Thursday, May 10, 2007

70's SAM HUI - FATHER OF CANTOPOP




One highly respected figure Samuel Hui (許冠傑) contributed a lot to the promotion of Cantopop that he is known as “The God of Songs” for Hong Kong popular music. Though he also started out as a western musician his later songs, written in colloquial Cantonese, mirrored the life of common everyday citizens. He was not the first to do this but he was the first to gain widespread appeal and admiration locally. He was regarded as a legend of Hong Kong music as his songs just matched the demand that Hong Kong was searching for a strategic cultural form to delineate a local identity in relation to the old British colonial and mainland Chinese identities.. He was a bachelor of Art from the University of Hong Kong, he was a composer as well as lyricist. One can easily memorize the lyrics and the melody. The total sound was up-to-date, he sang in a friendly and witty way that one feels very relaxed after hearing his songs.

“Half a Catty and Eight Taels” “半斤八兩”
-Make half-a-catty’s effort and want an eight-tael reward.
- It’s difficult to make a living now and too impractical to want an eight- tael compensation

from half-a-catty’s work
- We wage earners have to be the slaves of money all our lives
- This travail is as ghastly as going to hell (to die in front of your eyes).
Don’t say that it’s nothing.

His lyrics were drawing on the experiences of common people in Hong Kong, especially the grievances of the working class. The lyrics were really colloquial in tone which showed common bond among the public, especially the lower classes. He liked to mock or even criticizes the current events from the point of view of a lower-class citizen. However, he is sometimes criticized that he is being a bit coarse and mean for some songs.


“Money, Money, Money” “錢錢錢”
-(no money no talk) What makes you happy? Money! What makes you crazy? Money! With money, I don’t mind even if I am crippled. Always want more money. Everything gets wrong without money. Borrowing money is the worst way as you have to beg the idiots

His vivid, humorous, reflective, philosophical and insightful lyrics that conveyed both laughter and tears had generated great appeal from the public. The 70’s was really a very significant period for the development of Cantopop.

No comments: