Jay Chou 2nd Album "Fantasy"

Fantasy (simplified Chinese: 范特西; pinyin: fàn tè xī) is Jay Chou's second album, which was released on September 1, 2001. The second album from Jay Chou, this is considered by many to be the album that propelled Jay into stardom. Once again featuring lyrics from his two partners Vincent Fang and Vivian Hsu. Fantasy lives up to its name with songs centered around strange and wonderful themes. Jay again composes all the songs in the album. The first track is very famous for its originality in describing love through time. Track 2 also garners praise with its lyrics on a sensitive subject as well as being sung partially in Taiwanese. Nun-Chuks is the track that has brought Jay the most fame with its combination of Chinese music and hip hop.

Fantasy (范特西) was the last time Jay Chou (周杰倫) could convince anyone he was young. After Fantasy, he became a grown man who hid in teenage clothes and pretended to have teenage dreams. On Fantasy, along with his debut Jay, Chou was the opposite: an anguished youngster who couldn’t wait to grow up and be a martial arts hero, a terror on the basketball court, or a lover for the ages. The musical quality did not diminish after Fantasy, but album #2 was surely the last time Chou the prodigy was taken seriously on a large scale, after which he became more of a commodity than a kid wonder. After Fantasy he seemed to spend all his time charming the Taiwanese media and audience, whereas on the first two albums, charm exuded from songs which didn’t even want to be charming to begin with. Take the shocking “Dad, I’m Back” (爸,我回來了), a song that seems impossible from the Jay camp today. Not only is it partly in Taiwanese (poison for the critical mainland market), but it’s about a husband who beats his wife. Out of the rainy night intro and slow-motion cello strut, Jay takes the mic as a kid with something to say. His raps are the clearest, slowest we’ve heard from Jay, as if he doesn’t want to lose us on a single word. But what comes out isn’t merely anger — that’d be the obvious, pulpitin’ adult thing to do. There’s also a naive sense of surprise, followed by some genuine growing pains. “I heard that after a war, there’s peace / Why do I keep seeing my dad hit my mom? / Just because he gets drunk he can take it out on my mom / I really can’t bear to watch it, thinking I’m not man enough.” This is the closest 2000s Taiwan ever got to a James Dean moment. Think of Dean’s crushing introduction in Rebel without a Cause: those wails weren’t of fury, but of exasperation in the face of the adult world. As Jay raps, “So many delusions, mom always said be good, listen to dad. / Tell me, would I want to be like you?”

Track listing All music composed by Jay Chou. No. Title Lyrics Length 1. "Love Before the Century" (愛在西元前 Ài Zài Xī Yuán Qián) Vincent Fang 3:54 2. "Dad, I'm Back" (爸，我回來了 Bà, Wǒ Huí Lái Le) Jay Chou 3:55 3. "Simple Love" (簡單愛 Jiǎn Dān Ài) Vivian Hsu 4:31 4. "Ninja" (忍者 Rěn Zhě) Vincent Fang 2:38 5. "Can't Open Mouth" (開不了口 Kāi Bù Liǎo Kǒu) Vivian Hsu 4:44 6. "Shanghai 1943" (上海一九四三 Shàng Hǎi 1943) Vincent Fang 3:15 7. "Sorry" (對不起 Duì Bu Qǐ) Vincent Fang 3:45 8. "William's Castle" (威廉古堡 Wēi Lián Gǔ Bǎo) Vincent Fang 3:56 9. "Nunchucks" (雙截棍 Shuāng Jié Gùn) Vincent Fang 3:21 10. "Silence" (安靜 Ān Jìng) Jay Chou 5:34