By: Ray Lee
Pages: 1 2
Growing up, I listened to all forms of music. When I was really young, I was really into rock music. There was just something about cranking guitars and the hard beats of the drums that really caught my attention. Then, you put that together with lead singers like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith or Axl Rose of Guns ‘N’ Roses and you had awesome music.
When I first listened to Beyond, I didn’t think it was possible to have a Chinese rock band. Rock music, in my mind, was a Western thing. It couldn’t possibly sound right in Chinese. Thinking back, I remember realizing how stupid, ignorant and narrow-minded I was—doubting the talents of this band who call themselves Beyond.
One of the problems for me was not being able to understand exactly what they were singing. I enjoyed listening to Chinese music, especially a lot of Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and even Grasshoppers. As fluent as I am with colloquial Cantonese, the grammar of written Chinese is totally different. It is more formal and poetic, often consisting of deep and profound phrases to express certain points and ideas. Not being educated in the language, I was only able to understand the words, but not the meanings. How can you enjoy something you don’t understand?
It didn’t make sense to me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless because it sounded good. One day, I saw an interview with Wong Ka-kui, the lead singer of Beyond. He said, “Music is heard by the ear and understood by the heart.” I was about ten or eleven years old, but it made perfect sense to me. I began having a different kind of respect for him and his band. I began admiring their style and unique sound. I began listening to all their music and even begged my mother to translate the meanings of the lyrics. I began to hear the music with my ears and understand it with my heart.
Beyond was a band formed by lead singer Wong Ka-kui, drummer Yip Sai-wing and some friends. They were soon joined by Ka-kui’s younger brother, Steve Wong Ka-keung. Through time, some people joined and left. A few years later, Paul Wong Koon-chung joined and formed the final makeup of the band. Together, this group worked their way through gigs big and small to achieve eventual recognition as one of the most famous Asian bands ever.
There is so much I remember about them. The most vivid memory I have was when my mother told me that the lead singer, Wong Ka-kui died. I was at a loss for words. I asked her how he died and reading from the newspaper, she told me that he was playing a game on stage and fell. He had passed away at the hospital in Japan on June 30th, 1993. I remember choking up in tears. He was my idol. Even for a twelve year old, I was a fanatic often replaying songs over and over to familiarize myself with the lyrics and the notes of every instrument played.
At the time of his death, Beyond was taking off. They had a huge following since the late 80’s and played their first concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum in 1991. It was an experience that people could not forget. The people sang every song and screamed every moment they could while standing and waving their arms. It wasn’t like any other concert where people just sat there and listened, applauding and cheering only after each number. It was like a rock concert of the West, where the band fed off the energy of the audience and vice-versa.
Beyond had a vision and pushed for their music to reach international recognition. They decided to record their next album in Japan. They realized that the bands in Japan were just as serious and as good as they were. Ka-kui once said that he felt a bit intimidated by all the talent in Japan, but it was a great learning experience and helped to motivate them to be better and to work harder. They did not want to let their fans down, and only wanted to produce the best music possible.
Ka-kui was once asked what would he do if he won the lottery and he responded by saying he would use the money to build a studio to help the unknown musicians. He clearly emphasized that it was for musicians and not singers. Ka-kui understood the difference, especially in Hong Kong. All bands struggled. There was never a big demand for rock music and even now, there are no bands in the Hong Kong music industry.
After the death of Ka-kui, tens of thousands of fans were in mourning. The future of the band was in jeopardy. No one knew what was going to happen, not even those who were involved in the daily affairs of the band. However, in the mind of the members, there was no doubt that they would continue. They wanted to carry on the mission of their fallen brother. They wanted their music to be heard and they knew that Ka-kui would want that as well.
They got to work right away and picked up where they left off. Ka-keung was now the new lead singer. They all worked on writing new music and practicing. In 1996, they geared up for the second concert. Ka-kui was missed at this concert, but it didn’t stop everyone from having a great time. The band members took their usual position with Ka-keung the bassist on the left, Paul the lead guitarist on the right and Sai-wing on the drums in the back. The middle was always Ka-Kui’s spot. Everything went smoothly until the last show where Ka-Keung wanted to dedicate the song 祝您愉快 (Wishing You Happiness) to his brother whom he missed dearly. He sang it a cappella with the audience singing along. While singing, he began crying and without finishing the song, expressed his pain. The concert ended emotionally with the famous song Ka-kui wrote, but never performed, 海闊天空 (Sea as Wide as the Sky).
