Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 915 I'll Toast You a Glass
After listening, Guo Sichu remained so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't press the stop button on the device.

It wasn't until Bian Lang sang a line in a playful manner, "Sister, take me home..." that her mind was brought back to reality.

"I thought you'd sing something like 'No Place to Hide' or 'Don't Bother Me'..."

Bian Lang got up, walked over and turned off the recording equipment, shrugged and laughed, "I wish I could, but all I have here is a wooden guitar."

Guo Sichu chose to ignore Bian Lang's fallacies and heresies: "But I think this is excellent. What's it called?"

"The Nameless Man..."

Bian Lang listened to this song because of "Lion Boy," and he became aware of that animated film because of the so-called "squinty eyes," "insult to the lion," and "insult to Cantonese."

Looking back now, I think those people who took things out of context and stirred up trouble back then were really something. They managed to stir up the emotions of keyboard warriors who wouldn't even bother to buy a ticket and read the whole thing before making a judgment, and who just wanted to vent their frustrations online.

The reason why the character design of Lion King caused such a big controversy at the time, according to Bian Lang who watched it three times, is the same logic as lip-syncing and fake faces in the entertainment industry.

People have become accustomed to the image of "perfection," so they have started to reject the image of ordinary people.

In reality, there aren't nearly as many strikingly handsome men and beautiful women as in the entertainment industry, except for Bian Lang, of course. The average-looking protagonist in "The Lion King" is more like the norm in real life.

When Bian Lang saw the Liberation Shoes vs. Onitsuka Tiger performance, he genuinely shed tears. Therefore, he waited until the very end of the performance of "The Nameless Man" before leaving.

After regaining her senses, Guo Sichu took off her equipment and went to edit the video. She didn't cut out the part where Bianlang was testing the sound and finding the key, but she cut out the part where Bianlang was swiping Taobao and singing "Sister". Then she sent it back to Bianlang directly.

Bian Lang didn't even check the photos; he sent them out and immediately started packing to leave. Since he had already agreed to the filming, he didn't need to arrange it himself; Liang Kuan would communicate with Chen Shuting to arrange and resolve the matter.

……

Following the principle that every major event should be accompanied by a new song, Rolling Stones fans are all waiting for Bian Lang's response.

Not only the music fans, but even the members of the Rolling Stones who were staying at the same hotel were waiting for Bian Lang's call. After waiting in vain, Da Yong joked, "The two of them were already quite exhausted from performing on stage last night, and then they played karaoke all night. Are they still not up? Should we go and wake them up..."

"Come on, with such a big commotion back home, I don't believe Sister Kuan didn't call to ask about the situation," Huang Kai retorted directly.

Just as Da Yong was about to retort, Hua Yan's voice came: "Brother Lang updated his Weibo, go check it out! There's a video too? Sigh, we've been waiting for nothing, he must have finished his private work behind our backs."

"I told you, we should go and call them, at least we can show our support... Never mind, let's see what Lang Chang is singing first..."

Then Hua Yan turned on the TV and projected it onto the screen, and a group of people sat on the carpet and started watching.

Seeing Bian Lang searching for the key, those present were certain it wasn't in the song library. If it were, there would be sheet music, and Bian Lang wouldn't need to try out chords anywhere. As for whether he had it in mind but hadn't brought it out, or whether he wrote it on the spot on a whim?
That was definitely written on the spot, even if it was reported to the central government, it would still be written on the spot!
After hearing the intro, everyone made their own judgment in their hearts.

Hua Yan: "This would probably sound better if the piano intro were changed. Brother Lang just made this because he didn't have the resources."

Dili: "This is a pop song, right? The pop song that Bian Lang dares to pull out at a time like this, the lyrics are absolutely deadly!"

Da Yong: "The simplified version, this melody is difficult to arrange later, and the rhythm isn't very smooth to play on the drums!"

Huang Kai: "That's easy, you don't even need the bass."

But then they heard Bian Lang's low, breathy voice bring out the lyrics of the verse: "I am a nameless person on this road, I have no news, no one to comment on me, I have to give my all to get an ordinary script, and all the twists and turns are just to make a living..."

