Samuel "Sam" Hui Koon-kit (Chinese: 許冠傑, September 6th, 1948–present) is a Singer-Songwriter and actor from Hong Kong.note
Born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China in 1948, he and his parents arrived in Hong Kong as refugees in 1950. His music career began in the 1960s and he joined the record label Diamond Records in 1967. In the 1970s, Hui initially performed English songs that were popular in Britain and the United States, but eventually started performing Cantonese songs which he wrote as theme songs for the comedies produced by his brother, Michael Hui. Sam Hui's first Cantonese hit, "Eiffel Tower Above the Clouds" (鐵塔凌雲) — originally titled "Here and Now" (就此模樣) — was first played on the Hui Brothers Show, a youth music TV programme he hosted with his brother, in April 1972.
His first Cantonese album, Games Gamblers Play (鬼馬雙星), was the partial soundtrack to the Michael Hui-directed film of the same name. This album became popular, selling 200,000 copies, and was one of the major musical works that helped to start the popularity of Cantopop. His music gained popular appeal, particularly with the working class, for its simplicity and the relevance of the lyrics. A prolific songwriter, a noted recurring theme in his music is that it often describes or humorously satirizes Hong Kong society and events.
In 1976, Sam Hui's singing and acting career took off after the release of the breakout album The Private Eyes, the soundtrack to the film of the same title, released the same year.
Although he initially retired in the early 1990s, he came out of retirement in 2004, saying the deaths of fellow Cantopop stars Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui the year before influenced his return.
In the present day, Sam Hui's reputation is still extremely relevant throughout Hong Kong, and his music and role in Cantopop has earned him nicknames such as "the God of Song" (歌神) and "the Elvis Presley of Hong Kong".
Note: Due to inconsistencies in translations, the Chinese titles of the songs are to be listed after the English translated title for clarity.
Discography
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Albums
Cantonese
- Games Gamblers Play (鬼馬雙星, 1974)
- The Last Message (天才與白痴, 1975)
- The Private Eyes (半斤八兩, 1976)
- Arrival of the Fortune God (財神到, 1978)
- The Contract (賣身契, 1978)
- Summer Song Collection of '79 (79夏日之歌集, 1979)
- Niàn Nú Jiāo (念奴嬌, 1980)note
- Security Unlimited (摩登保鑣, 1981)
- Hard to Forget You: Paper Boat (難忘您‧紙船, 1982)
- Aces Go Places 2 (最佳拍檔大顯神通, 1983)
- New Beginning (新的開始, 1983)
- Like You the Most (最喜歡你, 1984)
- Fun is the Most Important (最緊要好玩, 1985)
- Crown of the Heat (熱力之冠, 1986)
- Infinite Universe (宇宙無限, 1986)
- It's Trendy to Form a Band (潮流興夾 Band, 1987)
- Sam Hui's New Songs and Handpicked Tunes (許冠傑新曲與精選, 1987)
- Sam and Friends (1988)
- Sam Hui: Song Collection (許冠傑 歌集, 1989)
- Feelings for Hong Kong (香港情懷, 1990)
- The God of Song Continues to Smile with You (歌神與您繼續微笑, 2004)
- Life is Good (人生多麼好, 2007)
English
- Time of the Season (1971)
- Morning After (1974)
- Interlude (1975)
- Came Travelling (1977)
Films
- Back Alley Princess (馬路小英雄,1973)
- The Tattooed Dragon (龍虎金剛, 1973)
- Chinatown Capers (小英雄大鬧唐人街, 1974)
- Naughty! Naughty! (綽頭狀元, 1974) as Wu Te-chuan
- Games Gamblers Play (鬼馬雙星, 1974) as Kit
- The Last Message (天才與白痴, 1975) as Nurse Lee
- The Private Eyes (半斤八兩, 1976) as Lee Kwok-kit
- Money Crazy (發錢寒, 1977)
- The Contract (賣身契, 1978) as Chiu Sai-kit
- Security Unlimited (摩登保鑣, 1981) as Sam
- Aces Go Places (最佳拍檔, 1982) as King Kong
- Aces Go Places 2 (最佳拍檔大顯神通, 1983) as King Kong
- Aces Go Places 3 (最佳拍檔之女皇密令, 1984) as King Kong
- A Family Affair (全家福, 1984) as Wing-cheung
- Robby the Rascal (1985)
- Working Class (打工皇帝, 1985)
- Aces Go Places 4 (最佳拍檔千里救差婆, 1986) as King Kong
- The Legend of Wisely (衛斯理傳奇, 1987) as Wisely
- Chicken and Duck Talk (雞同鴨講, 1988; cameo)
- Aces Go Places 5: The Terracotta Hit (新最佳拍檔, 1989) as King Kong
- Dragon from Russia (紅場飛龍, 1990)
- The Swordsman (笑傲江湖, 1990) as Linghu Chong
- Front Page (新半斤八兩, 1990) as Mad Bill
- Laughter of the Water Margins (水滸笑傳, 1993)
- All's Well, Ends Well Too (花田囍事, 1993) as Chow Tung
- Winner Takes All (大贏家, 2000) as Master Swindler Wong
Tropes associated with Sam Hui and his works:
- Age-Progression Song: "If There's Alcohol, Get Drunk Now" (有酒今朝醉) follows the singer through ages 8, 18, 28, and 68, recounting when his grandfather taught him the titular quote and life events that reminded him of the quote.
