Jay (simplified Chinese: 杰伦; traditional Chinese: 杰倫) is the debut studio album by Taiwanese singer Jay Chou. It was released on November 7, 2000, by BMG Taiwan.[1] It was entirely produced and composed by Chou, with lyrics written by Chou alongside his creative partners Vincent Fang and Vivian Hsu. Musically, the record incorporates popular music genres such as pop, hip-hop, R&B, and adult contemporary.
| Jay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 November 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 2000 | |||
| Genre | Mandopop | |||
| Length | 42:49 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer | Jay Chou | |||
| Jay Chou chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jay is retrospectively credited for starting a whole new era of C-Pop music and is seen as one of the most impactful albums from Greater China of the 21st century.[2] Commercially, the album was a success, shipping over 250,000 copies in Taiwan,[3] making it one of the highest selling albums of 2001 in the country,[4] and is one of the best-selling albums in Taiwan of the 21st century. The album also earned an IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Top 10 Best Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year in 2001.[5]
Background and development edit
In September 1997, Chou was discovered by Jacky Wu at a talent show and joined Wu's record company Alpha Music as a music production assistant. However, no singer was willing to accept the songs that Chou wrote. In December 1999, Wu told Chou that if he could write 50 songs in 10 days, he would help him select 10 songs to make an album. In the end, Chou completed it as promised. He single-handedly took care of the production, composition, and chorus writing of 10 songs, the arrangement of three songs, and the lyrics of two songs, creating his first album.[6]
In July 2000, Chou showed the demo of "Adorable Lady" to JR Yang.[7] JR Yang praised him and planned an album for him.[8] The lyricism, composition, chorus, and guitar of "Starry Mood" were all done by Chou himself, with the song being submitted to Forward Music before 2000. Huang Shu-Jun, who was signed to Forward Music at the time, felt that the song was very well written and expressed to the company that he wanted to sign a contract with Chou, but when he wanted to use this song later, Chou had already started recording the album Jay.[9]
When Chou created the song "Wife", he improvised a rap, and the words of the rap were extended to a passage in the song. This incident made Vincent Fang very angry. Fang felt that he could write another rap. Chou also insisted that the improvised version was the most perfect. If it was re-recorded, it would lose its original flavor, and Fang had to compromise in the end. "Tornado" was originally a sincere work dedicated to Jacky Wu by Chou when he debuted, but it was withdrawn on the grounds of unsuitability, and finally placed on the LP.[10]
Writing and composition edit
The whole album is based on R&B and hip-hop, with the addition of Baroque strings and bands to create a vintage British style, and in particular, the Spanish style strings in the songs are very similar to that of a movie soundtrack. The album Jay mixes a lot of urban contemporary music styles to shake up the mainstream cornerstones of the Chinese music scene. At the same time, it's a dual-core record with rhythmic dynamics on top of its melodies, re-calibrating the balance of modern songs with rhythms and melodies to give it a fresher and richer appeal of individuality.[11]
The lead single "Adorable Lady" is written and arranged by Chou, with lyrics by Vivian Hsu, and the whole song has an R&B flavor. With simple lyrics that give out infinite space for the imagination, "Adorable Lady" breaks away from the usual ballad style in the Mandopop market, while having a new feel to it. The song "Black Humor" is a deep description of Chou's inner world of emotions, remembering the moment when his girlfriend left him, with a twelve-piece string orchestra and a traditional old-fashioned band, presenting a British vintage flair.
On the album Jay, Chou composed, wrote, arranged and chorused almost all the songs, and at the same time, he asked his colleague and mentor, Hsu, to write the lyrics of "Tornado" for him. He has gone on record saying that Hsu is a lovely woman, very talented, and writes imaginative lyrics that fit his songs.[12] The best place she could be when writing lyrics for Chou was on the airplane. The lyrics to "Tornado" came to her partly on the plane, so she hurriedly wrote them on a sickbag.[13]
The songs "Perfectionism," "Wife," "Basketball Match," "Ancient Indian Turtledove" and "Counter-Clockwise Clock" were all solely lyricized by Vincent Fang. The lyrics of the song "Perfectionism" depict the perfectionist characteristics of a girl which gave a boy heart-rending regrets of having the painful relationship with her. The lyrics also literally contained Chou's name being repeated over the chorus' tune. In terms of its music production, the song was played with several layers of piano tunes, a vigorous bass, and distinctive synthesizers. "Wife" describes the undying affection of the wife through thick and thin. Chou's iconic mumbling rap style is evident in this song, so much that one has to read the lyrics in order to understand what words he's singing. The mumbling rap style would become synonymous with Chou throughout his career.
