Lo Ta-yu
Encyclopedia
Lo Ta-yu or Luo Dayou is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter who, during the 1980s, affected Chinese pop and rock music with his melodic lyrics, his love songs, and his witty social and political commentary that he infused in his more political songs, often to the point that some of his songs were suppressed in Taiwan
and China
during the 1980s. He is recognized as a major cultural icon in Taiwan, Hong Kong
, and China.
Stylistically, Lo Ta-yu defies classification, though his contribution to Taiwanese campus folk song
(校園民歌) genre was most significant. His early music in particular shows strong folk roots, and many of his songs tap into native Taiwanese cultural influences. Some songs are reminiscent of 1950s American diner and soda shop rock, and others exhibit a 1970s lounge lizard growl. What captured the hearts of a generation, however, were his lyrics, touching on issues of life, attitudes, social responsibility, and the political problems of both China and Taiwan with an underhandedly critical strain of dark humor. The lyrical style is not particularly artsy or complex, but rather conversational; the cleverness comes in the meaning, not how the words are put together.
on 20 July 1954 to an upper-class family. He complied with his family's wishes to finish medical school by graduating from the China Medical University
in Taichung
, but he showed his independent spirit by deciding to abandon a career as a physician to pursue a singing career.
In 1982, Lo Ta-yu released his debut album Zhī hū zhě yě (之乎者也), the title of which consists solely of grammatical particles from Classical Chinese
. A ground breaking album that broadened the horizons of Chinese music and set a new model for Chinese songwriting, it spun off hits including not only the title song, but also "Lukang, the Little Town" (鹿港小鎮), "Love Song 1980" (戀曲1980), and "Childhood" (童年). Singing songs infused with brazen commentary on the social scene of Taiwan at that time and sporting sunglasses, his debut sparked buzz and heated discussion about the issues that his songs raised in Taiwan, such as Confucian pedantry and urban emptiness.
He followed with his next album in 1983, Master of the Future (未來的主人翁), which features several songs: the title song which warns the listener of a future run by children without morals or humanity and "72 Transformations" (現象七十二變), and "Orphan of Asia" (亞細亞的孤兒) which shares its title with Wu Zhuoliu's novel about the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.
In 1985, inspired by the success of the charity single We Are the World
by USA for Africa
, Lo wrote "Tomorrow will be Better
" (明天會更好), a highly successful charity single of his own to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan's independence from Japanese colonial rule. It was ultimately performed by over 60 different artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore
, and Malaysia, including Tsai Chin
, Chyi Chin
, Chyi Yu
, Sarah Chen
, Eric Moo
, Fei Yu-Ching
, Angus Tung
, and Jonathan Lee.
Lover/Comrade (愛人同志) was Lo's next album, released in 1988. In addition to the title song which uses political slogans in the context of a love song, the album also included "Love Song 1990" (戀曲1990), one of his most famous love songs that was written 6 years after he had written "Love Song 1980."
In 1991, he wrote "Pearl of the Orient" (東方之珠), regarded as one of his most famous songs which sings praises to Hong Kong as a symbolic haven from the perils of the Pacific and implores Hong Kong not to lose its Chinese identity in the face of rapid modernization and British colonization at that time. He also wrote "Queen's Road East" (皇后大道東), a Cantonese song that satires the impending Hong Kong handover in 1997 and mocks the absence of a palace on Queen's Road
in Hong Kong.
In 2004, Lo Ta-yu formally relinquished his US citizenship to protest the introduction to the US House of Representatives of a resolution regarding the deployment of Taiwanese marines to Iraq
. "[W]hen US representatives introduced a resolution requesting that Taiwan send marines to Iraq, I realized that while the US often stresses peaceful negotiations across the Taiwan Strait, the US government is the third party that stands in the way of truly peaceful negotiation," Lo said.
On Sunday, May 25, 2008, at 7pm PST, http://www.usastarimage.com/Item.aspx?Itemid=ESI20/Lo Ta-yu held a live concert at San Jose State University Event Center. The concert, entitled "Join 'N Sing", was a celebration of the newly elected president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou
. There were 3 special guests at this show: Kao Ling Fung, Hsu Nai Ling, and Cindi Chaw Yong Hua. This show turned into a charity fundraiser for the earthquake victims of Sichuan, China.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the 1980s. He is recognized as a major cultural icon in Taiwan, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and China.
Stylistically, Lo Ta-yu defies classification, though his contribution to Taiwanese campus folk song
Taiwanese campus folk song
Taiwanese campus folk song, campus folk song, or campus folk rock is a genre of Taiwanese Music with its roots as student songs in the campuses of Taiwanese universities during the 1970s...
(校園民歌) genre was most significant. His early music in particular shows strong folk roots, and many of his songs tap into native Taiwanese cultural influences. Some songs are reminiscent of 1950s American diner and soda shop rock, and others exhibit a 1970s lounge lizard growl. What captured the hearts of a generation, however, were his lyrics, touching on issues of life, attitudes, social responsibility, and the political problems of both China and Taiwan with an underhandedly critical strain of dark humor. The lyrical style is not particularly artsy or complex, but rather conversational; the cleverness comes in the meaning, not how the words are put together.
Biography
Lo Ta-yu was born in TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
on 20 July 1954 to an upper-class family. He complied with his family's wishes to finish medical school by graduating from the China Medical University
China Medical University (ROC)
China Medical University was founded in 1958 as China Medical College . In 2003, the institution renamed itself to its present name...
in Taichung
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
, but he showed his independent spirit by deciding to abandon a career as a physician to pursue a singing career.
In 1982, Lo Ta-yu released his debut album Zhī hū zhě yě (之乎者也), the title of which consists solely of grammatical particles from Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient Chinese, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese...
