung won the singing competition in 1984, and the first sales exceeded 200,000, but later experienced a low tide, and the road to the king went for eight years. Andy Lau's first album in 1985 failed miserably, and was looked down upon by countless people, gritting his teeth and struggling for seven years to reach the top. Dawn won the third place in the singing competition in 1986, signed into Huaxing, but did not even have the opportunity to release records, sat on the cold bench for four years, and then rose to the top under the dual push of TV series and records.
Therefore, some people say that Aaron Kwok has a good life.
This kind of statement is a typical "blind eye", they can't see the essence of the problem, which is also a mistake that most people are prone to make.
In 1984, Aaron Kwok, who stood out from 3,000 people and was selected for the wireless dance training class, was only 19 years old.
But he was able to endure loneliness and tempered the dance to an extremely solid level in three years of obscurity.
Every time he gets a chance to perform, he will give his all.
It was this attitude that gave him the opportunity to transfer to the wireless artist training class.
After half a year of short training, he began a dragon set career of nearly three years, while playing various supporting plays, while also acting as an accompaniment dancer.
It wasn't until the age of 25 that he soared.
But if he hadn't practiced dance for three years before, how could he become a "dance king" in the future?
Without a tenacious and hard-working personality, how could he go from not being able to pronounce a word in Mandarin to releasing three Chinese albums in two years?
How can we achieve that every record has an improvement in singing and every movie has an improvement in acting?
Zhang Hongliang, a Taiwanese singer who participated in the production of his debut album, said Aaron Kwok was the only singer he had ever seen, "in a short period of time, through his own efforts, he has advanced his singing skills from incomplete five tones to a very high degree."
And the predecessor who has worked with Aaron Kwok several times, Hong Kong's "god" level actor Chow Yun-fat said, "Every play can see his progress."
The so-called legend is just "life goes on and on."
Aaron Kwok is indeed inspirational.
Back to the main topic, Aaron Kwok's debut album "Can't Finish Loving You".
Behind the scenes of this album, almost all the big coffee musicians in the Taiwanese music scene at that time were concentrated, with Chen Xiunan, Chen Lerong, Ding Xiaowen and other people as producers, and gathered zhang Yusheng, Wang Jie, Tai Zhengxiao and Zhang Hongliang and other powerful singers to create, Aaron Kwok also lived up to expectations and became a blockbuster.
And Aaron Kwok's appearance has always felt that he is at least five to eight years younger than his actual age.
For example, this year, 25-year-old Aaron Kwok looks like he is less than 20 years old, young and handsome.
Many people may know that this main song is actually a cover work, the original song is Japanese singer Tahara Toshihiko, interested can go to find and listen.
There has also been a lot of discussion about the widespread issue of cover Japanese songs in Hong Kong and Taiwan music in the 1980s and 1990s.
Some people think that your cover song is a fire, which means that you are not strong enough; while others feel that no matter the cover song, good sound is king.
The latter sentence is, of course, a wise quote.
Buying copyright, refilling words, and performing song interpretation and creation, is this cover song any different from the original song?
The same song score, under the interpretation of different singers, will show a completely different state.
For example, this song "Can't Finish Loving You", judging from the comparison of Aaron Kwok and Toshihiko Tahara, in addition to the characteristics of the dynamic style, it is completely different. Toshihiko Tahara's voice is thick and moderate to the bass range, so it sounds like a blunt sinking feeling. Aaron Kwok's voice is clear and the treble area is loud, bringing a pleasant and flexible auditory feeling. And when the song is combined with Aaron Kwok's matchless dance steps and handsome face, it is even more unmatched.
Therefore, the million sales of the first album is a miracle that cannot be copied, and there is no one to give him.
During this period, Aaron Kwok's voice was clear with melancholy.
If we talk about singing, its singing method comes and goes straight, without skill application, but it has reflected the characteristics of long breath.
In addition to the title song, non-fans may not be familiar with it, and the other songs on this album also have a kind of Taiwanese folk-like freshness, the result of the combination of the two, only the beautiful two words can be understood, another place that may surprise everyone, is that there are more slow songs than fast songs.
