[This is an article from the 415th issue of the Chinese magazine Modern Music Field (当代歌坛), published September 15, 2008. I'll have to try to scan it and link the picture so you can see it, but I found the article so interesting I've done a complete translation in the hope that some of you might share your opinions on the author's ideas. This much is probably obvious, but the post title is also the title of the article. One note: in place of listing authors, each article in the magazine has a little platitude.]
Text by: “A bicycle with a blown tire is still a bicycle.”
When you hear the word “superband,” you immediately point to (or should I say, advertise) Mayday. It’s not necessarily a criticism; from an optimistic perspective, you could say it is a sort of honor, because it proves that the territory they occupy is part of the very top level. Mayday has been a “heavenly band” for many years, originally its music included “rock and roll,” and all they had to do was stand on a stage and yell, “We are Mayday” and their fervor and extraordinariness would move people. Of course, that was then.
Today Mayday is still a “heavenly band,” it’s just that this heavenly band’s ideas are very different from what they were all those years ago. How are they different? The albums they put out will always sell well, their autograph sessions will always draw long lines of fans, their songs will always be broadcast on the t.v. and radio stations, their concert tickets will always been top-sellers. With their whole bodies from one end to the other featured in commercials, they probably aren’t even certain themselves what all the products are that they promote… it just seems that fewer and fewer people are willing to talk about their music. Perhaps in this fast-paced commercial society, talking about the music is somewhat inappropriate, but I still remember how a very young Chen Hsin-hung said, “We want to be the Chinese Beatles!” with a resolute expression on his face. Who knows if after all these years they still remember the dreams they once had.
Changed and Unchanged
Ashin says that as chance would have it, once again five of them were watching the Olympics opening ceremony, shocked to discover that four years had already passed. “What has changed is the time, what hasn’t changed is us.” But this is actually a terrifying statement that even Ashin himself had to reconsider. What is there actually that hasn’t changed? Aside from still being popular, fans still being numerous, actually everything has changed. The entire music industry has been changing, up to 2008, when the revival of indie music became an irreversible trend as the music audience’s tastes became more discerning; they need good music and are less concerned with appearances. Sodagreen or Lu Guanzhong aren’t the only indie successes, they’re just representatives. From their first appearance we were reminded of Mayday, that Mayday that stood on a stage in Kenting in 1997.
The Mayday of our memories is the rock and roll lifeblood flowing in our veins, their songs were youthful, singing of dreams, “Youth is flowing water that can’t be reversed/ In the blink of an eye it disappears from your attention/ energetically wasted/ then energetically regretted….”[1] They sang everyone’s youth, sang everyone’s deepest thoughts. Who knows how many people started making music because of them, or started chasing their own dreams. But in Born to Love they’ve already started with repetitive styles, “Is it possible that I’ve once again, once again fallen in love for the first time/ impossible I’ve once again, once again fallen in love for the first time….” [2] The arrangements have gotten more sophisticated, but the style sounds more and more like karaoke songs, and that old representative Mayday sound that reminds countless people of the craziness of youth and dreams has already faded. Ashin once sang, “Is growing up an agony all people must endure?”[3] This is something no one can avoid, not even them.
An explanation
Yoga Lin (林宥嘉) said that when he was in middle school he once really loved Mayday, but then after that for a while he never listened to their music, thinking that they’d changed. That persisted until he read Escape to Japan (浪漫的逃亡)[4]; then he started listening to their music once again, and as he listened he couldn’t help but cry, as “It’s that feeling that you had misunderstood the band you once loved, actually you needed them to give you an explanation, but it shouldn’t have been necessary.” Yoga’s feeling is one that lots of Mayday fans have experienced. Is an explanation really so important? Not necessarily. This is something that everyone understands, but because of love and anticipation is reluctant to admit. Who can expect 33-year-old Ashin to have that 17-year-old heart – we’ve grown up, they’ve matured. Changes in mentality are impossible to prevent; in the blink of an eye Guanyou and Stone are already fathers, their need for stability won’t let them be as cutting as in the past. Or perhaps it’s just that we’re too strict; the loves and hates of the very young are always straightforward, so they could heroically sing “Charge (闖)” or “People Life Ocean Wild (人生海海),” enviably free and unrestrained. But once over 30, men with families and jobs will become more tolerant. Gougou says after Stone became a father, he became surprisingly gentle. Even if they themselves still sometimes look back on their former, complicated lives when they lived only for music, it’s just a memory; Ashin is clearer on this point than anyone, because he said, “remaining unchanged can also be a kind of rare blessing.”
