[2024.03.21] CALVIN CHOY UNINTENTIONALLY MAKES A MOVIE THEME SONG HAPPEN

Calvin Choy and director Benny Lau click instantly while considering the theme song
courtesy of on.cc

The Benny Lau Wai Hang directed Emperor Motion Picture WE ARE FAMILY (CHOOK JO GA YUN) invited the Grasshoppers to perform its theme song FRAMILY. The song title drew suspicions of a mistake, but Lau Wai Hang explained that this was a new term that merged friend and family. "That day when Choy Yat Chi shared the song with me, he reminded me and said that the song was called Framily, this is a new term that mixed together friend and family. Like the characters in the film they had no blood relation, but after experiencing life and death, laughter and tears together, their feeling might be even greater than family!" Responsible for the music and lyrics, Calvin Choy Yat Chi pointed out that many good friend around him were like family after awhile, for example he has long treated Edmond So Chi Wai as his own brother. "I have many friends, after awhile we would become like family. Over the year I have received favors from too many people, so I really wanted to write a song to show my gratitude; for example So Chi Wai has no blood relation with me, but I already feel he is my brother."

Speaking of the creative story behind the song, Ah Chi said, "That day Lau Wai Hang said that he made a movie called WE ARE FAMILY, I went to watch with him in the screening room and realized that one part had no sound. After I watched the test screening, the director said that he would like a theme song. I then gave him a strange look, because I just happened to be making the Grasshoppers' record and wrote a song. The subject of it was somewhat similar to the film. So I asked him, did he want to give it a listen?" Ah Chi played the unfinished song on his mobile phone, Lau Wai Hang thought it was close to what he had in mind and used the song for the theme song. "As I listened to the song, I got goose bumps. Why would the lyrics match the movie so well?" Ah Chi recalled, "After playing the song, the director and his wife immediately went 'Hallelujah' and began praying on the spot!" Director Lau immediately asked for the song to be the theme song, but Ah Chi had one condition. "At the time the lyrics were already 70% written, I ask the director's forgiveness as it was impossible for me to write the rest according to the film content."

Over the years, "framily" like angels have appeared around Ah Chi and Director Lau with unconditional love. Ah Chi recalled, "In the 80s, the Grasshoppers worked on an album recover undercover and accidentally injured our eyes when we left the water. The three of us were blind for a whole week. At the time we were living together in Kowloon City, we didn't want to tell our families our situation and worry them. At that time many angels appeared, everyday morning, noon and night they came to our home, brought us rice boxes and fed us bite after bite. That feeling was truly priceless." Director Lau also had similar experience, "Over a decade ago, I experienced a low in my life, a good brother was afraid something would happen to me, moved in with me and lived together for over a year. He chatted with me everyday. He also liked to cook and would make soup for me. Now we are still very good friends."