The lyrics to "Basketball Match" describes the scenes during a basketball game along with the singer's hostility towards the opposing team mates who embarrassed him during the basketball match. The song was composed with a slow R&B style, with parts of the song being rapped. The most special thing about "Basketball Match" is that the number's intro was also recorded on the spot at a basketball court. The song "Ancient Indian Turtledove" was created by Chou after he watched the movie Shanghai Noon. Chou created the song "Ancient Indian Turtledove" with lyrics from "Black Humor" after watching Shanghai Noon, and then took the lyrics from "Black Humor" and let Fang write new lyrics. The song was recorded in an impromptu manner, with the aim of presenting it in the most authentic way possible, while taking influences from acid jazz, which is unorthodox in Chinese popular music.[14] "Counter-Clockwise Clock" is the closing song on the album Jay, and the only song in the album that doesn't have a western flavor. The intro and the mother tongue phonetic symbols of the BPM are added, and except for the B section, which has a sonata-like feel with some chord changes, the whole song is completed with 3 chords, and it has an oriental melancholic flavor.[15]
Release and promotion edit
The first edition of the album is the First Yellow Cover Edition. The second edition is the Second Edition Blue Cover with a Free Calendar Transparent Card. The third edition is in a blue cover and came with a bonus VCD that included seven music videos. The fourth and final edition of the record is the Taiwan cassette version.
Singles and music videos edit
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The music video for "Adorable Lady" was directed by prolific Taiwanese music video director Kuang Sheng.[16] The female lead in the music video was Vivian Hsu, who had never filmed a music video for any other artist before, and had been a good friend of Chou's for many years, with the two having collaborated on music several times before. In the course of production, she agreed to play the female lead in "Adorable Lady." The director of the production skillfully arranged for the two of them to have a storyline that would leave room for the audience's imagination.[16] The music for "Perfectionism" was directed by Shockley Huang.[17] The video contains scenes of Chou playing piano over a deserted field.[17] The music video for "Starry Mood," which was directed by Huang Xiao Jia, depicts Chou singing in the grassland.[18] The music video for "Wife" was set in a traditional Chinese home, with Chou singing in various parts of the gardens and rooms.[19] It was directed by Kuang Sheng.[19]
Jacky Wu directed the music video for "Basketball Match," which was entirely filmed in a basketball court, underneath a motorway.[20] Kuang Sheng directed the music video for "Black Humor."[21] The video was shot in black and white, with scenes of Chou lamenting over his love life and shots of a Caucasian lady.[21] The music video for "Istanbul" was directed by Kuang Sheng and it depicts scenes in Istanbul with shots of Chou singing casually.[22] The music video for "Ancient Indian Turtledove" consists of clips from a series of Chou's concert in 2001.[23] The music video for "Tornado" was directed by Kuang Sheng, which portrays scenes of Chou bracing the tornado winds as well as embracing the video's heroine.[24] The music video for "Counter-clockwise Clock" was directed by Kuang Sheng.[25] It was shot entirely in a sepia filter, indicating the melancholic atmosphere of the lyrics as well as the melodies.[25]
In January 2001, "Adorable Lady", was listed at number 74 on the 2000 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart.[26] In January 2002, "Starry Mood" was listed at number 80 on the 2001 edition of the chart.[27]
Accolades edit
The album was nominated for five Golden Melody Awards and won for Best Pop Vocal Album.[28][29] The album also won an IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Top 10 Best Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year.[30]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Golden Melody Awards | Best Pop Vocal Album | Jay | Won |
| Best New Artist | Jay Chou for Jay | Nominated | ||
| Best Album Producer | Jay Chou for Jay | Nominated | ||
| Best Composer | Jay Chou for "Adorable Lady" | Nominated | ||
| Best Lyricist | Vincent Fang for "Wife" | Nominated |
Track listing edit
All music is composed by Jay Chou