Recommend a song "I Love You" written by Zhang Yusheng, the style is very Zhang Yusheng. And the other songs on the album, such as "Sad Words To Stay Tomorrow", "Don't You Know Now", "Dear Baby", these songs have a high exposure rate and do not need to be recommended.
The five words "I can't finish loving you" have been engraved in the years and turned into symbols of the times.
On April 8, 1991, Aaron Kwok released his second album, "Should I Walk Away Quietly?"
This album has a characteristic, that is, the song titles are particularly long, seven words to start, and the more subversive concept is that the entire album is only a fast song "How Dangerous Is Love", which is not the same as many people's impression of Aaron Kwok's singing and dancing. Aaron Kwok, who does not rely on hot dancing, has gone to a higher level this time, almost one of his best-selling Mandarin albums.
This song "Should I Walk Away Quietly" may also be listed as Aaron Kwok's best Mandarin song.
"I don't know, why is this happening." A young man who has just opened his heart, dressed in black, melancholy and affectionately, stands and looks up in the rain, letting the rain crawl all over his beautiful face. Of course, this is almost the image in the MV, and Aaron Kwok's melancholy and slow voice, together with the image, constructs an inexplicably attractive mood.
In addition to the classic song "I want to secretly say to you", there is another song in the album " I like to think of you like this", written by Ding Xiaowen and composed by Chen Zhiyuan, which is also worthy of high recommendation.
The singing skills have been strengthened, especially in the control of the breath, and the voice is more rounded than the previous album.
On October 15, the third album was released, "Who Can Tell Me".
The album's title song " Who Can Tell Me " is also a cover song , originally sung by legendary Japanese rock singer Ozaki Toyo.
There is some controversy about the song.
The first is that Chen Xiunan wrote himself in the composer column that year, which was criticized by many people; the other is that Aaron Kwok's cover song is not as good as Ozaki Feng's original song, and he feels that the Chinese version of the filler is relatively poor and lacks mood.
The two problems of composition and lyrics need not be said much, mistakes are recognized, and the problem of filling in words is a matter of opinion.
Coincidentally, Ozaki and Aaron Kwok were born in the same year, and their birthdays were only about a month apart.
Ozaki Toyo's original singing is really good, the voice is stable and powerful, the tail note is slightly dull, and the heart-rending and shouting singing brings out a mood of lonely walking and time gone. Aaron Kwok's singing can be called a soft version, just like his affectionate and melancholy style, but also singing a nostalgic mood and desolate feelings of the past.
Ozaki Washito was a talented singer, but he was jealous of talent, and his life came to an end in 1992.
At this time, if you talk about singing, Aaron Kwok is indeed inferior to Ozaki Feng, but this song, as the ending song of the movie "Accompany Me" starring Aaron Kwok and Lee Xiuxian in 1992, at the end of the story of brotherhood and unrecoverable, the music sounded, which was very moving.
In addition to the title song, the three songs "Midnight Kiss Goodbye", "I Want to Give You All Love" and "Tell Me Why" are also quite beautiful.
In July 1992, Aaron Kwok released his fourth Mandarin album Love U.
This year, he held his first concert in Singapore and was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor for the first time, and his performance was really eye-catching among the spoofed actors.
The most interesting memory of this concert is that a group of girls took the stage to imitate the dance steps and gestures of "Can't Finish Loving You", and the winner could get a kiss from Aaron Kwok, and finally sent a signed record instead.
Looking back, the stage effect is actually very rough, but the atmosphere is extremely warm. If you link it to his open-air charity concert in Hong Kong last year, it seems that you can draw a conclusion that Aaron Kwok does not actually need an overly gorgeous stage, he himself has enough brilliant light, as long as he stands on the stage, he will naturally be charming.
"Love You" is a fast song, but it has played a very good role in communication, he confessed his heart to the fans in the song, "because your love makes me stronger, because every time you give me light and heat, applause and flowers cheer and care, I can rest assured of all this", the gratitude of a newcomer in the music world is fully revealed in the sincere singing.
I like the album's shallow chant "If I Hear This Song", "No matter what, there is nothing to do".
The power of performing slow songs goes a step further.
In 1993, he released a Mandarin album at the beginning and end of the year.
