Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 953 A Few Things

In the end, Zhu Wen got nothing from Pan Jianhu except for a free drink; he achieved nothing else.

Since he was already there, he was determined to go to the "Summer of Bands" show no matter how shameless he was. Of course, Pan Jianhu didn't stop him and even took him to see the rehearsal.

Just then, Hedgehog was doing a sound check, and Huang Kai saw him and nodded at him, but that was all.

Zhu Wen, being a bit of a layman, didn't know much about the equipment, so he wasn't particularly surprised. However, he had a good grasp of the stage design and setup, and easily estimated the cost to be a few million.

Before, when I watched it on the screen, I didn't really get a real feel for it. Overall, I had a feeling of "it's nothing special" and "I can do much better!"

But after seeing it in person, Zhu Wen really couldn't even muster the energy to brag anymore. Because this is something that not just anyone can put together, or rather, not just anyone would be willing to invest in such a stage.

While it can be used multiple times, the fact that Rolling Stone dared to invest in hardware without any successful precedents to follow and without much optimism from others is something Zhu Wen would absolutely never have considered. Or rather, the capital behind them simply wouldn't have supported it.

The first season of the original Earth-based show "The Big Band" reportedly didn't lose money, but at that time, Modern Sky and Miwei had a good discussion, and the major sponsors were all from Ma Dong's connections.

If we're talking about a blockbuster, then in the rock scene or the music scene in general, it was undoubtedly a blockbuster. In the hearts of a large number of people in the industry, "The Big Band" is undoubtedly the number one music variety show in China.

But compared to shows like "The Big Band," "Sisters Who Make Waves," and "Singer," "The Big Band" is a piece of cake. However, that was on Earth; on this planet, everything is different.

Regardless of Bilibili's rating system, this project would undoubtedly be rated S-level by other competing platforms. The most important point is that it's incredibly difficult to imitate!

Just considering band resources, while Rolling Stone may not have a monopoly, it's very difficult for bands to operate without them. And since "The Big Band" is a self-funded variety show with confirmed future installments, why would they give you their resources?
"Tiger, the business side is going to see a surge in revenue next season, right?"

Zhu Wen's seemingly pointless statement was actually a test to see if Pan Jianhu would provide a range. Don't ask why he wanted to know; knowing this would allow him to make his promises more believable.

But the current Pan Jianhu is not the same person he used to be. Calling him "Tiger Master" no longer yields any useful information: "I really don't know. It's all Shuting and Liang Kuan handling the business matters. To be honest, I'm just an arts manager. Maybe not even that..."

Seeing that Pan Jianhu's words were watertight, Zhu Wen decided not to ask any further questions.

Instead, I watched the Hedgehog's rehearsal attentively as a spectator. I witnessed Xia Yuxi's transformation, Huang Kai's growth, the efficient collaboration among the staff, and many other things that I couldn't see on Magic Disc.

"Why? Why can't we do it?"

This wasn't the most unbelievable thing to him. What was most unbelievable was that all of this was done so smoothly, even though Bian Lang had already "run into trouble" and hadn't even arrived at the scene.

It seems like these people have almost no influence on Bian Lang's matter.

When Huang Kai came down, he naturally went up to ask him a few questions. But then he was taken aback by the orchestral musicians on stage: "They really went all out for the effect!"

"Aren't you afraid of making any mistakes? Not even re-recording once?"

Hearing Zhu Wen's strange words, Huang Kai laughed and said, "What kind of mistakes could there be? Besides, mistakes are part of the performance. As long as it can be broadcast, there's no such thing as re-recording!"

In the past, Huang Kai would have had to address him as "General Manager," but today that's no longer necessary.

"Huang Kai, you've repaired your relationship with Wenlong and the others, right? Could you help me persuade them..."

"Coming..." Huang Kai responded to Old Zhao on stage, then said to Zhu Wen, "Sorry, talk to you later!"

After being left hanging time and time again, even if Zhu Wen was eager to ask for favors, he could no longer hold back.

He turned around and left the "Summer of Music" venue, then went to Sigu...

Meanwhile, Guo Sichu was chatting with Bian Lang via overseas video.

This level of performance is nothing compared to the countless large and small events she's been involved in throughout her career.

