Chapter 116: Title Song “Wish”, Filming a Movie for One Song?
July 20, 2006.
Beijing Daily exclusively interviewed Zhang Liangying and Shen Qing, dedicating an entire page of its entertainment section as a special column.
They really rolled out the red carpet for this.
The report confirmed the upcoming release of the new album, Zhang Liangying’s past journey, her plans for the next few years, and her latest sexy photoshoot.
Suddenly.
The newspaper caused Liangfen fans to scramble to buy it.
The newsstand owner was stunned.
Newspapers that usually didn’t sell out even by evening were completely sold out by morning, right after opening.
Fans who got the newspaper read it word for word, cut out Zhang Liangying’s photos, some pasted them in their bedrooms to look at secretly, some put them in books to take to class, and others used them as book covers, flipping through them repeatedly.
“Sob, Liangying’s new photoshoot is too beautiful.”
“She looks like a princess. It must be Shen Qing’s work again. He’s very good at dressing Liangying up as a sexy princess. He really knows how to play.”
“I want to marry Liangying.”
“You’re dreaming, you idiot!!!”
“Is anyone else concerned about the album? You’re all looking at the sexy photos, how superficial. Shen Qing said the second album will make everyone’s hearts pound, and there will be something new that no one expects.”
“Holy crap, what is it? Could it be related to the Olympic Games?”
…
Qingying Studio.
Shen Qing and Zhang Liangying were in a meeting with Zhang Lu and others, discussing the production and release of the new album.
“With this album, I want to completely solidify Liangying’s position as a ‘Little Heavenly Queen’ in the Chinese Music Scene, and ensure her status is unshakeable for the next decade.”
When Shen Qing finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Qing, are you that arrogant?
I don’t have the confidence!
But Zhang Liangying’s heart felt warm. She looked at Shen Qing with adoring eyes, her gaze so full of tenderness and affection that it could almost be drawn out like silk.
“Are you all surprised?”
“Perhaps after hearing the title song, you won’t be surprised anymore.”
“Chen Liang, play the demo recording~”
Chen Liang from Zhejiang University, who had just reported for duty a few days prior, was currently Shen Qing’s primary assistant. Attending his first meeting today, he was as excited as a country bumpkin entering a grand mansion.
Chen Liang inserted the cassette tape into the player and pressed play.
The sound of the piano emerged, and the melody of “Wish” filled the ears of everyone present. It was light and melodious, but at the 15-second mark, the trumpet and guitar joined in.
As soon as the trumpet’s sound appeared, it brought a sense of historical weight.
Even Zhang Liangying was hearing this recording demo for the first time. Her expression gradually became wonderful. “Wow, the melody is so beautiful. Is it a main theme song?”
Shen Qing gestured for Chen Liang to press pause. “Does anyone have anything to say after listening?”
Zhang Lu: “Speaking from a listener’s perspective, the prelude is concise, grand, and also has a solemn and majestic feel. I don’t think it’s a love song at all. Could it really be related to the Olympics?”
It’s important to remember that the 2008 Olympic Games, scheduled to be held, had been in full preparation since 2004, and three batches of Olympic songs had already been solicited.
However, these three batches of Olympic songs were mainly circulated and collected among veteran artists in the music industry, with few participants from the pop music scene.
As for the selected songs, they had enough depth but lacked widespread appeal.
None were very satisfactory.
The Olympic Committee had yet to find a suitable and satisfactory work.
Therefore.
Next year, there will be a fourth call for Olympic songs, and this time, works will be solicited from the entire society. The general director of the opening ceremony, Zhang Yimou, had already revealed this news a few days ago.
Zhang Lu’s thinking was not wrong; which musician wouldn’t want their work to be performed at the Olympic opening ceremony?
But clearly, this song was not it.
As the title song for Zhang Liangying’s second album, it was destined to have no connection with the Olympic theme song. At most, it would be performed at the 100-day countdown gala.
At this moment, Zhang Liangying continued from Zhang Lu’s words, saying, “Brother Lu, I don’t think it’s the Olympic theme song. It’s more like a main theme song disguised in the guise of pop music.”
Shen Qing raised an eyebrow and applauded with a laugh, “Good, good, Liangying, you’ve made great progress.”
Zhang Lu: “Then the difficulty is even greater. It needs to be a main theme song while also conforming to pop music styles to be liked by the general fans. The difficulty of lyric writing is immense.”
Shen Qing: “Of course, I’ve thought about the lyrics for a long time. However, this demo only has my ‘la la la.’ Let’s listen first.”
The music continued.
As the prelude ended, Shen Qing’s la la la la continuously entered everyone’s ears. Although the entire song only had the word ‘la,’ it didn’t sound monotonous.
