Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

Stepping onto the stage, Bian Lang found an electric acoustic guitar, quickly tuned it, and began to strum the strings with a pick: "Ideals always fly around, ethereal and elusive, but reality is still very real, impossible to hide from..."

Bian Lang's opening vocals, the D3 chest voice, made everyone in the audience feel as if their ears had been cleansed by the vibrations of low-frequency Hertz, leaving their ear canals instantly clean and clear.

Some people were trying to figure out where the song was headed, but then Bian Lang suddenly praised it by two octaves, and the clear, powerful enunciation reached C5.

"My heart is full of desire, my body has no strength, I don't want to feel sad, so I can only pretend to be unrestrained, flying around, I fly around, full of hope, I am like a little bird..." The high-pitched E5 voice ended with a hint of anger. Bian Lang's unconventional pitch change and his nonchalant facial expression left those who had not been shocked by his continuous high notes in "No Place to Hide" completely stunned!

Magpie: "This...this must be two octaves wide! Judging by this, the actual vocal range must be even greater!"

Tang Dafeng: "Wow! This is impromptu writing! You can create something just by seeing a bird! That's impressive, kid. I was skeptical when Jianhu first told me about it, but now I'm convinced!"

Pan Jianhu: "This kid really doesn't want to be passive at all."

Bian Lang's singing continued: "I feel no weariness, yet I have nowhere to go. Emptiness throws me onto the street, like a patient fleeing death. This place is suitable for debauchery. I can't close my eyes. The buildings are so magnificent, the lights are so bright. Flying around... I fly around. Reality is a cage, and I am like a little bird..."

Upon hearing this line, all thoughts of high-note singing techniques and instrumental playing skills vanished from Pan Jianhu's mind. His earlier words to Bian Lang seemed to echo repeatedly in his head: "These lyrics are truly heartfelt; we're all living worse than birds!"

"They gave me a pair of wings, they gave me a direction, they said that was happiness, so I flew sweetly towards it with hope, and then I saw the truth, there was no happiness there, only a big wall... Flying back and forth... I flew back and forth... full of hope, I was like a little bird..."

"What ironic lyrics! It really has the feel of the golden age of Chinese rock!" Pan Jianhu said with deep emotion, as he came from that era.

The transition from the old to the new, the flourishing of openness, that was an era where the collision and surge of ideas were most likely to spark new ideas, which is why lyrics of this kind often appear in rock music. Now, China is in a prosperous era, a time of peace and stability. Although the essence of society remains unchanged, the abundance of material conditions has led many to abandon critical thinking, simply enjoying the fruits of social progress without taking the time to reflect.

That's why this kind of music, with its attitude and thoughtfulness, is so precious in the current domestic rock scene. As for market acceptance, it has never been Pan Jianhu's first priority. He believes that as long as the music is good enough, it will eventually be discovered.

Therefore, he is extremely grateful to be able to collaborate with Bian Lang. He feels that he has the opportunity to watch a new rock star rise in China.

"I fly here and there, I fly here and there, I fly here and there, like a little bird..."

Amid Bian Lang's seemingly endless repetition, Magpie sensed a feeling of improvisation on the spot.

Just like when musicians get into a party and get into high spirits, someone starts a group of musicians, and then all sorts of musicians join in, with melodies running wild and lyrics being imaginative!

But Bian Lang's work is more than that. The melody sounds casual, but the lyrics are anything but simple. By writing about birds in a semi-anthropomorphic way, each verse is a progressive relationship, infinitely amplifying the sense of helplessness between ideals and reality.

The current cycle is like pondering an answer... or perhaps there is no answer at all!

Just when Magpie thought the song would end with this open ending, Bian Lang's singing began to change again after being repeated several times:

"I no longer want to be numb, no longer want to be manipulated, no longer want to waste my life in lies... We once wandered the streets, letting the cold wind beat against our chests; we once clenched our fists, fighting for a little bit of freedom. Let's sing together, let's sing a song of freedom; let's fly together, let's fly into the sky..."

Let's sing together, let's sing a song of freedom, let's fly together! Like a little bird...like a little bird

Because of us!

Born free!

In the last sentence, Bian Lang looked up at the sky and his true high notes soared to E5 again. The head resonance rubbed against the bottom of his vocal cords, and the metallic and grainy sound seemed to be about to blow off the roof of the entire factory!

This also caused everyone present to mentally freeze.

Bian Lang's rhythm guitar this time was completely according to his own whims, and it differed greatly from the original version. He even used too much force in the last two strokes and broke a string.

After a while, led by Pan Jianhu, applause and whistles finally broke out in the audience.

Magpie bit his lip as he walked onto the stage and said to Bian Lang, "Brother Bian, I'm totally impressed by your song! I was a bit harsh just now, please just think of it as me being young and naive..." After saying that, he turned to the others and asked, "Does anyone have any questions?"

"Magpie, stop putting on that act. Bian Lang just said that even without this whole mess, we'd still get priority for suitable songs. Why would he take your little fuss to heart!"

"Magpie, how come I never noticed before? You're quite cunning! Following Rolling Stones to join Joyful Music means you're on board too, right? Don't just leave after your training! We're counting on you, the lead singer, to carry us!"

Upon hearing this, Bian Lang, having recovered his senses, laughed and cursed, "Damn, Magpie, you weren't just trying to trick me, were you?"

Magpie quickly changed her expression and denied it, saying, "That's not true. Do you think I, Magpie, am that kind of person?"

This banter immediately dispelled the previous tense atmosphere.

Only Pan Jianhu and a few other elderly members of the Da Feng Band, who were most deeply moved, were still savoring the meaning of the lyrics.

"Just circulate the recording internally, don't upload it online. We're going to show this song to those guys at the Ximangmang Music Festival!" Pan Jianhu said to the group who had just taken out their phones.

"Don't worry, Tiger, we know what we're doing!"

"By the way, Bian Lang, are you still short of people? You see..." The speaker was the keyboardist of the Big Wind Band.

But before she could finish speaking, Tang Dafeng glared at her and shut her up: "Don't go and mess with those young people!"

"Fine, never mind!"

Seeing that Bian Lang had resolved this somewhat difficult matter so easily with his song, Pan Jianhu felt a weight lifted from his heart. He didn't want this issue of quotas to disrupt the atmosphere of the Nanyin family.

"Alright, that's settled then. Everyone go about their own business."

Although Pan Jianhu said that, no one left the scene. What serious business could a bunch of rock musicians have in the morning besides sleeping? It's rare for them to get together like that, so it's nice to chat, exchange ideas, and have some fun. Of course, there's also the intention of trying to build a relationship with Bian Lang, the new big shot.

Although they said they would give me the song, everyone understands that relationships matter, and closeness or distance can at least determine the order of priority.