The LifeJourney’s Inspirational Playlist

“They’ve written all the best melodies in the world,” The LifeJourney tells Apple Music of their spiritual mentors, The Beatles. “The Beatles were our musical enlightenment. We especially admire their middle and late period—the works were pioneering.” The Britpop-leaning band wears their influences on their sleeves: “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude” inspired “永远都会在” (“Always Be There”), they recorded songs at Abbey Road Studios and they gave performances to commemorate the death of John Lennon. Now, The LifeJourney have created a playlist of their favourite Beatles songs, and have spoken about their fandom in this interview. What was it like to record “靠近一点” (“Get A Bit Closer”) and “勇” (“Brave”) at Abbey Road Studios? “We’d just started touring in summer of 2017 and we got an invitation to collaborate with Howie B at Abbey Road Studios. Our hearts were totally filled with excitement and anticipation. Songs that influenced the whole world were recorded there—Abbey Road, to us, is a temple! We still remember the moment we walked in: the smell, the steps, the floor, the instruments played by The Beatles and Pink Floyd were still there. [Lead singer] Kong Yichan even kissed the floor. We put our heart and soul into those two singles. This was, without exaggeration, the peak of our life. Of course, you can pay money to go and record there yourself, but this wasn’t about money, this was a dream come true.” How did you first discover the Beatles? “Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong, was probably the first part of mainland China to discover The Beatles. Guangxi, where we grew up, is close to Guangdong. Kong Yichan and [keyboardist] Wei Wei’s had a Beatles compilation album when they were young, but it wasn’t until our junior year of middle school, where we heard ‘Let It Be’ on a cassette tape that came with a magazine, that we felt like the world had opened itself up to us. The world in front of our eyes was transformed. Then, we started looked for cassette tapes, CDs brought in from the west, even bootleg VCDs. It wasn’t legal, but it kickstarted our music obsession and education.” “What did you learn from the Beatles as an art form?” “The Beatles were only together for ten years, but they created a lot of the techniques and ideas still widely used today. From transformations to breakthroughs, and even their breakup, they are the textbook example of the relationship between business and art. Every time you listen to their music, read interviews, watch documentaries—you can gain a new experience and deepen your knowledge. Works of art are external representations of internal changes and experiences. The Beatles weren’t perfect, but that was the foundation for making good music.” Please tell us about some of your picks in this playlist. “悲伤珊瑚群” (“Sad Corals”) “It’s The LifeJourney’s ‘Eleanor Rigby’. It was the first time we used a full string arrangement, and it was very gratifying.” “In My Life” “This was written when Lennon was very young. Spawned from the stirrings of a young person’s soul, a song describing the journey of life is always going to be relatable. The LifeJourney responded to that with ‘天涯路口’ (‘Crossroad of My Life’).” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” “George Harrison is a genius. He was the wisest Beatle!" “Free as a Bird” “Breaking away from the space-time continuum, you just have to cry.” “永远都会在” (“Always Be There”). “The resoluteness in the lyrics is something we learned from the Beatles. We also want to use this song to pay respects to our idols!”