Yeh Hui-Mei
2003 studio album by Jay Chou
| Yeh Hui-Mei | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Jay Chou | ||||
| Released | 31 July 2003 (2003-07-31) | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Studio | Alfa Studio (Taipei) | |||
| Genre | Mandopop | |||
| Length | 48:08 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label | Alfa Music[1] | |||
| Producer | Jay Chou | |||
| Jay Chou chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Yeh Hui-Mei | ||||
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Yeh Hui-Mei (simplified Chinese: 叶惠美; traditional Chinese: 葉惠美) is the fourth studio album by Taiwanese recording artist Jay Chou. It was released by Alfa Music on 31 July 2003, and was distributed throughout Asia in physical and digital formats. Chou enlisted various collaborators to assist with the album's lyrical content, including Vincent Fang, Alang Huang, Tseng Yu-ting, and Vivian Hsu, while Chou served as the album's sole composer. Named after the singer's mother, Yeh Hui-Mei utilizes genres such as alternative rock and R&B, whilst containing influences from classical music, opera, and hip-hop. The record's production and visuals utilize both retro and contemporary elements.
The album received positive reviews from music critics for its production and composition. Commercially, Yeh Hui-Mei saw success in Asia. In Taiwan, it was the best-selling album of 2003 with 335,000 copies sold, becoming Chou's second highest selling album of the year after The Eight Dimensions (2002). Yeh Hui-Mei went on to sell over 3 million copies throughout Asia.
Yeh Hui-Mei spawned various singles including "Sunny Day," "Dong Feng Po," and "In the Name of Father." To promote the album, several songs were featured in promotional campaigns in Taiwan and China. At the 15th Golden Melody Awards, Yeh Hui-Mei won two awards out of eight nominations: Album of the Year while the video for the song "Class 3-2" won Best Music Video.[2]
Background and development
Chou assumed creative control over all aspects of Yeh Hui-Mei, composing all of the tracks on the album and served as the executive producer and visual director.[3] Alongside Chou and Vincent Wang, other musicians such as Zhong Xingmin, Hong Jingyao, Lin Michael, and Yang Dawei helped write the lyrical content for the record. Chou not only wrote lyrics and composed music for many songs in the album, but also served as the album's producer and stylist.[4] In terms of album cover design, "Yeh Hui-Mei" added retro elements, and Chou also wore a retro suit to participate in the shooting.[4]
Chou's musical philosophy in creating the album was to seek change. Out of his humanistic aspirations, Chou added different views and ideas to the album.[5] The lead single "In the Name of the Father" was inspired by Chou's experience with his father. Chou's father, Chou Yiu-Chung, was an introvert and didn't talk much to Chou, so Chou wrote the song "In the Name of My Father" for him.[6] The song "Class 3-2" was inspired by Jay's experience of playing pool with his friend Vincent Fang.[5]
Composition
Yeh Hui-Mei carries a variety of styles, including vintage style, classical, opera, hip-hop and rock. The album is full of human, musical, experimental, satirical and social realism images that stimulate the flesh and blood of people.
