Why did the song "Hometown Love" attract criticism when it was first sung?

Li Jiayi and "what's the matter? Published by Deng: 2007-12/0716:16 Guangming daily internal news.

That's what happened. As early as the end of 1979 and the beginning of 1980, CCTV produced and broadcasted a tourist film and TV series "The Legend of Three Gorges", one of which was called "Homesickness", which expressed that the Yangtze River was flowing to Zigui and came to the wonderful place where Princess Ming grew up, and could not help but send a message to a young woman Wang in China. I remember a beautiful woman in ancient costume, dancing with long sleeves, expressing her thoughts alone on the beautiful Xiajiang River with lush trees. "Homesickness" is the song sung at this time. It is said that this is the inevitable feeling and emotion when the scene blends and the scenery and characters combine.

Director Ma Jinghua originally wrote a word for composer Zhang Piji. After the lyrics are finished, they are given to singer Li Guyi to sing. Although all three have first-class skills and exhausted their creative efforts, the performance effect is not ideal, so that an uncompromising quarrel happened in the recording studio as soon as the backup singing ended. The director thinks the tune is too passionate and has no lyrical flavor. Of course, composers also have their own reasons to complain about the poor writing of songs. Li Guyi, with a singer's intuition, also felt that there was something wrong with this song, so he turned to persuade Zhang Piji to let him revise it, and assured him that he must sing this song well.

Under the persuasion of Li Guyi, the two sides reached an agreement: both of them revised the original lyrics and songs, or both of them re-created. Because expressing this homesickness is not delicate, deep and soothing, it really cannot be fully expressed.

After two days, the songs and lyrics have been changed and sent to Li Guyi, which is a completely different scene and another realm. Li Guyi himself was touched, so he was full of affection when he sang. His lingering homesickness, his deep, mournful and tearful parting were touching. Before the song ended, she was in tears.

However, it is such a song that has produced unexpected consequences after it entered the society. After the broadcast, although it was very popular with the masses, people could be heard humming everywhere in the streets. However, there are also strong voices of reprimand, criticism and even condemnation. You often see critical articles in newspapers and magazines. Some said: "This song is boring, with a low style, and it is not healthy enough in temperament, taste, character and character"; Some people say that "this song is a gloomy, decadent, deep and lingering decadent voice", and Li Guyi's soft singing is the most criticized.

It turns out that as early as when singing the episode "Tears of My Sister Looking for My Brother" and "Eddy Flowers" for the award-winning film "Little Flower" and the episode "Roses in My Heart" and "Wipe away the Tears of Sadness" for the film "Tears", Li Guyi boldly and innovatively tried to skillfully apply the soft voice and vocal singing commonly used in western operas and China classical operas to modern songs. This breakthrough immediately refreshed China's music scene, like a fresh wind blowing people's hearts that have been bound for a long time, and the soothing soft voice and trembling voice made people feel unprecedented artistic enjoyment and feelings. Because of this small innovation, Li Guyi's songs have penetrated into the hearts of the broad masses, and Li Guyi has become a household name. When the film Hundred Flowers Award was selected, "Tears of Sister Looking for Brother" and "Glory" were rated as the best supporting songs. But at the same time, it also attracted a whisper and various criticisms. Many people think that this kind of singing is inappropriate, out of line, deviant and does not conform to the laws of socialist art. As a result, many well-intentioned people came out to warn her: "We should stop, and it will be dangerous to go on!"

However, some songs she sang at that time were highly political themes reflecting the revolutionary war and opposing the persecution of the Gang of Four. Although the singing methods of songs are somewhat innovative, it is difficult for people who don't like these songs to say more. When Hometown Love came out, the problem of Li Guyi's singing, which had been brewing for a long time, broke out completely. Old and new ideas, old and new barriers, old and new contradictions, old and new differences, all broke out in this song. What is "creaking and pretentious", what is "completely imitating foreign pop songs, which is worthless", "very similar to the way overseas singers sing pop songs at present" and "the same as the entertainment life in capitalist societies such as cafes, bars, dance halls and nightclubs there". Some said: "It is detrimental to the image of an ancient heroine to sing such a decadent voice"; Some said: "Wang Zhaojun, who uses an electric guitar with long sleeves, is neither fish nor fowl." Others wrote a doggerel to satirize: "Zhao Jun and Li Jun are kings, and they don't hold the pipa or the electronic organ!" In addition to these arguments confined to the scope of art, others have extended them widely, linking Li Guyi's singing with social phenomena such as trousers washing, Hong Kong-style head washing and juvenile delinquency. Some people even engage in syllogism of formal logic to prove that light music, Hong Kong and Taiwan music and decadent music are connected without stopping; Continuously connect lyric songs, pop songs and yellow songs; Li Xianglan, Teresa Teng and Lee? You can connect without interruption. Even those who once said, "I always speak for Li Guyi" now think she has gone too far. "We now feel sorry for Comrade Li Guyi's choice of such a path." As for people who didn't like Li Guyi's singing before, they were even more furious. So at that time, lightning, thunder, hail and sleet attacked her together. In the music industry, the Yangtze River storm repeats itself.

