Chapter 124: The Song Doesn't Work

"Mercury Record" comes from Guo Ding's personal album "The Execution Cycle of the Aircraft."

It is a song with over a million comments on NetEase Cloud Music, and its total comment count ranks among the top in history across the entire platform. The likes on the top comments are in the hundreds of thousands, which is quite terrifying.

This song was released five or six years ago, but like "The Wind Rises," it still suddenly surges into the top ten of the hot song charts on major platforms from time to time, and it is currently ranked ninth.

Veteran singers of Lin Yilian's level have also covered this song, using it to compete in a song-based variety show.

There are also many other singers like Chen Chusheng who have covered it for competition.

This is a song that Luo Mo personally likes very much; he regarded it as a treasure before it even became a big hit, and he had a premonition that this song only needed an opportunity to see its popularity skyrocket.

Facts have proven that his premonition was accurate.

This song is very strange; you might not fall in love with it at first listen, but as you keep listening, your perception changes.

The singer Guo Ding actually tends to have his songs be more famous than he is; many people have heard his songs but might not know what he looks like at all, and he is also very low-key, almost never appearing to make money.

In the early years, back in the era when everyone was still listening to MP3s, he actually had several songs with high popularity, such as "We Two" and "Two or Three Love Songs."

These two songs were street songs for a period of time back then and were often set by people as background music for their QQ Space. Many people might feel that they have heard these two songs before when they hear the chorus.

Then, this singer disappeared, giving people the feeling that he had switched to working behind the scenes; he wrote songs for many singers like Xue Zhiqian and Liu Xijun, but he himself delayed releasing a new album for a full seven years.

Seven years later, he permed his long hair, and by the way, he also "permed" his tongue, changing the way he articulated words while singing, making his personal style more prominent.

Besides "Mercury Record," other songs with high popularity in the album include "Retention," "Desolate Land," and so on.

It can be considered a sincere work after a seven-year hiatus.

Before this album became popular, it was regarded as a treasure by many people, who were simultaneously looking forward to it becoming a big hit while also contradictorily wanting these songs not to become too overplayed.

At this very moment, on the stage of "King of Love Songs," many people have an indescribable feeling when they see this song title.

At first glance, it really doesn't look like a love song at all.

If it were written about the moon or something similar, everyone could make more associations. The moon and moonlight are often linked to Romance; for instance, on Earth, there is a very famous phrase, "The Moon is Beautiful Tonight," which is regarded as a literary golden sentence for confession, introverted and full of hints.

Most people don't know much about Mercury, so they really can't figure out how one could write a love song using it as a subject.

Not to mention the ordinary audience at the scene, even those 30 so-called professional judges felt very surprised when they saw the song title.

Although they were told to sing "special songs," they didn't expect you to set your sights on the stars and the vast sea, looking out into the universe and the galaxy.

It is worth mentioning that the entry point of the "Mercury Record" music video is actually also very special.

Luo Mo's slender fingers danced on the piano keys; the piano accompaniment for this song is actually not complicated, but it is extremely pleasant to listen to.

Some songs have lyrics and music that are separated, failing to create a shared atmosphere, but in the accompaniment of "Mercury Record," a few notes are actually used repeatedly; they are soothing and rhythmic, yet they manage to create that cold and lonely feeling of outer space.

Luo Mo leaned toward the microphone, and his slightly low singing voice began to echo throughout the venue.

"Drowning in your eyes,

The galaxy has traces to follow,

Passing through the gaps of time,

It still truly,

Attracts my trajectory."

The professional judges were sitting in another large room, and at this time, a large number of cameras were aimed at them, trying to capture some clues from their faces.

Many people let out a sigh of regret when they saw the song title at first: "Ah? It's not 'East Wind Breaks'?"

In their hearts, there was a great sense of disappointment.

So much so that when they started listening to the song, they were carrying some emotions.

But perhaps because of the melody, this song just has a way of making people calm down.

Most importantly, Luo Mo indeed has a unique charm when playing the piano. Surrounded by brilliant starlight, this man is truly shining!

The overall singing style of the song has a feeling of telling a story.

At this time, the stage special effects also showed a probe appearing next to Mercury, constantly circling it.

Many of the smarter people understood it all at once.

"This entry point is clever!"

Some more literary music critics had already thought of a title—"A Love Poem Written for the Lonely Starry Sky."