. A ground breaking album that broadened the horizons of Chinese music and set a new model for Chinese songwriting, it spun off hits including not only the title song, but also "Lukang, the Little Town" (鹿港小鎮), "Love Song 1980" (戀曲1980), and "Childhood" (童年). Singing songs infused with brazen commentary on the social scene of Taiwan at that time and sporting sunglasses, his debut sparked buzz and heated discussion about the issues that his songs raised in Taiwan, such as Confucian pedantry and urban emptiness.
He followed with his next album in 1983, Master of the Future (未來的主人翁), which features several songs: the title song which warns the listener of a future run by children without morals or humanity and "72 Transformations" (現象七十二變), and "Orphan of Asia" (亞細亞的孤兒) which shares its title with Wu Zhuoliu's novel about the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.
In 1985, inspired by the success of the charity single We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
by USA for Africa
USA for Africa
USA for Africa was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year...
, Lo wrote "Tomorrow will be Better
Tomorrow will be Better
Tomorrow will be Better is a song written by Taiwanese songwriter Lo Ta-yu. It was created in 1985 under the inspiration of the single We Are the World to commemorate the forty year anniversary to the end of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan....
" (明天會更好), a highly successful charity single of his own to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan's independence from Japanese colonial rule. It was ultimately performed by over 60 different artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Malaysia, including Tsai Chin
Tsai Chin (singer)
Tsai Chin is a pop and folk singer from Taiwan . She sings in both Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien and is known for her naturally magnetic rich vocals and witty persona.-Music career:...
, Chyi Chin
Chyi Chin
Chyi Chin , is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter.-Early life:When he was young, his father had a strict daily regimen of study that started at 5 am. His studies varied from English music and literature to classical Chinese literature and Tang Dynasty poetry. Chyi, however, did not enjoy reading...
, Chyi Yu
Chyi Yu
Chyi Yu , is a Taiwanese singer. She is also the older sister of Taiwanese singer songwriter Chyi Chin, and is best known for her 1979 hit, "The Olive Tree" .-Discography:*1979 橄欖樹 *1982 祝福*1983 你是我所有的回憶*1984 有一個人...
, Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is a Taiwanese singer who became famous during the late-1980s and early-1990s. Her most famous hit songs, many resulting from her collaborations with songwriter Jonathan Lee, include Dream to Awakening 夢醒時分 and Is it Right to Love You? 這樣愛你對不對...
, Eric Moo
Eric Moo
Eric Moo Kai-yin is a Malaysian Chinese award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Moo's mother died when he was 8 and he was raised by his older sister. He was educated at Seh Chuan High School and The Chinese High School in Singapore. He became a permanent resident of...
, Fei Yu-Ching
Fei Yu-ching
Chang Yen-ting was born on 17 July 17 1955, better known as Fei Yu-ching . He is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter and the younger brother of television personality Chang Fei.-Biography:...
, Angus Tung
Angus Tung
Angus Tung is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter and record producer from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Blessed with boyish good looks and talent, Angus Tung debuted in 1983 and released his first solo album “Miss You” two years after. He subsequently released 14 albums, including a Chinese pop classic...
, and Jonathan Lee.
Lover/Comrade (愛人同志) was Lo's next album, released in 1988. In addition to the title song which uses political slogans in the context of a love song, the album also included "Love Song 1990" (戀曲1990), one of his most famous love songs that was written 6 years after he had written "Love Song 1980."
In 1991, he wrote "Pearl of the Orient" (東方之珠), regarded as one of his most famous songs which sings praises to Hong Kong as a symbolic haven from the perils of the Pacific and implores Hong Kong not to lose its Chinese identity in the face of rapid modernization and British colonization at that time. He also wrote "Queen's Road East" (皇后大道東), a Cantonese song that satires the impending Hong Kong handover in 1997 and mocks the absence of a palace on Queen's Road
Queen's Road
Queen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...
in Hong Kong.
In 2004, Lo Ta-yu formally relinquished his US citizenship to protest the introduction to the US House of Representatives of a resolution regarding the deployment of Taiwanese marines to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. "[W]hen US representatives introduced a resolution requesting that Taiwan send marines to Iraq, I realized that while the US often stresses peaceful negotiations across the Taiwan Strait, the US government is the third party that stands in the way of truly peaceful negotiation," Lo said.
On Sunday, May 25, 2008, at 7pm PST, http://www.usastarimage.com/Item.aspx?Itemid=ESI20/Lo Ta-yu held a live concert at San Jose State University Event Center. The concert, entitled "Join 'N Sing", was a celebration of the newly elected president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
. There were 3 special guests at this show: Kao Ling Fung, Hsu Nai Ling, and Cindi Chaw Yong Hua. This show turned into a charity fundraiser for the earthquake victims of Sichuan, China.
Discography
- 之乎者也 (Zhī hū zhě yě) (1982)
- Master of the Future 未來的主人翁 (1983)
- Home 家 (1984)
- Youth Movement 青春舞曲 (1986)
- Lover-Comrade 愛人同志 (1988)
- Brilliant Days 閃亮的日子 (1989)
- The Year to Say Farewell 告別的年代 (1989)
- Queen's Road East 皇后大道東 (1991)
- Hometown 原鄉 (1991)
- Capital 首都 (1992)
- Love Song 2000 戀曲二〇〇〇 (1994)
- 再會吧！素蘭 (Zài huì ba! Sù lán) (1995)
- 寶島鹹酸甜 (Bǎodǎo xián suān tián) (1996)
- 昨日至今 (Zuórì zhì jīn) (2002)
- Beautisland 美麗島 (2004)