Dreams and Reality
This choice of topic isn’t that interesting, I agree, but it was Mayday who started out wanting to follow a path that was actually an indirect path to achieve their goal.[5] They were once Rock Records’ best-selling artist; at the time, the Rock Records CEO said, “Sell off anyone, just don’t sell off Mayday.” They were very proud, and they started to understand that if they wanted to continue to make music the prerequisite was that they be able to sell records; business and music are forever mixed up together, though they often prop each other up in ridiculous ways. When Mayday had an interview in Beijing, the reporter asked, “What do you guys like to eat?” But a nearby band manager interrupted and said, “They might be the spokesman for a product in this area, so they cannot answer.” When asked, “Then what kind of clothes do you like to wear?” That nearby manager once again appeared, explaining which labels they represent. And so it went, circling around again and again. Everyone was embarrassed, and Mayday could only smile apologetically.
This society emphasizes fair trade; if you want space to make your music, then you need to adhere to business requests – the reality is cold. They have always been caught between dream and reality, looking for the most suitable balance between them, but that balance cannot support their dreams, so in the end there is nothing to do but endlessly look in the direction of reality and lean that way. In “The Apple (一棵蘋果),” they said, “After enduring an endless wait, dreams are dreams, I’m still just me.” Too much of life is uncontrollable, trying in this way to follow a path that conflicts with the ideal, such as All God’s Children Can Dance (神的孩子都在跳舞) was full of controversy, then Born to Love (為愛而生) nearly turned them into a victim of commercialism in the eyes of the music fans, and an object lesson for many other bands. When “Garbage Truck (垃圾車)” was turned into “You’re like instant noodles, just add some hot water, and our friendship is immediately fragrant and deep,” nothing seemed remotely alright.[6] It’s impossible to avoid being contaminated by commercial interests, but no one is willing to see their favorite band so utterly compromised. Now fans of those bands that are starting to get popular often ask each other, “Will they be the next Mayday?”
Past and Present
If you had a time machine, to what era would you want Mayday to return? I liked them best in the era from People Life, Ocean Wild (人生海海) to Time Machine (時光機). Back then they were still pure and simple, without too many business agreements getting in their way. But actually this kind of nostalgia leaves no doubt, they cannot return to the old glories of the “blue three.”[7] “We” hope they are a certain way and their personal choices have no real relation.[8] Time Machines are only things we sing about, and even if we gave Mayday the chance to go back and choose all over again, they might very well have chosen to take the same road. Abandoning reality for the sake of your dreams is something that only childish people do.
Actually I’ve also thought countless times, what if Mayday was never compromised by commerce? They probably wouldn’t have become so unbalanced as to fall down; they wouldn’t be like they are now, so completely covered in the stench of commercialism. Perhaps they would have continued to write songs that makes people’s blood boil, then because they couldn’t draw a good price been sold from one company to another, cracking under the strain of poverty, until they don’t even exist anymore… I’m just saying it is a possibility.
But really, saying this is not to excuse them, because choosing to take a commercial path doesn’t mean you can’t keep writing good songs, though clearly they haven’t managed to do this. It’s been disappointing, but we’re only disappointed because we continue to have great hopes for them. Mayday can’t be replicated, they’re like a ticket, having vividly and honestly carried too many people through their youth and into adulthood, they have far greater spiritual meaning than influential music. What will become of them now? Will they continue to be victims of commercialism, so that aside from selling lots of albums and concert tickets, they are a nothing-special idol band? Will they once again write fighting songs, once again get awards for them? It’s hard to say. When it comes to Mayday, the best method is to wait. I think Mayday is not dead yet, because Ashin said, “This time we definitely want to create an album we can be proud of.” At least I’m willing to believe; what’s more, I’ve always believed.
[Translator's Notes:]
[1] From “Crazy World 瘋狂世界”
[2] From “Another First Love 我又初戀了”
[3] From “Eternal Summer 盛夏光年”
[4] Escape to Japan was Ashin’s book about traveling in Japan; it came out in January 2008.
[5] Literally, it is “a curved line to national salvation (曲線救國).” The idiom originates from the Second Sino-Japanese War, when it was sometimes not possible to defeat the Japanese directly on a field of battle, so individuals took indirect actions to undermine the Japanese army and puppet government.
[6] This is a moment I think we can all agree was a low point in the band’s history. The author has a little play on words here, as he says that this song “年輕就要對味” was not remotely “對味.”
[7] The “blue three” or “藍三” refers to the first three albums – the ones with the blue-themed covers (i.e. World Crazy 瘋狂世界, Viva Love 愛情萬歲, and People Life, Ocean Wild 人生海海).
[8] That “we” is from “我們“, which can also be translated as “Us,” is a reference to the last song on the Time Machine album.
What an excellent piece! Do you have a link to the chinese version?
This is a truly a great piece, I would like to read the original too. Thanks for the translation Merry!
I do agree with the writer on many levels, almost as though he/she is putting into words what I felt. I really like the anecdote with Yoga Lin, Mayday’s music had accompanied for many years, through my schooling days, some of the lowest and most confused days of my life. It’s like an old friend who is always there, I may move on and make new friends but at the end of the day it’s still my old friend who’s there to hold my hand and brave the storm with me. I guess this is why despite some of the lackluster music that Mayday had produced recently, fans are still believing in them.
The new album is out for pre-order next month, with all the drama about leaked songs and preparation, I am eagerly looking forward to the new material Mayday has in store. Hopefully it’s all brand new songs ^^
On a side note, some fans of sodagreen have expressed sentiments that they do not want sodagreen to get so big/famous in fear that they will become too commercialize, which will lead to them compromising their music and style. It is as though excellent music and commercial interests are fundamentally incompatible…
Excellent article indeed. I completely agree about the repetitive style in the lyrics that they seem to have adopted in “Born to Love”. The songs grow on you, but they don’t pack the same punch. What happened to the lyrics of “An Apple” or “Embrace”?
But what we’re seeing now from Mayday is, sorry to say, crass commercialisation. I can understand if the bulk of the money from the endorsements is going back into the studio and the recording, but some of what they’ve done, particularly the revised version of Garbage Truck, is a bit unforgivable.
I’m sort of pinning my hopes on the new album and praying that: 1) Ashin does a better job with the lyrics this time, and 2) they try to break some new ground with their music. I’m not expecting another “Time Machine” (oh if only), but they can definitely do better than “Born to Love”.
“The entire music industry has been changing, up to 2008, when the revival of indie music became an irreversible trend as the music audience’s tastes became more discerning; they need good music and are less concerned with appearances.”
^Do the Fahrenheit fans know this?
I haven’t gotten the chance to really delve into the history of Mayday, since I’ve only known about them for maybe a little longer than I’ve known about Jay Chou. So, I’m not really sure how they’ve changed over the years.
First of all, nice work for translating this!
IMO, all artists are dependent on commercial goals, the same for Mayday. But I think their music, including lyrics, is becoming more pop than rock nowadays.
and btw, weren’t The Beattles also a pop group? =o
Kite & Peiwen – There’s not an online version (the magazine doesn’t even have a website as far as I can tell), but as soon as I find someone with a good scanner, I will put up the image of the article, so you can read the original. If I was truly dedicated I would retype it too, but… well, I’ll get it scanned as soon as I can.