A few men with rich astronomical knowledge already had one knowledge point after another popping up in their minds: Mercury is the smallest of the eight planets and the closest to the sun, yet it has the largest orbital eccentricity among the eight planets.

At the same time, Mercury has no satellites orbiting it.

Thus, the aircraft circling it takes on a different meaning.

The song continued, and with a few transitions in the piano notes, Luo Mo continued to sing:

"This fleeting scenery, the most intimate distance,

Along the texture of your skin, walking across the winding arms,

Dreaming for you, dreaming for you.

Waiting until I see your silver filling the horizon, waiting until I can't distinguish the changing of seasons,

Only then do I dare to say I'm drowning."

Looking at the overall singing style, there is a feeling of telling a story; there is no sensationalist singing, as if he is just stating one fact after another.

To the aircraft, the distance to Mercury is so close, yet so far.

—It seems close at hand, yet untouchable.

The other six singers in the waiting room had gradually been drawn into the song.

Wei Ran is the one with the least competitive spirit toward Luo Mo, and since he is the second to last to perform, he can now enjoy Luo Mo's performance to his heart's content.

He now only feels that this kid is indeed worthy of the title of a genius of lyrics and music; the entry point of the lyrics this time is once again so clever.

He feels that the songs of other singers might not really fit the theme of "special love songs" better than this one.

It's just that up to this point, the content and emotion of the song have been very subtle.

Liking is stammering, and flirting is a stream of witty remarks.

For many ordinary people, especially in their younger years, the more fervent the emotions in their hearts, the more they will go out of their way to conceal them.

Just as Victor Hugo wrote: The first symptom of true love in a boy is timidity, in a girl it is boldness.

And so, for the spacecraft, it boldly faces all the stars in the universe, forever orbiting Mercury.

Yet it is also so timid, always maintaining a distance, unable to draw near.

Until this moment, the song officially enters the chorus section.

Luo Mo's expression remains very calm, but the melody of the song rises slightly at this point; under the foundation laid earlier, the emotions being brought out pour forth.

"【How much further until I can enter your heart,

How much longer until I can get close to you.

That person who is Close at Hand yet impossible to approach,

Is also waiting to meet you.

A planet on a journey, how could it...

——Possess you.】"

The A-section of the song ends, and Luo Mo sits before the piano, continuing to play.

Meanwhile, the accompaniment of other Yueqi and the sound of the drums also enter at this time, causing the overall emotion to reach a deeper level of elevation.

Right until the end of the B-section, the overall build-up has reached its peak.

And then, it begins to fall back into the calm valley.

From the perspective of a love song, this song is actually a bit like staying by someone's side as a friend, seemingly very close, yet forever unable to possess them, or...

——Not qualified to get close.

Luo Mo brings his mouth close to the microphone, singing in a low voice:

"【The journey is boring,

At the very least,

I can accompany you.】"

The piano music concludes; under the leisurely yet slightly sorrowful melody, the piano-accompanied singing of "Mercury Record" officially ends.

Luo Mo stands up and bows to the audience to express his thanks.

The host takes the stage at this moment to handle the transition.

As for the voting by the live audience and the professional jury, it is the same as in "I Am a Singer"—voting only takes place after everyone has finished performing.

Such a competition format dictates that the order of appearance is extremely important; because Luo Mo has little Seniority, he is at a huge disadvantage going first.

But fortunately, the production team has a new set of rules different from "I Am a Singer," which are more flexible and interesting, though they won't be utilized until the next episode. The appearance order for the first episode is purely to give respect and Face to these veterans of the music scene.

Therefore, for Luo Mo, it cannot be said that he is saving his big move for later, because "Mercury Record" is indeed his personal favorite; it's just that this guy Guo Ding is really not very famous.

But he truly does not have many thoughts regarding the ranking of the first episode.

The purpose of this song is to fit the theme of the first episode, and at the same time, it must include piano playing and singing; most importantly, it is to give back to his fans.

At the end of the old program, you gave to the galaxy.

At the beginning of the new program, naturally, one must give them a suitable song.

Once these Requirements and goals are met, that is enough.

In fact, for many fans, they are just like what is sung in "Mercury Record"—they might never see the person they truly like even once in their entire lives.

You are familiar with the work, familiar with everything, yet there always exists something akin to a dimensional wall.

When Luo Mo turns and walks off the stage, enthusiastic applause rings out through the venue once again.

It is just that because there is a significant age gap among the live audience, the heat returned from different age-group areas is also inconsistent.

After returning to the lounge, Luo Mo begins to watch the performances of other Singers via the screen.

