好久沒有聽這個人唱歌了。

記得那時候,好幾年前當兵...每次收假的時候,我經常帶著幾張CD從當時住在大園的家,搭著桃園客運到桃園火車站,再搭乘火車到新竹「湖口」的51旅當兵,這一路總有一些音樂陪伴,不管是Cher的"Believe"、Pretenders"Human"、Ceine Dion"That's The Way It Is"或是惠妮的專輯《My Love Is Your Love》都有好些歌曲變成一種讓心情放鬆,或是調適情緒的配方。我當兵的單位叫做「精誠連」,稍微熟悉台灣當兵的一些聚集地的應該知道這是個很硬的單位,可是我卻是這單位其中最硬的一個。在這個單位中有太多故事可以和親朋好友分享了,從菜鳥到退畢,站哨、每週戰備、砲操、下基地、移防等一堆滿滿操練,老實說我還不知道自己是怎麼撐過來的,可是這些回憶並不是每個身為台灣男生可以擁有的,我們連隊是個什麼都要第一名的單位,連長說過:「訓練最嚴格,享受最囂張」,連音樂這件事情都不放過,在懇親會時,本單位甚至還組band演練,弟兄們帶著鍵盤、吉他、貝斯、鼓等傢伙到連上操演,起碼三四次有吧,還因為這樣得過旅部冠軍,而我就是電影《擋不住的奇蹟》的湯姆漢克斯,負責運籌帷幄弟兄們怎麼選歌演練等經紀事務,說起來一年八個月〈扣除先前成功嶺和大專兵身分抵扣〉過著充實也紮實,所以我從沒後悔去當兵,這可能是我生命中很值得驕傲的一部分。

可是。這樣的過程中絕對有許多存在的辛苦,有時候很久沒放假或是受到委屈不平時,在荒郊野外的掩體站哨也不禁悲從中來啊,可是只要我腦海中出現這首歌,頓時又充滿著希望和感動,那種音樂帶來的力量在歌詞中彰顯無遺,真的很感謝Gregg Alexander,不光是歌詞激發人心,他的歌聲唱腔在真假音轉化中帶有澎湃的啟發力量,當前兩天我再度想起這首歌時,找到了MV,感動還是沒有變,鼻子也酸酸了,可是這首歌即便是來自1998-1999年,現在聽來還是符合時代潮流。


當時以New Radicals〈中文--激進小子,真實團員一共有六人,包括現在已經是一線幕後詞曲創作者、由童星出道轉為女歌手的Danielle Brisebois〉之名再戰歌壇的Gregg Alexander絕對是當今歌壇最具才華的製作人之一,自成一格的曲式和音樂成為他的註冊商標,那或多或少是他精心釀造的公式,而New Radicals的魅力即使沒有顯赫的排行成績或銷售當其後盾,但他卻營造一種猶如童話故事那般的「魔笛」現象,輕易地在這幾年征服歌壇,就連擁有尊榮地位的Joni Mitchell在2004年滾石雜誌的訪問中也高度讚賞NR,說這是她多年來讓她讚不絕口的音樂,也愛死那首"You Get What You Give" ,瓊妮豪不保留說。「I knew he's my kind of guy」。或許今年才35歲的Gregg沒有繼續推出作品,不過他的實力絕對勝出這幾年多位一一躍起排行榜的創作男歌手。

"You Get What You Give"絕妙的歌詞在於後段的唸歌喬段,消遣了幾位音樂界名人:
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes run to your mansions
Come around we'll kick your ass in
後來,瑪莉連曼森首先發難說,「我對他想踹我屁股並不捉狂,可是我並不想和寇特妮擺在同一個句子,我要是看到他本人一定讓他腦袋開花。」而貝克則說,有一回他在雜貨店遇到Gregg,他則是很有帶著歉意和貝克致歉,說自己不是有意冒犯,而貝克直呼他是個big guy,顯然對此不以為意。

Gregg還在歌詞中唱著
Health insurance rip off lying
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
他解釋,這個喬段的是一個實驗,他想了解媒體究竟把焦點放在真正的議題上還是放在批評名人的部分。


New Radicals於97年成軍於加州,1998年十月發行專輯《Maybe You've Been Brianwashed Too》,專輯在英國奪下第十名,美國41名。可惜在99年五月就在樂團取消了RockFest的演出以及英國巡演後,謠言就傳出樂團解散,雖然當時MCA唱片堅稱團員生病,可是就在樂團發行第二首單曲"Someday We'll Know"前,Gregg於1999年七月自行發佈消息說團隊解散,他說,四處旅行又常常在不同的飯店只睡三個小時完全不是他想要的,他對於在一個「一曲樂團」裡擔任主唱已經失去興趣,解散後他第一張作品就是Danielle Brisebois的首張專輯《Portable Life》,而最終同樣讓人愛到崩潰的經典曲"Someday We'll Know" 在幾乎沒有宣傳的情況下,打入全美成人榜28名與英國榜48名。

2005年據說先前曾經把U2的With Or Without You 和惠妮的How Will I Know(歌詞)混成英國冠軍曲"Take Me To The Clouds Above"的英國舞曲團體LMC,今年則翻修了"You Get What You Give"成新歌"
Don't Let Go",並以LMC vs New Radicals之名發表(似乎沒有做商業發行)。


You get what you give Oh
Oooooooooooooooo
What, what, what, what
One, two, one, two, three, ow
Ow, ow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow

Wake up kids
We got the dreamers' disease
Age 14
They got you down on your knees
So polite
We're busy still saying please
Frienemies(或作Fri - enemies)
Who when you're down ain't your friend
Ev'ry night
We smash a Mercedes-Benz
First we run
And then we laugh till we cry 

But when the night is falling
You cannot find the light, light
You feel your dreams are dying
Hold tight
 

You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You got a reason to live
Can't forget
We only get what we give

I'm coming home baby--you're tops
Give it to me now

Four a.m.
We ran a miracle mile
We're flat broke
But hey we do it in style
The bad rich
God's flying in for your trial [high]

But when the night is falling
You cannot find a friend, friend
You feel your tree is breaking
Just then

You got the music in you
Don't let go
You got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You got a reason to live
Can't forget
We only get what we give

Ow

This whole damn world
Can fall apart
You'll be ok
Follow your heart
You're in harm's way
I'm right behind
Now say you're mine

You got the music in you
Don't let go
You got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You got a reason to live
Can't forget
We only get what we give

Don't let go
I feel the music in you
Yo, leh leh-ooooooo

Fly high
What's real
Can't die

You only get what you give

Health insurance ripoff lying
FDA big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes
Run to your mansions
Come around
We'll kick your ass in
Don't let go
One dance left
Don't give up
Can't forget
Don't let go


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