新加坡/北京时间2023年3月10日15：00—17：00，由南洋理工大学中文系主办的“灵根自植——新加坡中华文化系列讲座”第七讲在南大人文学院顺利举办。此次讲座主讲人为“弹唱人制作室”创办人蔡忆仁先生，讲座主题为“流行歌曲里的生命情怀”，讲座由南洋理工大学中文系系主任曲景毅副教授主持。
讲 座 内 容
此次讲座主讲人为“弹唱人制作室”创办人蔡忆仁先生，蔡先生用边说边唱的方式带观众回顾上个世纪60年代以来音乐在新加坡的精彩变化，并与观众分享歌曲与人的故事。蔡忆仁先生于2000年开始主办音乐活动，至今超过1000场，其中影响颇大的音乐活动有重逢演唱会、明天系列新谣演唱会、万人大家唱以及“新空下”全国学生新谣音乐节等。本次讲座由南大中文系系主任曲景毅副教授主持，反响热烈，吸引了南大中文系师生、其他院系同学、访问学者以及社会人士超过100人参与。
在讲座开始前，曲景毅副教授代表中文系向蔡忆仁先生的到来表示欢迎，并赠予蔡忆仁先生由曲景毅老师与哈佛大学田晓菲教授、北京大学贺桂梅教授联合主编的中英双语期刊《南洋中华文学与文化学报》最新一期，以表谢意。蔡忆仁先生也回赠了自己的新书《忆翻情溢》，该书的新书发布会已于3月25日在华侨中学戏剧中心举行。
讲座伊始，蔡忆仁先生与观众分享了自己童年时期的音乐环境。在多元种族社会中成长的他接触的第一首歌曲就是新加坡的国歌，同时盛行的还有早期的西方音乐、30年代和40年代的上海歌曲以及福建民谣，因而蔡忆仁先生对这类歌曲印象极其深刻。他与观众分享了1933年发行的民谣“望春风”，并与吉他手吴锦发现场弹唱了这首歌。时间推移到70年代，蔡忆仁先生童年时居住在甘榜，深切地感受到了当时淳朴的甘榜情怀。他分享道，自己11岁搬入了组屋，开始看起了电视，但每当听到“我家在哪里”这首歌时，他还是会回忆起从前美好的甘榜生活，并现场演唱了这首歌。与此同时，随着中国香港以及台湾电视剧在本地普及，其电视剧主题曲也逐渐成为了新加坡人耳熟能详的歌曲。他还回忆起1974年播出的“包青天”电视剧在开播过半时，彩色电视机才开始在本地普及，并分享了自己当时追剧的感受。他也提到香港歌手许冠杰的歌在当时风靡了整个香港，在新加坡也相当流行，并现场演唱了许冠杰的“浪子心声”。
蔡先生回忆道，新加坡同样在70年代开始拍摄电视剧，并在90年代进入中国市场。蔡先生现场演唱了本地电视剧“雾锁南洋”的电视剧同名主题曲。紧接着，他分享了自己在90年代末办民歌餐厅的艰辛，“直到开始转型做演唱会才在本地找到生存的出路”。吉他手吴锦发也表示自己通过广播听到了许多中国民歌，并弹唱了中国民歌“草原之夜”。
随后，蔡忆仁先生回顾自己的青少年时期，表示当时的台湾地区民众从听西方音乐开始转向创作本土音乐，因而台湾地区校园民歌开始流行，并介绍了木吉他、侯德健等台湾地区校园民歌代表组合以及人物，并带动现场观众一起合唱经典校园民歌“外婆的澎湖湾”以及“阳光和小雨”。蔡忆仁先生指出，台湾地区校园民歌对新谣有着很大的影响。大约在80年代，因台湾地区校园民歌的影响，新加坡人也开始用自己熟悉的故事来创作自己的歌。蔡忆仁先生回忆道，本地音乐组合“地下铁”在当时办了“夜在地下铁”歌曲发表会，现场演唱了自己创作、弹唱的歌曲，成功点燃了新谣的火种，激发更多人开始创作新谣歌曲，从而让新谣广为人知。蔡忆仁先生表示，新谣的特点和精神就是抒写我们自己的故事，其主题不受限制，题材丰富。他回忆道，自己为了参加新谣比赛而创建了“跳动律小组”，还成功在比赛中获得了冠军的成绩，并现场弹唱了新谣歌曲“历史考试前夕”。
接下来，蔡忆仁先生开始讲述90年代到2000年，新谣的逐渐没落。蔡忆仁先生分享道，自己在1998年开始创办民谣餐厅，但当时的社会处于高速发展中，民众没有时间沉淀在美好的过去并享受民谣歌曲，从而导致民谣餐厅经营困难。不过他也表示，倘若没有当时热爱民谣的人们的坚持，也不会有现在新谣逐渐复苏的情况。他以“新空下” 全国学生新谣音乐节作为例子，并播放了参赛学生作词作曲的歌曲“思念很长”。
最后，蔡忆仁先生介绍了自己的音乐偶像，展示了自己与著名男歌手刘文正的合照，称刘文正的歌曲为自己的“青春”，并弹唱了他的歌曲“闪亮的日子”。他表示著名歌手及词曲家罗大佑也是自己的偶像，而为他制作演唱会是自己的梦想，并分享了与罗大佑的合照。随后，吴锦发先生也现场演唱了歌手刘立德的歌曲“人上人”，并晒出了自己与偶像周华健的合照。两人以弹唱歌手李宗盛的“寂寞难耐”作为讲座的结尾。
南大中文系“灵根自植——新加坡中华文化系列讲座”之第七场在观众的掌声中圆满落幕，蔡忆仁先生的分享令大家得以重新回顾新谣的美好情怀。
纪 要 英 文 版
“Life Feelings in Pop Songs”, the seventh lecture of the “Self-Planting of Spiritual Roots: Singapore Chinese Culture Lecture Series” organised by the Chinese Department of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), was successfully held on NTU campus on March 10. Mr Cai Yiren, founder of “TCR Music Station,” was invited to share on the changes of local music since the 1960s and stories between songs and people, doing so together with live performances of local music. Mr. Cai has been producing music events since 2000 with over 1000 events to date, including the Chong Feng Xinyao Concert, Tomorrow Xinyao Concert Series, The Great Singapore Sing-Along, and “Xing Kong Xia” National Schools Xinyao Festival. The lecture was hosted by Associate Professor Qu Jingyi, Head of Chinese, NTU. The talk was warmly received, attracting more than 100 students and scholars from the Chinese Department, as well as members of the public.