However, as it was her first appearance as the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, she was still very much looking forward to hearing what her boyfriend, Bian Lang, also a lead singer of the Rolling Stones, had to say. Moreover, the surprise Bian Lang gave her didn't seem like it was for any kind of entertainment effect; it was simply a surprise for Guo Sichu!

"It's already very good. Of all the versions of this song, yours is the most classic, I'm telling you!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Sichu laughed and retorted, "You're all talk. If you don't grant the cover rights and you don't sing it yourself, then there'll only be my version."

"That's impossible. This song will be a hit as soon as it's released. If we don't release the cover version rights, do you think Sister Kuan will agree?"

Bian Lang's words were mere assumptions, while Guo Sichu, who knew Liang Kuan better, gave the correct answer directly: "Why wouldn't she agree? She'd be thrilled if you kept it all to yourself and didn't give it to anyone else, then she'd be free. Besides, if it really becomes as popular as you say, then with all the internet celebrities covering it, you won't be releasing the copyright to anyone in the industry..."

After thinking about it, Bian Lang realized it was true: "Forget it, I'm not good at this, but this song is definitely going to be a hit." Bian Lang also had a hidden message: "The official original version will take you to the next level!" Bian Lang was absolutely confident in this. Even the version of Painkiller that was criticized as nothing by the music critics at the scene could directly top the charts, so what about the original song?
As one of Wang Jingwen's representative songs, the album in which it was released has sold over 2 million copies and was ranked number one in the "100 Most Popular Songs in the Chinese World in the 20th Century".

In 1994, the song won several awards, including one of the Top 20 Favorite Original Songs on the Hong Kong Commercial Radio's "Ultimate Song Chart", the second most played original song of the year, and one of the Top Ten Professionally Recommended Songs.

So as long as music fans aren't naive, it's only a matter of time before this song becomes an absolute smash hit. Of course, those experiencing it firsthand right now wouldn't be thinking about any of this.

The song "I'm Willing" is a significant milestone in Faye Wong's career. It could even be said that this song propelled her to the throne of a superstar.

Faye Wong debuted in Hong Kong in 1989, but it wasn't until 1992 that she gained widespread recognition with her hit song "Easily Hurt Woman." For the next two years, she struggled to find her niche. Then, in April 1994, she released her first Mandarin album, "Mystery," which quickly became a sensation, especially the title track "I'm Willing," which became a widely popular hit throughout the Chinese-speaking world.

Faye Wong's career reached new heights, and a new generation of Mandopop queen officially arrived. That same year, she capitalized on her success by releasing four albums, holding her first concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum with 18 shows, and winning the Most Popular Female Singer Award at the Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards…

If anyone still has doubts about her past glory, two points can fully prove it.

First, she officially changed her name in mid-1994, reverting from her stage name back to her real name. Which rising star would dare to change their name so casually? Besides Wong Jing-wen, who else would? Most people change their names when they're not becoming famous, but she did it while she was already at the peak of her career.

Secondly, during a media interview that year, she said, "My biggest problem right now is that I'm too famous!" This sounds like the original Versailles quote! It's still frequently mentioned to this day…

In short, "I Do" is the most important work on Wang Jingwen's road to becoming a Best Actress winner, and it also has a very interesting story behind it.

Back then, after gaining some fame in Hong Kong, Faye Wong wanted to expand into Taiwan. During the song selection phase for her first Mandarin album, Taiwanese musician Huang Guolun happened to have written a song that sounded pretty good, and producer Yang Minghuang decided to include it. At that time, Huang Guolun had been writing songs for four years, but none of them had become hits. If he didn't become famous soon, he was prepared to retire from the music industry and go back to his regular job.

Because Huang Guolun is a Christian, in his final moments, he simply cast aside all distractions and knelt before God in devout prayer, saying, "Lord, I have no other request now but to write you the purest song..."

As he stood up, a melody was already playing in his mind, which later became the chorus of "I'm Willing." This is the origin of the song that Huang Guolun has mentioned more than once. It sounds a bit mystical, and can be described in five words: "a melody sent from heaven."

It is evident that his compositions are related to love, but not to romantic love, and are the purest melodies without any utilitarian purpose.

If you were to ask him what he is "willing" to do, it would probably be to be honest and sincere with music in the name of God.

