Tell us how you came to know about Tracy. Have you been a fan for many years now? Maybe you have come across and article or piece of news that mentions Tracy's views on life. Her determination and drive. Or her long and outstanding music career.
HOW I CAME TO KNOW TRACY HUANG by Reynard Cheok
Most people who may not know the music of Tracy Huang will know her name. Her reputation precedes her. It was the same for me. Even before I have heard many of her songs, or have come to enjoy her music, the name Tracy Huang has always been familiar. From the words of my parents who have heard her sing, but who do not follow her music, my first impressions of her were that she is a singer who sings English songs very well, so much so that even in the 90s, the magic of her glory days of the '70s still surround her like an aura.
Tracy Huang's voice also emanates regularly from the radio. Even before I knew her songs, I already knew that she is the singer of that old Chinese song, LOVE'S TEARDROPS. One cannot miss hearing her album titles if one were to listen to Singapore Chinese radio in the late 80s and early 90s. It was then that the melodies of MESSAGES FROM THE HEART, SNOW IS BURNING, THE STORY WHICH CANNOT BE RETAINED, IN LOVE, as well the many signature numbers from the Polygram period: LOVE WITH AN ANGEL, SENDING MY EMOTIONS THROUGH SPACE AND TIME, DAYS OF WIND AND RAIN, became ingrained in my mind. Through this unconscious and subtle way, the unique qualities of her voice became know to me. Over time, that crystal clear voice of hers became unmistakable. Therefore, even though I did not know Tracy Huang, I already knew her voice.
Subsequently, I also remember hearing her sing both the English and Mandarin versions of AGAINST THE WIND, a wonderfully understated number that was the theme song of a Singapore drama serial. This song however has never been released on CD, and may never be.
My initial impression of Tracy Huang was that she only sang sentimental ballads. Somehow, the combination of her feminine vocals and her trademark porcelain good looks makes her appear as if she could sing sad love songs. It was a stereotype that many people must have had of her.
However, I realised that I was mistaken when I heard her sing CRYING SAND in 1990. At that time I was still in secondary two. I cannot remember how I felt when I first listened to the song over the radio but somehow a subtle spell had been cast. There was something about the clean and minimalist beauty of the song that somehow appealed to an unknown intrinsic element of my character. Then I heard SET LOVE FREE again on the radio before I knew what song it was, and I was mesmerised when I found out. Then I had to buy the cassette, my enthusiasm fuelled in part by the critical success and rave reviews that the album received. My initial impressions about the album overall were not very good, perhaps because I did not expect the jazzy and various other music styles of the albums. But I fell in love with some of he songs the memory of the album has been with me since.
The very first album that got me completely hooked was CHARIOTS OF FIRE. I still remember the sepia coloured MTV of the title song and Tracy filming in England. It was the first cassette tape of hers that captured my attention from beginning to end.
Subsequently, listening to her past albums started becoming a stronger urge. I remember even when I was sitting for my 'O' Levels I was saving money to buy copies of her previous UFO titles which have already run out of print. My first exposure to her UFO English songs came about when I bought the compilation by UFO, THOSE GOLDEN DAYS. Then, subsequently, after penny pinching days, I managed to buy and listened to SOMEWHERE IN TIME, PARADISE IN MY HEART, THE LOVE INSIDE, GOODDAY MY LOVE. Later, I chanced across a copy of TRUE DEVOTION in a little shop.
Of course, my reactions to these albums were mixed. Sometimes, my hopes were a trifled disappointed when the songs didn't sound the way I thought they would. Even back then I was unhappy with the song PRETENDING, as well as with TRUE DEVOTION, which did not sound at all like what I imagined her English albums would sound, all sweet and wholesome.
In my secondary three and four days, I came across suddenly several of her early EMI English cassettes in this shop at World Trade Centre. I had to pester my mother to buy one for me, the first being a compilation, MY SELECTIONS, which I thought was the best buy since it contains many of the songs from her albums. Believe me, I was captivated! More penny-pinching days followed, as I would go back to the shop time and time again, buying one cassette tape each time. In all, I managed to collect ANOTHER GOODBYE, MISSISSIPPI, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, SONGS OF THE 60s, SONGS OF THE 60s VOLUME 2, although several of the tapes are probably damaged by now.
