November's Chopin
Encyclopedia
November's Chopin is Taiwanese
Mandopop
artist Jay Chou
's sixth Mandarin studio album. It was released on 1 November 2005 by Alfa Music and distributed by Sony Music Taiwan
. It was released with a bonus DVD containing three music videos.
The album's title refers to Frédéric Chopin
, "The Poet of the Piano", the 19th century Polish composer whom Chou admires and is inspired by. The music video for lead track "夜曲" (Nocturne) was filmed in New York. It includes the opening theme, "一路向北" (All the Way North), and ending theme song, "飄移" (Drifting), of Initial D
starring Chou, Anthony Wong
and Edison Chen
.
The track "飄移" (Drifting) was nominated for Best Original Song at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards in 2005 and 25th Hong Kong Film Awards
in 2006.
The album was awarded one of the Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year at the 2005 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI.
1. "Nocturne" 夜曲 (Yè Qǔ)
2. "Blue Storm" 藍色風暴 (Lán Sè Fēng Bào)
3. "Hair Like Snow" 髮如雪 (Fà Rú Xuě)
4. "Black Sweater" 黑色毛衣 (Hēi Sè Máo Yī)
5. "Besieged From All Sides" 四面楚歌 (Sì Miàn Chǔ Gē)
6. "Maple" 楓 (Fēng)
7. "Romantic Cell Phone" 浪漫手機 (Làng Màn Shǒu Jī)
8. "Reverse Scale" 逆鳞 (Nì Lín)
9. "Malt Candy" 麥芽糖 (Mài Yá Táng)
10. "Coral Sea" 珊瑚海 (Shān Hú Hǎi)
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
Mandopop
Mandopop
Mandopop is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music." It is categorized as a subgenre of commercial Chinese-language music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish itself as a viable industry. As the name implies, Mandopop features songs...
artist Jay Chou
Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
's sixth Mandarin studio album. It was released on 1 November 2005 by Alfa Music and distributed by Sony Music Taiwan
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. It was released with a bonus DVD containing three music videos.
The album's title refers to Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, "The Poet of the Piano", the 19th century Polish composer whom Chou admires and is inspired by. The music video for lead track "夜曲" (Nocturne) was filmed in New York. It includes the opening theme, "一路向北" (All the Way North), and ending theme song, "飄移" (Drifting), of Initial D
Initial D (film)
Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series.-Plot:...
starring Chou, Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong Chau Sang
Anthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
and Edison Chen
Edison Chen
Edison Koon-Hei Chen is a Hong Kong film actor, Cantopop singer, Hong Kong hip hop rapper, model, record producer, fashion designer, and a pop icon. Chen is also the founder of CLOT Inc., and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited...
.
Reception
The track "夜曲" (Nocturne) was nominated for Top 10 Gold Songs at the Hong Kong TVB8 Awards, presented by television station TVB8, in 2006. It also won one of the Top 10 Songs of the Year and Best Loved by Audience; and the album won Best Producer for Chou at the 2006 HITO Radio Music Awards presented by Taiwanese radio station Hit FM.The track "飄移" (Drifting) was nominated for Best Original Song at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards in 2005 and 25th Hong Kong Film Awards
25th Hong Kong Film Awards
Ceremony for the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 8 April 2006 in the Hong Kong Coliseum and hosted by Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo and Chapman To...
in 2006.
The album was awarded one of the Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year at the 2005 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI.
Track listing
Music videos
- "夜曲" (Nocturne) MV
- "髮如雪" (Hair Like Snow) MV
- "黑色毛衣" (Black Sweater) MV
- "一路向北" ('All the Way North) MV
Track contents
| "Nocturne" 夜曲 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
1. "Nocturne" 夜曲 (Yè Qǔ)
- The first track is an R&B piece, with a moderately strong beat and light classical-themed background music played by pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and acoustic guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. The mood of the background music is sombre, matching the lyrics. The chorus is sung while the verses are rapped; the lyrics describe the death of a lover, and is relatively poetic, using metaphors involving black crows and wells to express emotion.
| "Blue Storm" 藍色風暴 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
2. "Blue Storm" 藍色風暴 (Lán Sè Fēng Bào)
- This track begins with basic sounds and other effects, such as a church choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and telephone dial tonesDual-tone multi-frequencyDual-tone multi-frequency signaling is used for telecommunication signaling over analog telephone lines in the voice-frequency band between telephone handsets and other communications devices and the switching center. The version of DTMF that is used in push-button telephones for tone dialing is...
