Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 933 Border Waves are the Best Medicine

Just like the original lead singer Clare Torry, Guo Sichu, after thinking about death and treating her voice as an instrument, truly broke free from the vicious cycle of feeling sorry for Bian Lang if she didn't sing well.

Once she got into the zone, her singing sounded like Bian Lang and his band of musicians improvising together. Although it sounded somewhat casual, the melody, rhythm, and emotion were all firmly within the framework.

This prompted Silva, who was in the audience, to exclaim, "This really leaves no room for cover songs!"

Elf nodded in agreement: "Maybe that's how great works are; covers can never reach the heights of the original. But Wave is truly amazing. No matter how difficult other people's songs are, with practice, there's always a possibility of comparison. But with this song, he completely cut off the path of covers."

After listening, Silva added, "I wish I could be a part of this song!"

At Silva's level, it's impossible not to hear the improvisational element in Guo Sichu's live performance. However, this doesn't stop the audience from thinking the song and Bian Lang were incredibly awesome…

When Bian Lang gave Guo Sichu the sheet music and demo, it combined the versions from Shui Ye and the original. As for the live performance of Ji Mo Ye's later collaboration with Clare Torry, there's not much point in referencing it in terms of the final result.

After all, Clare Torry's voice wasn't very good at that time. If you divide the vocal part of this song into three parts, the last two parts of Clare Torry's live performance are just about pitch, sentiment and emotion!

Therefore, Bian Lang also divided Guo Sichu into three parts to make it easier for her to practice in segments.

The first section begins at 1 minute 10 seconds and ends at 2 minutes 26 seconds. The entire performance consists of four or five sets of high notes, fluctuating between them. The first part of the performance, which lasts for more than a minute, ends with Guo Sichu's voice cracking as if she were about to break down emotionally.

The drumbeats stopped along with Guo Sichu's singing. If we follow the third interpretation from before, this is a period of calm that begins after the first wave of impact.

Aside from the original singer's live version, both Shui Ye's and Ji Mo Ye's live versions are performed by three female lead singers.

This setting might be used in the future, but given that Guo Sichu is in her prime, especially since it's the first time this song has been performed by Rolling Stones, Guo Sichu should definitely complete the role of Bian Lang herself.

After entering the second part, the stage lights dimmed again, with only the spotlights continuing to illuminate Dili, Huayan, and Guo Sichu.

At this point, Guo Sichu's singing had shifted from the captivating, continuous flow of the first verse to a style with noticeable pauses and breathy vocals.

As soon as this change came out, some female fans immediately grasped the third interpretation from before!

"If it's this pace, it should be comfortable, but isn't the duration a bit short?"

"I think it would be really fun to play this music while I'm making it!"

"I'm wondering if the inspiration for this song, 'Wave,' came from working with GuoX. Otherwise, how could it resonate so deeply, especially with Guo's vocals? I can't imagine anyone else being able to capture that feeling in future covers!"

Even some female singers had smiles on their faces at this moment... Among them was Silva: "That feeling must be wonderful, otherwise Wave and Guo wouldn't have been able to create such an excellent work, right?"

Elf didn't understand at first, but after he realized what was going on, he teased Guo Sichu, "If that's really the reason, would you still be willing to stand on the stage?"

"Why not? For a song like this, you can experience a moment of happiness. What's wrong with that?"

Elf pretended not to hear this. Although he knew Silva was just stating the facts, and that if that were truly the case, she might not necessarily choose that option, the premise was that Bian Lang and Guo Sichu remained stable and there were no other possibilities.

Otherwise, he was really worried that Silva would try singing himself!
It's not that it's impossible, but if we do that, the already complicated relationship will become even more complicated.

It only went through my mind for a moment, and the song had already entered its third part...

If we still interpret this song using the third interpretation, then this should be the start of another storm after a period of rest and recuperation.

The keyboard and ukulele accompaniment remains top-notch, further enhancing the atmosphere of Guo Sichu's final, frenzied performance...

Starting at 3 minutes and 37 seconds: "Ah...ah...ah...ahhh..."