The lyricist for "I'm Willing" is Yao Qian, a well-known lyricist from Taiwan. When Yang Minghuang commissioned him to write a song, he was given seven or eight demos, and after listening to them, Yao Qian chose only "I'm Willing" to write the lyrics for. Compared to Huang Guolun's "heaven-sent voice," Yao Qian's creation can be said to be tailor-made for Wang Jingwen. However, he had never met Wang Jingwen and knew absolutely nothing about her; he could only learn about her through entertainment magazines.

As a result, he saw a photo in a gossip news article showing a sleepy-eyed Wang Jingwen walking out of a Beijing courtyard house, carrying a chamber pot in her hand.

Yao Qian was quite shocked when he saw the photo. Although he didn't know much about Wang Jingwen before, she was indeed a near-superstar singer in Hong Kong, yet she was willing to empty a chamber pot for love, which touched him deeply.

Thus, Yao Qian was inspired by "I'm Willing" and completed the lyrics in one go: "I'm willing to forget my name for you... even if I lose the world for just one more second in your arms, it's not a pity. I'm willing to be banished to the ends of the earth for you, as long as you sincerely respond to my love, I'm willing to do anything..."

Because there was no face-to-face communication, it is said that after Wang Jingwen finished singing, she expressed doubts: What does this lyric mean? It's fortunate that there was no communication. Imagine what Wang Jingwen would think if she had understood Yao Qian's creative motivation. Even now, when we hear Wang Jingwen sing "I'm Willing," if we associate the lyrics "I'm willing for you..." with "emptying a chamber pot," doesn't it feel strange?

In other words, Huang Guolun's melody is actually a divine song, not a love song; while from Yao Qian's lyrics, it is still a complete love song, expressing the image of a woman in love who is willing to give up everything and sacrifice everything for her partner without any regrets.

During the recording of "I'm Willing" by Wang Jingwen, Huang Guolun visited the set. It's said that Wang Jingwen initially didn't quite capture the essence of the song, so Huang Guolun stopped her for a moment. He then shared his creative process with her, hoping to help her find her footing. Wang Jingwen asked, "What should I do if I'm not a Christian?" Huang Guolun replied, "That's okay, just sing it for the person you love most."

This time, the sound was completely different; an irresistible sense of emotion and heartbreak emanated from Wang Jingwen's voice. Zhou Huimin, another singer who was with Wang Guolun, burst into tears on the spot and wanted to learn vocal techniques from Wang Jingwen.

Surprisingly, when making the album "Mystery", "I'm Willing" was not initially chosen as the lead single. Instead, the only Mandarin song from the previous Cantonese album, "Unwavering Obsession", was chosen as the lead single.

However, the effect was not obvious. Later, they changed the lead single to "I'm Willing," and it worked immediately. This album sold 200 million copies across Asia, making both Faye Wong and Huang Guolun famous.

Huang Guolun also rose from an unknown musician to a top producer because of this song. But "I'm Willing" means much more to him than that...

Since writing "I'm Willing," Huang Guolun's career has flourished, with a constant stream of excellent works. He has collaborated closely with many top-tier singers, writing classic songs such as Xin Xiaoqi's "Taste," Zhang Xinzhe's "Don't Tell Him," Su Yongkang's "A Man Shouldn't Make a Woman Cry," Fan Xiaoxuan's "Tears," and Jacky Cheung's "How Is It Worthy of You," thus gaining a very high status in the industry.

But in the 21st century, with the collapse of the Rolling Stone "Keeley Music" brand he had championed, Huang Guolun's career suffered a severe blow. In middle age, he was unemployed and bankrupt, forced to sell his recording studios, and his marriage ended. He suffered from depression and was also diagnosed with heart disease.

By 05, he was forced to work as a DJ at a small radio station to make a living. One day, an international star came to his station, the Nordic pop diva Lene Marlin.

The reason she made a special trip to Huang Guolun's radio show was because she liked the song "I'm Willing" and sang it in English as "Still Here".

Upon hearing Lene Marlin's performance, Huang Guolun burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt that "Still Here" was God's second conversation with him after ten years, telling him that the Lord is still here...

He was thus able to pull himself together again, and his career quickly took a turn for the better. His love with Kou Naixin also blossomed. In the following decade or so, through his performances on various variety shows in Taiwan and mainland China, he achieved a second spring in his acting career.

Therefore, Bian Lang plans to also produce an English version of "Still Here"...

(End of this chapter)