1During April 1980, she received a letter from a leading comrade of the Central Orchestra, warning her that if she continued, there would be no soil suitable for her to express her artistic talent and she had to find another job. This is a cruel marching orders. Because under the system at that time, once a person was expelled from a certain unit, no other unit was willing to accept the cobbler again. I wonder, under such circumstances, where else can she find the soil suitable for developing her talents? It was this month that people in the music industry held a forum in Beijing. At the meeting, a person in charge of the music industry criticized "Homesickness" by name, which was very specific: the problem of words and songs is not big, but the problem is singing. He also told the composer that if someone wanted to sing again, they could give the green light and agree to broadcast it on radio and TV stations. Everything seems clear. Li Guyi is the only person in the Yangtze River who fell into the storm.

At the same time, there are also some things in life that are used as hype materials and are embellished. Some people implicitly and euphemistically mentioned that Li Guyi divorced Kim because of emotional disharmony, saying that she sang all her songs too melancholy and sentimental because of the twists and turns of her life; Someone even teased her that she was going to get married a hundred times. A cross-talk actor actually made up a much-told joke about a housewife who loves to rap and said to everyone, "Do you know? Li Guyi is married again! In the department store, I married Zhang Binggui, and their wedding photos were placed in the window of the studio. " Someone went to the photo studio and said to the rapper, "That's not a wedding photo. The photos in the window are placed separately, one in the east and the other in the west. " Hearing this, the rapper pouted and said, "Hey, you don't know, you left yesterday!" " "

It is in this climate that I interviewed Li Guyi with reasons. As we are not familiar with the Central Orchestra and the threshold, with the help of others, our interview went smoothly. Some leaders of the orchestra and some comrades familiar with Li Guyi warmly received us. Although people have different views on Li Guyi, they all frankly and unreservedly introduced the situation in Li Guyi and their own views.

At that time, Li Guyi was performing in other places, and she was not able to see her. After we cleaned up the peripheral battlefield, we flew to Shanghai The comrades of Shanghai reporter station heard that the reason was coming, and everyone was very enthusiastic and cooperated vigorously, which provided us with a lot of convenience.

In May, lilacs were in full bloom. In the intoxicating spring breeze, we followed the crowd into the wide and bright gymnasium hall and sat down at an off-angle position. Today, the Central Orchestra is performing here. People heard that Li Guyi was taking part in the performance. At 2 o'clock in the middle of the night, they braved the drizzle and lined up to buy tickets. Ordinary music programs are rarely held in the gymnasium because the venue is too big. If you can't sell so many tickets, the venue will be sparse and the effect will be bad. But on that day, the 18000-seat Shanghai Gymnasium was packed.

Li Guyi was wearing a crimson dress, and the last one came out. Although she is light-footed, graceful and elastic, you can see that her face is a little tired and her heart is full of waves. Her singing is very touching. As soon as she spoke, the audience meditated quietly and the needles fell off. What she confides in is the true feelings that people can feel.

When the last program reported Homesickness, I looked at the reason in surprise and could hardly believe my ears. Does she dare to sing "Homesickness" in public? What are the consequences? With mixed feelings, we entered the poetic artistic realm created by her. The Three Gorges is magnificent and full of weather. The ancient women, far beyond their ambitions, looked back step by step and looked around, presenting themselves clearly and picturesque in front of people.

Your figure,

Your singing,

It's always in my heart.

Yesterday has passed,

It's hard to see each other again,

How can I forget your affection? ...

At the end of the song, the mood of the crowd at the venue reached boiling point, and applause echoed in the hall like spring tide. Li Guyi just walked around like an athlete, thanking the audience for being kind to her.