I think the difference with people like Fahrenheit and S.H.E and a lot of the other pop acts is that they never existed for any reason other than crass commercialism. There’s no betrayal of an ideal (real or imagined) – they were never about music, but always about image and sales, sales, sales. Mayday is different for some of us, I think, because it seemed like they were once about something more.
Just writing pop music (like the Beatles or U2) isn’t by itself a horrible thing (I happen to like pop music), nor is taking on a lot of advertisements if the music doesn’t suffer. If it does, you have to wonder what makes them different from groups like Fahrenheit. It’s not unlike the standard I hold for Jay, hobielover – all of my Jay bashing in the last year comes because he is not living up to my expectations for him. (And, well, because he dressed up as a cowboy. It’s almost too easy…) But when I go back and listen to Mayday’s earlier music (or even more recent work, like Ashin’s “Eternal Summer” from 2006), I’m reminded that yes, I am a superfan. And then I get excited and hopeful for the new material.
There’s another issue here that the author didn’t mention, but that was the whole Mandarin/Taiwanese issue. To what extent do we believe Ashin when he says they just haven’t had melodies suited to Taiwanese lyrics, and to what extent is the mainland market the major issue?
that’s an extremely interesting article, thanks for linking it! for me, personally, i actually really like slick-mayday, for some strange reason – maybe because i actually prefer more commercial/complicated music arrangements. Ashin’s maturity in terms of lyrics still resonates strongly within my daily life, and I guess it is for that that I continue to support them!
that said, i have to agree that recently their music is starting to sound slightly repetitive. But being that they are a big band, this is inevitable. Just look at their good friends, GLAY, in japan. That band is several times larger than mayday in terms of fanbase, and recently their music is starting to disappear/grow old too. >.
I’ve noticed that decrease in Taiwanese lyrics, too. Not just with Mayday, though. In Jay’s last album, for instance, there were only 2 lines of Taiwanese. 2 lines! Think back to “Eight Dimensions.” There was a whole song back then just in Hokkien, and before that, in “Fantasy,” “爸，我回来了” was maybe half in Taiwanese. At least A-Yue included some Amis (or at least I think it’s Amis) in his “OK” album.
Yup, Amis. This is all true, though I think it is more pronounced in the minds of Mayday fans because the first three albums were all half and half – 6 Mandarin songs, 6 Taiwanese songs. A-yue, at least, has always played with using other languages, but he is first and foremost a Mandarin artist, and most of his albums are too. Same with Cowboy Jay (remember, I have all but one of his albums myself! I’m quite clear on his history
)
Oh, but speaking of both Jay and celebrity endorsements, I’m sitting here eating “Korean Kimchee Flavor” potato chips with Jay’s face on the package. It was either this or the blueberry, and I still need to work up the courage to try blueberry-flavored potato chips.
Yeah, I remember you have almost all of Jay’s albums.
I think the most courage I managed to get together recently was to try those shrimp-favored fries. A Chinese friend had them and I said I’d never tried them, and he offered them, so I had to accept. Blueberry potato chips actually don’t sound so bad, but I suppose kimchi would be more like pizza flavor and probably safer. (If you have a picture of the packaging, would you show me so I can fangirl all over it?
