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From unknowns to getting hired individually, the steps of Jay Chou and Vincent Fang writing music
by kelvin@multistars - 26th September 2006Looking at the music industry now, the team of Jay and Vincent, not only do they rule over one side, they are also known as the golden partners. The melodies composed by Jay, with lyrics by Vincent, has created the sales guarantee of the "Jay Chou music brand" and it has also given rise to the old trend of Chinese style. Together they mess with the traditional framework of pop music, yet they melt into it thick old-fashion style, surprising a lot of people: "So pop music can be played like this? Sung like this? This bizarreness, all-inclusive!"
In the last 7 years, Jay and Vincent have released 70 songs together, among them 40 have been in Jay's annual albums. They, who are 10 years apart in age, have a good understanding of each other in terms of creating music. Jay spills out the jumping rhythm melody, Vincent does the fantasy dimension lyrics, thus the songs including "Wife", "Old Indian Turtledove", "William's Castle", "Love In BC", "Ninja", "Nun-Chuks", "East Wind Breaks", "Casualties Of Stopping War", "Hair Like Snow", "Compendium Of Materia Medica" are all full of novel elements, time and again they become the topic of focus, they also drive the topic on trends of the new generation consumer.
But, don't just think they are good at playing with creativity, among the songs they write for other artists, there is no lack of songs that slip off the tongue. Like Jacky Wu's "You Are Happier Than In The Past", it is one of the early works by them, then there was Coco Lee's "Actress Specialised In Military Roles", S.H.E's "Rain Forest", "Migratory Bird", Jolin Tsai's "Square Of Prague", "Rewind", and also Judy Chiang's Taiwanese songs "The Sound Of Raining", "At Last Who Is He/She", all these came from their hands.
Jay and Vincent came together immediately, it was all fate. 7 years ago, Jay participated in "Super Newcomer King" singing contest, he was taken by Jacky Wu. Jay, who learned classical music only liked to play the piano and sing, yet he didn't know where his future lay. Vincent, who has been a factory worker, delivery employee for shops and also a water and electrical technician, was so passionate about writing, he wrote a book "A Collection of a Hundred Lyrics", he went around recommending himself, at the end he was used by Jacky Wu. Just like that, these two who did not know each other at all started to write melodies and lyrics together, all along, and now, Jay is a popular artist and Vincent has become a hot writer.
This day, the place of Jay and Vincent's conversation was a restaurant in Taipei, this is another one of their collaboration bases, on different floors of the restaurant are pictures of them hung on the wall. But the music that is broadcast is Lisa Ono's Bossa Nova, this seems like a conflict to their interests.
The following is Jay and Vincent's conversation:
Reporter: From what I know, the way you work together is that you always write the melody before you do the lyrics, since you've been working together till now, has there been any change?
Jay: It's still about the same method, in my memory there has only been 3 songs that the lyrics came first for.
In the past when we were in the same office, when I finish writing a song, I'll go directly to knock on his door, and ask him: "Vincent Fang, have you finished writing your lyrics?" Now it's different in the office, I have to drive to see him, or call him to hurry him. Sometimes when I fly back to Taiwan from aboard, I'll phone him at the airport to scare him, "I'll say to you, I'm already on the highway, I want to see the lyrics in a moment." He'll be really nervous and say: "What, I thought you were coming back tomorrow!" I will then ask: "You have finished writing right?" If he said: "I've finished, but I still can't let you see it yet!" Then I'll know he's not finished writing it at all.
(With a tint of unhappiness) He's very busy now, he's publishing a book and writing songs for so many people, even when I try and call him, he'll not listen to the phone, he really knows how to avoid people!
Vincent: Jay writes songs very fast, often it is me being hurried by him. I'm the kind of person who can write parts of a song, today I'll write part A, a few days later I'll think of what to write for part B, but he'll finish the song in one go. I remember in the past he stayed at the company to write songs, he shut the door and hid there writing songs like mad, he wouldn't take notice of anyone knocking on the door, even when his father came he didn't come out, he wouldn't move even when two take aways were placed in front of him.
Reporter: Lets talk about the early days of your collaboration, was your understanding of each other very good at that time?
Jay: At that time I saw Vincent's "Collection of a Hundred Lyrics", I chose "You Are Happier Than In The Past" to write a song. I remember I called him, for him to change a few words, he didn't take it well saying to me: "Why change it? It's already very good!" I asked him if he had any other lyrics, he said: "No, it's all in that 100 pages." At that time I didn't know him, I really wanted to shout at him, afterwards I found out he was not in a good mood at that time.
Vincent: One time Jacky brought me to listen to Jay sing a vocal accompaniment. Jacky asked me, how did he do? I said "Ok!" He came out with a very unhappy face,
Jay (As usual with a unhappy face): At that time I was thinking, does this person not know I can hear him talking outside? I walked up to him, letting him see my very embarrassed face.