Pages: 1 2
May 4th, 2005 at 1:20 pm
wow that is a really lengthy tribute to beyond, although their genre of music is not my particular cup of tea i find their artistic integrity to the music admirable. I abhor how the culture today whether in america or asia are becoming so commercialized with hollywood flash and glam. Corporate spokenmenship and all the marketing nonsense. SAVE the MUSIC.
May 4th, 2005 at 2:14 pm
great entry
May 5th, 2005 at 1:36 am
I listened to beyond when I was a kid. Didn’t get the music until I was older… From what I know all the music coming out of HK recently has been garbage. I agree that beyond is possibly the grestest rock band in HK history.
May 5th, 2005 at 5:24 am
Beyond’s music is inspiring and they have carved a legacy in Hong Kong and Asia at large. It’s a shame to see them go, but there is no doubt that their music will live on for generations to come.
May 21st, 2005 at 6:09 am
There were so many great rock bands in China. Musically Beyond is just an average band that made it big commercially. But I admire Beyond because they truly loved music and didn’t sell out in an environment like HK, where is a tough place for real musicians to survive.
June 15th, 2005 at 4:21 am
Beyond was probably the greatest band so far coming out of HK. I really enjoyed them when I was young. Your tribute brought back those times… thank you!
June 23rd, 2005 at 1:14 pm
This is a rebuttal to what Pat said about Beyond being only average musically. Do you have any basis for that remark? Granted it was an opinion of yours but I was just wondering as to your reasoning. Personally I feel that their music, especially the music of Ka Kui, is more than meets the eye. Many of their melodies and such are very simple, but therein lies the complexity. I’ve heard different bands from HK and China over the years and I feel as though they have no definitive style/melodies, whereas a Beyond song can be instantly recognizable. I do agree with you however that they deserve a lot of admiration for sticking to (or not straying too far from) their ideals. Hopefully they’ll get back together when they’re older and jam like the Rolling Stones still are.
August 6th, 2005 at 11:07 am
Well, Beyond is the greatest band of all! What influence me to play guitar on their music is the only band that gives me courages in learning to play all their written songs.
Beyond is the band I most respected until now. No other chinese band can replace them at all. Good luck to Beyond!
October 16th, 2005 at 9:43 pm
I share many sentiments with Ray. Many bands have come and gone, and few can withstand the test of time. However, Beyond has played their music for more than 20 years, withstand many struggles, and now they are still committed to their music, the way they want to play it. I started listening to pop music, and discovered Beyond in my teens, about 13 years ago. There had not been, and still has not been, any music like that of Beyond’s.
I have attended their farewell concert in Singapore. It is sad that it is my first time seeing them live and it will be the final time. However, I truly think that Beyond is and will remain as the legacy of Hongkong’s true rock music.
November 3rd, 2005 at 12:51 pm
I have been a Beyond fan since the mid 1980’s when they first made their appearance. I’m now in my late 20’s so it’s been a long time that I have been listening to them. I don’t know of anyone here in the United States who can claim to be a true Beyond fan for such a time. I still own all their early albums in LP (Record) format. Boy, it’s been a long time since 1987. To the person name Pat who said Beyond’s music is mediocre, I would agree with you only to the extend of their later work when they claimed fame as a pop band. Their former music was a blend of Heavy Metal, Hard and Punk rock which had a cult following, but it was never mainstream. Much of their earlier music as an underground band was dark and even sadistic. They also had another guitarist Lau Chi Yuen who was the architect of their powerful yet eccentric and moody style of music. If any of you saw their live concerts back in the 80’s, you can see his impressive guitar skills. I think he is a more accomplished musician than Paul because he can switch from guitars to keyboards in a blink of an eye. Unfortunately he left the band, and Beyond took on a “pop” sound which eventually gave them stardom. Anyway, Beyond’s underground and mainstream music will be heard again and again by die hard fans who enjoy both styles or one of the other.
November 18th, 2005 at 11:15 pm
Beyond have been my most favourite band even since I started to listen to songs. Their songs, their music were so different compared to others which make me like them and have a passion to listen to their songs more. I never get sick of their songs even now I still play them. I am happy that finally that they held concert in Singapore in 15 Oct 2005 and able to get to see them in real life. I almost cried when the concert ended cos I knew that I am not able to see such a well-done concert anymore cos they have disbanded. Till now, I am still unable to accept the true. I do hope that one day, I am able to hear good news that they decided to get together again. But no matter what, in my heart they are always the best and I will remember them forever and ever. “Beyond” U are the Best.
