When the folk song movement gradually waned, musicians pondered over where popular music was headed. As they wondered about their next step, Chen Chih-Yuan became a beacon lighting the path.
Many next-generation producers, young creators, and singers with potential longed to create voices for a new era, and it was Chen Chih-Yuan who was able to provide a specific image with a clear outline and power for the voices of the era.
When Taiwan’s popular music scene had just parted with the 1930s’ Shanghai-style music of the stage show era and the minimalism of plain campus folk songs, rock music and the popular disco music were still foreign to most consumers in Taiwan. During this era, when doing anything was like fumbling in the dark and searching for weak light sources, Chen Chih-Yuan was a guru of popular music. With his dexterous hands and delicate touch, he dressed songs in splendid outfits, such as hard rock, punk, new-wave electronic music, reggae, and African music.
Now, let us return to the 1980s and follow the producers, musicians, and singers to experience the process of composing a song and a melody, as well as the planning , arrangement, and recording, to witness the completion of a song.