Vincent: At that time Jay was very much like a wanderer, Jacky's office was his place of making music, he put the sleeping bag on the floor, he slept in the company everyday. At that time I rode my bike to work everyday from Taoyuan to Taipei, I rode it for almost a year, sometimes when we get tired of working we both sleep at the company, one time I even took him to Taoyuan to sleep at my house.
Jay: Because at that time the tools for writing songs were all at the company, I was too lazy to go home, now that I think about it I was very pitiful. But in actuality we were very lucky, the chance of our songs being recorded were very big.
Reporter: In the past how did you sell your songs? Was getting a door slam very depressing?
Vincent: I'm usually the one responsible for delivering the demo, when people want a song, I'll take my moped over, like a delivery boy, now thinking about it, at that time I should have just called a delivery boy to take it over! In the past I hear people inviting to write songs, I was very excited, sometimes when I deliver the songs over, they might take notice or just ignore it, I remember a Taiwanese artist asked for a song, we were both very serious, we wrote 2, 3 songs for him to choose, but he didn't use any. Afterwards Jay came out with an album and was paid attention to. That artist came looking for a song again, we didn't give him it, because he didn't even keep the demo we had given him at the beginning.
Jay: At that time when I heard people willing to "keep" our songs, I felt very excited, it doesn't matter if they don't use it, there's hope if they at least keep it. But we really can be considered to have had a smooth ride, our songs were often recorded.
Vincent: Me and Jay's creation has been adopted into 4 parts, the first stage was no one used the songs we wrote together, just getting kept. The second stage, was when Jay became popular, people wanted his songs, they didn't want my lyrics. The third stage was that I also became famous, people wanted both of us to write songs. The fourth stage was people always come by themselves to ask me to write lyrics. This society has always been like this, when you haven't been affirmed yet, people don't want to take the risk.
Reporter: Now is there still anyone who rejects your songs?
Vincent (looking at Jay): How can he meet up with this kind of matter? If he writes, the person will be more than happy. When I help people write lyrics, I won't take on the attitude that they must use it or that it cannot be changed, I just make it to the feeling the person wants the most, but at least now I don't have to compete with newcomers.
Jay: When I help people write songs, I usually control the amount by price, it's not that I care about the money, but I hope to use it as a filter to make people think about it, does he only want my name or does he really want to use my song. But I give an exception to Judy Chiang, even though I don't sing Taiwanese, but we had good collaboration together before, and she's a queen of pop, I felt writing a song for her to sing was an honour.
Reporter: Do you two fight when working together? How do you resolve it?
Jay: Often when we fight it's because he wants to add lyrics, but I don't think it's necessary. When recording "Wife", he wanted to add rap lyrics, but I felt the original was already good enough, the two of us were deadlocked. Afterwards he said to me, if I sang a new version, he'll not take royalties, what has this got to do with royalties? He said it like I love money! At the end I said to him, I'm the producer, you have to listen to me!
Vincent: Yes, at the end he won of course, he's the artist, I can't force him to change the lyrics. Afterwards I became obedient, if I wanted to change the lyrics, I'll tell him while he's doing the vocal accompaniment.
Reporter: You've worked together for 7 years, are there areas you really can't stand of each other?
Jay: Our personalities are very different, but we are loyal to friends. The area I really can't stand about him is how long he takes to write lyrics, and he can't hand them in, sometimes I got to Mainland China to promote and come back, he'll still not be finished.
Vincent: The area I really can't stand about him is probably his clothes, or when he finishes writing a song he'll praise himself "Very diao!", he wants people to praise him, think about it, how can this logic be correct? Usually when we want other people's views, we should use an open question, and not affirm oneself first. If one day Jay asked: "I think I look all right like this?" This possibility is too difficult for him.
Afterwards I heard a friend say, when he was studying at Tankang middle school he was like this, his uniform was not in order, when he bumped into the duty team, even before they see him he'll automatically go register, this proves he is very initiative, this is a character problem, so I can understand, he didn't become diao after he became famous.
Jay: Usually I think I'm a person who's not easily embarrassed. This increases confidence, it's a way to persuading people, and it’s just my habit, a motto.
Jay: Reason for Nun-Chuks: Whenever I go to perform I must sing this once, it seems like it's already become a classic. Even though I think my other songs have already surpassed it, but it seems the fans like this song the most, just like the movie "The Untold Story" has already become the representative work of Anthony Wong.
Vincent: Reason for East Wind Breaks: After finishing it, for a time I thought it was the best Chinese style lyrics I had written, perhaps there's no way I'll ever break through it. But afterwards I wrote "Hair Like Snow" and "Chrysanthemum Flower Bed" and a new idea was formed.