1981–1987：The Founding of the UFO Group (Taiwan) and the Dawn of Taiwan’s Popular Music
In 1985, to combat copyright infringement, Taiwan’s album industry invited several famous musicians to collaborate on the song “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” a piece written by Lo Ta-Yu and arranged by Chen. Clearly, Chen was critical in setting the direction of Taiwan’s popular music.
During this period, Chen’s abilities in arrangement and composition earned widespread accolades. In 1983, Michelle Pan’s song “Forever Blue Sky,” arranged by Chen, was awarded the Golden Tripod Award for Best Arrangement. That same year, the movie soundtrack for “Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?,” which Chen had worked on, received the Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Score. The next year, the song “The Last Night,” composed by Chen and featuring lyrics by Shen Chih, received the Golden Horse Award for Best Film Interlude.