Judging from Guo Sichu's expression alone, it was clear that the performance was quite challenging. Her consistently fluctuating natural voice across five different vocal registers sent chills down the spines of countless female singers in the audience.

"It seems she's been too laid-back during her rest, to the point that many people have forgotten her abilities!" These were the words of Tao Xiaoyu.

The reaction of the Chu soldiers below the stage was far more intense:

"Queen Chu is making a triumphant return; once she returns home, she'll announce the unification of the music scene!"

"Incredible! In terms of the extent to which he has developed Chu Hou's talent! All the musicians he collaborated with before were only half as good as Bian Lang!"

"Wow! Looks like Bian Lang has already gotten his hands on the complete user manual for Empress Chu! Who the hell can resist this feeling!"

Even some Chu fans who don't quite get the song yet gave it high praise with the help of filters: "Is this probably the transformation from singer to artist?"

Since there was no final version before, this was the first time that the people on stage, including Bian Lang, had heard this version.

The most surprised person was Olaf, who was monitoring the sound at the mixing console: "I feel like Bian Lang is really the best aphrodisiac. Guo's performance this time was really outstanding. No wonder Wave asked me to keep this version. I guess even Guo himself will find it hard to sing like this again!"

Looking at the two main musicians, Dili and Huayan, they are now immersed in their wonderful collaboration with Guo Sichu!

Previously, in every attempt, the two felt it was still the collaboration between a musician and a lead singer. But at this moment, they felt that Guo Sichu was a musician from Rolling Stones, and her voice had become an instrument!
As for Bian Lang, while he was marveling at Guo Sichu's singing ability and performance, he was already thinking about Pink Floyd's album.

"Comfortably Numb", "Wish You Were Here", and "The Great Gig In The Sky" belong to three different masterpiece albums.

If a complete replica were to be made, the CPU of the device would indeed feel like it's going to overheat.

However, if an album is not released, the true meaning of the song "The Great Gig In The Sky" may never be correctly interpreted.

Ultimately, the most correct approach to solving this problem is to place the song back into the framework of the album for reading comprehension! We've already discussed three possible angles for understanding this song, so within the context of the album "The Dark Side of the Moon," what exactly does Pink Floyd intend to express?
This album was ranked 43rd on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

For Bian Lang himself, "The Dark Side of the Moon" exists in the top 10 of his personal rock albums in an unordered manner.

"The Dark Side of the Moon" can also be interpreted as "The Dark Side of the Human." In the album, Pink Floyd discusses philosophical topics such as time, money, war, and worldly affairs, offering their own interpretations and criticizing the many dark aspects corresponding to these concepts.

Where does "The Great Gig In The Sky" fit within the album "The Dark Side of the Moon"?

The track order of this album is as follows:
"Breathe", "On The Run", "Time", "The Great Gig In The Sky", "Money"...

The track "Time" comes after "Time" and "Money" comes before "Money".

In fact, looking at the album as a whole, 01-03 in 01-04 is more about the exploration of self-internalization, with topics including self-dialogue, existence, survival, pursuit, and time.

04 follows 03's "Time," forming a complete movement exploring the self and life with the previous three songs. "The Great Gig In The Sky" is about death.

From 01 to 04, it is the complete life process of a person being born, living, fighting against time, and finally dying.

Therefore, the seemingly strange, even physiological, screams, roars, struggles, and final weakness and helplessness in "The Great Gig In The Sky" are all due to this.

If we consider the perspective of a life's illusion about to fade away, would it still seem excessive and incomprehensible?
The true charm of "The Great Gig in the Sky" lies in the two sections above. We see Alfonso Cuarón's understanding, my own understanding, the understanding of netizens in the popular comments on NetEase Cloud Music, and also Pink Floyd's inner interpretation of "The Great".

So, which of these interpretations is accurate? Besides Pink Floyd's own understanding, are the other interpretations correct? Or are they an excessive or distorted understanding?

The understanding, subjective interpretation, and past discussions about symbols and interpretation in literature, music, and other arts have been a very long and extensive topic in the fields of literature and philosophy.
Therefore, in the analysis above, both interpretations should be correct, as they both grasp the musical development and lyrical meaning of "The Great," and thus provide a logically sound understanding of the essence of "The Great."

