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Queen's Road East (song)

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"Queen's Road East"
Queen's Road East album cover
Song by Lo Ta-yu featuring Ram Chiang
from the album 皇后大道東 (Queen's Road East)
LanguageCantonese
Released23 January 1991 (1991-01-23)
Length4:10[1]
LabelMusic Factory
Composer(s)Lo Ta-yu
Lyricist(s)Albert Leung
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese皇后大道東
Simplified Chinese皇后大道东
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHuánghòudàdàodōng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingwong4hau6daai6dou6dung1

"Queen's Road East" (Chinese: 皇后大道東) is a song by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Lo Ta-yu, featuring Hong Kong singer Ram Chiang.[2] It was released on 23 January 1991 as the title track of Lo's Cantonese-language compilation album of the same name.[3][4] The song was composed by Lo and written by Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung.[5][6] It is named after Queen's Road East, a street in Hong Kong, and satirically expresses the anxiety felt by the city's residents over the impending handover of Hong Kong in 1997.

The song was banned in Mainland China twice, once upon its release in 1991 and a second time in 2019, during that year's protests in Hong Kong.

Background

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Queen's Road was the first road in Hong Kong, built between 1841 and 1843.[7] Named after Queen Victoria, it became a local landmark and a symbol of British rule.[8][7] The modern road is split into four sections: Queen's Road West, Queen's Road Central, Queensway, and Queen's Road East.[9]

Lo Ta-yu left Taiwan in 1985 to practice medicine in the United States, before moving to Hong Kong two years later.[10]: 5:44 [11] In 1991, he established his own record label called Music Factory, with the Queen's Road East album as its first release.[12][13]

"Queen's Road East" was Lo's second song about Hong Kong after "Pearl of the Orient" (東方之珠), which he composed in 1986.[10]: 16:22  While initially performed by Michael Kwan with Cantonese lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong [zh], Lo later wrote and performed a Mandarin-language version of the "Pearl of the Orient", which appeared as the final track of the Queen's Road East album.[7]: 105 [14][15]

Composition

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Lo Ta-yu sitting at a musical keyboard
Albert Leung holding a microphone
"Queen's Road East" was composed by Lo Ta-yu (left) with lyrics by Albert Leung.

Lo was inspired to write "Queen's Road East" by the sight of road signs while out shopping.[16] He first composed the melody and basic lyrics for the chorus, which mention Queen's Road West, Queen's Road East, and Queen's Road Central.[17] The lyrics were completed by Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung,[17] who was introduced to Lo by lyricist James Wong Jim.[18] Leung's lyrics satirically express the anxiety felt by the city's residents over the impending handover of Hong Kong in 1997.[7][19] In 1991, he spoke of a possibly "more restrictive creative environment" after the handover, which drove him to write the song sooner rather than later.[5] He expressed his hope that "people will still remember it [after 1997] and make comparisons... To exaggerate a bit, [the song] will serve as a historical witness".[10]: 18:17 

In a 1991 episode of the RTHK programme Hong Kong Connection, Lo and Leung discussed the song's musical composition and lyrics. Lo described the song's instrumental introduction as having a "mystical" quality that reflects the "vibrancy" he sees in Hong Kong.[10]: 15:43  He also explained his personal interpretation of "Queen's Road": "'Queen' obviously is the Queen of the United Kingdom. 'Road' is one's way of life. The United Kingdom is the global pioneer of capitalism, so the 'Queen's Road' is actually capitalism."[10]: 16:40  Lo thus characterises the song's chorus, "Queen's Road West and Queen's Road East /Queen's Road East turns into Queen's Road Central"[a] as a reference to the journey of Hong Kong (East) from the United Kingdom (West) to China (Central), while bringing along the capitalist system (Queen's Road).[10]: 16:56 

"[Hong Kong people would] become the greatest of all comrades. [They] would truly get things done, have true constructiveness, truly use competition rather than struggle to get things done, and truly preserve Chinese tradition while incorporating with the best of [Western culture] ... With all these things, life will be better for everyone."[10]: 17:50 