)
i don’t totally agree with the article. there is a reason why celebrities are going for advertising and concerts etc, which doesn’t seem to be strongly mentioned. money. people need money to survive and get on with their own lives. and apparently in the era of illegal downloading of their music, they opt for ways to secure their income. i don’t live in taiwan or china or asia and i haven’t seen any mayday advertising and the lot, but i feel that the fact that they are endorsing many products does not affect their ability to create and perform music.
i haven’t heard too many of mayday’s earlier works, but from born to love onwards, i have loved every single song mayday has sung. and from the few earlier mayday songs i have heard a distinctive difference in the arrangements and timbre in that it is much more simpler, that does not mean that mayday’s current music is all that bad. good or not is up to you to decide according to your own tastes and preferences, but is the music so bad that you don’t want to listen to them anymore?
on top of that i don’t totally agree on the bit of repetitiveness mentioned everywhere and in the comments. surely if you listen to a barrage of songs sung by the same artist, then surely you will hear similarities, especially if the artist sings a particular genre of music. this can be applied to any artist, not only mayday. jay chou anyone? and on the lyrics side of things, there’s only so much you can write that expresses love, different phases and views of love etc, in some sort of way. all the love songs that i have listened to refer to the same motifs of ‘missing you’, ‘protecting you’, ‘loving you’, ‘thinking of you’ etc etc with symbolisms of ‘heaven’, ‘angels’, ‘fairy tales’ etc etc. what else do you expect from lyrics that relate to love? do you really want to listen to something totally new and bizarre like as in andrew marvell’s “vegetable love”?
i think not
this article is definitely interesting to read, but i cannot agree with the essence of it. the article says something along the lines of mayday singing the “hearts of people” (i don’t even know how to express this in english properly), but do people listen to music just because of this? i sure don’t. i listen to music which catches my attention through the melody, and that mayday’s music does. when i’m bored or in a lecture or whenever, some mayday tune will spiral around my conscience. that is why i listen to their music, their catchyness and nice rhythms.
music is music after all. you can’t expect too much.
I think the part about money is left out simply because it’s obvious, and no one really wants finance issues to keep people from making good music. If Mayday’s current music isn’t “all that bad,” then that’s not all that good. Same thing with Jay Chou, LeeHom Wang, or anyone else we have high expectations for. We want to surprised in a good way, like when Jay Chou first released “Fantasy” and blew everyone away.
“Catchyness” is something you might find in a Fahrenheit song. It doesn’t really define “good music.”
Music, afterall, is music.
Pop, rock, mayday, jay chou, fahrenheit.
whoever whatever.
What’s most impt is for the song to have been there for you and with you tru a period of time or tru an impt experience in your life, that’s wads important, vital and valuable.
When we become fans, we judge and judge much more critically than everyone else.
I agree with the part of us being disappointed with them, cause they can’t keep up to OUR expectations. But we just keep forgetting that their lives are progressing at a difference pace from ours, and before we’ve entered the stage of life, they have, already.
We caught the shadows of their life at different parts that matched ours.
How can we expect them to grow, mature and live at the same pace as we do?
If you or you or you or you, think this particular tune is only catchy, meaningless or plain commercial, think again, it might had been important to someone else, you know?
If the song doesn’t hit you as hard as how “the apple” or “feng kuang shi jie” did, it does not mean it will not hit you as hard when you’re also in the same phrase of life as they are now – fathers, family and all.
What a wonderful article. Brave, honest, well written, beautifully translated. And it seems to sum up my feelings, too.
I discovered Mayday back in 1999. The “Blue Three” really were something special. So much personality and positive energy. Each album was more polished than the last, but still had Mayday’s distinctive flavor. “Time Machine” was a bit different, not as innocent, but it was the pinnacle of their artistic achievement.
Since then — to me — it’s just been flashes of genius amid a sort of grand dullness. I think “Time Machine” was probably the turning point. During the “Blue Three” period, they were racing against time before they’d be called away to the Army. During the Army period, they spent time apart, did different things and were probably anxious to get back together and make music again. You could hear that on the album, and it was full of fresh ideas.
But what then? There was no race against time, no anticipation of getting back together, just a future of stardom stretched out before them. With Stone and Guanyou becoming fathers and so on, who could expect them to reject easy stardom and concentrate on making risky music?
And yet, lacking a source of energy and newness, what could make their music compelling to us?
I feel sorry for them, knowing how powerful their mission once was, and maybe searching for what will make it meaningful for them again.