Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 939 Love Sick
If you ask me about English rock love songs, the first one that comes to mind is Steelheart's "She's Gone".

If this song were on Earth, probably 90% of Chinese rock music fans would have two images in their minds: the first is the original singer humming the song while chewing gum at a Mili concert!

The second scene shows a Southeast Asian guy sitting cross-legged with a cigarette in his mouth, belting out the song! Everyone says that anyone who sings the whole song is a monster!
The reason this song is so special is because the chorus starts with a G4, and the singer manages to clearly and effectively enunciate five different notes, making even the best voices hesitant to attempt it. After all, being able to hit the notes and singing them well are two completely different things.

For an example, you can refer to the clip of Teacher Han and his friends spontaneously singing "No Place to Hide" on a certain program.

Since we're on the topic of Steelheart, we can't help but mention Mili's inspiring story.

Countless rock fans felt a pang of sadness when they later saw Mili, now an older man, belting out "She's Gone" on stage, his eyes filled with a sense of desolation as he could no longer reach the high notes...

That was when Steelheart was opening for Slaughter's show at McNix Stadium in Denver, Colorado, and during their performance of "Dancing in the Fire" from the album "Tangled in Reins," Mili was caught in a serious accident.

Mili decided to climb the lighting rig, but for some reason the rig wasn't stable, and he couldn't get up. A large piece of equipment, weighing 1000 pounds, hit him on the back of the head, knocking him off the stage.

The accident resulted in broken nose, cheek, and chin, a twisted spine, and severe amnesia. This incident also marks the temporary end of the unique heavy metal band Steelheart!
Mili's vocal range is renowned worldwide. Ding Wu at his peak could probably put up a fight, but his vocal quality in Group 5 wasn't as good as Mili's.

Bian Lang still remembers being completely stunned the first time he heard it! Back in his original time on Earth, he thought there were very few people who could pull off a cover version that would be so good. The only original versions he'd heard in China were by Lin Daxian and Yang Pei'an, and even those weren't proper covers; they were just clips they'd performed on a variety show.

Of course, Lin Daxian sang a Mandarin version, and at the time, many people in the industry commented: "It's better not to change it!"

First, there's the high notes in G5, and then the lyrics in the Mandarin version are all in open vowels. Listening to the studio version, it feels like Lin Daxian has reached his peak.

So that's why both "Never Left" and the Chinese version of "She's Gone" are covers. "Never Left" became a huge hit, but "She's Gone" didn't even make a ripple.

If we're talking about overseas singers, Adam Lambert would be the most suitable if we just consider his voice.

With Bian Lang's original voice, he would never have tried it, but he felt that the original owner's voice was worth a shot, but not tonight.

If that song weren't accompanied, Bian Lang might just end up singing a train wreck, so it's definitely not an option to not rehearse Steelheart's songs.

When it comes to improvisational performances, Bob Dylan is the place to go! And how could this handsome "rascal" who's been cool his whole life be without his signature flirting songs?

Immediately, the title of a song popped into Bian Lang's mind. Although it wasn't one of Dylan's most popular songs, the most memorable moment was probably when Bob Dylan performed the song live at the Grammys in 1998. A shirtless dancer with "Soy Bomb" written on his chest shared the stage with him for half a minute, which became one of the most hilarious moments in Grammy history.

However, it should be familiar to veteran Dylan fans, as this song was written by Dylan himself and has been recorded many times, with later versions even having revised the lyrics.

Thinking of this, Bian Lang shouted into the crowd below the stage, "Brother Yaorong, Mr. Thor, Brother Kai, come up and lend a hand!"

When Lin Yaorong and Thor heard this, they thought they were hallucinating. They pointed to themselves and only walked onto the stage with some disbelief after Bian Lang confirmed it.

“Wave, is there anything I can do for you?” Thor spoke first.

“I know you’re really good at improvising in the blues, so…” Before Bian Lang could finish speaking, Thor nodded directly: “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it!” As for Lin Yaorong and Huang Kai, they didn’t ask any more questions when they heard it was about the blues.

The moment Huang Kai's name was called, he started to feel a little smug: "Although I'm nobody among the fans, when it really matters, no one can replace me!"