When Tracy released LOVING YOU FROM MY HEART in 1990, I remember going to the shops regularly to see if the cassette tape had been released yet. At that time the CD was already available but there was no way I could afford to buy a CD then. But generally speaking, I was disappointed with most of the albums that she released under ROCK. In particular, I did not know why her vocals in ESCAPE were so bland and watery. Frankly, speaking I almost lost faith in her works then because I thought that her subsequent albums would be similarly lacklustre.
When SPRING LIGHT was released, I was in the first year of National Service. I remembered feeling rather skeptical about the album, the feelings about ESCAPE being still fresh in my mind. Later, I bought the album in CD form impulsively, partly because I was still curious about her works, and partly because I had more freedom with money because the NS allowance! I thought it was only so-so but it took many repeated listenings before I fell in love with the album.
In 1996, when SWEET NOTHINGS was released, I just came back to Singapore from an overseas training. The first thing I heard over the radio was the 'xiao yuan' freshness of SWEET NOTHINGS and I had to buy it. The album was released close of Chinese New Year, and I remember buying it at a rather cheap price in Chinatown when I was doing New Year shopping. But it was really WE AH WE that finally displayed all of Tracy Huang's talents and it remains her best album to date.
Then last year, CRAZY FOR LOVE was released. With more news from the internet about this release, it was possible to go buy this CD as quickly as I could. My feelings about this album are ambiguous though: while I applaud her increasingly experimental works, I suspect that her vocal texture is no longer suitable for such impassioned songs.
It was only in very recent years that I started to collect Tracy's albums in CD form. I'm glad I did. Otherwise, I would not have been able to listen to albums like SNOW IS BURNING, MESSAGES FROM THE HEART and GOODDAY MY LOVE, since they are probably no longer in print in Singapore. Earlier in 1999, I was also busily collecting as many of her EMI titles as I could find, and the harvest has been rather bountiful, which is surprising, considering how difficult it is to find these albums.
Recently, when I was preparing for my exams, Tracy Huang's old English songs have constantly kept me company. This rather long-winded and dull account of how I came to know and appreciate Tracy Huang's music may only be interesting to me! But really I think that my personal experiences are similar to those of other listeners who have followed Tracy through the years. Although my experiences are mundane and insignificant, the fact remains that Tracy's voice and music have accompanied my growth, from my teenage years till today, when I only have few years left before I leave the sheltered world of books and enter society. And of course, Tracy's music has grown, too., over the years.
There is a subtle bond between the music of a singer and his or her listeners, so much so that in our ordinary lives as ordinary mortals, songs and melodies, transient though they may be, are the little milestones that mark the path we walk. Tracy's songs are no longer just songs. They are vessels into which our life stories and memories are poured, so that when we listen to these songs again, they are richer and more memorable because many facets of who we are have seeped into them.
For me, Tracy's songs are infused with my life as a student from the late '80s to the present year, just before the millennium arrives. Yet for countless other listeners, these same songs would represent their own lives and the generations and cultures to which they belong.
Thank you, Tracy Huang, whose singing and music have kept so many people company through the years.
Picture contributed by Tonydoo from the Unofficial Tracy Huang Fanclub.
Well, fans of Tracy, feel free to share your views with us on the message board or the guestbook below ...
Andrew Yip writes:
Hello everyone, It has been such a great joy reading so much stuff about Tracy this past one year, since I discovered Thomas Ng's excellent Tracy site. I live in England now (but I am from Malaysia originally), so I am not as fortunate as most of you, being so accessible to news about Tracy. My love for Tracy's music goes back a long long way, as in the case with some of you. I first heard her in the movie 'Deep in My Heart', in which she sang the theme song. Then, 'Move River' came along.... The rest is history.
To read more about what Andrew has written, please click here.
Terence Lee writes:
When Tracy performed at the Lido Palace way back in 1985, I went to see her. At the end of the show, I went backstage to get her autograph and also had photographs taken with her.
To read more about what Terence has written, please click here.
Tony Doo writes:
I'd like to tell how I knew of Tracy... When I was younger (around 14) I only listen to English songs. At that time, Fong Fei Fei and Teresa Teng were the 2 famous Chinese singers.
To read more about what Tony has written, please click here.
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