That year, there were five boys: Chen Xinhong, Wen Shangyi, Shi Jinhang, Cai Shengyan, and Liu Tanming.
They probably didn't expect that from the day Chen Xinhong and Wen Shangyi met, there was a story that belonged to Mayday.
Embracing young people with the same dreams as John Lennon, they used the guitar as a weapon and wrote a battle book about the dull world.
Just this time, me and my stubbornness
I was stubborn with my pride
I sang loudly in the wind
Crazy for yourself this time
Just this time me and my stubbornness
Why did Mayday last so long?
That year, several big boys from Taipei Normal University High School came together because of their love for music, and they loved music only for a distant dream about the future.
In fact, to tell the truth, each of these five people is an ordinary ordinary person like you and me, they do not have the appearance of EXO today to fascinate thousands of girls, nor do they represent any spiritual strength like the juvenile team, let alone sing and dance.
There were only five people, with a clear division of labor, each in its own camp, with deep strength, like five fingers forming a fist, using music as the tone, attacking the hearts of the people.
There is a guitar club in Taipei Normal University, and Chen Xinhong and Wen Shangyi, who have just entered high school, found that the musical dream that had been silent in their hearts was being ignited little by little after joining the guitar club.
Later, Chen Xinhong once wrote in an article:
In 1991, the boy discovered the guitar, discovered rock and roll, discovered freedom, and discovered the temporary relief of music and friendship in the scarred soul of the high school entrance examination.
The densely packed guitar chords and sheet music were all the youth of the harmless, good-looking boy who laughed.
The dreamer Ashin always likes to say something romantic and sensational:
"In the universe, there are constantly stars being born. The first day the world began to form, we had our place. We are in that position, waiting to grow up for future encounters. ”
There seemed to be no better way to describe his encounter with the other boys of Mayday.
However, Wen Shangyi was different from Chen Xinhong.
He is a super scholar, full of merit, but whether it is a scum or a god, he can't get rid of the magic of the guitar on them.
In the blink of an eye, after the run-in of the first semester of high school, because of the fear of delaying the students' college entrance examination, the guitar club decided to re-elect the club cadres.
Therefore, the old president took a look at Chen Xinhong, who could speak eloquently, and Wen Shangyi, the best guitar talker. On the way to study other clubs, the two people chatted non-stop, and the more they talked, the more speculative they became, from school to home, all night.
Fortunately, the two young people who chased their dreams did not meet and hate each other, regretted missing out, and since then they have been determined to carry forward the guitar club.
During the sophomore year of high school when the two were leaders, the society came with two new high school students, one named Shi Jinhang and the other named Cai Shengyan.
Four people in the Mayday met at the guitar club.
Stone didn't like music very much at first, and he not only chose the guitar club, but also joined the photography club, and even spent most of his time in the photography club.
But after half a year of mixing, Stone said, "Still the guitar club attracts me more." ”
From interest, to addiction, from boredom to love, and finally even into life. The four of them found what they had wanted to pursue all their lives and fell completely into the dream of music.
Later, Wen Shangyi said: "I hope to form an orchestra in the future." ”
When I graduated from high school, Stone wrote in the memorial book: "If I can't speak, concerts are my language." ”
The four of them were lucky to meet like-minded friends and go after the things they loved most in this life.
After entering college, they formed the orchestra in 1995.
Chen Xinhong was originally the second guitarist of the orchestra, but because the orchestra did not have a lead singer, he proposed to let Ashin be the lead singer of the orchestra.
They said, "You play the worst guitar, you play the worst bass, you beat the drums the worst, and you deserve to be the lead singer." ”
For the first time, they formed their own underground band, the so band.
They gathered in the monster's house every day, the 7-square-meter bedroom was filled with hollow bricks and sound-absorbing cotton, put on the sound of the instrument, and then practiced until late at night.
In those years, the five people were particularly tired, not only tired, but also very confused.
Heavy schoolwork, unattainable dreams, and far away practice rooms, as if everything they had done was useless, without the slightest reward.
But Ah Xin still said to himself strongly, "Even if you can't do it, at least you have worked hard, then there will be no regrets." ”
They encouraged each other to complete the song "Stubborn".
The most beautiful wishes must be the craziest,
I am my own God,
Where I live.
Until 1997, Martha proposed to change the name of the group to "Mayday", and Monsters unfortunately became the leader of the troupe, and their first official performance was recognized by "Wu Bai".