That's absolutely true. Huang Kai's technique is much more stable than Mu Mian's. In the future, only Zhu Wei might have a chance to surpass him; it seems like no one else has a chance.

Guo Sichu, with one hand around her waist and the other supporting her chin, waited to see what tricks Bian Lang would come up with today.

It's still Firebird, still the strumming of an acoustic guitar, but the sound of the strumming in the intro has a sense of timelessness.

This was Thor's first time improvising with Bianlang, and he didn't blindly follow along. He wanted to wait for Bianlang's intro to end, find the rhythm, and then start following.

Lin Yaorong didn't think too much about it. After he picked up the rhythm, he started to follow along with his fancy moves.

Seeing how easily he was playing, Lunzi next to Dayong joked, "Brother Yong, it seems you need to be more aware of the danger!"

Although Da Yong said, "Can't you wish your brother Yong a little better?" and seemed a little unhappy, he actually understood Bian Lang's intention... he just wanted him to have a chance to rest.

Of the four instruments in rock music, drummers have the most occupational hazards.

Because of prolonged periods of dangling feet and leaning back without support, the pressure on the lower back is very high, which can easily lead to lumbar disc herniation.

Secondly, there's tenosynovitis, caused by prolonged high-speed muscle movement in the hands, leading to excessive friction on the tendons. This is a common ailment among drummers.

Bianlang used to practice single-stroke compound jumps all day after being misled by others, and the next day he couldn't lift his wrists. PS: Make sure to use good drumsticks. The balance of good drumsticks ensures accurate tone at a certain force. Some drumsticks don't make a sound even when you hit them hard, and swinging them around for an hour will ruin your arm.

Finally, there's hearing loss, which is the most serious. Once hearing cells are damaged, it's irreversible! So drummers have to protect their ears at all times! Bian Lang, the drummer of the original Earth Band, experienced temporary hearing loss after returning from the Midi and Strawberry Festivals. He spent a long time in the hospital on IV drips, but his hearing is not as good as before.

If you keep playing loud, heavy metal music for years on end, every single day, your hearing will definitely suffer.

In the past year, Da Yong has been playing drums for 330 out of 365 days. This intensity is comparable to the sum of his previous years when he was more relaxed. Therefore, Bian Lang had already talked to him about this.

At first, Da Yong got angry with Bian Lang, but after thinking about it, he realized it was true. If he really couldn't do it anymore, it would be a catastrophic blow for him. After all, not everyone who plays music is Mika Nakashima.

Therefore, Lin Yaorong needs to start preparing to take turns with Da Yong.

As for Huang Kai, he has been working with Bian Lang for the second longest time in the team, and he basically knows Bian Lang's arrangement habits. He is not in a hurry to follow up and is just waiting for the verse.

After a rather unremarkable intro, Bian Lang sang in a hoarse voice, using a breathy tone that rubbed against the bottom of his vocal cords:

"I'm walkin' through streets that are dead
I am walking through these dead streets.

Walkin', walkin' with you in my head
"I just kept walking, and all I could think about was you..." Upon hearing the first sentence, everyone present was a little confused. But when the second sentence came out, everyone except Guo Sichu had either a maternal smile or an "I see" expression on their faces.

Guo Sichu was thinking, "This man's sweet words are always the most touching when they are revealed unintentionally!" Indeed, as Guo Sichu said, Bian Lang's song has no ups and downs, and the background music doesn't have anything exciting to hear, but it is this kind of unexpected sweet words that make you feel sweet and a little caught off guard.

Next, we entered storytelling mode:

My feet are so tired
My legs are tired.

My brain is so wired
My brain is excited.
And the clouds are weeping.
The clouds are crying…

The foreign musicians present no longer doubted Bian Lang's ability to write English songs. However, their astonishment at his skill level would continue. After all, they were all hoping Bian Lang would give them a song to sing.

After all, they've already looked down on those mass-produced goods on the market. Regardless of their current stage in their careers, they all need a song by Bianlang to boost their morale in every way…

“Did I hear someone tell a lie?
Did I hear someone lying?

Did I hear someone's distant cry?
Do I hear someone crying in the distance?

I spoke like a child
I speak like a child.