. The main background music involves distortedDistortionA distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and turntable scratchingScratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
. The lyrics deal with religious themes.
| "Hair Like Snow" 髮如雪 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
3. "Hair Like Snow" 髮如雪 (Fà Rú Xuě)
- This is a "Chinese Wind" piece, utilising traditional Chinese instruments including the pipaPipaThe pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
and yangqinYangqinThe trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia . It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 , but over time the first character changed to 揚 , which means "acclaimed". It is also spelled yang quin or yang ch'in...
, at a moderately slow tempo. This track also involves a typical R&B beat. The vocal is sung softly, and towards the end, a false voice is used (an emphasis on traditional Chinese music). The lyrics are romance-centered, and use metaphoric language to some degree.
| "Black Sweater" 黑色毛衣 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
4. "Black Sweater" 黑色毛衣 (Hēi Sè Máo Yī)
- An R&B piece with a slow tempo, this track begins with an acoustic guitar, and involves soft vocals. The lyrics expresses one's longing for their beloved.
| "Besieged From All Four Sides" 四面楚歌 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
5. "Besieged From All Sides" 四面楚歌 (Sì Miàn Chǔ Gē)
- A piece which somewhat resembles hip-hop music, utilising a strong and heavy beat, as well as including violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
music. The majority of the track is rapped, while the chorus is sung. The lyrics, written entirely by Jay Chou, express his resentment for the paparazziPaparazziPaparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
, openly calling them "dogs" which "bite an apple in their mouths and hold a camera in their hands" (他們咬著蘋果 手裡拿著長鏡頭), and tabloids as "dogs weekly" (狗週刊), who take photos of him for "bones". Towards the end of the track, Jay raps a few lines in Korean, being the only piece in which he has used a foreign (non-Chinese) language in a considerable amount. The orchestral background in the song is the "Apple loop" named "Orchestra Strings 08" found in GarageBandGarageBandGarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
and also in Logic ProLogic ProLogic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
. Fort Minor's "Believe Me", GReeeeNGReeeeNis a Japanese pop/rock/hip hop/breakbeat vocal group from Kōriyama city in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the all-male four members Hide, Navi, 92, and Soh. They made their debut with Universal Music in 2007. Their logo image is of a mouthful of teeth, and the four Es indicate the number of members...
's "パリピポ", MYRS' "熱浪", and G&G SindikatasG&G SindikatasG&G Sindikatas is a Lithuanian hip hop/rap band. They received numerous music awards and went on an international concert tour in 2003, giving concerts in Latvia, Estonia and Poland.-Studio albums:*Tavo sielos vagiz *Gatvės lyga...
's "Muzika Kuri Saugo", also use the same loop.
| "Maple" 楓 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Devon Song |
6. "Maple" 楓 (Fēng)
- A softer, romantic piece, "Maple" uses piano, violin and cello over a soft R&B beat at a moderately slow tempo, and is exclusively sung. The lyrics describe the sorrow behind a lost love.
| "Romantic Cell Phone" 浪漫手機 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
7. "Romantic Cell Phone" 浪漫手機 (Làng Màn Shǒu Jī)
- An R&B piece which involves electric guitar.
| "Reverse Scale" 逆鳞 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Huang Jun Lang |
8. "Reverse Scale" 逆鳞 (Nì Lín)
- A hip-hop piece which involves orchestra music, this track has a dark mood within its composition. Sound effects are used, such as female screams.
| "Malt Candy" 麥芽糖 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
9. "Malt Candy" 麥芽糖 (Mài Yá Táng)
- A lighthearted piece, which uses violin and electric guitar. It is exclusively sung, with lyrics focusing on romance themes.
| "Coral Sea" 珊瑚海 | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Jay Chou Jay Chou Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for... |
| Lyricist | Vincent Fang Vincent Fang Vincent Fang was born on 26 January 1969 in Hualien, Taiwan. He is a Taiwanese multi-Golden Melody Award nominated lyricist, best known for his collaboration with singer-songwriter Jay Chou... |
10. "Coral Sea" 珊瑚海 (Shān Hú Hǎi)
- A duet between Jay ChouJay ChouJay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
and Lara VeroninLara VeroninLara Veronin , also known as Lara Liang, is a Russian-Taiwanese-American musician, currently signed by JVR . She grew up in Southern California and moved to Taiwan when she was a teenager. She graduated from Taipei American School in 2006. She was the lead female vocalist in the Taiwanese band Nan...
, with rather soft background music made from piano, violin and both acoustic and electric guitars. Exclusively sung, where both male and female vocals are expressed softly. The lyrics depict a relationship in a regretful tone.