The fifth Mandarin album is "Leave All The Love to You", the title song of the same name is the theme song of Stephen Chow's movie "Truant Weilong 3", and in this year, Aaron Kwok also debuted on the Spring Festival Gala stage with this song, wearing an orange-red shirt with black pants, dynamic and handsome.
This song is composed by Chen Dali, the style is dynamic, and in the case of intense singing and dancing, Aaron Kwok's breath is calm and at ease, showing that his singing skills have been greatly improved compared to before, and other songs are almost copies of his first Cantonese songs, such as "Give Me Your Truest Heart" cover from "The Fourth Night Mood", "Reluctant to Let You Go" cover from "Why I Let You Go".
In addition, the most recommended song should be the song "Love to the End", the melody is relatively easy to catch.
The sixth album is "Dreams Are Hard to Stay", and the whole album is like the title of the song, full of sadness.
Aaron Kwok's singing skills have a clear vein, just like we see a teenager growing up, watching him experience voice change, become rebellious, and more mature, this album has a significant increase in his ability to control the song, more comfortable and added more of his own understanding of songs and emotions, in other words, from this album onwards, he is no longer just singing by instinct, but has emotions and souls.
The evolved version of Aaron Kwok is as deep as the sea when it is quiet, and as wild as a furious wave.
For example, compare and listen to the two songs "The Heart Is Still Beating" and "My Heart Is Wild".
This year, his friend Huang Jiaju died unexpectedly in Japan.
Aaron Kwok is holding a concert of "All Stars of Fortune" in Guangzhou, returning to Hong Kong to send friends on their last journey.
In 1994, Aaron Kwok maintained the rhythm of the previous year and released two Mandarin albums.
The name of the seventh album is "The End of dreams, is the end of the world".
The title song "Tianya", the lyrics and songs are all good, and it is also a "double Chen" combination of Chen Dali and Chen Xiunan.
The lyrics have a very reluctant parting mood, "I pick up my bag to see the pain in your eyes, how to make you forget the dreams you once had, they say that life is like a dream, I know that waking up from a dream is heartache", as the vocal power becomes stronger, his voice stability and texture have become more prominent, driving this song "Tianya" effortlessly, the abundance of emotions has enhanced the appeal of the song.
In addition to the title song, there is a song that must be pushed, "My Heart Begins to Have a Lonely Time".
After this album, Aaron Kwok will begin to metamorphose again, his songs will frequently appear in the final vibrato, and this song "My Heart Begins to Have a Lonely Time" may be called the peak of his straight singing method. The performance of his song is characterized by "softness", like a breeze, the voice is particularly magnetic, and the range of the voice is limited to the range that ordinary male voices can reach, so it is very friendly to ordinary people.
The eighth is the well-known "Longing".
This is Aaron Kwok's first attempt at exotic music, his control of fast songs has grown, the bite of the tail note is very characteristic, especially the long pronunciation gives people a feeling of endless afterglow, and the conversion of high and low notes is very free.
However, compared to the title song, other songs are relatively bland.
Fast forward to 1995.
Aaron Kwok released his ninth Mandarin album, My Beginnings Here.
The title song is a cover of a famous song by Japanese singer Eisaku Yoshida, and there is another Cantonese version called "Linxing".
And just like his Cantonese context, Aaron Kwok has achieved great singing in 1995, whether it is vocal line, voice strength, magnetic polishing or skill and experience, it can be said that "everything is ready".
This song "My Beginning Here" is very inspirational, just like the "Love You" in the past years, some singers face the heart of their fans, "from scratch to today, the impact of high and low, no words, just want to say love you", all the way to the hard, only two hearts know. "Only because you are always in my heart, thank you for not giving up on me", its singing voice is sincere, and the high-pitched interpretation at the end of the song brings out a kind of emotional spray.
In addition, there are two songs that should not be missed, one called "Crazy Love" and the other is "Unable to Extricate Yourself".
Especially "Unable to Extricate Myself", the interpretation method is more tender and affectionate, affectionate and delicate, unforgettable.
This is the way to go.
His style is actually gradually changing.
With unremitting efforts, he has achieved continuous transformation.
And teenagers will eventually grow up.
His song is about to reach the corner.
This year, he grew his long hair and smoked a cigarette.
That "milk guo" will never return.
Some said goodbye.
Others followed along.
It's nothing more than a fate.