"Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies" () is a song by the Hong Kong rock band Beyond. It was released for their studio album Rock and Roll () on 14 May 1993, and remains massively popular. The song is an anthem of Cantonese rock music and one of Beyond's signature songs. In 2022, it became the first Cantonese song to record over 100 million views on YouTube.
It has been adopted for several events in Cantonese-speaking regions, such as the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and most prominently as the unofficial anthem of the 2014 Hong Kong protests.
Background Ka Kui was inspired by his trip to Africa in 1990 (after which he also wrote one of his most popular songs "Amani" ("Peace" in Swahili)).http://www.greenpeace.org . "www.greenpeace.org ." 雍容 政府與公共事務主任. Retrieved on 27 December 2010. Its theme—personal freedom and the pursuit of dreams—flowed from his disillusionment with the music industry.Hong Kong's rock song of freedom , BBC, 3 Jul 2018 It was written to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the band's formation. However, Ka Kui died on 30 June 1993, around two months after the song's release. It went on to gain critical acclaim and commercial success.
Release The song has been also translated as "Under a Vast Sky", "Ocean Wide Sky High", Record no. 0FE60E1F039EA4FE from NewsBank. "Vast Seas, Clear Skies", Record no. 0FE60E268F3754F8 from NewsBank. and "Clear Skies, Vast Ocean". The 1993 Taiwanese album sharing the Chinese name of the song officially translates the title of the song as "Hold On to My Dream".
Beyond recorded a Japanese version, .
Covers In the 2003 Hong Kong movie Truth or Dare: 6th Floor Rear Flat, the song was performed live by Teresa Carpio, where it was interpreted as the sacrifice a mother had made for her son.
In 2010, Cai Xiuqing () performed the song for China's Got Talent, earning her third place. In 2012, Hong Kong a cappella group Metro Vocal Group released a cover on their album No Borders.
References
External links "The Hong Kong Protests' Anthem: "Under a Vast Sky"", Voice Project, 1 October 2014