It's 2023, and as a die-hard fan of Jay Chou for over ten years, I have transformed from that little student in the classroom who hummed "Hair Like Snow" during morning reading sessions to a worker in the office listening to music with earbuds.
He is a quality idol, with a "rebellious" and cool demeanor that has influenced me, although it hasn't changed the fact that I am an introverted person.
Wolf Tooth Moon, the One I Long For is Haggard#
It should be around 2006 when Lin Junjie’s "A Thousand Years Later" at the Spring Festival Gala became my introduction to pop music. After that, listening to my cousin's tapes, I fell in love with "Frozen." Lin Junjie was probably the first pop singer I "followed."
Later, during a summer vacation, my cousin from the city brought some CDs, seemingly pirated copies, from which I heard "Hair Like Snow" and "East Wind Breaks," along with "Nocturne." From then on, I became a "loyal fan" of Jay Chou.
Since I got to know him "too late," those earlier albums became my treasures. During that time, my MP3 player (which I had taken from my dad) only had Jay Chou's songs. I organized the albums and listened to them in rotation without getting enough. It’s not an exaggeration to say that during that period, I could recognize a song by its intro and could recite the lyrics fluently.
Fireworks Are Easily Cold, Relationships Are Easily Separated#
This is the first album I remember "following closely." To be precise, this wasn't the first album after I started liking Jay Chou, but at this age, I had acquired some internet skills, simply put, I knew how to find resources, which made a deep impression.
At that time, there were no apps like KTV, and I used some recording software to play around with singing. Honestly, I had no singing talent; I couldn't hit high notes or low notes. Looking back, I was more enjoying the sense of achievement from the technique. I remember uploading music to QQ Space, and it could still be found on QQ Music, which is probably impossible now (bitter smile).
At that time, the sports meet was being held, and during lunch, I went to an internet café with classmates. While they played games, I looped "Fireworks Are Easily Cold." I have to say, Jay Chou was still impressive during that era, although from today's perspective, his works have quietly changed in style. For songs like "Self-Directed and Self-Acted" and "I Shed Tears, Emotions Fragmented," I can only say I have reservations.
Your Reflection is a Landscape I Can't Return To#
As the 21st century entered the 2020s, both Jay Chou and society underwent significant changes.
Jay Chou got married, wrote songs for his daughter, and filmed music videos with his son. The focus of his life is no longer on releasing new songs or albums; he is no longer that young man dancing with nunchucks, saying he is unworthy, especially since I am nearing my thirties.
However, this sense of estrangement is not simply because we have both grown up.
The praise for Jay's Chinese style is indeed redundant, _"From 'Daughter's Song' to 'Nunchucks,' from 'East Wind Breaks' to 'Hair Like Snow,' all the way, he has remained consistent, loving only the Chinese style." _
The Chinese style is a dream created by Jay and Fang, with exquisite lyrics, genius melodies, and meticulously polished music, as if pulling people away from the ground and throwing them into historical romance.
However, some of Jay's other "rough" yet "sincere" songs are equally appealing to me as the Chinese style, and the distribution and completion of such songs seem to indirectly contribute to this sense of estrangement.
To verify this unreliable emotional perception, I simply searched for the list of songs Jay wrote himself. What songs did Jay Chou write himself? [2019-10-04]
Here are some lyrics I remembered while looking at the song titles (I confirmed a few lines with the original lyrics)
Sitting on the bus to school, I watch the cows grazing outside the window, it's a kind of indescribable freedom. "Terraced Fields"
When I listen to this song, I recall how the wheat fields across from my house transformed into tall buildings over the years, and the woods filled with cicadas in summer.
I want to climb up step by step. "Snail"
Although this song only has a concert version, every time I listen to it, the images in my mind are of that young person striving for success in that era.
What she wants is companionship, not six hundred bucks. "Grandma"
My grandma is over 90 years old now. Since I left home for university, it has been nearly ten years, and the time I can spend with her during each visit home has become increasingly rare. I previously wrote a piece about this. She is old. Since this article was completed, another two years have passed. These three years have slipped by, and while my life seems unchanged, my grandma's health has deteriorated rapidly. Now she can only spend most of her time in bed and, due to some common ailments of the elderly, she no longer recognizes me. Thinking about it makes me sad, but there isn't much I can do.