"In the Name of the Father" is a song with a special mix of vintage music and piano, complemented by a fusion of Italian opera.[7] The lyrics are based on "Godfather, Godfather, Father", explaining the Godfather's helplessness, the father's mercy, the selflessness of Godfather, etc., explaining that in order to reach a higher position, a person must give up some of the freedom and ideas he should have, but often behind the glory, he only gets lonely company.[7] "Coward" utilizes a heavy metal rap rock music style, plus a rap chorus with children; the lyrics mainly use irony of drugs to express doubts and anger about those who are addicted to drugs and take drugs.[7] "Sunny Day" is an intimate love song.[7] "Class 3-2" uses the sound of ping-pong balls runs throughout.[7] Chou imitates the style of ancient minor tunes with the song "Dong Feng Po," supplemented by the integration of erhu and pipa.[7]
"You Hear Me" is a love song between lovers, speaking on how the secrets between them are only known to each other, and the love that depends on each other makes people reluctant to leave.[7] "Same Tone" uses the sound of the pipa to create a Western classical atmosphere, and the interlude adds Argentine tango music to run through it.[7] "Her Eyelashes" has the message that love has no fixed rules.[8] "Love Cliff" has Chou and Vivian Hsu working together again; Hsu's way of writing lyrics shows that love is like a cliff, the deeper you love, the deeper you fall.[8] "Terrace Field" uses an Aboriginal chorus, Chinese folk music and classical piano in the composition; the lyrics are humorous, implying that people's destruction of the environment is cruel, and that the environment has been destroyed and the happiness of the past is gone forever.[8] "Double Blade" expresses the Chinese being bullied in Chinatown, and their rebellion against the humble and peace-loving attitude of their parents, against the environment, and against inequality.[8]
Title and artwork
The album title uses the name of Jay Chou's mother "Yeh Hui-Mei" because Chou thought that the title song of the album should be called "In the Name of the Father," so he used his mother's name as the album title for the sake of "balance."[9] The album cover design of Yeh Hui-Mei features Chou donning a retro-style suit whilst sitting on a vintage chair and pays homage to the classic movie The Godfather.[10]
Reception
The album was well-received by music critics. Music critic Wu Jianheng gave Yeh Hui-Mei a very high evaluation, believing that the album began to convey Chou's concern for society, his thoughts were more mature, and the quality was good.[11] In 2020, to celebrate Chou's 20th anniversary in the industry, NetEase conducted a ranking of Chou's best albums; Yeh Hui-Mei was placed second on the list.[12] Apple Music Taiwan stated that Yeh Hui-Mei was full of hard work and sincerity.[13] Apple Music China stated: "Jay Chou travels through time and space, skillfully blending retro and modern, creating new elements that are not found in current pop music."[14]
Release and promotion
On July 19, 2003, the album became available for pre-order with a free small oil painting of the album cover.[15]
Singles and music videos
On July 16, 2003, "In the Name of the Father" was premiered simultaneously on more than 50 radio stations across Asia, with an estimated 800 million people listening to it at the same time.[16] Therefore, July 16 every year is designated as "Jay Chou Day."[17] In order to match the song and image, Chou went to Rome to shoot the music video for "In the Name of the Father." The video tells the story of a child who grew up as a killer in a gangster family. One day, he suddenly discovered that the godfather who adopted him turned out to be the one who killed his biological father.[18]
The music video for "Sunny Day" was filmed in Tamsui, New Taipei City[19] and features actress Doris Lai.[20] After seeing Lai's commercial,[21] Chou selected her to play the heroine in the music video.[22] When filming the video, Lai had just graduated from high school.[23] In the video for "Sunny Day," Chou broke the habit of never kissing the heroine of the video, and made a breakthrough performance with 19-year-old Lai. In two kissing scenes, the man took the initiative to kiss the woman, and the two locked lips for 10 seconds. This was also Chou's first kiss on screen.[22]
The tracks, "Sunny Day," "Her Eyelashes" and "Dong Feng Po" are listed at number 2, number 15, and number 41 respectively on the 2003's Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart.[24]
Awards
The album was nominated for eight Golden Melody Awards and won two awards, including Album of the Year and Best Music Video for "Class 3-2".[2] The album also won an IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Best Selling Mandarin Album of the Year.[25] It also won the Metro Mandarin Power Asia Album Award at the 2004 Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards Presentation,[26] and the Most Popular Album of the Year Award at the 4th Global Chinese Music Awards.[27] On March 28, 2004, Alang Hung won the Best Arrangement Award at the 4th Top Chinese Music Awards for the song "In the Name of the Father."[28]