– Lo Ta-yu on Hong Kong people becoming "comrades", 1991

The song's lyrics mention both "the Queen" and "the Comrade". "The Queen" indirectly refers to the reigning British monarch at the time, Elizabeth II.[20][21] The opening verse describes the Queen as a "noble friend on the back of coins" with "everlasting youth".[b][20] One verse also describes her as "beautiful even when saying goodbye",[c] a reference to the nightly television sign-offs in British Hong Kong featuring "God Save the Queen" and the Queen's portrait.[20] On the other hand, "the Comrade" is called a "virtuous friend" who "looks familiar and friendly, thus allowing horse races to continue twice a week".[d] This refers to the Chinese authorities' promises to allow horse races involving betting to continue in Hong Kong.[21] One verse of the song laments that Hong Kong will "have to rely on great comrades to cook up new ideas".[e] According to Leung and Lo, while the line implies the comrades are "the people up there [in Mainland China]", they intended it to refer to Hongkongers, as Leung believed that they would also be referred to as "comrades" (tongzhi in Chinese) after the handover.[10]: 17:20  Thus, Lo intended the line to encourage the people of Hong Kong to succeed in the future.[10]: 17:50 

Release

[edit]

The Queen's Road East album was released on 23 January 1991,[8]: 23  with "Queen's Road East" as its title track.[3]

Later that year, Lo released an album in Taiwan titled Homeland (原鄉),[4] which included a Taiwanese Hokkien version of the song featuring Lim Giong, titled "Don't Be Surprised" (大家免著驚).[22][23] This version was featured in the 1992 Taiwanese film Dust of Angels, in which Lim and Lo perform the song in a cameo appearance.[17][24]

Music videos

[edit]
Ram Chiang performed vocals alongside Lo and appears in one of the music videos for "Queen's Road East".

One of the music videos for the "Queen's Road East" was produced by TVB.[25] In the video, Lo and Chiang perform the song in Red Guard uniforms[26] while uniformed young people imitate the poses of revolutionary statues and display red flags and banners. The video also shows cars and pedestrians moving in reverse, and the two singers imitating Chinese state leaders by walking along a street while clapping their hands.[7]: 104–105  Researcher Sun Hongmei described the video as "shed[ding] all subtlety" compared to the song's lyrics, which "[rely] on uncertainty, uneasiness, and subtle satire".[7]: 104 

An alternate music video for the song presents it in a more subtle manner, alternating between Lo and imagery of Hong Kong.[7]: 187 

Awards

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"Queen's Road East" received awards for Best Lyrics and Best Composition at the 1991 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation.[27]

Censorship

[edit]

Due to its politically sensitive lyrics, "Queen's Road East" was banned in Mainland China upon its release in 1991, before being unbanned in 2000.[28][29] During the Hong Kong protests in 2019, lyrics from the song were used by Mainland Chinese internet users to circumvent censorship on the topic and express support for the protests.[30][14] According to Quartz, some comments may have been referring to the occupation of Queensway during the protests on 12 June 2019.[14] "Queen's Road East" was removed from major Chinese music streaming platforms in June 2019,[5][6][31] with some reports stating the song was banned due to its lyrics and association with the Hong Kong protests.[28][29] Later that year, over 3000 songs written by Leung were reportedly taken off Chinese music streaming platforms after he voiced support for the protests in Hong Kong.[32]

Also in 2019, the Sing Tao Daily reported that a karaoke operator in the Chinese city of Beihai was investigated and fined for playing a music video of "Queen's Road East", which features a scene with the portraits of Chinese state leaders repeated across the screen accompanied by the song's lyrics. The reported cited an Administrative Penalty Decision by the local police, which characterised "Queen's Road East" as a "prohibited song" and stated that the scene "mocked" state leaders.[29]

Legacy

[edit]

