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Lai Ying Kit

Andrea Chen

With lyrics and music - instead of chants and speeches - amateur songwriters have lent their talent to the pro-democracy protests.
The Cantonese songs, posted on YouTube, have attracted tens of thousands of views. Most were uploaded in the days since the protests started.
The most shared and discussed song has an unwieldy title in English: I'll Refrain from Criticising Your Simple-Mindedness (So You Won't Get Angry). It was penned and recorded by amateur songwriter David Cheang, who makes a living in advertising.
Two videos of the song - one showing Cheang singing the ballad while playing a guitar and one using anime - have attracted about 100,000 views in the past three days on YouTube. The lyrics, printed online, read:
You told me shop owners and commuters suffered… 
But when I asked if you have ever gone on the street 
You said it's enough to watch TVB news from dawn to dusk.
"Whether you oppose or support the movement, you have to buttress your point with solid evidence, not the biased coverage of a certain broadcaster," Cheang said.
Another song, titled Tear Gas, was composed and recorded by a group of pupils from various secondary schools. It has attracted more than 27,400 views since it was uploaded on the video-sharing site on September 29.
I have never thought of seeing real tear gas in Hong Kong in my life.
The power of the bomb smashed our sense of belonging to Hong Kong.
The chorus tells listeners:
We will carry on our pursuit, 
Despite the tears shed. 
The strength of the people's voices 
Will not fade.

Tear Gas
Another song had once been used to praise the city's police, but has become the object of attacks since Occupy started.
Singer-songwriter Felix Poon King-cho said he co-wrote the lyrics to Hong Kong Life months ago. Then it was used as theme song by a pro-police group, which put it on YouTube.
After the protests started, people made parody videos and posted them, ridiculing the song and the police.
Poon said he was sad to see his tribute being used as a tool to mock police officers. "It is not helpful [for the two sides] to attack each other," he said.
 

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Occupy Central

Amateur songwriters give Occupy movement a soundtrack on YouTube

With lyrics and music - instead of chants and speeches - amateur songwriters have lent their talent to the pro-democracy protests. Photo: Reuters

With lyrics and music - instead of chants and speeches - amateur songwriters have lent their talent to the pro-democracy protests.