- Appeal to Familial Wisdom: The titular quote from "If There's Alcohol, Get Drunk Now" (有酒今朝醉) was taught to the singer by his paternal grandfather when he was eight years old, and has carried him throughout his lifetime.
- Asian and Nerdy: The song "Student" (學生哥) encourages students to work hard while they're still young and keep learning and improving themselves, lest they have future regrets. Among them, one of the pieces of advice given is that students focus more on their studies (and less on playing football and dating), lest they fail their school subjects — of which there are apparently more than ten.
- Birth-Death Juxtaposition: The final verse of "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區) juxtaposes the funeral of the protagonist with the birth of another baby born in similar circumstances to him.The mother is in tears, the crowd looks towards that old woman in torn clothes note
Arms tightly hugging his corpse, it's covered in fresh blood (Covered in fresh blood) note
In this moment in the funeral procession, simultaneously, in a corner of the slum of wooden squatter-huts note
At home, there's a baby boy who's announced to be born note
(Announced to be born) (Announced to be born) (Announced to be born) (Announced to be born) note - Bookends: "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區) both begins and ends with a baby boy being born in the slum of wooden squatter huts.
- Disappeared Dad: The protagonist of "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區) is only raised by his mother, with his father having abandoned his wife and children before he was born.
- Eyelash Fluttering: The titular Susie in "Tsim Sha Tsui Susie" (尖沙咀Susie) is said to do this while flirting.[When] she stumbles across a beefcake, [her] eyes blink unstoppably note
- Fan Nickname: In-universe, "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) lists out or otherwise alludes to several of the nicknames for Hong Kong, including "Shopping Paradise" and "Pearl of the Orient", the latter of which is shared with other places in Asia in real life.
- Flower Motifs: The song "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) from New Beginning is a song about Hong Kong, and is titled after its symbolic flower.
- Foreshadowing: In "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區), the Struggling Single Mother worries that her youngest son will not be taught how to be a good person at school, and that he would run in with the wrong crowd and be tempted into crime. As the song later reveals, this is exactly what happens, as her son never listened to her, made friends with some sleazy gamblers because he didn't want to stay poor forever, and dies in a police shootout while he was being taught by a friend to rob a bank.In the school's education [system], how would there be anyone to teach him how to conduct himself with integrity? note
How does one make him [learn to] abide by the law and do his duty [as a citizen]? note
A desire for material wealth is filled with temptation, how [does one] prevent [him] from become friends with bad people? note
Despite teaching [him] every day, [the mother] still continues to worry note - Gratuitous English: "Tsim Sha Tsui Susie" (尖沙咀Susie) from Niàn Nú Jiāo is mostly in Cantonese outside of the titular Susie's name, but also throws in a couple of English words and phrases like "good fit" and "disco", as per the Hong Kong linguistic norm of code-switching between the two languages.