While creating, they do not miss any opportunity, do not fear without stage, are willing without remuneration, and even run over with their own instruments.
Their purpose is to accumulate experience and make their dreams more and more mature.
One day in June 1998, Ashin and Monster rode an electric car straight to The Rolling Stones Records in Guangfu South Road. After the two entered the door, they said to the front desk lady, "This is a small sample of our orchestra, please give it to the producer." Even if you want to throw it away, please listen to it and then throw it away. ”
At that time, the Rolling Stones had a lot of producers, and Mayday's luck was particularly good, and the front desk lady handed it over to Li Zongsheng. When he received his call, the monster still had a look of disbelief.
It wasn't until June 1998, when they officially joined the Rolling Stones, that Mayday's musical dreams finally had the most solid pedals.
The original Qian Youda quit the Mayday Orchestra for some reasons of his own, but instead became the drummer Guanyou of Mayday.
After graduating from the Guoguang Art School, Guanyou ran his own practice room and joined several orchestras, but all encountered many difficulties, and finally became the fourth and unshakable drummer of Mayday, and one of the busiest drummers on the planet.
In 1999, on July 7, Mayday's "First Creative Album" turned out to be the same as Jay Chou's debut album sales.
Since then, the era of Mayday has begun.
The song that made them most successful was "Zhiming and Chunjiao", a song that unconsciously made all the fans become "Zhiming" and "Chunjiao".
Every stroke is written into our youth.
In everyone's youth, there is a Mayday, which is a gorgeous dream, a stubbornness that belongs only to post-youth.
We are a mayday of five people
Some people say that most performing arts groups can't escape the fate of disbandment, but Mayday is different.
In fact, many groups cannot escape the word interests, and the uneven distribution of benefits is the death of many groups.
But five fingers sticking out are not one side long, who can guarantee an equal distribution?!
Mayday is OK.
Ren Xianqi once said: "A few of them, it's really interesting." Every time they made money from a show, they stayed there and didn't go out to eat, drink, and have fun, and I asked them what they were doing with the money, and they said they would save money for an instrument. ”
Ashin also said, "We make money, and after removing the staff's remuneration, we will divide it into an average of 6 parts, one for each person, and the remaining one is used to buy musical instruments and recordings." ”
Not many people really don't love money, and not many people really feel that dreams are more important than money.
Most of Mayday's songs are composed by Ashin, he is the main creator, the lead singer, the lyrics and composer, and he should be a little more.
But Ashin is different, he has always been a simple teenager, without too much luxury, making his own original brand, simple cargo pants.
He firmly believes that if you want to do something that makes people say praise to the thumb, only the thumb can't do it, you also have four other fingers, and after the other four fingers are combined, you can make a thing that makes the family praise more than the thumb.
He knew that without the other four people, there would be no Mayday, no everything he had now, and no cornerstone for realizing his dreams.
Lyrics and composition are important, but without The Drum of Crown, the Bass of Martha, the Guitar of monsters and stones, a song cannot be formed.
It is the five of them together, 20 years of running-in and tacit understanding, that makes each song of Mayday so gentle and direct to people's hearts.
Ashin once said:
"The average person thinks that the creation is only the words and the song, or only depends on the lead singer, which is a wrong understanding. In fact, for a song, every part is interlocking and indispensable, and every note and every sound is a creation. If you only notice what the lyrics are singing, you only hear one in five Maydays. ”
Each of them cares so much about this team, this ladder to achieve their dreams, that each of them is willing to live a hard life.
In 20 years, how many times have you heard gossip about Mayday? How many times have you heard of Mayday suspected of violence, drug use, plagiarism and all other bad habits?
Don't look at them singing "Get off the surface of the earth" on the stage, wait for the stage, they are five big boys, five brothers, do not like to buy cars, do not chase famous brands, do not understand fashion, do not engage in gossip, no band carnival, just nod to each other, each back home.
Ashin loves to eat instant noodles and eggs, Martha buys a Lego toy to consider, Stone considers buying a small apartment because of a family...
In today's parlance, they are sufficiently "self-disciplined" and "contented."
They all care about the group, they care about their dreams, so they don't do anything that hurts the interests of the team.
Their essence is the spirit of the junior class, 20 years later, the original intention has not changed, the wind and bone are still the same, they tell us with actions "salted fish must also have dreams."
The most important little things
If the first synonym for Mayday is music, then brothers are the second.
From the time the five of them met at the Rolling Stones in 1999, to the team that has been 20 years now, they have been brothers for 20 years.