November 23rd, 2005 at 4:12 pm
Beyond inspired me in many ways. I’ve been listening to them ever since I can remember. Wong Ka-Kui is by far the most talented writer of the problems in society in my books. Every word in their songs has a deep meaning. Every quote I have ever heard by Ka-Kui stays in my head forever. I will definitely miss their departure. The song 20 years was the dedicated to Ka-Kui by the band and i thought their performance at the concert was spectacular.
- Beyond will be missed.
February 25th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Hey,
I live in England and to be honest had never heard of Beyond, however that all changed this month whilst working in Kuala Lumpur. I was watching a band in a club and they performed a song which absolutely blew me away - yeah i think its called “Sea as big as the sky” - or something like that anyway.
I’ve just managed to download the song from the internet (thanks to the help of my friend in Malaysia), but as a keen guitarist myself i would love any help in finding the guitar tablature for this song.
anyway - nice site.
adz
May 9th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
i have been BEYOND fan seen 1st time heard to their music. i think i just age 3 when wong ka kui’s death. nowday when i when to school i still tell my friends about BEYOND. they all say that i so crazy can still love that band even i just age 16! donnu why my mind keep make me remember this great band ever i know. i can’t get bored even i repeated their music for almost 10 times a day. i so hope that wong ka keung and other could continue leading the group name BEYOND. i can’t even imagine what will happen now if wong ka kui still alive… could u all? i hope some people will make some great online forum to let all fan to chat online with them! this because i have a lot of words that i want to tell them~
May 17th, 2006 at 2:38 am
Wong Ka-Kui and Bruce Lee, will be missed forever.
September 24th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
[…] ; - Wong Ka Kui More Info on Beyond can be found on these sites : Hong Kong Rock City The Greatest Band Hing Kong Will Ever Have […]
September 27th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
I‘m is chinese live in SiChuan.I’m is listen BEYOND’s music growth.
October 10th, 2006 at 12:19 am
Hey, I love listening to Beyond, but I would really love to be able to sing along…does anyone know where I can find the lyrics?
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 am
i do hope beyond hold a concert again..but this time in penang,malaysia,….it will be great if they come to host the concert…ka kui’s song inspired me a lot on how to be human beings…i really miss him…he will be remembered forever…beyond a live…..!!!!!but nowdays,i still do promote beyond’s song to all my frenz….i m proud because i can manage to sing like ka kui’s voice..sumting tat people very hard to learn his voices….if free,can hearyah….invite karaoke will do…
November 8th, 2006 at 10:33 pm
i have been deeply influenced by BEYOND,as a chinese ,today i am bored with current popular songs.theyare all no-sense.
November 9th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
i like beyond too..but i’ve got problem like Alison….can’t find BEYOND lyrics!! >_
November 9th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
can anyone help me….tell me where i can find it. thanks ^^
November 23rd, 2006 at 10:20 am
hallo here is my second time here
to all Beyond’s fans just like me:
i not invite but as a fan i would like you all to join Beyond friendster group created by me view http://www.friendster.com/streamaxis to join the group to all friendster’s users and hope Beyond’s spirit will last forever
December 17th, 2006 at 9:44 am
Hi,
I live in the uk and I had at first never heard of Beyond as they were famous when i was too young to know. A friend told me about them so i went to find out more and the Internet led me to this article.
Beyond sounds so beautiful, inspirational and… *bows in respect* I wish I’d been old enough to acknowledge them when Ka Kui was alive.
Kay.
February 4th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Beyond is awesome!!!!!! When they got famous, I was still a kid and stayed in mainland China. At that time, I didnot even know what Rock is. Thanks to Beyond, they opened a window for me in my life! Love Beyond!
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:40 am
Hey Founder of this site,
I feel like these things you say about BEYOND, I feel like you’re me. I too am much like you, I speak fluent cantonese, but I don’t understand the lyrics. HOwever, I want to share wth you that I really admire your appreciation for BEYOND. I feel the same way. If one day I get to meet them in person, I too will shake their hands and thank them for the wonderful music. I don’t know much about rock music like you do, however, i really do think they worked hard and they are the only band in Hong Kong. I mean, when they say there are many bands in Hong Kong, I don’t consider a group of artists singing as a band. Anyways, e-mail when you have time, we can do some chatting about BEYOND? I too went to their 2003 & 2005 concert @ Atlantic City. I never went to any in HK, I’ll image it was awesome. Anyways, please, email me when you have time. Thanks!
March 2nd, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Beyond is the greatest band ever had in HK, no other band can replace them in my heart, Beyond inspired me in many ways. I’ve been listening to them since 1989 until now i still listening to ka kui songs, thanks to beyond who is dedicated their live for music only and not for money or popularity, i wish beyond will always live in our life and all beyond fans life, thanks a lot to ka kui for your masterpiece in music
farewell BEYOND ….