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Adorable Woman" (可愛女人) | Vivian Hsu | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Perfectionism" (完美主義) | Vincent Fang | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Starry Mood" (星晴) | Jay Chou | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Wife" (娘子) | Vincent Fang | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Basketball Match" (鬥牛) | Vincent Fang | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Black Humor" (黑色幽默) | Jay Chou | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Istanbul" (伊斯坦堡) | Vivian Hsu | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Ancient Indian Turtledove" (印地安老斑鳩) | Vincent Fang | 5:02 |
| 9. | "Tornado" (龍捲風) | Vivian Hsu | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Counter-Clockwise Clock" (反方向的鐘) | Vincent Fang | 4:16 |
| Total length: | 42:49 | ||
Sales and certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore (RIAS)[31] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Taiwan | — | 250,000[32] |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "《杰倫》专辑介绍" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 杰威尔音乐. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ "出道20年用黑膠回顧 驚曝周董秘密". tw.news.yahoo.com (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "周杰倫遭 假扣押5千萬" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "2001唱片銷售統計". mypaper.pchome.com (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 3 October 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ IFPI Hong Kong 2001 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list Archived 2012-07-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-04-19
- ^ "周杰伦，我不会常常想起你，但也从来没有忘记". sohu.com (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 18 January 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "吴宗宪怒呛周杰伦结婚不邀请自己：杨峻荣暗中使绊子". guancha.cn (in Chinese (China)). 17 March 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "吴宗宪怒呛周杰伦结婚不邀请自己：杨峻荣暗中使绊子". guancha.cn (in Chinese (China)). 17 March 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "《星晴》最早投稿给黄舒骏 没签周杰伦终身遗憾". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese (China)). 20 August 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "【音乐欣赏】龙卷风----周杰伦". sohu.com (in Chinese (China)). 24 April 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "周杰伦，我不会常常想起你，但也从来没有忘记". www.163.com (in Chinese (China)). 2 September 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "周杰伦，我不会常常想起你，但也从来没有忘记". www.163.com (in Chinese (China)). 2 September 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "多少人因为这首歌才开始爱上周杰伦〈龙卷风〉 尤克里里曲谱". www.163.com (in Chinese (China)). 25 April 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "印第安老斑鸠". www.163.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "短评周杰伦《Jay》". ent.163.com (in Chinese (China)). 3 July 2001. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ a b 周杰倫 Jay Chou【可愛女人 Cute Girl (feat.徐若瑄Vivian)】 -Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ a b 周杰倫 Jay Chou【完美主義 Perfectionism】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ 周杰倫 Jay Chou【星晴 Starry Mood】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ a b 周杰倫 Jay Chou【娘子 Wife】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ 周杰倫 Jay Chou【鬥牛 Basketball Match】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ a b 周杰倫 Jay Chou【黑色幽默 Dark Humor】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ 周杰倫Jay Chou【伊斯坦堡 Istanbul】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ 周杰倫 Jay Chou【印地安老斑鳩 Ancient Indian Turtledove】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ 周杰倫 Jay Chou【龍捲風 Tornado】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ a b Jay Chou 周杰倫【反方向的鐘 Counter-clockwise Clock】-Official Music Video (in Chinese), retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ (in Chinese) Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart- 2000 (#51 to 100) Retrieved 2011-04-08
- ^ (in Chinese) Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart- 2001 (#51 to 100) Retrieved 2011-04-08
- ^ (in Chinese) GIO, Taiwan 12th Golden Melody Awards nomination list Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 28 April 2004. Retrieved 2011-04-15
- ^ (in Chinese) GIO, Taiwan 12th Golden Melody Awards winners list Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 28 April 2004. Retrieved 2011-04-15
- ^ IFPI Hong Kong 2001 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list Archived 2 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-04-19
- ^ "Singapore album certifications – Jay Chou – Jay". Recording Industry Association Singapore.
- ^ "周杰倫遭 假扣押5千萬 | 蘋果日報". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 17 May 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
External links edit
- (in Chinese) Jay Chou discography@JVR Music