- Greed: Hongkongers have a reputation of being materialistic, which is passively satirized in "Arrival of the Fortune God", which encourages people to use moral means to obtain their wealth and value peace and prosperity in one's social circles and the community more.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: The titular Susie in "Tsim Sha Tsui Susie" (尖沙咀Susie) is implied to be this, dressing in bright fashions, going to the disco all night long, and flirting and being intimate with hunks and car racers. In spite of being described as daring and open-minded, the singer wishes she wouldn't waste her time due to her young age, because if she continued this lifestyle, it would all be in vain once her good looks faded.
- Homesickness Hymn: "Eiffel Tower Above the Clouds" (鐵塔凌雲) is about the singer travelling to various attractions around the world, but proclaiming that they cannot compare to "the fishing lights on the horizon" back at home.
- List Song: The bulk of "Made in Hong Kong" (香港製造) is about the places one can go and things one can do in Hong Kong to enjoy life, and lists Sai Kung, the Peak, North Point, Shau Kei Wan, Repulse Bay, and Tsim Sha Tsui East as locations.
- Location Song:
- "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) discusses Hong Kong's history and reputation and expresses wishes for its citizens to work together to keep the city shining.
- "In the Same Boat" (同舟共濟, translated as "Hong Kong Boat" in the 2020 virtual concert) is about how Hong Kong is the singer's unwavering heart and home, and its people should unite and do their respective duty to their homeland so that it, as their boat, would stay warm and not sink.Hong Kong is my heart, an unwavering heart note
Really unwilling to move abroad to be a second-class citizen note - "Made in Hong Kong" (香港製造) lists the things one can do and places one can go while living in Hong Kong, concluding that "all good things [are] made in Hong Kong", and that the local listeners should be proud of their hometown.
- Long-Distance Relationship: "Paper Boat" (紙船) is about the singer seeing a little boat on the sea and being reminded of his lover in a foreign land, which prompts him to fold a paper boat and set it out onto the water, hoping it would reach his lover and cause her to treasure the meaning behind the boat and think of him too.Passing by the shore, [I] see a little boat note
[I] long for someone a myriad lǐ away, saddened note
She who lives abroad emerges in my mind note
How [do I] compile my yearning [for her]? note - Mahjong: "The Legend of the Mahjong-Playing Heroes" (打雀英雄傳) is about middle-aged and elderly individuals gathering after work to play mahjong.
- Massively Numbered Siblings: The youngest son of the Struggling Single Mother in "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區) had about 5-6 older siblings by the time he was born.
- Mean Boss: "The Private Eyes" (半斤八兩) cites this as one of the struggles the average working-class person has to face, coupled with only earning meager wages every month.Too bad [the] Boss is throwing their weight around at the slightest infraction (Madder than a chicken) note
Here [they] stubbornly bark with reckless abandon regardless of the situation (Woof, woof, woof) note - Mixed Ancestry Is Attractive: The titular Susie in "Tsim Sha Tsui Susie" is shown to have a white father in the music video, is a Dude Magnet for hunky men, and is remarked for being good-looking by the singer.
- Neon City: The first line of "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) notes on the neon lights in Hong Kong.[Lit by] neon lights, [the] Shopping Paradise note
- Ode to Food: "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" (佛跳牆) is a bouncy song about going to the teahouse to order the titular dish, and sharing it with one's friends.
- The Peeping Tom: In the "Tsim Sha Tsui Susie" (尖沙咀Susie) music video, a man is seen watching Susie change her clothes with a pair of binoculars; the moment Susie notices him, she starts shouting at him.
- Pun: In the chorus of "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊), the last line of its first version — "滿眼盡是 好風光" can either translate to "Everywhere you see, [it's] great scenery", or "Everywhere you see, [it's a] great bustling scene", depending on how one interprets the last three words. Given the subject and theme of the song, both interpretations fit.
- Satire: One of the recurring themes in his songs is satirizing Hong Kong society using stories and social commentary.
- Serial Escalation: The music video
for "Water Shortage Song" (制水歌) has him washing himself with first a bubble bath, then a shower, then a tiny metal tub that he can't even fit into, then with a bucket (conveniently placed in front of his crotch), then with a spray bottle (and a towel), and finally with him Non-Nude Bathing with seawater at the pier. - Singing in the Shower: The music video for "Water Shortage Song" (制水歌) takes place while he's bathing… as the amount of water he has to bathe with reducing by the stanza to reflect the water shortage around the time the song was released.
