Growing Pain (Part IV)

但昨天沒法等 像昨天的風箏

The release and subsequent success of Prudence Liew’s debut album 劉美君 had all the makings of a legend: Hailed from the newly established record company Current, it was David the small independent label versus the Goliath the big corporate publicity machine and, against all odds, won it. With amazing longevity that buoyed by each successive individual hit song, the album stayed on the upper echelon of the chart for over eight months and spawned not one but two extended remix EPs. It was pushed to the front of the queue for all the year-end award contention, only to come to a rather ugly end.

I could never shake off the memory of the pissed-off look on Prudence when she realized her 最後一夜 was shut out from the year-end top ten 勁歌金曲 (rumour had it that 最後一夜finished eleventh) even when her album has just scooped the Best Album award. Her disappointment is understandable because she never came close to that élite level again. However, it would be a shame if she felt she was slighted for the best album was definitely the worthier win between the two. In additions to the underdog victory, what made the success of the album so special is the fact all the songs are original except 最後一夜, a bold feat in the 80s and even bolder for a new artist. Even more remarkable is the variety of styles in each of the creation - 隔, 霓虹鳥, Mind Make Up and my favorite 亞熱帶少年, none of them fall into the mainstream genre of its time. Prudence might have emerged as the shooting star from her debut album but for me the production is the true champion here.

Prudence’s persona has always been someone who has been around the block, even as early as the knocked up teenager in 《江湖再見》, long before she established herself as a singer. Among the many goodies in her debut album, naturally it was songs like 午夜情 or 最後一夜 that got the public’s fancy the most. The more on the refreshing side 清晨 would never come to my attention had a classmate not introduced it to me. My classmate has become a first-time father last year. Twenty years has passed since this song was released, I doubt 清晨 will cross his mind very often these days but I wonder if he would take his new born son go kiting some days