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Each have their ways of writing, Jay Chou uses inspiration to write songs, Vincent Fang goes on missions to write lyrics
by kelvin@multistars - 27th September 2006Jay and Vincent get good results working together, how do they see each other? Do they each have pressure and confidence? What suggestions do they have for young people who want to get into music? The following is the main conversation:
Reporter: Vincent, in the past you described that you are a slow writer, and Jay is a genius type composer, is this analogy appropriate?
Jay: This description is very good!
Vincent: I think I'm a hard working type, he's a genius type, the process of writing is different, but the result is the same.
Jay: To me writing songs is a very easy thing. When I write songs for myself, the first thing I think of is the imagery, I even think of the MV, just like this, the melody will appear. If I help other people write songs, the inspiration also comes very fast, but I'm worried about saying stuff like this, those people who come to ask for songs will complain: "You can write so fast, why don't you write for me?"
To me, when you write a song for another person you first have to set a direction, like recently I helped Vivian write a song, I thought of the movie "The Shoe Fairy" she was in recently and then losing love, so I thought this mermaid topic was good; like when I helped Gigi Leung write a song, I thought she hasn't done a rock love song before. Usually when people come asking for songs, I will think about whether or not I have any feeling towards this person, if I don't have any feeling I'll say it out, if I have some idea I will try my best to write it, but if the result that comes out is not good I won't give it to them, I'm scared it'll trouble them.
Vincent: To me writing lyrics is a kind of mission, I will be very cautious. That kind of person who can write a song in 3 or 5 minutes, must be a composer, because as soon as they get inspiration, the melody will jump out, like my lyrics value imagery and structure, especially avoiding repeating lines that other people or myself have already used, sometimes I write a part, I'll go online and search if someone's used it before, like originally "William's Castle" was going to be called "Vampire", thankfully I found out IPIS already used it before, so I didn't repeat it.
Reporter: What's the biggest pressure when you are writing? Will you worry that inspiration will not come again?
Jay: I will worry about the problem of inspiration, but I think it won't happen at present. Sometimes just because you try and think of inspiration doesn't mean inspiration will come, like lyrics or imagery, will give me different hits.
The pressure I face when writing is I'm scared I'll write a melody similar to someone else's and I don't know about it or am not aware. So usually when I finish writing a song, I'll get many people to help me listen to it, to confirm that it doesn't sound like anyone or any song, only then will I sing it with my mind at rest. You have to have a conscience writing songs, sometimes people see similar things, but if the song I wrote is said to be similar, I'll be broad and level, because I really haven't heard the other person's piece of work, then I'll be fearless knowing I'm not wrong.
Vincent: I think people who write songs are sometimes very unlucky, because people's hearing is usually memory, 2 years ago you heard a good melody, on some day when you are writing a song you might unconsciously write out a few of the same parts. This thing plagiarism is talking about melody, it is a free assessment, there's no room for verbal defence.
Jay: I myself also write lyrics, I also try and avoid using phrases other people or myself have used before, but the lyrics Vincent writes really have hardly any repeats, this is very wonderful and very amazing, he's just not human!
Reporter: Jay, will you think the lyrics by Vincent are hard to sing? Especially when you have to sing a long line written by him?
Jay: Being hard to sing is unlikely, but his lyrics do trouble me. Do you know why? Because people always think I don't pronounce clearly, but it's not my problem, it's because the lyrics he writes are not your common words, the arrangement and assemble is very strange, it's not writing in vernacular languages, like other people might write "I love you", when you listen to it, it's very clear and understandable, but he might write "Love you I", if I sing that fast, other people can't listen to it clearly. I won't complain to him, this is his characteristic.
Also, when singing his songs, it's very easy for me to forget the lyrics, because a lot of his lyrics don't have any logic. So when I go onstage to perform, I need a subtitle machine, if I'm too late to see the subtitle machine, I'll make it up myself, the rate I make up lyrics is very high.