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:47 am
Everyone said im outdated coz i always listen to beyond musics
But i wanna tell u all there..
good music never outdated..
And Beyond will always be with us!
March 14th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I grew up with beyond music, and I do listen to what influence their music. Ka Kui was the greatest musician in my opinion. his music spread through society, all sort of people listen to their song. His song inspired me to never give up my dreams no matter how hard I was hit. I wake up everytime I fall it is because Beyond remind me that. Beyong is not just a band, it is a spirit. Whatever it takes, Beyond is the most important inspiration in my life.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Hello Ray,
Thank you for sharing your article with the world. I am a mixed-Asian of four different races (Indian + Pakistani + Arabic + Malay) and I am one of Beyond fans after I start listening to Beyond music sometime between 1992 - 1994 while I was managing a audio CD store in Singapore.
Since then I fall in love with Mandarin and Cantose music and start listening to Grasshopper, Jackey Cheung, Andy Lau, even though I only understand 5% to 10% of the entire song (I can comprehend a little Mandarin).
My all-time favourite song by Beyond is the “Days of Glory” but I can’t seems to find the lyrics written in English alphabets as I can’t seems to catch the Cantonese words being sung. Any ideas where I can find it?
Stay driven!
Moonshi
March 21st, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Used to grow up with the chinese radio when i was younger as my mum often left it on. I heard one of their best songs “guang hui sui yue” on the radio when i was 8 — that was in the early 90s. Ever since that song, i’ve been trying to get my hands on all their music. Now i’m 21, its been 13 years, and i’m still listening and singing their songs as if they were today’s hits. Quite contrary to the other songs of today, Beyond’s songs actually talk about issues of society, prevalent not only then, but now as well. Paul said in the 2005 Beyond concert that he hoped all Beyond fans would still listen and support good music, and live by the spirit that Beyond sought to embody throughout their years of making music. I think all fans would. Beyond has given all fans so much throughout these years. Thank you Beyond — your music (legendary material will live beyond the band’s lifespan) has given so much nourishment to all us hungry music (GOOD MUSIC) fans out there.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:33 pm
If anyone still wants to access Romanized karaoke style lyrics for Beyond songs, please try pasting
http://www.karazen.com/viewartist.php?name=Beyond
into your browser and then click on the “The Ultimate Story” link in the box appearing on screen to see the titles of all the songs stored in KalaOK format. Click on the song you want and enjoy singing along.
The Karazen website is a great resource for people who like Chinese culture but don’t have the language skills to appreciate it without a bit of help.
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I was born in 1989 ! I have never see 黃家駒 when he alive, but i still hear his music today !!! Beyond forever !!!
April 4th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
thanks sanzo!!!!!! you are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!! really!!!!!!!!!!!! thx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!thx!!!!!!11
April 4th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
the spirit of Beyond will never die !!!! And my love too!!!!!! In less than 2 days this site became my ´´everyday-website´´! I will come back!^^
April 4th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Hello everyone,
Thanks for all the responses. I still listen to Beyond everyday and it’s like a new experience everytime. It’s funny how something as simple as a few guys getting together to play music has turned out to be something that can bring so many people together. I am happy to have written this article for you all to read and that I am even happier to know that we all share the same love for this band. They are truly the best and will never be forgotten.
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
April 5th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Glad to make the Karazen resource better known; the more people who are able to sing Beyond’s songs, the better informed the appreciation and comment will be on sites like this. There are a few resources for Beyond sheet music on the internet and, in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2006, I’ve managed to buy 3 or 4 printed books of the Beyond repertoire arranged for keyboard with some guitar chords. I’m a classically trained pianist and really can’t agree that there is any objective basis for the comment in this thread reading “Musically Beyond is just an average band”; when I play or arrange Wong Ka Kui’s music, I am awed that the structure and intelligence of his invention is as robust and original as much of the writing of Bach and Mozart. He has the same facility to combine melody and rhythm in a way which, once heard, is never forgotten; sorry, this is not “average”. Also, this is no average band: I would encourage any doubters to look at the VCD of the concert called “Beyond Unplugged” – a full length programme of their own material delivered from memory by four guys using acoustic instruments and singing in harmony. This is not “average”; this is pure talent. Keep worshipping!
