黃霑

[Ian_Lee]

黃霑 passed away last night.

Wong belonged to one of 香港四大才子 (The other three are 金庸、倪匡和蔡瀾).

Wong was most famous in song composing. 《上海灘》and《笑傲江湖》were both composed by him.

And his book about erotic jokes 《不文集》is the ever best selling book in Hong Kong.

[skylee]

This is sad. He was really talented. 霑 was his adopted name, probably after 曹霑.

He wrote the lyrics for 上海灘, and also 獅子山下. Both songs were composed by 顧家輝.

[Ian_Lee]

The lyric of one of Wong's most famous songs:

沧海一声笑 滔滔两岸潮

(在茫茫沧海之上，我一声大笑，激起两岸滔滔狂潮 / 两岸滔滔潮起，我面对沧海一声大笑。)

深沉随浪 只记今朝

(船随海浪沉浮，今天的聚会永不能忘 / 往事都随海浪浮沉而去，只有现在的事儿，人们还知道。)

苍天笑 纷纷世上潮

(苍天笑对世上人的命运，像起伏的浪潮)

谁负谁胜出 天知晓

(谁会失败，谁能胜利，只有天才知道)

江山笑 烟雨遥

(江山含笑，面对着远处的烟雨)

涛浪淘尽红尘俗世几多娇

(惊涛骇浪淘尽了人间多少英雄好汉。)

清风笑 竟惹寂寥

(清风带着笑声掠过，令四周更显得空寂寥廓 / 清风的笑，给人带来了无限的寂寥。)

豪情还续了一襟晚照

(幸亏夕阳中的晚霞，再次让人充满豪情 / 满怀的豪情又迎来了晚霞。)

苍生笑 不再寂寥

(芸芸众生也在欢笑，人间从此不再苍凉寂寞。)

豪情仍在痴痴笑笑

(豪情还在让我们如痴的欢笑。)

[Ian_Lee]

Wong's above album set the record of 300,000 sales volume merely in one week in Taiwan in 1991.

Wong's death was also reported by the National Post in Canada:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=76fcaa50-1f81-46fa-bf0b-18f3c2af5c9e

[jsku]

He wrote the lyrics for 上海灘, and also 獅子山下. Both songs were composed by 顧家輝.

顧家輝 should be 顧嘉煇.

[skylee]

Thank you, Ian, for putting this topic on the "Art and Literature" forum.

For those who know nothing about 獅子山下, take a look at this link. You will hear the song, and see the original video. And if you wish you can watch a few episodes of the series. It was a different HK. At those times, 獅子山下was where the poor, the grassroot lived.

The song was made by a classic team, 顧家輝 as the composer (jsku, there are different ways to write his name and I am not sure which is right), 黃霑 the lyricist, and 羅文 the singer. Wong wrote his own 不朽名句 here.

作曲︰顧家輝 　作詞︰黃霑　主唱︰羅文

人生中有歡喜　難免亦常有淚

我地大家在獅子山下相遇上

總算是歡笑多於唏噓

人生不免崎嶇　難以絕無掛慮

既是同舟在獅子山下且共濟

拋棄區分求共對

放開彼此心中矛盾　理想一起去追

同舟人誓相隨　無畏更無懼

同處海角天邊　攜手踏平崎嶇

我地大家用艱辛努力寫下那

不朽香江名句

(Note - 我地 = 我們)

黃霑 also wrote 男兒當自強, which is more popular in the mainland. You can find the lyrics and the song on this thread -> http://www.chinese-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2886&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1

Oh and he also wrote this -> http://www.chinese-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=12

[Ian_Lee]

Curiously the most interesting comment I read so far about the death of James Wong is from the Chongqing Morning Post:

http://www.cqcb.com/gb/map/2004-11/25/content_410925.htm

[Ian_Lee]

Skylee:

James Wong was like poet 柳永 in modern times. His songs have been sung through China, Taiwan, HK and any Chinese communities in the world. And I bet they will be sung for decades or even centuries in the future.

Moreover, Wong made tremendous contribution to Cantonese culture. Withotu pioneers like Wong, we would still be ashamad to talk about Cantonese pop culture.

Here is his lyric I like:

笑莫笑，悲莫悲，今朝我乘風遠去。獻盡愛，竟是哀，風中化成唏噓句!

[skylee]

For the few of you who don't know the 柳永 referenece, it is "凡有井水處，即能歌柳詞", meaning popularity.

I once heard a cleaning lady hum 上海灘 in a (no-so-clean) toilet in Shanxi Museum of History in Xi'an.

[Ian_Lee]

Aonther song from James Wong -- "China Dream":

中國夢

我的夢和你的夢，每一個夢源自黃河。

五千年無數的渴望，在河中濤濤過。

那一個夢澎湃歡樂，那一個夢平湧苦楚。

有幾回唐漢風範，讓同胞不受折磨。

那天我中國展步，何時睡獅響驚世鐘。

衝天開覓向前路，巨龍揮出自我。

要中國人人見歡樂，笑聲笑臉長伴黃河。

五千年無數中國夢，內容始終一個。

要中國人人每一個做自由樂暢幸福我。