The entire song, 4 minutes and 30 seconds long, was generally divided into three chapters, with the emotion and pitch in each chapter showing a progressive increase.
The ending gradually softened, with emotions being released and contained with perfect control.
“Great! This song is well-made.”
“Very impressive, worthy of the talented Shen.”
“If the lyrics are good enough, this song can win on both fronts. The melody is even better than Wang Feng’s ‘My Love for You, China’.”
“If it can elevate the main theme + pop genre to a new height, Liangying’s Little Heavenly Queen title will be solidified. It’s almost unimaginable, having only debuted for a year.”
“The hardest part now is the lyrics…”
“Why don’t we ask Fang Wenshan to write them?”
“…”
In the meeting room, everyone chattered, but no meaningful discussion emerged. They all turned to look at Shen Qing.
Zhang Liangying: “Haha, looking at Qing’s expression, he must already have an idea. Perhaps the lyrics are already written.”
Shen Qing took an A4 paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and pushed it to Zhang Liangying. A few minutes later, exclamations of amazement rose from all over the room.
Awesome!
Shen Qing felt smug.
In his past life, he loved listening to Faye Wong sing “Wish,” not only attracted by her voice but also by the meaning conveyed in the lyrics.
If one had to choose the top three patriotic songs in everyone’s hearts, “Myriad Lands” might not make the list, but “Wish” would likely have a place.
This song, in his past life, had over thirty million collections on major music platforms. It was terrifyingly popular.
At that time, “Wish” was the promotional song for the 2021 film “My People, My Parents,” and it swept the internet upon its release, receiving widespread acclaim from numerous listeners.
The movie was already popular due to the song before it was even released.
And the movie itself did not disappoint; the four short stories had both humorous and tear-jerking moments.
They respectively told the story of the ‘Jizhong Cavalry Regiment’ resisting Japan, the struggles of the first generation of aerospace workers in 1969, the birth of the first commercial advertisement during the reform and opening-up period in 1978, and a story of robots traveling through modern times in 2050.
This type of film actually existed in 2019, which was “My People, My Country,” a main theme film with almost no negative reviews.
Of course, excluding the part “The Heavenly Path” directed by Chen Kaige.
Director Chen truly spent his entire life proving that “Farewell My Concubine” was not directed by him. If he could direct such a Palme d’Or-winning work, why was the part he personally directed in “My People, My Country,” “The Heavenly Path,” the worst?
An unsolved mystery…
…
At this moment.
Shen Qing laid out his plan, saying, “For this title song ‘Wish,’ the MV must be filmed well, so that everyone can enjoy it to their heart’s content.”
Zhang Lu strongly agreed, saying, “Absolutely. Such a great song must have a great MV. Which celebrity do you want to invite this time? I’ll definitely help you get them.”
Zhang Liangying said with a smile, “How about inviting Gao Yuanyuan? I felt bad last time for not inviting her. She was so enthusiastic in helping me campaign for votes last year.”
Shen Qing smiled faintly and said, “The actors I want to invite might be quite a few.”
Zhang Lu said cheerfully, “Just say the word. We made so much money from Liangying’s last album, we’re not short on a little money for an MV!”
Shen Qing: “Including the main actors and extras, probably a few hundred people.”
Everyone: “???”
Liangying’s eyes widened like a curious baby. She stood up from her seat and walked to Shen Qing’s side, her face close to his, only about ten centimeters away.
Everyone thought she was going to kiss him…
Liangying frowned slightly. “Officer, are you trying to make a movie for an album? You don’t need that many people to make a movie!”
Make a movie?
Zhang Lu and Chen Liang were both stunned.
Making a movie for an album, is that an idea an ordinary person would come up with?
“My little Ying is still the smartest!”
Huh?
Is it really?
Shen Qing pinched Liangying’s cheek. “Whether it’s a movie or not, I’m not sure, but I do want to shoot a longer MV, with an investment of about ten million? I don’t know the exact budget, I haven’t done this before. We can add more if it’s not enough.”
Seeing their surprised faces, he coughed and continued:
“Anyway, the profit sharing from the last album has already come in, and seventy to eighty million is more than enough. We’re not short on this money.”
“Besides, the new album can earn another one to two hundred million. Spending a little money to shoot a longer MV for the fans to enjoy is not a problem, right?”
“Liangying, don’t you agree? Last year, in the Super Girl competition, fans voted you to the championship one ticket at a time. We should return the favor.”
Zhang Liangying: “What about the ticket sales?”
Shen Qing: “Let’s see if China Film Group Corporation gives it the dragon seal~”
