Chapter 493: Beautiful Rivers and Mountains
"Good evening, everyone! This is my first time attending a music festival in Busan in nearly twenty years. I'm sure the audience here probably don't recognize an old man like me!"
Shin Joong-hyun, wearing a plaid suit and short white hair, walked out from the side with a bass on his back. He really looked like a little old man, but at this moment he looked particularly energetic. As soon as he finished this brief introduction, there was a huge cheer from the audience, which seemed extremely enthusiastic. There was really no Korean rock fan in the audience who didn't know this little old man, and there were even many Japanese uncles in their forties and fifties among them.
"Big Fortune!"
Behind the stage, a few girls and Kim Taeyeon and others were also shocked with their mouths opened. Only by being there can you feel the enthusiasm of such a large-scale music festival. In fact, the Busan Tourism Bureau was really good this time, and so was Kwon Jinseok. I don’t know how many connections he had to use to invite this old man to create the current fanatical situation. At least 70% of the audience today are rock fans, which is completely different from the current situation in South Korea where various celebrations and concerts are often occupied by idol fans.
You have to know that idol fans are basically people who only cheer for their idols, so unless it is a solo concert, it is difficult to receive such cheers.
However, among the crowd at this moment, Kim Taeyeon and others were lucky enough to experience it, but it was a pity that they were booed. However, it was far less enthusiastic than the current audience.
On the stage, Yoon Do-hyun also walked to the center, but he was very respectful and didn't say a word, because Shin Joong-hyun took advantage of the atmosphere, stood under the microphone, and said with a smile: "Let's start." This also meant that the Busan Rock Festival officially began.
This cool senior made the students under the stage green with envy. Lee Ji-eun and Choi Joon-hee's eyes were shining. They both always wanted to be colorful singers and wanted to make their own music. They also had many goals to strive for, but many of them were only seen on TV. In the current Korean music circle, it is really difficult to see those senior singers live.
The scene before their eyes at this moment really shocked the two girls who had just started out. There was no doubt that for the Korean music scene, this was a true legendary pioneer.
Then there was Kim Taeyeon, who had been wondering what kind of stage truly qualifies as the highest. Suddenly, she realized that the stage shines because of the presence of people, not because of its own radiance. It was as if she had found the direction to strive for at that moment.
If we were to single out the two most popular songs of 1974, one would be Shin Joong-hyun's "Beauty," released in August, and the other would be Han Dae-soo's "Give Me Water." Both songs were creative and unique, with playful lyrics, and they were incredibly popular. While the songs didn't contain political messages, students promoting the democratic movement adapted the lyrics and sang them widely.
Shin Joong-hyun's "Beauty" is a song that showcases the rock, punk rock, and psychedelic styles that were popular around the world at the time.
In fact, given Shin Joong-hyun's status, he should have been the last to perform, but today's stage was his own request, so there was an opening performance.
However, of the two songs, the first music that sounded was not "Beauty", but "Beautiful River", which is more familiar to most Koreans in modern times.
At the end of 1975, Shin Joong-hyun received an unexpected request from the Blue House to produce a song to praise President Park Chung-hee, but he directly refused.
Shin Joong-hyun then immediately wrote a song titled "Beautiful River and Mountains" to praise the beauty of the Korean land and natural scenery and to express his hope for world peace.
However, in December 1975, Shin Joong-hyun was arrested for marijuana and spent the next two years in a mental hospital. When he was released in 1977, his songs were still banned. At that time, ballads and dance music were gaining popularity, but rock music was still not widely accepted.
After Shin Joong-hyun's imprisonment, the popularity of Korean rock music waned. However, rock music did not disappear in South Korea. The band Sanming filled the void left by Shin Joong-hyun, and new bands emerged, playing not for American soldiers but for Korean audiences. In the 1980s, heavy metal bands such as Resurrection, Baekdusan, and Shinbangkyo, formed by Shin Joong-hyun's eldest son, Shin Dae-chul, began to emerge.
Until the beginning of the 21st century, Korean rock music completely lost its mainstream market. Many bands were successful in the early stages, but after joining brokerage companies, they were reformed and began to create marketable music. As a result, many bands fell apart.
It is very sad that Korean rock fans, apart from continuing to pursue European, American and British rock music, can only hold on to old songs for comfort, or find some hope from many independent bands.
But a famous song will always be a famous song. The song "Beautiful River" was probably classified as a banned song in that era due to government reasons. After Shin Joong-hyun was released from prison, he performed for a while and then gradually stopped. However, his works are still covered by many people.
The most famous cover artist is naturally Lee Sun Hee. Her song "Beautiful River" caused a sensation during the sensitive period between North and South Korea. Perhaps many Koreans have forgotten the original singer, the time and background of the song's creation, much longer than that time.
"The sky is blue
The clouds are white
A gentle breeze blows over
It blows my mind..."
The slightly hoarse voice clearly shows the age of the singer, but it still brings excitement. The Korean rock fans under the stage can't help but open their mouths.
"The leaves are green
The river is also green
In this beautiful place
I'm here
With you here..."
It was the first time for the little girls under the stage to see the opening chorus of thousands of people. The sound shook the sea, and even Park Ji-yeon, who had been working hard for her dream of becoming an actress, felt envy, longing and inexplicable anticipation.
The music festival has just begun.
"Hand in hand, we move forward
Running towards the wilderness
We get together
Talk about that, new hope
The sky is blue
The clouds are white
A gentle breeze blows over
Blows my heart
This beautiful place
A place of pride
It's my hometown
The brilliant red sun shines
The blue and turbulent sea is with me
How wonderful it is
This is the place where we live
Singing with you, my beloved
After the warm spring and hot summer
The cool autumn and cold winter will come
Picturesque Jiangshan
Your heart
my heart
You and I are one
You and me
Our forever
Forever
Love will last forever
Forever
We all will
All cities
Love each other so deeply..."
There are still quite a few spectators outside the fence of the festival venue. It might be more sensible to move back a bit at this time. At least you can still see the big screen. As for the sound, there is no need to worry at all. The effect of a chorus of thousands of people is shocking.
"Eun-ji, it looks like it's going to be hard to become a star today. I made a mistake in my prediction!"
"ah?"
"What did Dad say?"
