The Eight Dimensions (album)
Encyclopedia
The Eight Dimensions is Taiwanese
Mandopop
artist Jay Chou
's third Mandarin studio album. It was released on 18 July 2002 by Alfa Music and distributed by Sony Music Taiwan
.
The tracks "暗號" (Secret Signal), "回到過去" (Return to the Past) and "最後的戰役" (The Final Battle) are listed at number 1, 5 and 42 respectively on Hit Fm Taiwan's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart (Hit-Fm年度百首單曲) for 2002.
The album was awarded one of the Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year, as well as the Highest Selling Mandarin Album of the Year at the 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI. It was also nominated for five awards at the 14th Golden Melody Awards
in 2003, including Best Album Producer, Best Mandarin Album, Best Lyricist and Best Musical Arranger.
1. "The Orcs" 半獸人 (Bàn Shòu Rén)
2. "Iron Box of an Island" 半島鐵盒 (Bàn Dǎo Tiě Hé)
3. "Secret Signal" 暗號 (Àn Hào)
4. "Dragon Fist" 龍拳 (Lóng Quán)
5. "Where is the Train Going" 火車叨位去 (Huǒ Chē Dāo Wèi Qù)
6. "Split" 分裂 (Fēn Liè) (Taiwan Version) /"Leave" 离开 (Lí Kāi) (Mainland China Version)
7. "Grandfather's Tea" 爺爺泡的茶 (Yé Yé Pào De Chá)
8. "Return to the Past" 回到過去 (Huí Dào Guò Qù)
9. "Blacksmith of Milan" 米蘭的小鐵匠 (Mǐ Lán De Xiǎo Tiě Jiàng)
10. "The Final Battle" 最後的戰役 (Zuì Hòu De Zhàn Yì)
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 third Mandarin studio album. It was released on 18 July 2002 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....
.
The tracks "暗號" (Secret Signal), "回到過去" (Return to the Past) and "最後的戰役" (The Final Battle) are listed at number 1, 5 and 42 respectively on Hit Fm Taiwan's Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart (Hit-Fm年度百首單曲) for 2002.
The album was awarded one of the Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year, as well as the Highest Selling Mandarin Album of the Year at the 2002 IFPI Hong Kong Album Sales Awards, presented by the Hong Kong branch of IFPI. It was also nominated for five awards at the 14th Golden Melody Awards
14th Golden Melody Awards
The 14th Golden Melody Awards ceremony was held at the National Taiwan University Sports Center in Taipei, Taiwan. The ceremony was pushed back to August 2, 2003 from the original May date due to the SARS outbreak....
in 2003, including Best Album Producer, Best Mandarin Album, Best Lyricist and Best Musical Arranger.
Track listing
Track contents
| "The Orcs" 半獸人 | |
|---|---|
| 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. "The Orcs" 半獸人 (Bàn Shòu Rén)
- In 2002, Jay was the spokesperson for the computer game Warcraft III: Reign of ChaosWarcraft III: Reign of ChaosWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a real time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment on July 3, 2002 . It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and it is the third game set in the Warcraft Universe...
. He wrote "The Orcs" to help promote the software. The music is electronic with a prominent orchestra in the chorus, and features sound effects from the game (such as the footsteps of a marching army). The lyrics, which discuss the creation of the mythical OrcOrcAn orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
race, are both sung and rapped.
| "Iron Box of the Island" 半島鐵盒 | |
|---|---|
| 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... |
2. "Iron Box of an Island" 半島鐵盒 (Bàn Dǎo Tiě Hé)
- The track begins with the sound of a man entering a bookstore and asks for help to find the novel Iron Box of an Island. In the lyrics, the "Iron Box of an Island" is described as both a locked box and a book title, used metaphorically to represent the memories of a lost lover. The verses are mainly rapped and the chorus is sung. In this R&B song, the most prominent instruments are the acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s. On 25 February 2002, Iron Box of an island was published into a real novel, written by Vincent FangVincent FangVincent 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...
and featured a photo collection of 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...
.
| "Secret Code" 暗號 | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Xu Shi Chang 許世昌 |
3. "Secret Signal" 暗號 (Àn Hào)
- The song discusses unspoken communication between lovers. To emphasize this theme, imagery is provided by terminology related to signal reception, such as "noise", "interference", "weak signal", "signal lost". Guitar is the main instrument.
| "Dragon Fist" 龍拳 | |
|---|---|
| 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... |
4. "Dragon Fist" 龍拳 (Lóng Quán)
- "Dragon Fist" is a rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song highlighted by its Oriental style ("Zhongguo feng" . Although electric guitar is most prominent, Chinese instruments such as "gu" (Chinese drum), "dizi" (Chinese transverse flute), 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...
" are featured in various parts of the song. - Lyrics of "Dragon Fist" reflect on Chinese history and geography to generate national pride. The dragon, a major national symbol of China, is mentioned 3 times in the chorus. Unity is emphasized by phrases such as "the same skin color and face", "the same blood flows", "one (facial) expression." Due to this "one China" view, Jay was invited to perform in a national gala in 2004 broadcasted by the Chinese government-run television station CCTVChina Central TelevisionChina Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
, despite Jay's Taiwanese origin.
| "Where is the Train Going" 火車叨位去 | |
|---|---|
| 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... |
5. "Where is the Train Going" 火車叨位去 (Huǒ Chē Dāo Wèi Qù)
- Among Jay's work, this track is the only song performed entirely in HokkienHokkienHokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
so far. Some phrases are phonetically linked by ZhuyinBopomofoZhuyin fuhao , often abbreviated as zhuyin and colloquially called bopomofo, was introduced in the 1910s as the first official phonetic system for transcribing Chinese, especially Mandarin....