- Something Something Leonard Bernstein: "Arrival of the Fortune God" (財神到) is played all the time around Chinese New Year, so every Hongkonger and their mother knows at least a couple of lines from the chorus… keywords being "a couple of".note The Fortune God has come, the Fortune God has come, [those who are] good-hearted will be rewarded (財神到 財神到 好心得好報)
The Fortune God says, the Fortune God says, "Use righteous means to attain wealth" (財神話 財神話 搵錢依正路)
The Fortune God has come, the Fortune God has come, [you'd] better hurry (財神到 財神到 好走快兩步)
If he sets his eyes on you, you'll have [a good] future (得到佢睇起你 你有前途) - Song Parody: "The Legend of the Mahjong-Playing Heroes" (打雀英雄傳) is a parody of the titular theme of the 1976 TV series adaptation of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
- Struggling Single Mother: In the story told in "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區), a mother living in one such squatter hut worries that she would be unable to take care of her 6-7 children (including a newborn son) after her husband abandoned her.The mother isn't excited note
The child's father has already abandoned his wife and gone far away note
In the home, there's already seven [people], how will he have a big enough share? note - Suddenly Significant City: "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) alludes to Hong Kong's status as this in its first stanza, going from a tiny fishing port to a bustling Neon City and "Shopper's Paradise".[This] little fishing island [has] experienced the waves of history note
[Located] in a small corner of the Earth, yet it carries such fame note - Take That!: "Made in Hong Kong" (香港製造) features lyrics mocking Australians, Americans, and Canadians as a bridge:[In] Australia, everywhere, there's weeds [and] crude gwailos with curly hair all over their bodies note
[In] America [and] Canada, buying things [means travelling] such a damn long way; [you're] most afraid of arriving there and [being] unable to find a job note - There's No Place Like Home: Many of Sam Hui's songs are about Hong Kong, his hometown.
- "Eiffel Tower Above the Clouds" (鐵塔凌雲) is a Homesickness Hymn about travelling around the world and seeing their various attractions — the Eiffel Tower, Mount Fuji, the Statue of Liberty, and the beaches of Honolulu — and the singer concluding nothing could compare to the "fishing lights on the horizon" back at home. It's apt that for his virtual concert in 2020, the song's title is translated as "Hong Kong Song".
- "Bauhinia" (洋紫荊) sings the praises of Hong Kong (of its history and reputation), explicitly stating it to be the singer's home, and wishing its citizens would work together and continue to develop Hong Kong, to let it keep shining upon the world.
- "In the Same Boat" (同舟共濟, translated as "Hong Kong Boat" in the 2020 virtual concert) is about how Hong Kong is the singer's unwavering heart and home, and its people should unite and do their respective duty to their homeland so that it, as their boat, would stay warm and not sink.
- "Made in Hong Kong" (香港製造) lists the things one can do while living in Hong Kong, concluding that "all good things [are] made in Hong Kong" while life in Australia, the US, and Canada means facing struggles that one wouldn't otherwise face in Hong Kong, and that the listeners should be proud of their hometown of Hong Kong.
- This Is a Song: The ending stanza of "Student" (學生哥) is the singer telling the young listeners to remember the lyrics of the song and the advice given out through it, and to repeat the stanza after him.Students, one by one note
Every day we remember this song note
The many people, re me re do note
Together [you] accompany and harmonize note - Toxic Friend Influence: In "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區), when the youngest son grows up, he befriends a group of sleazy gamblers and later dies in a police shootout because one of his friends brought him along to rob a bank.
- What Song Was This Again?: "If There's Alcohol, Get Drunk Now" (有酒今朝醉) follows the tune of the American folk song "Oh! Susanna", but is an Age-Progression Song instead of a love song.
- Wrong Side of the Tracks: "Wooden Squatter Huts" (木屋區) describes the life of a family living in the slums of the city, which, at the time, was made of wooden squatter huts. This includes dysfunctional families, poverty to the point parents worried about being unable to feed their children, and people choosing to turn to crime to escape poverty. The song presents it as a tragic reality of the time.