In Shanghai, we visited her. She said that she was very busy, the orchestra implemented semi-independent economic accounting, and the expenses of the orchestra mainly depended on the performance income of the comprehensive orchestra. She said that in the past year, she has performed more than 200 performances. In addition, she has to sing for movies and TV series, with almost no intermission. She simply listed a timetable for us to see. Last year, on the eve of singing for the movie Little Flower, she also performed for the audience on the stage in Qinhuangdao. In order to catch the train and return to Beijing, her plan was two hours ahead of schedule. Arrive at home in the evening 12, and arrive at the recording studio of Beijing Film Studio at 8: 00 the next morning. In the morning, there is a song "Tears of Sister Looking for Brother" and in the afternoon there is a song "Edelweiss". The next morning, I returned to Beidaihe by train. Arrive at 6 pm and perform at 7 pm. In March this year, I just finished my performance in Beijing and went all the way down to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, where I performed 45 performances in 48 days. No, I just arrived in Shanghai in May, and then I will go to Tianjin, Shenyang, Dalian, Xi 'an and other places, and I will go to Guangdong and Guangxi at the end of the year. East, west, north, south, spring, summer, autumn and winter, no field can leave her behind. Seeing that Li Guyi didn't show up, the audience threw tomatoes and peaches on the stage. Once she came to Shanghai, it was past 2 o'clock at night when she got off the train, and she was recognized by the railway staff as soon as she entered the waiting room. Everyone wants her to sing a song, but it's hard to refuse! So she sang a song in the waiting room.

No matter where she is, no matter who she sings for, she is serious and puts all her feelings into it. Every word should be integrated into all her feelings, Tao Zhu. Therefore, every song that sounds melodious and relaxed to the audience is not so relaxed to the singer himself. People see shiny silk, but they don't know how silkworms spit it out. Once, when she was performing in Shenyang, the vocal cord blood vessels ruptured again and there was massive bleeding. On one side, pale pinkish purple opened a few red peach blossoms on her handkerchief. She is a cuckoo looking forward to spring, crying for blood.

When talking about the controversy caused by Hometown Love, she impulsively said: "I don't think this is a particularly exquisite song, but it does express people's attachment to their hometown. When I was singing, according to the artistic conception created by the lyrics and songs, I adopted a soft and soft singing method, which aggravated the emotional depth of the characters, so I was loved by the audience. Some people accuse this singing method of simply imitating popular songs in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which is wrong. In fact, soft and soft tones are used in western operas, China ancient operas and even some folk songs. Western singers often sigh to keep a deep breath and relax their throats to the extent that their voices are relaxed. As for the light tone, it is more common in China opera. In Hometown Love, I use light tone more, because light tone can better express the sadness and nostalgia of Wang Zhaojun when he left. In any case, it can't compare with the pop songs of Hong Kong and Taiwan. Some people say that I try to learn from singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan. How should I learn? The monthly salary is only 49 Fifty dollars, not even a tape recorder. Besides, I am too busy to breathe all day, and I have no time to learn if I want to! The reason why I still have the courage to sing Homesickness today is mainly because of the support of the broad masses. I get letters from all over the country every day. The support of the audience and the audience is the greatest encouragement and strength. "

At the end of the month, we returned to Beijing from Shanghai, and then visited many comrades who had contact with Li Guyi in Beijing, including Ma Jinghua and Zhang Piji, the authors of Homesickness, Kai Chuan and Elvis Presley, the songwriters of Tears for My Elder Sister. What deserves special mention here is Professor Jin of the Central Conservatory of Music (of course, he was not a professor at that time). Although divorced from Li Guyi, I heard that when we came to interview Li Guyi, he was still very happy and enthusiastic, and there was no bad feeling because of his personal life. It can also be seen that their clutch is completely aboveboard. In June and July, the weather was very hot, and I sweated and smoked before I entered the house. Kim had already prepared, and immediately took out an iced watermelon from the kitchen and cut it to entertain us.

As an expert, he gave us a detailed introduction to the characteristics and artistic achievements of Li Guyi's singing, especially the breakthrough in the use of light tone and air tone. His praise is unreserved. When he speaks, his face is always beaming and his pride is beyond words. He said confidently: "I have trained a first-class singer Li Guyi, and I can also train the second and third outstanding talents in the same way." We were also very excited to hear it, saying that we would do a special report in the future. Regrettably, Comrade Reason went to Hong Kong later, and we failed to fulfill our promise to make a special report on the teaching method of gold.

19801010.8, our interview manuscript "Li Guyi and Homesickness" was published in Guangming Daily, which had a strong response in the society. Readers have written to the newspaper and Li Guyi himself. I remember that the manuscript publishing group at that time sent a large bundle of letters from readers every day, and packed a sack within three to five days. These letters come from all kinds of people, including ordinary workers, students, cadres, teachers, soldiers, teachers, scientific and technological workers, literary and art colleagues, teenage middle school students and retired old people. In college, the reaction is the strongest. The newspaper was taken to the student dormitory, and several people scrambled to read it. Because I can't wait, I have to cut a newspaper into pieces for everyone to exchange. Guangming Daily also published a column on165438+1October 9, in which some letters were summarized and the editor's note was added: "Li Guyi and Homesickness was published in the third edition of Japanese newspaper on October 8, 65438+/kloc-0, which aroused strong repercussions and received hundreds of letters from all over the country.

