DuncanLau
DuncanLau

岀生及成長於香港,旅居加拿大25年後回流。兩地生活文化的差異與衝擊,一邊是多元文化,一邊是中西匯集,從一邊看過去另一邊,算是多重國際視野。

[The End of the World Song at This Time] Some Supplements to the June Fourth Song

(edited)
Yesterday, there was an article in Duan Media that listed sixteen sixty-four songs in detail, most of which are in Chinese. Seven or eight years ago, I shared some works of European and American musicians with my friends on Facebook, but it was not officially completed. Today, I am interested, and I have retrieved some of them from memory, and I will share them with you here.
This cover design was very straightforward back then.

The social movement that took place in Beijing at the turn of the spring and summer of 1989 lasted for more than two months. There was no Internet at that time, and the main news came from newspaper TV, but there were dedicated channels such as CNN and BBC. At that time, in Canada, it could be watched almost 24 hours a day. Therefore, I have a very deep impression and impact on other people. Later, songs, movies, books, etc. appeared. There are not a few people who have this theme, but many are independent singers and musicians. Controlled by international group companies, they always have their own considerations and calculations, so well-known musicians are less exposed to this subject, or they wait a few years before they can make works after precipitating. Some even appeared more than ten years later, which proves that the events have far-reaching impacts and most people will not easily forget them. The following songs are just written from memory, not arranged according to any order.

Mary Chapin Carpenter, 4 June 1989 (2010)

The name of the song is easy to remember. On the twentieth anniversary of the incident, the singer saw an article in New York magazine about a soldier who was only seventeen years old when he was operating in the square. The various psychological pressures and mental journeys after the event inspired Carpenter to write it, which is an alternative angle.

Peter Hammill, Our Oyster (1990)

A member of the British avant-garde band Van der Graaf Generator, not a solo album that too many people pay attention to. The avant-garde brushstrokes, everyone chews carefully.

"They're playing world music In Tiananmen Square.
The whistle of bullets in the air."

System Of A Down, Hypnotize (2005)

This song is to say that some regimes will use propaganda to deceive (hypnotize) the people. It is not just about June 4th, but the first lyric mentions:

"Why don't you ask the kids in Tiennamen Square? Was fashion the reason why they were there?"

Joan Baez "China" (1989)

Goddess of Folk Songs has written many songs about social movements over the years, many of which have become very popular. This song was published at the end of 1989, and it can be seen that I have a deep feeling for her. Originally, there was a version that edited a lot of what happened in Tiananmen Square back then. It was quite precious, but it was rated as restricted and could not be displayed on other web pages.

"But it seems that the Spring this year in Beijing
Came just before the Fall
There was no summer at all
In Tiananmen Square" (summer was canceled outright.)

Queen "Chinese Torture" (1989)

The vinyl record, which was released in May that year, did not include the guitar, which was just over a minute long. The bonus track was added later when the CD version was released. The music is fast and dark, and it is hard not to think of it when using the title of the song. Later, when Brain May had another song on his solo album, he even named it by name, especially the last line: "She's a little bit of heaven and a whole lot of hell"

Brian May, "China Belle" (1998)

Skinny Puppy, Tin Omen (1989)

Back then, it was probably the first song I saw with the theme of 8964, and it was even published as a single. The cover design was directly based on photos of current affairs, and a blood-red cross was drawn on the head of the vial. It was really straightforward. And Omen is the name of the movie "Ominous Omen", which is even more thought-provoking. The song is a high-pressure noise-type complaint, plus the current affairs video, so it is also rated as restricted, and can only be enjoyed directly on YouTube.

Roger Waters "Watching TV" (1992)

The song was Waters' second solo album after leaving Pink Floyd, and those two years were especially important to him. When they messed with The Wall's live performances, they spared no expense, and they lost a lot of money. When a reporter asked him if he would do it again in the future, he casually replied: Unless the Berlin Wall falls! As a result, after 188964, the so-called "Su-Dongbo" incident occurred in Europe, most of the Eastern European countries were democratized, and finally the Berlin Wall was torn down, which led to the reunification of the two Germanys. Waters is also a gentleman, especially disturbing a star-studded The Wall concert, which was held on the grounds of the once "no man's land" within the walls, which was a major event in the 1990s. Seeing other people's different endings, we will only be particularly sad!

Blur, Ice Cream Man (2015)

This song may not be obvious, but if you observe it carefully, you can understand it. The album came to Hong Kong for recording and production, and the Chinese translation was added, not without reason.


Postscript: "Duan Media" article includes works from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They did not state the selection criteria, but they did not mention Xia Shaosheng's "You Awaken My Soul", which is said to have three songs as the title. And Lu Guanting's "1989" was conceived as a concept disc. Every song can be said to be related to sports. It is a rare and representative album in the Hong Kong music scene.

Later developments, the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe one after another, and even the worst Romanian dictator Shousisi was finally brought to justice, which was so heartening at the time. We see it in our eyes, and while we are happy for them, we can't help but feel disappointed and disappointed. How many wrong ways will we have to go to such a different ending? When the West German band Scorpions saw the end of the Cold War and wrote a song "Wind of Change", it was really heart-warming. Shouldn't we all be the same? Isn't equality, freedom and democracy what everyone should have?

No need to remember, never forget, take history as a mirror.

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