You destroyed me with a smile
Your smile destroyed me.

While I was sleeping.
While I was asleep…

Guo Sichu understood the last three sentences. Despite Bian Lang's public persona, when they were alone together, he would reveal his childlike side to Guo Sichu. "As for the smiling destruction, while I was asleep..." that's another unspeakable story.

"I'm sick of love, that I'm in the thick of it
I'm tired of love, but I'm already deeply in love!
This love, kind of I'm so sick of it.
This kind of love has tormented me deeply…

The lyrics, when interpreted literally, convey a feeling of not wanting to continue, but when Bian Lang sings them, it feels like an absurd sense of saying one thing and meaning another, or perhaps just being pretentious...

"I see, I see lovers in the meadow
I saw, I saw lovers on the meadow.

I see, I see silhouettes in the window
I saw it, I saw the silhouette on the window.
I'll watch them 'til they're gone
I watched them until they left.
And they leave me hangin' on, To a shadow.
They left a shadow on my heart…

This monologue might be incomprehensible to someone who has never been in a relationship, but anyone who has been in a relationship can empathize with this feeling of being in love but seeing other couples when alone...

Or perhaps you're going through a low point in your relationship, and your hesitation, lack of confidence, and sensitivity have led you to have thoughts you shouldn't have.

“Allow me desolation in every direction
Please allow my sorrow to drift in all directions.
Allow me nothing's making any connection
Please allow me to cut off all the tangled roots.
I'm diving steadily struggling striving
I continued to descend calmly and diligently.

For Perfection.
Become perfect…

If you didn't understand the previous sentence, then this part will make it clear: "It's a story about lovesickness..."

Hua Yan's voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet environment below the stage, his words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere!

Although no one responded to him, those who couldn't understand before suddenly felt enlightened after hearing this explanation!

As for those who don't understand Chinese, they can only scratch their heads and wait for others to translate for them after the song ends. But who can guarantee that those who are fluent in English will be able to memorize the lyrics completely?

"I'm sick of love, I hear the clock tick
I loathe love; I hear the ticking of the clock.
I'm sick of love, ah, I'm love sick.
I'm tired of love, I'm lovesick...

As soon as the chorus was sung, Hua Yan smiled and looked around at those around her, as if to show off: "See, I was right!"

Still completely bewildered, Liangzi decided that from now on, he would put in the effort to learn English. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if he had to awkwardly ask Jinma what Bian Lang meant when he heard him sing an English song.

As for Jinma, he wasn't as impressive as Liangzi thought. He'd almost forgotten everything he learned in high school English; after all, the CET-4 and CET-6 weren't mandatory for someone in an art school. He could only vaguely understand the lyrics; he was completely confused.

So he decided to review his English properly and pick it up again, because there would be many more opportunities like this in the future. If he didn't know what it meant when someone asked him, he would be embarrassing Rolling Stone.

“Sometimes the silence can be like thunder
Sometimes silence is like thunder.
Sometimes I wanna take to the road and plunder
Sometimes I want to be a robber.

Could you ever be true
Have you ever been sincere?

Sometimes I think of you
I sometimes think of you

And I wonder.
I just want to understand why this is happening...

Guo Sichu didn't understand what Bian Lang was trying to express, but based on her understanding of Bian Lang's songs, she knew she was close to the answer!
"I'm sick of love, I wish I'd never met you
I'm tired of love. I wish we had never met.
I'm sick of love, I'm tryin' to forget you.
I'm tired of love, I'm trying to forget you...

As it turns out, the writing technique of praising by first criticizing, which our ancestors summarized thousands of years ago, is still quite effective no matter where you are.

"Just don't know what to do"
He was simply at a loss.
I'd give anything to
I'm willing to give everything.

Be with you.
Being with you…

After finishing the song, Guo Sichu smiled again, still thinking the same thing: "Bian Lang, how could you be so talented? You wrote a song like this for me, how am I supposed to respond?"

An Feng, who had been holding back his words, finally let out a long sigh and commented: "Saying he's tired of love, he actually still wants to love you for a lifetime! He says love is a disease, but it's actually a love song that's romantic to the core!"

(End of this chapter)