Most of the letters from readers support Li Guyi and like her singing skills, but they don't agree to suppress her innovation and breakthrough. A bank official said, "I don't know music, what is' soft voice' and' angry voice', but I know that people like to listen to Li Guyi's songs, and only know that Li Guyi's songs can arouse people's emotions and give people beautiful enjoyment." A college student said, "The first time I heard Li Guyi sing Homesickness, I was shocked. It's like being in a dream. I have never heard such a touching song! " A middle school teacher said: "It is not allowed to engage in' innovative monologues', only to praise elegance for a long time, and actors are not allowed to follow suit. If they deviate a little, they are heretics. Does this conform to the law of artistic development? If you shout' Let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend' every day, and even ignore or even shoot a song' Hometown Love', I'm afraid you'll never appreciate' Forehand Helmsman' in China's music scene! "

But there are also some letters from opponents. Some people say "Homesickness" is just an ordinary song. "The screams in Shanghai and Tianjin gymnasiums can't be used as an example of Nostalgia being praised by the masses. Thousands of letters of support can't explain the problem. " Think Guangming Daily exaggerates Li Guyi. "This practice also has a name, called' killing'." Others satirize the author with obscene words, saying: "Those who sing the praises of loyal subjects and martyrs are righteous; Those who support singers and prostitutes are also customers. "

Criticism and opposition articles have appeared in newspapers and periodicals for 1 years. Until 198 1 year1kloc-0/month, some people published a long article on people's music, accusing the author of "Li Guyi and Nostalgia" of "the social effect obtained by exaggerating and distorting the facts" and warning the author in one sentence, "If we continue to explore the new beauty advocated by the author, the author will show that writing this article.

Moreover, some authoritative figures in the music industry also organized a special forum in a central newspaper, entitled "Discussion on Current Music Creation and Performance", which was published several times in succession. Many music authorities wrote articles criticizing Li Guyi's singing style, Nostalgia and Li Guyi and Nostalgia. An expert wrote: "Some singers imitate the vulgar styles of some Hong Kong and Taiwan singers step by step in order to cater to the vulgar tastes of a few audiences. In this regard, some people, instead of helping people distinguish truth, goodness, beauty from falsehood and ugliness, praise it greatly, as if this is the authentic music scene in China today, confusing the popular and vulgar, frivolous and frivolous, free and easy and dissolute, euphemistic and delicate, and melodramatic. Those vulgar support and cheap applause not only polluted our music forum, but also led the winners astray. "

One day, I went to Li Guyi's house. She was in a mixed mood, but on the whole, she was very grateful to Guangming Daily for reporting on her. She dragged a big wooden bucket from under the bed, which contained 7,800 letters from readers. Li Guyi said, "I looked at these letters with tears in my eyes. They, ordinary workers, students, cadres, the elderly and children ... have sent me great warmth and support through these letters, giving me great encouragement and strength. The songs I have sung, the blood I have vomited, the tears I have shed, and the grievances I have suffered are nothing compared to the deep affection of this sea. "

I picked up those letters with all kinds of handwriting, stamps and postmarks, and I also felt a spiritual heat wave, a spark of excitement, and a meeting of simple and sincere feelings. What I said is "confluence", which is very appropriate, because many letters are signed with the words "We are a group of teenagers", "Me and my comrades", "Our class" and "Me and my family" ...

Rodin, a French master of art, once said, "unfair criticism will arouse people's disgust, forcing them to think about their sympathy for artists and show this sympathy more clearly." So is Li Guyi. Take a recent performance in Tianjin Gymnasium as an example. Originally, there was no "homesickness" on the program, but when she took the curtain call, the audience shouted "homesickness" and "homesickness". Without this procedure, she will not be allowed to leave. When she began to sing, the crowd applauded warmly. She finished singing the song to the rhythmic applause of the crowd. Don't those audiences just want to appreciate art? If only to appreciate art, she won't interfere with her beautiful singing with applause. The applause of the audience is their speech and a way for them to express their opinions.

She was also very nervous about the articles published in some newspapers and kept explaining to me: "Last time I was a little excited, when I introduced the situation, I said that I only got 49 yuan a month. What's the use of buying a tape recorder for 50 yuan? Things are a little different. I was promoted this year, and my salary rose to 55 yuan. Besides, I have paid the manuscript fee and bought a tape recorder. As for the number of performances, you wrote more than 200 performances in half a year. I recently calculated that it is 1 year instead of half a year. I explained it in the newspaper the other day. "

I said, "in this way, your financial situation is much better than before!" " "She said with a smile," I never pretend to be poor, and I don't complain about my great contribution and low income. I never care about this. " With that, she also opened the wardrobe and showed me her new clothes, of course, some ordinary ones.