April 6th, 2007 at 1:52 am
[…]
by: ray lee
Posted in Uncategorized by on the April 5th, 2007
Ray Hackett wrote an interesting post today on […]
April 6th, 2007 at 7:36 am
I absolutly agree with Sanzo !!! I heard Beyond when I was 7 or 8 and since then I don´t forget the rhythm! Of caurse I cannot tell you about their melody, but if I hear songs like 光輝歲月 or 無悔這一生or 真的愛你, I can tell you that they are songs of Beyond ! And their lyrics…… They are more than songtexts!!! They are worldly wisdom for me! Anyway, Beyond is and will stay a part of my life, although they have separated!
ps: Forgive me if I hab write something wrong…….. my english is not so good………….
April 7th, 2007 at 1:53 am
[…] by: gammet » by: ray lee
Posted in Uncategorized by on the April 6th, 2007
unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere […]
April 8th, 2007 at 2:09 am
[…] (Montgomery Advertiser) » by: gammet » by: gammet » by: ray lee unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere […]
April 18th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
For anyone else interested in how and why the Karazen web-site supports show-casing Chinese music and film to the world (but in English!), this article from Sing Tao might be interesting - in either or both of the Chinese and the English versions!:
http://www.karazen.com/article.php
April 30th, 2007 at 1:01 am
大 家 好 ！ 让 所 有 的 Beyond fans 痛 痛 快 快 得 说 一 声 冲 开 一 切 ！
May 19th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Hi All, I do really get surprised that we have many Beyond Fans. I heard their music long long time ago, and still I like a lot of their songs. My aunt was one of the members of Beyond group neightbor, which she get surprised the famous they are. Their music is really good, since all their words are true in life. 海闊天空 is one of my favorite song, and this song in the “Life & Basic” CD was dedicated to 黃家駒. For the chinese, 長城 is dedicated to all, so that we can remember what is the greatest thing that we have. 真的愛你 translated into English “Really Love You”, well, you have it all in there, no words to describe how good they were. It is a shame that they will disband. Hope they are going to get back again. They can’t be replaced, and will always be in our mind. Who of us doesn’t have some of their melody in our head. We can whistle, or try to sing alone and the song that comes out is from Beyond. Kudos for them, and let’s pray to have their band back together. Thanks Sanzo for the Lyrics. I was tryinig to search this for a long long time.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
the past 2 days = 10th June
its ka kui’s 45th birthday
BEYOND LOVE
its so hard to find a singer who can sing like BEYOND
June 28th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Though I am not a Chinese, but m grown up in HK and I love listening to BEYOND..
I got the habit of listening to Beyond from my dad and uncles. As we all are born and raised in HK so we all are fluent in Cantonese and I believe no local singers can form a group like them.
They were just too good in those time and they still are at this time. Though I am like fully grown up now and I am from different generation their songs still have the best feeling ever.
The problem which I still have is I sometimes want their lyrics which I really can’t find, if anyone out there know where I can find them, please do tell me.
Thanks =)
June 30th, 2007 at 6:43 am
Hello, 1987 gurl! Have you looked at my post above dated 2nd April? This gives a link to a website with lots of the Beyond lyrics both in Chinese characters and in romanized pinyin (for KalaOK!) Does this help you find what you want? I think you are right in saying that it doesn’t matter what generation you are from: Beyond still rocks. Even my English mum who is nearly 70 loves Beyond and sings along!
June 30th, 2007 at 10:50 am
=)
Thanks Sanzo*
July 16th, 2007 at 2:36 am
I only just became interested in them about nearly a week ago and i loved their music, even though i can hardly speak fluently in cantonese. They are a great band and i wanna learn their songs. Anyone got the sheet music or anything like that for it?
im gonna try and learn their songs on the piano but im only doing it by ear right now so sheet music would help. It was so sad the way he died.
The Hong Kong music industry had lost one of it’s best.
August 15th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Thank you for your comprehensive tribute. I put on their Live in 1991 CD today. 16 yrs on, their music and the lyrics still sound inspirational. Their message of peace, love and tolerance still rings true today as it did in back then. I cant think of any other band from HK that has created such an impact on the lives of ordinary people. Their music makes me feel humble, grounded, and proud to be Chinese.
August 21st, 2007 at 3:27 pm
i love beyond forever…
September 25th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
well said, Ray, well said….i just came back from Hong Kong visiting Kar Kui’s Grave… God i miss him…
June 4th, 2008 at 2:20 am
hi..
I dont speak n read chinese, but i really love one of beyond’s song “hoi fut tin hong”
It was an old song but definitely long time time favorite to all beyond’s fan.
Does anyone know how to find the lyric in han yu pin yu? (pardon my spelling)