That’s not my tone at all; I want the audience to enjoy the show. "Surrounded by Enemies"
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Smile, success and fame are not the goals. "Rice Aroma"
The lyrics of this song, at first glance, seem unimpressive, but they leave a significant impact.
Why listen to mom's words? When you grow up, you'll start to understand this. "Listen to Mom's Words"
At my age, I have long understood my mother's strictness and the discipline I once thought was excessive. The ABCs I learned now mostly apply to life.
If you feel fear about the future, and everything in front of you is foggy, it's because you haven't cleaned your glasses. "Red Imitation"
The beginning is mockery and arrogance, while the ending is concern and advice.
How do these songs compare to the so-called "Rococo Market" today?
And some others are the initiation of heartbreak for kids, a shared empathy between the young Jay and my younger self.
You've already gone far away; I will slowly walk away too. "Quiet"
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Looking through our photos, memories flicker. "Excuse"
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If I can't see your smile, how can I sleep? "Rainbow"
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Most of these songs are from before 2008; I can't seem to recall lyrics from the later ones.
- 2010 "The Era" Superman Can't Fly Self-Directed and Self-Acted Long Time No See
- 2011 "Exclamation Mark" Healing Burned Rice Dumplings Mine Mine Princess Disease
- 2012 "Twelve New Works" Everywhere is You Ukulele Big Ben Sign Language
- 2014 "Oh Not Bad" Listen to Dad's Words What Kind of Man Am I I Want Summer
- 2016 "Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories" Hero Love Loser Turkish Ice Cream
Life is Permanent, Music Will Remain#
As Jay, in his youth, he was imaginative and gave his all. He left behind a musical perception of love's sweetness and bitterness, sharing it with the world, which is a great kindness, and I am filled with gratitude for this.
As a little king, his music and film career has had ups and downs but has always stood at the peak. His affluent life makes it difficult for him to communicate through music with the majority of society on the same frequency.
In the early narrative of his music videos, his role was that of an ordinary person, pursuing another ordinary person; a young man breaking free from confinement, challenging authority.
In terms of national sentiment, he is a descendant of the dragon, using Chinese kung fu to reclaim his place in foreign lands, a spiritual continuation of Bruce Lee's experiences, a form of national narrative.
Later, with the song "Mine Mine," it was the first time he used English as a song title.
The characters in the music videos gradually integrated with foreign environments. On one hand, the initial awkwardness of being a newcomer disappeared; on the other hand, it expressed more confidence, transforming from a naive newcomer to a focal figure driving a luxury car in the city.
Thus, the difficulty in empathizing in this context lies with me, not him; it is a class issue. Additionally, being separated by the strait inevitably causes some differences in worldview, which, of course, pales in comparison to the significant class disparities.
Therefore, expecting a person (an idol) to meet all psychological needs, including musical, cultural, and ideological, is unrealistic. The younger me didn't understand this, and I was even very exclusive in terms of music.
Later, I began to listen to Tang Dynasty and Cui Jian, and the atmosphere that permeated the turn of the century reinfected me. Sometimes I wonder, if there were no Jay Chou, what would the current state of Chinese rock be?
Now in my middle age, I fear I won't wait for a new Jay Chou in the 2020s to convey emotions of breaking free and resistance, leaving me to rummage through the corners of twenty years ago.
Recently, I accidentally heard a song, "Individual" by Yin Wu from 2000.
You and I each take our own cup
Each drinks our own tea
We smile and nod at each other
Very elegant, we are very hygienic
You and I each talk about our own matters
Each counts our own fingers
Each expresses our own opinions
In the end, we each walk our own path
This sentiment of individualism (as I understand it) can only be felt and passed on by those who have experienced it on this land.
Jay Chou belongs to youth, but it seems he has also remained in youth.