, which are annotated Chinese sound symbols. The lyrics describe one who writes letters to a lover at home, yet receives a reply, depicted in the context of a train to illustrate a relationship's unalterable course to its eventual end. The lyrics are sung and rapped over guitar in an R&B style.
| "Split" 分裂/"Leave" 离开 | |
|---|---|
| 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... |
6. "Split" 分裂 (Fēn Liè) (Taiwan Version) /"Leave" 离开 (Lí Kāi) (Mainland China Version)
- Jay reveals his thoughts about entry into adulthood in this track. The first verse begins by describing one's departure from an unspecified place after failing to acquire acceptance into higher education, and ends with a reflection of one's youth (e.g. "The tree I climbed, When did it become so small?"). Taken together, it is metaphor for transitioning from childhood to adultood. The narrative voice is both first-First-person narrativeFirst-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
and second-personSecond-person narrativeThe second-person narrative is a narrative mode in which the protagonist or another main character is referred to by employment of second-person personal pronouns and other kinds of addressing forms, for example the English second-person pronoun "you"....
; both are used to describe himself. The first-person voice is cautious but resolute about moving on ("Let me take you away, You will be happier with no one to hold you back"), while the second-person is reluctant to do so ("Give me your hand, Lay (your) worries to rest"). In the China version of this album, the original name "Split" was changed to "Leave" in accordance with China's hesitation to use words with separatist connotations. - The major instruments of this song are 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...
, 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....
, and 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...
. The lyrics are sung without rapping.
| "Grandfather's Tea" 爺爺泡的茶 | |
|---|---|
| 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. "Grandfather's Tea" 爺爺泡的茶 (Yé Yé Pào De Chá)
- Although Chinese instruments are not used, "Grandfather's Tea" can considered to have a "Zhongguo feng" style because of its reference to tea, Chinese history, and some stereotypical habits of old Chinese men (such as drinking tea and smoking while discussing Chinese history). The lyrics were written in the point of view of a 9-year old child with an appreciation for family ("Grandfather's tea has a taste called 'home'") The song has an upbeat pace and the lyrics are sung or rapped in a child-like tone. Guitar and violin are prominently used along with scratchScratchingScratching 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...
effects.
| "Back to the Past" 回到過去 | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Will Liu Will Liu Will Liu is a Taiwanese singer and composer. He is well known for his album "Caihong Tiantang" and is known as good friends with Taiwanese artists Jay Chou and Show Luo.... |
8. "Return to the Past" 回到過去 (Huí Dào Guò Qù)
- "Return to the Past" is a guitar-based R&B song. The lyrics were written by Jay's friend Will LiuWill LiuWill Liu is a Taiwanese singer and composer. He is well known for his album "Caihong Tiantang" and is known as good friends with Taiwanese artists Jay Chou and Show Luo....
. To depict a melancholy romance, he uses personification such as "...time is bored and is not saying a word", "...sleepiness has gone into hiding again" and "...loneliness is already lying beside me". The dominant imagery is night ("Darkness is already hovering in the air").
| "Milan's Little Blacksmith" 米蘭的小鐵匠 | |
|---|---|
| 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. "Blacksmith of Milan" 米蘭的小鐵匠 (Mǐ Lán De Xiǎo Tiě Jiàng)
- This song contains lyrics both rapped and sung over an Italian folkItalian folk musicItalian folk music has a deep and complex history. National unification came quite late to the Italian peninsula, so its many hundreds of separate cultures remained un-homogenized until quite recently compared to many other European countries...
-style arrangement. The lyrics describes the thoughts of a blacksmith who wishes to purchase a guitar but is too poor to afford it. The song makes prominent use of nylon string guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
, which is featured in a 40-second solo, while the entire track is decorated with scratchScratchingScratching 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...
effects.
| "The Final Battle" 最後的戰役 | |
|---|---|
| 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. "The Final Battle" 最後的戰役 (Zuì Hòu De Zhàn Yì)
- In-line with the track title, the song reflects on the thoughts of a young soldier. The verses entail memories of childhood (e.g. "In the midst of smoke [I am] recalling of the taste of soft drinks / and those summers during [our youth] when we did nothing at all"). The chorus describes the sight of a friend dying in one's arms (e.g. "Your face is strained / [your] energy will soon be spent / [you] will not allow me to speak of home"). "The Final Battle" is sung in R&B style over orchestra music. The track opens with the sound of a machine gun in rapid fire, and the second verse starts after the sound of a gun being loaded. The song ends with bagpipe music.
Charts
| Track name | #1 |
|---|---|
| "回到過去" (Return to the Past) | #5 |
| "最後的戰役" (The Final Battle) | #42 |
Awards
| Award | |Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Mandarin Album | The Eight Dimensions (八度空間) | |
| Best 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... for "爺爺泡的茶" (Grandfather's Tea) |
|
| Best Musical Arranger | Hong Jing Yao (洪敬堯) for "龍拳" (Dragon Fist) | |
| Zhong Xing Min (鍾興民) for "最後的戰役" (The Final Battle) | ||
| Best Album Producer | Jay Chou |