Vincent: Afterwards Jay also liked this kind of lyrics, because the meaning can be expressed thoroughly, like "Terraced Field", "Listen To Mother's Words", "Popular Imitation", which he wrote, all are lyrics with a lot of words.
Jay: I'm very interested in lyrics, but my style is different from Vincent's. I take notice of rhyme, I also hope it carries some poetic meaning, usually the lyrics I write are a bit simpler and are good for singing. You see, like the songs with lyrics by Vincent, they won't stay in the KTV chart very long, it's not good to sing, like "Rooftop" is constantly being sung, because the melody and lyrics are written by me. (in a proud stance)
Reporter: Before you entered this circle, were you full of confidence with your own writing? Did you think one day you'll become famous?
Jay: You see the schools we both graduated from, you'll know that we are not the ordinary hard working students of the school. I studied music at school, at that time I only thought about becoming a music teacher when I graduated, or I can help make the accompany music for movies, I wanted to work with music, but I never thought I could be an artist.
Vincent: In the past I never thought about being a lyricist, I only thought why I finish writing the essay topics the teacher gives out so fast. When being in the army, I wrote "Why fight, fighting for whom" For this kind of essay topic, everyone had to copy, I was the only one who could finish writing it myself really fast, I even helped others write it, at that time I felt I was a person who is good with using words to convey images.
Reporter: You are both so popular now; will you still talk sincerely to one another?
Vincent: I do talk sincerely with him, but the things he cares about are different from the things I care about. For the music parts, if I don't think it's diao, I won't say it's not diao, at this time he'll know this sincere hint; other matters, to be honest, I only know about them after reading the newspaper, I will advise him saying he is a big tree so he catches a lot of wind, don't take it to heart.
Jay: Of course there are still people who talk to me sincerely, like mother will remind me of the principles of being a person and doing things. But does it have to be bad to be sincere words? Other people saying I'm good, doesn't necessarily mean it's not sincere. I admit I'm a person who likes to hear good things, so when I hear good things I'll think it's sincere, ha.
Reporter: A lot of young people want to work writing pop music, what suggestions can you give them?
Vincent: Just buy original! A lot of youngsters go on my blog, asking me how to write lyrics, but when I see their messages, I know they bought the pirate versions because they can't even get which song was written by me right, and the original albums have the lyrics with them.
Now a lot of young people's logic is very clever, they think the albums are too expensive, they don't want to spend money buying them, but if you don't respect it, you might go into this industry in the future, then why would you hope after you go into this industry, that other people will respect your work? You yourself don't but original, when you get into this industry, open your eyes widely and see other people pirate your intellectual property.
Jay: Just now Vincent was being the black-faced lecturer, I'll be the white-faced one and give you words of encouragement. I think each person's writing should have his or her own style and characteristic, it's not a bad thing to start from imitation, but after a certain stage, you have to start thinking of how to be different from other people, even beating them, surpassing them.
Reporter: What's your next target?
Jay: Film movies. I want to film a warm commercial music movie, not one of those artsy movies people can't understand, it must take into account market and the box office. Vincent, your target must be screenwriter right? But I probably won't use your script.
Vincent (smiling on the outside but not on the inside): Why are you people at the side laughing so loud? I don't even want to help him (points to Jay) write a script ok? Anyway he'll be exactly the same as Jacky, he has a brain full of ideas, if you help him write a script, the resulting film will not be the original script at all, then the work you did was for nothing! (Vincent once helped Jacky Wu write the script for the movie "Detective 2 and half", this was completely from his heart)
If Jay films a movie, he doesn't need a screenwriter, he only needs someone to fix up the script in his head, because his imagery logic is too strong, he can't film according to someone's script, so I can't help him write the script! I'll just sit offstage and watch when the premiere is on.
Vincent left immediately after saying this to do other things, after two minutes, he called Jay, he made up for the answer for "target", Jay loudly passed it on: "Vincent says, he hopes his new book sells as well as my album!"