Before the talk began, Associate Professor Qu Jingyi, on behalf of the Chinese Department, welcomed Mr Cai Yiren’s arrival and presented him with a copy of the “Nanyang Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture,” edited by the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture (NTU CCLC) as a gift of appreciation. In return, Mr Cai presented his new book, “Yi Fan Qing Yi”.
Firstly, Mr Cai Yiren shared about the music environment he grew up in. Growing up in a multicultural society, the first song he listened to was the national anthem. He was also exposed to the early Western music, 1930s and 1940s Shanghai songs, and Fujian folk songs. Having deep impression of such music, he shared about folk song “Wang Chun Feng” released in 1933 and performed the song with guitarist Wu Jin Fa.
In the 1970s, Mr Cai Yiren lived in a kampong and keenly felt the simple and pure feelings of living at a kampong. He shared that he was 11 years old when he moved into a HDB flat and began watching TV, but he still reminisced about the good old days living in a kampong whenever he heard the song ” My Home Is There “. At the same time, Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas became popular in Singapore, and their theme songs gradually became familiar to Singaporeans. He recalled the feelings of watching the 1974 Taiwan drama “Justice Pao” when colour televisions became common in Singapore, and performed “Drifter’s Song” by singer Sam Hui, which was also very popular locally at that time.
In the 1970s, Singapore began to produce dramas, which entered the Chinese market in the 1990s. Mr Cai performed the theme song of local drama ” The Awakening”. He shared about his hardships of running a folk restaurant in the 1990s, and only found a way to survive when he started organizing concerts for a living. Mr Wu Jin Fa also shared that he listened to many Chinese folk songs through the radio and played the song ” The Night On Meadow”.
Afterwards, Mr Cai Yiren shared about the music during his teenage years, and mentioned how the people in Taiwan started to create their own music after listening to Western music, leading to the rise of Taiwan campus folk songs. He introduced famous groups and individuals of the Taiwan campus folk songs such as the “Wood Guitar” band and Hou De Jian. He led the audience in singing classic campus folk song “Grandma’s Penghu Bay” and “Sun and Sprinke”. Mr Cai expressed that these two songs were very warm and touching, bringing a sense of familiarity and naturalness.
Mr Cai also shared that Taiwan campus folk songs had a great influence on the Xinyao. Around the 1980s, Taiwan campus folk songs made locals realize that they could use stories that were familiar to them to create their own songs. Mr Cai recalled that local music group “Subway Band” held a song release party, which successfully lit the flame of the Xinyao, inspiring more locals to write their songs, spreading the popularity of Xinyao. Mr Cai explained that the essence of Xinyao songs is to express our own stories, with no restrictions on the themes or subjects. He remembered forming the musical group “Tiao Dong Lü Group” to participate in a Xinyao competition, successfully winning the first place. He then performed the Xinyao song “History Exam Eve”.
Mr Cai then shared about the gradual decline of the Xinyao music from the 1990s to 2000. He shared that he started his own folk restaurant “TCR Folk Restaurant” in 1998, but the society was rapidly developing at that time and people did not have time to enjoy old folk songs, leading to difficulties in operating the restaurant. However, he also said that if it weren’t for the persistence of those who loved folk songs at that time, the gradual resurgence of the Xinyao would not be possible today. He used the example of the “Xing Kong Xia” National Schools Xinyao Festival and played a song called “Si Nian Hen Chang”.
Lastly, Mr. Cai introduced his favourite singers and songwriters and shared a photo of himself with male singer Liu Wen Zheng, whose songs he grew up listening to. He performed Liu’s song “Shining Days”. He also expressed male singer and songwriter Lo Ta-yu as his idol, and producing a concert for him was his dream. He then shared a photo of himself with Lo Ta-yu. Afterwards, Mr Wu Jin Fa performed male singer Liu Li De’s song “Ren Shang Ren” and shared a photo of himself with his favourite singer, Wakin Chau. They ended the talk by performing the song “Suffering of Loneliness” by male singer Jonathan Lee.
The seventh lecture of the “Self-Planting of Spiritual Roots: Singapore Chinese Culture Lecture Series” organised by the Chinese Department of NTU allowed everyone to revisit the beautiful music and feelings of Xinyao.
纪要整理：洪维昱
中华文学与文化在南洋 