All those random thoughts and ideas disappeared from everyone's minds. This first sentence seems to have nothing to do with the current Rolling Stones and Bianlang.

But what if we move the timeline back a bit? This song is about the origins of everyone here!
Da Yong, Bian Lang jokingly said, is a man who can summon the dragon!
But the rarest type of musician in the entire band scene is someone who has lost all confidence in forming a regular band and has to partner up to open a music school to teach students and make a living...

Isn't this just like the lyrics of that song: "Twists and turns are nothing but a means to make a living!"

"I am someone who left the small town, someone who has eaten meals with both tears and laughter, someone who is on the road, someone who supports a family, a silent presence in the urban landscape..."

Hua Yan, if not for being discovered by Bian Lang, might have already faded into obscurity in Beijing.

In the next line, Bian Lang's tone rose slightly: "I just want to personally touch whether the soaked footprints left behind every moment I bent over were worth it. If you feel the same way, then we are fellow travelers. To all those who stand tall yet remain ordinary...!"

These like-minded friends of Rolling Stone began to erupt in emotion one by one from silence.

Before meeting Bian Lang and joining the Rolling Stones, they were just ordinary people who would never cross paths with each other on the road of rock and roll.

Although they are all upright and indomitable, this is only in terms of their own small families. But isn't the whole of China, the whole world, made up of these individual families? No one is more noble than anyone else, and no one is more lowly than anyone else.

At this moment, some people in China also came across this video. Old Deng is now one of those entertainment reporters in Beijing who make a living by reporting on Rolling Stone and Bianlang. Therefore, his sensitivity to news from Rolling Stone and Bianlang is among the most acute in China.

Before seeing this video, he had already started writing a new article for his WeChat official account using videos and materials he had found online. Now that he saw Bian Lang's video, he naturally had to watch it first. After listening to the first part, he silently lit a cigarette, digesting every word and phrase in the lyrics that resonated with him amidst the strumming interlude!
He felt that the reason why Bian Lang's works were so highly praised, yet also attracted so much controversy, and was even banned for a year, was perhaps because the lyrics of this type had such a powerful, inspiring force.

When he writes about love, you can truly feel the warmth of "spring." Writing from the perspective of ordinary people makes you feel that he is right beside you, just as upright and ordinary as you.

It rekindles the desire for life in a heart that may have grown weary of it, and the affirmation of oneself continues to support the effort to move forward.

"Nameless man, I raise a glass to you, to your silence and every roar... to you bending over, climbing the mountain, reaching for the sky, striving to live..." After hearing this, Old Deng smiled!

"Bian Lang! You really know how to win over music fans and their hearts!"

Today, those speaking out for Bian Lang, besides the well-known bands, singers, and actors in the industry, are mostly "nameless people" like him! These hundreds of thousands of music fans and supporters make up 99.9% of all those supporting him! It is these people who give Bian Lang and others who make rock music the confidence and belief to persevere. Otherwise, in the face of life's challenges, the material conditions of these rock musicians before they entered the mainstream might not have been as good as those delivery riders who brave wind and rain.

It is because of the persistence and love of these music fans that many bands and musicians were able to wait for Bianlang and Rolling Stone before they gave up.

Bian Lang has only been able to reach his current position today thanks to the support and affirmation of these music fans. Otherwise, he would have gone home and inherited the fate of Nanfeiyan.

These music fans are different from the brainless fans of those popular celebrities. They don't usually like to keep an eye on the Rolling Stones' movements all the time, nor do they blindly buy Rolling Stones merchandise or spare no effort to support Bian Lang's endorsement.

They organize various online events, and they'll make a big deal out of anything that happens with Rolling Stones or Bianlang, as if they want the whole world to know. Generally speaking, most people in this group listen to music in silence most of the time.

This time, Bian Lang encountered trouble, and they stood up without hesitation, letting out their roars!

Don't underestimate those simple five words, "Don't worry, leave it to me!" To these music fans, this promise means: "Bian Lang, rest assured, we guarantee that when you return to the stage, the Chinese rock market will be even more prosperous than it is now! The influence of Rolling Stones will be no less than it is now!"

This isn't just for Bian Lang; it's for every Chinese rock musician who has seen the dawn of rock!

Bian Lang also gave them feedback immediately.