Track listing
All music is composed by Jay Chou
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In the Name of Father" (以父之名; Yǐ fǔ zhī míng) | Alang Huang | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Coward" (懦夫; Nuòfū) | Jay Chou | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Sunny Day" (晴天; Qíngtiān) | Jay Chou | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Class 3-2" (三年二班; Sān nián èr bān) | Vincent Fang | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Dong Feng Po" (東風破) | Vincent Fang | 5:15 |
| 6. | "You Hear Me" (妳聽得到; Nǎi tīng dédào) | Tseng Yu-ting | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Same Tone" (同一種調調; Tóng yīzhǒng diàodiao) | Vincent Fang | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Her Eyelashes" (她的睫毛; Tā de jiémáo) | Vincent Fang | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Cliff" (愛情懸崖; Àiqíng xuányá) | Vivian Hsu | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Terrace Field" (梯田; Tītián) | Jay Chou | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Double Blade" (雙刀; Shuāng dāo) | Vincent Fang | 4:51 |
| Total length: | 48:08 | ||
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore (RIAS)[32] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Taiwan | — | 350,000[33] |
| Summaries | ||
| Asia | — | 3,000,000[34] |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 29 May 2004 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "第十五屆金曲獎得獎名單". www.bamid.gov.tw. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦改变音乐风格 《叶惠美》开启新的音乐征程". yue.ifeng.com. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "周杰伦新专辑月底推出 《叶惠美》是妈妈的名字". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "明明是周杰伦青涩时期的老照片，看到的却都是满满的我们的青春". www.163.com. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦现身北京造势 小天王句句不离"妈"(图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "周杰伦：《叶惠美》". 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 10 August 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "组图：销量再创奇迹 周杰伦《叶惠美》大揭秘". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦:叶惠美(CD)" (in Chinese). Amazon. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦历年专辑封面设计，也不是没翻过车". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "网易娱乐频道-形势分析:第十五届金曲奖最佳专辑". 5 May 2004. Archived from the original on 5 May 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦最出色的5张专辑：每张都是神专，每首歌都是主打！". www.163.com. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ 周杰倫《葉惠美》 (in Chinese), retrieved 28 June 2024
- ^ 周杰倫《葉惠美》 (in Chinese), retrieved 28 June 2024
- ^ 周杰伦 (2005). D调的华丽 (in Chinese (China)). 中国大陸陆: 接力出版社. pp. 第176页. ISBN 9787806796740.
- ^ "昨天是"周杰伦日"你知道吗？(图)". www.163.com. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Meet The Chinese Pop Star That Millions Are Celebrating Today". BuzzFeed. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "《十一月的萧邦》将发 解密周杰伦新专辑(组图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦借烧肉粽疗情伤 MV再度取景淡水(组图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦恋上美女主播 蔡依林酸溜溜回应(组图)". Sohu Entertainment. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "科尔沁夫：爱过的人唱过的歌 周杰伦情缘大解析". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "周杰伦追求MV女主角 与赖薇如地下情曝光(组图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦要做"十一月的肖邦"(图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Hitoradio‧Hit Fm --華人音樂入口指標". www.hitoradio.com. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ (in Chinese) "2003 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards winners list" Archived 15 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 19 April 2011
- ^ "新城国语力颁奖礼2004 获奖名单" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "快讯：年度最受欢迎专辑奖--周杰伦《叶惠美》". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "第四届百事音乐风云榜完全获奖名单(组图)". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Malaysian Chinese Album Chart". RIM. 30 September 2003. Archived from the original on 13 October 2003. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "RIAS Top 10 Album Chart". Archived from the original on 11 August 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "周杰伦蔡依林S.H.E领衔2003台湾唱片销量榜" [Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, and S.H.E lead the 2003 Taiwan record sales list]. Qianlong News Network (in Chinese). 7 January 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2024 – via Sina Entertainment.
- ^ "Singapore album certifications – Jay Chou – Yeh Hui-mei". 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.
- ^ "《叶惠美》和《七里香》里周杰伦有过写真，你可能都没见过？". NetEase (in Chinese). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
External links
- (in Chinese) Jay Chou discography@JVR Music
- v
- t
- e
- Jay
- Fantasy
- The Eight Dimensions
- Yeh Hui-Mei
- Common Jasmin Orange
- November's Chopin
- Still Fantasy
- On the Run!
- Capricorn
- The Era
- Wow!
- Opus 12
- Aiyo, Not Bad
- Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories
- Greatest Works of Art
- Secret
- Fantasy Plus
- Hidden Track
- Initial D
- Fearless
- Curse of the Golden Flower
- "Won't Cry"
- "Mojito"
- Secret
- The Rooftop
- J Team
- Vincent Fang
- Hannah Quinlivan
- Patrick Brasca
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