Soundtrack to School Memories: Hong Kong in the Seventies

The Wynners were a five piece band featuring Alan Tam (vocals), Kenny Bee (vocals), Bennett Pang (guitar), Danny Yip (bass guitar) and Anthony Chan (drums). The ... Skiptocontent OpenMenu Search Searchfor: Close Whenproducingthis70s-themedvideotohelpSKHLamWooMemorialSecondarySchoolcelebrateits40thanniversary(SchoolAnniversaryVideos),IwantedtouseHongKongtracksfromtheperiodtocreateanostalgicfeel.Thus,Ibeganmyresearchforayintothe70smusicsceneinHongKong.Thefollowingisadescriptionofthesoundtrack. Track1.SamHui(HuiKoon-kit):LeavesthatareGreen SamHui ThevideoopenswithSamHui’s1970interpretationofLeavesthatareGreen(writtenbySimonandGarfunkel).SamHuiwasarguablythebiggeststarinthe70sandiscreditedwithpopularizingCantopop.Hissuccessearnedhimthenickname‘GodofSong’.HestartedoutasasingerinanEnglishlanguagerockcoverband—TheLotus—duringthelate1960s.Duringtheearly70s,hemainlyreleasedEnglishlanguagealbums.IhadoriginallyplannedtoopenthevideowithhisversionofTimeoftheSeason,butLeavesofGreen,withitsnostalgicfeel,lyricsaboutthepassageoftimeandheavyreverb,seemedtoworkbetterwiththeopeningimages.IthinkthatonethingthatmadeSamHuisuchasuccesswasthathepaidhisduesworkinghiswayupfrombeingasingerinaclubrockbandtobeingtheleadingsingeroftheday.Hisearlyexposureto,andexperiencewithAmericanandBritishrockhelpedhimdevelopawidestylisticrange. Track2.PaulaTsui (徐小鳳):風雨同路 PaulaTsui Myselectionforthesecondsongchangedafewtimes.ThissongbyPaulaTsui,anotherfamoussingeroftheera,waschosenforitslovelymelody.Thoughthesongisasoftballad,youcanstillhearthepoweranddepthofPaula’ssinging. Originally,Ihadbeenusing 啼笑姻緣(thethemefromthetelevisionseriesFatalIrony).ThishadanevenstrongerChinesefolkfeelandisculturallyimportantasitisconsideredthefirstverypopularCantonesepopsong.Beforetheseventies,HongKongpopmusictendedtobesunginPutonghuaorEnglish.TheoriginalversionisperformedbySandraLang(仙杜拉),thoughIpreferthe moreup-tempoversionbyRoseCheung(舒雅頌).Eventually,Idroppedthissongasitseemedalittletooromanticforthevideo. Track3.SamHui:雙星情歌 ThislyricalsongisthelovethemefromthefilmGamesGamblersPlay.Samwasalsowellknownasanactor,particularlyintheHuibrotherscomediesproducedbyhisbrotherMichaelHui. Track 4.TheWynners(溫拿): ReflectionsofMyLife TheWynners TheWynnerswereafivepiecebandfeaturingAlanTam (vocals), KennyBee (vocals), BennettPang (guitar), DannyYip (bassguitar)and AnthonyChan (drums).ThememberslaterpursuedsolocareerswithAlanTambecomingoneofthebiggestCantopopstarsofthe1980s.ReflectionsofMyLifewasoriginallyrecordedin1969bytheScottishbandMarmalade. Thesongevokesanostalgicmoodandalongingforabettertime.Themusicisuplifting,butthelyricsareactuallydepressing.Iavoidedmostofthenegativelinesinthelyrics(like“theworldisabadplace/abadplace/aterribleplacetolive”). Track5.SamHui:梨渦淺笑 