So what is the essence of "The Great"?
We need to find the common prototype among the four different interpretive logics mentioned above, or in other words, solve these structures by cross-referencing them.

The experiences of hardship, the inner world and life of drug addicts, sexual experiences, and the process of death—these different perspectives on understanding "The Great" seem to go in opposite directions, yet they are subtly connected.

All four emotions are extreme, complex, and fluctuate greatly, contrasting intense emotions with tranquility.

Yes, the first commonality is the commonality of emotions, the common logic of emotional fluctuations.

At the same time, each theme—whether it's life hardships, drug addiction, sexual experiences, or the process of death—involves a highly complex state of mind. These themes often encompass different sub-emotions, giving rise to numerous detailed thought processes.

It is precisely this sufficient complexity of thought that corresponds to the rich details of the arrangement. Understanding the complexity of logic is the second commonality.

Whether it's thoughts or emotions, there's a developmental logic in terms of understanding and complexity that aligns with the commonalities of our daily cognition. When our emotions or thoughts happen to match the melody and arrangement logic of music, our emotional engagement and intellectual resonance follow.

The excellence of "The Great Gig In The Sky" lies in its exquisite and rich depiction of emotions such as "calm-hysteria-calm," even though the song has very few lyrics.

However, by instrumentalizing human vocalizations and expressing emotions, "The Great Gig In The Sky" achieves an excellent fit in bringing human emotional themes into the song.

Moreover, Guo Sichu's performance here is also excellent!
Therefore, when listeners bring all the human emotions that satisfy the logic of the song's development into "The Great Gig In The Sky," they may gain "appropriate" understanding and be moved.

This is the transcendence of "The Great Gig In The Sky," or rather, the greater power of music over words.

Of course, there is an even bigger question: what is the appeal of rock music, and why can't we understand these songs?
One of the key issues is that the creation of most popular songs that ordinary music fans encounter is more like an assembly line, and in order to achieve greater commercial value, it needs to be liked by more people.

Therefore, the core emotions and ideas must be popular, simple, and perceptible to everyone, so of course the questioner can empathize with them.

However, rock and indie music, with their more personal creative purposes and emotions, and potentially more complex and profound ideas, are less likely to resonate with listeners emotionally. Indie music is more like the songs choosing their audience, selecting those who will appreciate them.

But once a match is found, you can gain a more private, rarer, and more intense sense of satisfaction from these independent works. That's the charm of rock and independent music.

If we don't understand a rock song, does that mean we'll never understand it, or that there's no way to understand it?

Of course not. As the saying goes on Earth, "If you don't listen to Jonathan Lee when you're young, you'll understand him when you're middle-aged!"

Understanding and accepting rock music may also involve such a process. At first, you don't understand it, can't comprehend it, and can't empathize with it. Then, because of a pop singer's cover or recommendation of a certain song, you start to be influenced and try to accept it.

The most typical examples of this on Earth would be the three little ones and the mage.

On Water Blue Star, Bian Lang will likely have to rely on Guo Sichu to strongly promote him and help him break into the mainstream in the short term. His popularity will start with his die-hard fans, then expand to casual fans, and gradually break out of his original niche.

So if this song has a significant impact after it is released back in China, Bian Lang's choice is to first produce the album "The Dark Side of the Moon".

Then came "The Wall," and finally "Wish You Were Here."

I wonder if Olaf will be moved to tears when he hears Bian Lang's decision.

However, when the last note of "The Great Gig In The Sky" by Guo Sichu ended simultaneously with the piano note, Guo Sichu's tears fell.

Tears welled up in the eyes of countless Chinese music fans present, inexplicably mingling with the cheers and applause.

When the stage lights came on again, Bian Lang, the "mastermind" behind the scenes, reappeared from the shadows!

At this moment, Guo Sichu, Dili, and Huayan, the three biggest contributors to the performance of this song, all came to Bian Lang's side and hugged him.

Guo Sichu hugged him and wouldn't let go...

(End of this chapter)