Lyrics from "Queen's Road East" were shared by Hong Kong internet users in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II following her death in September 2022.[33][34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Chinese: 皇后大道西又皇后大道東 /皇后大道東轉皇后大道中
  2. ^ Chinese: 有個貴族朋友在硬幣背後，青春不變名字叫做皇后
  3. ^ Chinese: 這個漂亮朋友道别亦漂亮
  4. ^ Chinese: 這個正義朋友面善又友善，因此批準馬匹一週跑兩天
  5. ^ Chinese: 要靠偉大同志搞搞新意思

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Muzikland (21 December 2020). 香港流行音樂專輯101：第三部（1990-1999） [Hong Kong Pop Albums 101: Part 3 (1990-1999)]. FeiFan Publishers. p. 46. ISBN 978-988-8675-51-7. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  2. ^ Barmé, Geremie R. (1 January 1997). "Hong Kong the floating city". Index on Censorship. 26 (1): 150. doi:10.1177/030642209702600131. ISSN 0306-4220. S2CID 152126729. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Chang, Meng-jui (September 2011). "Rebel Without a Pause: Singer-Songwriter Lo Ta-yu". Taiwan Panorama Magazine. Julius Tsai, Phil Newell (trans.). Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b Scheihagene, Eric (2 October 2018). "An Ode to Lo Ta-yu, a Taiwanese Cultural Icon & Mandopop Legend". The News Lens. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c 罗大佑《皇后大道东》被音乐平台全面下架 [Lo Ta-yu's "Queen's Road East" taken down from music platforms]. China Digital Times (in Chinese). 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b Huang, Chi-lin 黃啟霖 (22 June 2019). 香港反送中 「皇后大道東」遭中國下架 [Hong Kong anti-extradition protests: "Queen's Road East" taken down in China]. Radio Taiwan International (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Sun, Hongmei (18 March 2018). Transforming Monkey: Adaptation and Representation of a Chinese Epic. University of Washington Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-295-74320-2. JSTOR j.ctvct027d. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b Lee, Joanna Ching-Yun (1992). "Cantopop Songs on Emigration from Hong Kong". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24. Cambridge University Press: 14–23. doi:10.2307/768468. JSTOR 768468. S2CID 193080106. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  9. ^ Furniss, Tracey (6 July 2021). "The story behind Hong Kong's famous Queen's Road". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i 時代的記錄 鏗鏘集： 第四集「時代的記錄－鏗鏘集」《鏗鏘集》1991年《香港，我的愛人》1995年《人在屋簷下》 [Record of the Times Hong Kong Connection: Episode 4: 1991 "Hong Kong My Love", 1995 "People Under The Roof"] (Television production) (in Cantonese). RTHK. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Music Artist | Lo Ta-yu". Ministry of Culture (Taiwan). 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. ^ Zhu, Yiu-Wai (1 June 2017). Hong Kong Cantopop : a concise history (PDF). Baltimore, Maryland: Hong Kong University Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-988-8390-29-8. OCLC 999637222. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  13. ^ AW, AMBROSE (3 February 1991). "Strong start for new label". South China Sunday Morning Post. Hong Kong. p. 54. ProQuest 1540909942. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022 – via ProQuest.
  14. ^ a b c Haung, Echo (14 June 2019). "People in China are using song lyrics as code to voice support for Hong Kong". Quartz. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  15. ^ Wong, Ha-pak 黃夏柏 (7 December 2020). 漫遊八十年代：聽廣東歌的好日子（增訂版） [Cruising through the '80s: Good Days to Listen to Cantonese Music (Updated)] (in Chinese). FeiFan Publishers. p. 135. ISBN 978-988-8675-73-9. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  16. ^ TTV (6 May 2017). 林夕創作靈感靠泡澡 羅大佑寫歌憑生命體驗 [Albert Leung's creative inspiration relies on a bath, Lo Ta-Yu's songwriting based on life experiences]. Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Dai, Yuxi 戴玉玺 (30 July 2015). 罗大佑：不好意思当“教父”，压力很大 [Luo Ta-yu: It's awkward being a "godfather", there's too much pressure]. The Beijing News (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  18. ^ Lan, Tsu-wei 藍祖蔚 (15 June 2019). 文化週報》東方之珠是否浪漫依然？—羅大佑寫歌寫到警察找上門 [[Culture Weekly] Is "Pearl of the East" still romantic? — Lo Ta-yu's songwriting led to the police showing up at his door]. Liberty Times (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  19. ^ Leung, Pak-hei (12 August 2021). "Ban looms on songs with illegal content". The Standard. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  20. ^ a b c 英女王逝世｜羅蘭扮事頭婆超過60次 《皇后大道東》含英女王密碼 [Death of the British Queen | Law Lan played the Queen over 60 times, "Queen's Road East" contains cryptic references to the Queen]. am730 (in Chinese). 9 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  21. ^ a b Chow, Rey (1992). "Between Colonizers: Hong Kong's Postcolonial Self-Writing in the 1990s". Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies. 2 (2): 151–170. doi:10.1353/dsp.1992.0011. ISSN 1911-1568. S2CID 143764012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  22. ^ Lu, Wei-ling 盧薇淩 (15 June 2019). 羅大佑粵語高唱《皇后大道東》 談香港：有些事不能這麼急 [Luo Ta-yu loudly sings in Cantonese "Queen's Road East", talks about Hong Kong: some things can't be this rushed]. ETtoday (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  23. ^ "原鄉 by Various Artists". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  24. ^ 經典黑道電影《少年吔，安啦！》 林強和羅大佑的電影處女秀 [Classic crime film Dust of Angels features Lim Giong and Lo Ta-yu's film debut]. UDN 聯合新聞網 (in Traditional Chinese). 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  25. ^ 撒拉夫 (10 September 2016). 【我心中的時代曲】《皇后大道東》預言書 [[Classic Songs in My Heart] The "Queen's Road East" Prophecy]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  26. ^ Lo, Cheuk-chi 羅卓姬 (1 July 2012). 政事娛樂：回望97光影 [Political Entertainment: Looking back at the light and darkness of '97]. Apple Daily (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 7 August 2019.
  27. ^ 1991年度十大勁歌金曲頒獎典禮 - 歷屆得獎名單 [1991 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation - List of past winners]. TVB (in Traditional Chinese). 2012. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  28. ^ a b Chiu, Kun-kei 趙觀祺 (24 June 2019). 解禁20年 《皇后大道東》為何再遭審查封殺？ [Unbanned for 20 years, why is "Queen's Road East" again being targeted by censorship?]. HK01 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  29. ^ a b c KTV播《皇后大道東》 歌詞敏感「二度封禁」 [KTV showing sensitive lyrics of "Queen's Road East" "banned for a second time"]. Sing Tao Daily (in Traditional Chinese). 6 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  30. ^ Bradsher, Keith; Qin, Amy (17 June 2019). "China Backs Hong Kong's Leader Despite Huge Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  31. ^ "羅大佑《皇后大道東》變禁歌 遭中國音樂平台下架" [Luo Ta-Yu's "Queen's Road East" banned, removed from Chinese music platforms]. Apple Daily (Taiwan). 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  32. ^ Yang, Sophia (23 November 2019). "China scraps over 3,000 songs by HK lyricist Albert Leung for his speech in Taiwan: report". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  33. ^ Carol 卡洛兒 (9 September 2022). 英女王逝世｜港網民引《皇后大道東》歌詞 貼女王頭像硬幣悼念 [Death of the Queen | Hong Kong netizens share lyrics from "Queen's Road East" and coins with the Queen's image in remembrance]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  34. ^ 英女王逝世｜羅蘭曾扮事頭婆逾60次 網民翻Loop《皇后大道東》 [Death of the Queen | Law Lan played the Queen over 60 times, Netizens put "Queen's Road East" on loop]. Ming Pao Online (in Traditional Chinese). 9 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
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