Write a new song, raise a toast from afar, and let all music fans find their own sense of participation and value in this song event.

Countless people who heard this song, upon hearing this line, raised their glasses just like Old Deng…

Meanwhile, the comments section of Bian Lang's video was flooded with phrases like "pay me a drink," "let's go," and "cheers."

Hearing this, Ai Hao, who was driving, immediately turned the steering wheel to the right, pulled over to the side of the road, took a can of Rolling Stones craft beer from the trunk, took a big gulp, and shouted to the sky, "Brother Lang, I got it!"

Passersby on electric bikes took out their phones to film, some commenting, "What's going on with this guy? He jumped out of his car to get some drinks, is he in such a hurry to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth?"

"It's probably something to do after eating the mushrooms, call 120 right away!"

"I'm afraid so, look at her sitting on the road crying...crying and laughing at the same time!"

Ai Hao cried because he was moved, and he laughed because he was moved. Of course, he also thought of a brilliant marketing plan, determined to turn the momentum that Bianlang had created for everyone into real, tangible traffic that Xibiqi could convert.

Ten minutes later, Xibiqi's official account updated with a poster with the eye-catching title: "Xibiqi is treating Bian Lang to this toast!"

"I come from a village in the south, from rough hands, I stand in the cracks between buildings, but I do not back down... You come from the spring in the north, from every step you take and every glance back, from the crossroads of farewell behind you, warming every sunset..."

Bian Lang made a slight modification to the lyrics. He is not from the North, so he swapped the positions of "you" and "me" in the original lyrics.

Many southerners, after hearing the lyrics, drew parallels to their own experiences working hard in big cities. They did not back down from life in the high-rise buildings, and they will not back down this time in speaking out for Bian Lang!
Who would have thought that Bian Lang would even write a song for them!

As for the line "You come from the spring of the North," Guo Sichu, who was watching the recording from behind the equipment, simply took it as a little Easter egg Bian Lang was giving her in the song. She wouldn't ask if Bian Lang didn't mention it, and as for outsiders interpreting it that way… well…

As the chorus began, Guo Sichu, holding her phone, started singing along: "When winter comes to my hometown, after the train arrives at the station, the wind of my childhood blows again, recalling the simple joy, on the familiar street, someone will call out your name with all their tenderness!"

Bian Lang, who was walking in front of her, turned around and called out with a smile, "Sister Chu Chu!"

These images, such as trains arriving at stations and familiar streets, can be considered a universal formula for writing lyrics.

Anyone could easily fall into this trap and find a moment that resonates with their own memories. There are countless bloggers on various online platforms who analyze word-writing formulas. But as the saying goes, most people can understand it at first glance, but fail miserably when they try to learn it!
They're all Chinese, and they all learned the same characters from the same dictionary. But the lyrics, combined by Bian Langshou, have become classics...

A music blogger analyzed it this way: "Some people think of their first love in this scene, some think of their parents and relatives waiting for them to come home, and some may no longer be there. But when you hear this song, you will still unconsciously recall the warmth and beauty of that moment."

Because the next line of the lyrics is about to begin here…

"To those who have left home, I raise a glass to you, to your silence, and to every roar you let out... to your stooped climb up the mountain, striving to live under the vast sky..."

How many people in China are truly considered to be people who have left home?

According to Bian Lang's own thinking, very few people will ultimately be able to stay in their hometown. Once they leave this place called home, everyone will lose a pillar of support.

At least 9% of the people watching this video on their phones right now are people who have left their original communities, started new families in new places, and continued to live their lives as nameless individuals.

In the past, many people would feel down and hopeless when they thought about their obscurity.

But from now on, things will change, because Bian Lang sang a line: "Nameless man, I toast you... Live life to the fullest under the vast sky... Nameless man..."

Without the original electric guitar solo to enhance the performance, Bian Lang directly chose a long note to transition: "The nameless man..." still managed to sing out the feeling that could stir up the passion in the hearts of ordinary people!

Then Bian Lang stopped playing the piano and began to sing and recite:
"The nameless one... the car is here..."

If you have too many worries, don't look back...

Nameless person, the car is starting!

Go forward, with your dreams in your heart!

(End of this chapter)