BacktoSamHuiagain.Hisoutputintheseventiesissorichandembracessuchawiderangeofstylesthattheentiresoundtrackcouldhavebeenmadeupofhissongs. OriginallyIhadbeenusingthemuchmorerocking半斤八兩(ThemefromThePrivateEyes),butthatsong’slyricsabouttheharshplightoftheworkingclassdidn’tseemtosuittheimagesofthehopefulstudents(manyofthephotosinthissectionseemedfromthestudents’graduationday). Intheend,Ioptedforanotherofthesongsfromthesamefilm,thoughIdomisstheenergythePrivateEyessonggavetothemiddleofthevideo.Hereisthethemesong: Track6. FrancesYip(葉麗儀):TheWayWeWere FrancesYip Igenerallydon’tgofor big,classicballadslikethis,butthemessageandmelodyfitthevideowell.The1975songisFrancesYip’scoveroftheacademy-award-winning-themefromthe1973filmTheWayWeWere.(originallyrecordedbyBarbaraStreisand). Track7.TheWynners:ShalalaLala IgottheideaforusingthissongwhenIsawsomestudentsatschoolperformitforanEnglishsingingcontests.Theylookedliketheywereenjoyingthesongsomuch,soIthoughtitmightfitinthevideo.Itwasoriginallyrecordedin1973bytheDanishbandTheWalkers(Ihadthoughtitwasfromtheearlyormidsixties)andwasmorerecentlypopularizedbyVengaboysin2000.TheWynnersversionwasrecordedin1974.Thoughthesongisfast,theeditsinthissectionarenot.ThisisbecauseIfoundthebackgroundsinmanyofthepicturestobeveryinteresting.Inalotofshots,theathleticstrackseemstobepressedrightagainsttenementblocks.Nowthe sportsdaysareheldinmodernstadiumsandIwouldguessthatalotofthebuildingsinthebackgroundhavesincebeentorndown. Track8.RomanTam(羅文):獅子山下 RomanTam Thiswasthethemesongforahitseries(BelowtheLionRock)broadcastonATVdescribingthelivesofordinaryHongKongresidents. TheshowisconsideredareflectionofHongKong’semergingculturalidentityduringtheseventiesandeighties,whileRomanTam,whopassedawayin2002,isregardedasthe‘GodfatherofCantpop’.LionRockreferstoarockformationthatlookslikea ...lion(youcanseeitinthevideointhebackgroundat7min.9sec.).Thearea‘belowLionRock’wouldbeworkingclassdistrictslikeShekKipMeiandShamShuiPo.Thesongwaswrittenin1979byJoesphKooandJamesWongJim.WongJim(黃霑)isoneofthemostfamouslyricistsinHongKong(writinglyricstobesunginCantoneseisparticularlydifficultbecauseitisatonaldialectwithninetones;well-writtenlyricsmatchthenaturaltonemovementofthewordstothemelodyofthesong). EightiesTeaser.LeslieCheung(張國榮):StandUp LeslieCheungwasoneofthebiggestnamesinsingingandactingduringtheeightiesandninetiesbeforehistragicdeathin2003.Heisbestknownforhisballads,buthealsoperformedover-the-toplivelynumberslikeMonicaandStandUp. Unused:MichaelKwan(關正傑):大地恩情 IhadalsoplannedtouseasongbyMichaelKwan—大地恩情—butIsimplydidn’thaveenoughphotographstomakethevideoonesonglonger. Unused:TianMiMibyTeresaTeng ThoughTeresaTengwasTaiwanese,shewasimmenselypopularinHongKong(aswellasinChinesecommunitiesaroundtheworld.ThismemorablePutonghuaballad(shealsosanginCantonese),releasedin1979wasoneofherearlyhits. Unused:DannySummer:童年時(Childhood) Alsofrom1979isthisnostalgicballadfromDannySummer.Here-madethesongin1985(withaslowertempo)andLeslieCheungalsosingsamemorableversion. ReturntoSchoolAnniversaryVideos LeaveaReplyCancelreply Enteryourcommenthere... 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