"Tsk, going on stage first is actually quite good; it's relaxing all at once, and I can watch everyone's performance with a peaceful mindset," Luo Mo says, leaning on the sofa with a smile.

The female staff member in charge of the voice-over work in the room asks at the right moment: "Then are you willing to go on stage first every time?"

Luo Mo tilts his head and looks at her; the post-production team will likely put a few big question marks over his head.

"Do I look stupid? Hahaha!" Luo Mo says with a laugh: "Let's see the arrangements for later."

The second person to perform on stage is the former Newcomer King Sun Yi.

Luo Mo feels that his slightly lazy voice has a great degree of similarity to Li Ronghao, who has very small eyes and is often compared to photos of puppies.

The Singing style is also very similar, and he is also tall.

This man with small eyes has always adhered to the principle of saving money, so he handles the majority of his songs entirely on his own.

At the same time, back when he wasn't famous, he also often sold songs to other Singers.

It's just that the songs he kept for himself had titles like "Model" or "Composer," while the songs he sold to others were... "Ugly."

Sun Yi's creative ability is actually average, so now that he has been burned, he refuses to sign with a new company, and the resources at his disposal are very poor; excellent Composers won't give him much Face, so the standard of his new songs over the past year has been quite average.

After listening, Luo Mo feels that his singing technique is beyond reproach, but his ranking might be on the lower side.

The next few Singers also perform quite well, and the viewing experience is completely different from when he watched others' stages during "Creating Idols."

When Wei Ran takes the stage, Luo Mo claps at the screen, cheering for Wei Ge remotely and applying a Blessing buff.

Wei Ran brings one of his representative works, which directly triggers a massive sing-along from the entire venue.

From a certain perspective, sometimes singing old songs can actually generate great resonance, and the ability to warm up the venue is terrifying.

But unfortunately, Luo Mo's oldest song was actually produced only a few months ago...

Competing against a group of vocal powerhouses indeed brings a very strange feeling.

The last one to take the stage is the Heavenly King Superstar Zhao Xueqin.

Zhao Xueqin takes the stage with his "Coffee"; clearly, it is a newly released song, yet he specifically changed the Arranger for "King of Love Songs," adding some new elements.

However, among the professional jury, there are also some who maliciously speculate, feeling that Zhao Xueqin changed the Arranger actually because "Coffee" lost to "East Wind Breaks."

Otherwise, only someone like Wei Ran, who brings classic old songs, would use old bottles for new wine and perform a new arrangement; for a song you just released, the most important thing to do is promote it and publicize it, why bother with an arrangement.

After Zhao Xueqin finished Singing, when he bowed on stage, the feedback from the entire venue was extremely enthusiastic.

A Heavenly King is a Heavenly King after all; his status and level are set there, his National Popularity is high, almost everyone knows him, and his prestige is different.

Once Zhao Xueqin walked into the backstage area, the staff in each lounge led the various Singers to the large lounge.

Next, it was time for the 7 competing Singers to have their first meeting on the show.

After the vote counting is finished, General Director Ke Ming will come to personally announce the final rankings.

As soon as the seven Singers entered the room, they began to exchange pleasantries very politely.

As the one with the least Seniority, when Luo Mo sits down in a moment, he will also have to sit a bit to the side to give the seniors the most basic respect.

Nowadays, the so-called phenomenon of fighting for the C-Position happens from time to time when taking photos or choosing seats; people in the entertainment industry just love to fight and scramble.

Luo Mo himself doesn't care about this; for a handsome person, it's the same wherever he sits.

At this moment, Zhao Xueqin cast his gaze onto Luo Mo, squeezed an appreciative smile onto his face, reached out his right hand to Luo Mo, and said, "Luo Mo, the song is not bad."

Luo Mo shook his hand, was polite for a moment, and said, "No, no, I still need a lot of guidance from the seniors."

Under normal circumstances, this kind of back-and-forth polite talk would end there.

Seeing this, Zhao Xueqin nodded slightly and said, "The lyrics are good, the entry point is very clever, but actually, you could still put a little more Kung Fu Hustle into the melody."

Luo Mo smiled and nodded, without saying much more.

But he knew very well that this seemingly casual remark from Heavenly King Zhao would actually bring about a huge impact once the show aired.

(PS: First update, asking for monthly tickets.

Thanks to book friend "Chen Se Ran" for becoming a grand patron, +1 update owed.)

(End of this chapter)