We talked a lot that day, and she invited me to stay for dinner. She let menstruation buy 30 cents of minced meat and cooked a slag noodle. To tell the truth, people's lives were at this level at that time; At the same time, it also shows that she is practical, devoted to her career and never pays attention to life.

Li Guyi's songs are becoming more and more popular this year. Li Guyi's voice is everywhere in the north and south of the great river, inside and outside the Great Wall, and "Homesickness" is sung everywhere. More and more people agree with Li Guyi's innovation, and the resistance of censure and suppression has not stopped the pace of the times. Many younger singers made bolder innovations from Li Guyi's innovations, and some even imitated Li Guyi's singing style. The names of two and three are often heard in society.

One day, china national radio asked me to write them an exclusive interview with Li Guyi, so the radio reporter and I came to Li Guyi's house again. By this time, she had married Xiao Zhuoneng and moved into the naval compound. This time she showed me more of a housewife. She is gentle and considerate to her husband, takes good care of her 3-year-old daughter and loves her endlessly. Her husband is also very kind to her, cares about her career, and gives support and help in all aspects. Some words in Li Guyi Putonghua are not pronounced correctly. I saw him correct some words on the spot. That day, he not only helped Li Guyi answer many questions raised by reporters, but also offered to go to the kitchen to cook some dishes for me, and said, "I heard that Li Guyi only gave you 30 cents of minced meat last time, and I will supply you this time." Li Guyi also smiled and pointed to her husband and said, "His craftsmanship is much better than mine. He is good at cooking! "

Later, I sent reportage "Li Guyi, a crying cuckoo" and "She is on a voyage" to several literary magazines.

When I last saw her, she was already the head of the light music group. She took great pains to set up this group. Despite the leadership of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Central Orchestra, it is conceivable that there are many difficulties and obstacles in creating such a new thing on a flat land that China has never had before. Although the central policy has been opened and allowed, some people just refuse to admit it emotionally. What light music, pop songs, decadent voices! Although the Ministry of Culture supports it, it can only pay dozens of league members every month, and all other funds are raised by itself. There is no office and no rehearsal space. Li Guyi's home is the office, and her telephone is the number one station to convey instructions. Members live in every corner of the city, east, west, north and south, and they have to give notice when they want to perform. The league members sweated on a bus and immediately began to make up without taking a break to wipe the sweat off their faces. Fortunately, under her inspiration, everyone has a strong centripetal force, and no one has ever missed the scene. Even under such conditions, they performed 150 performances all over the country in the first year, and the performances were well received. Has trained Wei Wei, Fu, and other popular new star singers.

Liu Bingyi said frankly, "It's a pleasure to work with Li Jiayi! As a famous singer and bureau-level cadre, she has no airs. At work, although some things will be blushing and thick-necked, everyone will not take it to heart. After the quarrel, they still talked and laughed, never gossiping behind their backs. When a TV station or reporter comes to take pictures, she always pushes the little actor forward, but she is like a handyman, doing everything! " A person in charge of the Ministry of Culture also said: "As far as the 13 Art Troupe directly under the Ministry is concerned, the light music troupe is the first, with strict discipline and serious performance."

Under the care of the Party, Li Guyi grew rapidly, and she joined the Party on June 7th. 1986+065438. She said: "This day is very good, it is the 69th anniversary of the October Revolution, and the poor 1 year is the 70th anniversary." On the issue of joining the Party, she also smiled and said to me, "I can join the Party, and Xiao Lao (her husband) has helped me a lot. He is an old party member with high consciousness. He not only took the initiative to undertake housework, but also ensured my work in the league, and also gave me a lot of concrete help ideologically and politically. "

This is the last time I saw Comrade Li Guyi. She told me that it was a symposium held by the Publishing Bureau in the summer of 1990, and representatives from all walks of life were invited to attend for the promulgation and implementation of the Copyright Law of People's Republic of China (PRC). At the meeting, she was quick-witted and sharp-tongued, and made another wonderful and vivid speech.

We haven't seen each other since then. I heard that she has been transferred to the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe as Party Secretary. Although the number of performances has decreased in recent years, she has put more energy into art management and talent training, and countless popular singers have been trained by her. Her husband Xiao Zhuoneng is still the general manager of a company, and her daughter Xiao Yi (a baby) is a college girl.