In 2001, Mayday was doomed to a life-and-death catastrophe— Ashin, Martha, and the monster were about to go into military service, and mayday, which had just started, had to announce its suspension.
At the time, no one knew what the future would hold for Mayday, so they chose to hold a farewell concert.
20,000 fans braved the heavy rain to bid farewell, and everyone was in tears and did not want to leave.
They feared it would be the last Mayday to see five people.
Ashin shouted "Go home" on stage.
Fans waved the Galaxy of Glowsticks and responded, "Don't! ”
Ashin said: After all the songs have been sung, do you want to sing them again from the first one?
Fans say: Good!
So he slowly sang again: "If you say regret, is everything backwards..."
Fortunately, the Rolling Stones didn't give up, the fans didn't give up, and Mayday didn't give up on themselves.
In 2003, Martha returned and Mayday was reunited.
The Soldier Curse, broken on Mayday, is the only band to break. They still make music and continue to maximize the charm of Mayday.
Just after Martha's return, they began recording their fourth album, but the monster's mother became a vegetative person because of the stroke. The monster blamed himself very much, neglecting to accompany his mother all these years of focusing on music, and shed tears every day.
In order to comfort the monster, the four of them stayed with her every day, and wrote a song for the monster and his mother, "Time Machine".
Monster said, "For me, the best thing in this life is not to make a record and have concerts, but to have four rare friends." ”
For the five of them, their feelings for each other have long been sublimated, just like the song that Ah Xin wrote:
Brother is like this, every thing you do is treasured by me. Brothers are like that, how unforgettable our ridiculous rankings are. ............ My brother, the wildest time of my life, you just happened to be present. My brother, the best time of my life is with your brother.
Unbridled is my faith
Some fans said, "From Mayday, I learned to be stubborn, content, and brave. Some fans said: "They are like a beam of light, illuminating the darkest days of my life." Some fans said: "Mayday told me that youth is an experimental lesson in life, and it is worth it to be wrong." Some fans said: "The songs of Mayday seem to easily see through my disguise, hit the softness of my heart, and say that my life is chaotic." ”
Many people think that rock and roll represents rebellion and alternative, but Mayday emphasizes more about change.
Ashin said: Sometimes people will ask us what rock is, God knows, rock and roll should be uneasy about the status quo!
Just like that day, I suddenly heard "Suddenly I Miss You" in the mall, and only now after I really experienced separation, I would realize what the song said, "I am most afraid of suddenly, hearing your news.".
It's like once Ashin said softly at a concert, "Did you bring the phone?" Take it out and call someone you like, and I sing it gently to him. ”
This is the song of Mayday, and only it can have this magic, not moved by the lyrics, but by the story.
Time is really a joke, after you think that time has passed, it will take you back to the old days when you were young and hot, and then let us learn to shake hands and reconcile with the world, and live gently and kindly.
A song is enough to beat your heart and make you a devout follower of them.
I'm like someone who's constantly looking for an exit, and hearing their songs is like singing to myself.
They use songs to teach everyone to face life happier and more positively, just like their songs, they worship blood, they "live for love", unrestrained love and wanton pursuit, wanton to break in, wanton to make a big fuss.
Seven consecutive Golden Melody Awards, the fastest-selling orchestra in the history of Taiwanese concerts, in 2016, 300,000 fans descended on the Bird's Nest for three days of carnival, and even more crowded Hong Kong Hung Hom.
Since the first album, their songs have been running through youth, dreams, positive energy, and Mayday has replaced heartbreaking in the most gentle way, interpreting Mayday-style rock.
Just listen quietly and you will find that rock and roll can also heal people's hearts.
BBC said in the documentary: "People who don't know Mayday, as long as they listen to their live performance once, will become their fans." Li Zongsheng said that Mayday is the most successful band in the history of the Chinese music scene. Eason Chan said more vividly: "You all say that I am the god of song, if I am the god of song, then Mayday is a religion." ”
Indeed, Mayday is a religion, and the faith of this religion is a dream, which is full of positive energy, and has been infecting those dreamers who are moving forward.
If we hadn't met, where would I have been? If we had never known each other, this song would not have existed.
You will find that there is always a lyric in a Song of Mayday that will touch you, there is always a group of foxes that you will never forget, and there is always a time worth cherishing.
Fortunately, in my youth there was a companion called "Mayday" and a song called The Poem of Post-Youth.