On March 18 last year the Sunflower Movement erupted in protest against the opaque cross-strait service trade agreement. On March 23, Yang Ta-cheng of Fire Ex went to the legislature in search of inspiration for his new song; as it happened, the occupation of the Executive Yuan that night was violently cracked down on by the police. Student leader Lin Fei-fan said to Yang, “It just occurred to me that right now what we need is the power of softness.” Hence, the inception of the song, Island Sunrise. It ended up being the theme song of the movement.
Island Sunrise — Remix won the best song of the year at the Golden Melody Awards. When the result was announced, many people were either moved to tears or rejoiced with others on Facebook or PTT’s Gossiping board, not just because it was a shared memory, but more significantly, because the lyrics were written about Taiwan, with 500,000 participants as the song’s co-creators. It is also the reason why when Yang shouted on stage, “Let’s make Taiwan a better ‘nation,’” TV viewers shed a collective tear. His message conveyed exactly what the last part of his lyrics were saying, “Be brave, Taiwanese.”
Many people were surprised that Island Sunrise could win, for the backdrop of it came from a social movement that fought against the government’s intent to implement the cross-strait service trade agreement, and the organizer of the Golden Melody Awards, a government ministry, would be expected to hold the official view of the government. That a mainstream ceremony would acknowledge the achievement of this song left everyone utterly astonished. This not only shows that the judges were allowed to operate independently from government influence, but also shows that the social structure in Taiwan is undergoing a change; civic awareness and Taiwanese identity have become mainstream.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
自由時報記者羅沛德
On learning the news of the song’s victory, student leader Lin wrote “Awesome” four times on his Facebook page. In addition to extending his congratulations, Taiwan March co-founder Huang Kuo-chang said, “Thank you for creating this song that has touched so many Taiwanese souls. Yes, the sun will rise on this island. Let’s keep up the good work.” Indie DaaDee also commented on his Facebook page, “Rather than saying Island Sunrise won because it made an impact on society, I would say it is because the structure of society has changed that Island Sunrise was able to win.”
Chinese Internet giant Tencent made a live broadcast of the Golden Melody Awards, yet a ten-minute delay was implemented so as to avoid sensitive political issues. The part where Fire Ex won was cut; even the “Best Song of The Year” category was deliberately left out in the winners list. Karen Mok, who presented the award, gave strong support for gay marriage before presenting it, saying, “President Obama passed gay marriage and I think it is fantastic. Our society is moving forward. However society changes, love wins. Love is what wins.” However, this part was also removed from the broadcast.
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
自由時報記者廖振輝
因為反黑箱服貿，去年三月十八日爆發太陽花學運。三月二十三當日，滅火器的楊大正到學運現場尋找靈感，正巧發生佔領行政院的暴力衝突，林飛帆對楊大正說：「我現在想到的是，我們需要一點溫柔的力量。」島嶼天光這首歌便誕生了，也成為學運主題曲
《島嶼天光搖滾版》奪下本屆金曲獎最佳年度歌曲，該曲得獎剎那，大家不是是感動落淚就是在臉書、PTT八卦版一片高潮，原因除了共同的歷史記憶外，正因為這首歌詞講的就是台灣，創作者有五十萬人。這也是為何楊大正在台上吶喊「讓台灣成為更美好的『國家』」時，電視機前哭成一團，因為他傳達的正是歌詞末寫的：做個勇敢的「呆丸郎（台灣人）」。
很多人其實很意外《島嶼天光》會得獎，因為這首歌背景來自對抗政府欲執行服貿協定的社會運動，而金曲獎的主辦單位具官方色彩。主流體制的典禮竟會肯定這首歌，跌破大家眼鏡。除了證明評審自主性外，也突顯台灣社會結構正在改變，公民意識和台灣認同已成主流。
聽到島嶼天光獲獎消息，學運領袖林飛帆在臉書打了四次「爽啊」黃國昌除了恭喜外，還說：「謝謝你們的歌，感動了台灣人的心。會的，島嶼終將天光。我們一起努力。」音地大帝也在臉書說「要說島嶼天光影響社會而得獎，不如說是社會結構已經改變，才讓島嶼天光能夠得獎。」
中國騰訊網路直播金曲獎，比典禮現場慢了十多分鐘，為避開敏感政治議題，滅火器獲獎片段跳過未播，連得獎名單也獨漏「最佳年度歌曲」。莫文蔚是最佳年度單曲的頒獎人，頒獎前在台上力挺同志婚姻：「歐巴馬總統通過婚姻平權，我覺得太棒了。我們社會在進步，不管怎麼改變，Love Wins有愛就會贏」也慘遭「河蟹（意指不利和諧的訊息強行移除）」。
（自由時報）
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