He was the national singing champion in Hong Kong 1984 with the song Fatherland, ousting more than ten thousand other contestants. He was signed by the then Polygram Records, now Universal Music Group. Although encouraged by a bright start, he was not yet able to achieve immediate supremacy in Cantopop, then dominated by 譚詠麟, 梅艷芳, Leslie Cheung and 陳百強. Cheung suffered a nosedive in his career in 1988 after a best-selling first two albums. That year he did not have a single song awarded in the annual TVB JSG. His subsequent sales record dipped and one of his albums in the late 1980s managed just around ten thousand in sales. The reason for the fall in his CD sales was partially attributed to his alcohol problem - he could get drunk 5 times a week. After disrupting his friend's birthday party while being drunk, Cheung vowed in public that he would not consume alcohol again till he was 40. He kept that promise.
His recording career subsequently returned to its track. Then, in 1991, with the song 每天愛你多一些 (Loving You More Everyday), his career took a massive upturn. The album, 真情流露True Love Expression in 1992, as well as the succeeding release, 愛火花Love Sparks in 1992, became the two most successful albums in Hong Kong history, achieving audited sales of over 400,000 copies in Hong Kong alone and turned Cheung into a superstar, paving the way for himself and his contemporaries, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok, to take Cantopop to even greater heights. Subsequent albums continue to be a hit like 我與你True Love Expression 1993, 餓狼傳說 Wolf Tale 1994 etc. Since then his career has grown from strength to strength, and Cheung has managed to garner thousands of fans overseas as well as numerous music awards both in Hong Kong and elsewhere, including the best-selling Chinese singer in the Worlds Music Awards. Cheung has also been elected one of the world's Ten Outstanding Young Persons.
Among his most famous songs are Amour, 只想一生跟你走 (Only Thinking of Going Through Life With You) and the everlasting 吻别 (Goodbye Kiss) which confirms his status as one, and many consider the pre-eminent member, of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop. Goodbye Kiss, a Mandarin number, was also one of the best-selling albums of all time, achieving more sales in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia such as not attained before, with an astounding 5 million copies sold in 1993 alone, a record that has remained yet unbroken. Goodbye Kiss was also instrumental in helping Cheung to break into the mando-pop market, and it also prompted other Hong Kong singers who wanted to gain a wider market to follow suit, even though, to this very day, very few indeed have been able to approach Cheung's level of success.
His work on the ground-breaking cantonese musical, Snow, Wolf, Lake musical (1997), was also enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics. Cheung not only played the male lead, but was also the artistic director for this production. The female lead was played by Sandy Lam and they achieved 43 full-house performances at the gigantic Hong Kong Coliseum. In November 2004, Jacky and his concert manager, Florence Chan Suk-Fan, worked on a revised Mandarin version of Snow, Wolf, Lake so as to bring it to a wider audience. The estimated budget for this revised production was HK$100 million and the show premiered on 24 December 2004 in Beijing. The production subsequently toured China and other Asian destinations to huge acclaim.
Cheung won, for the umpteenth time, the Best Selling Cantonese Album Award in the Hong Kong IFPI Awards of 2005 with his live album, Jacky Live Performance. In the fast-changing scene of canto-pop, Cheung is able to maintain his popularity and sales power for more than 20 years after his debut, which is unparalleled in the history of Hong Kong pop music.
Cheung acted in many films, although singing has always been his priority. His versatility and acting skills have enabled him to play a lot of diverse parts. He received the Best Supporting Actor Golden Horse Award for his work in Swordsman (1990). He also received the Best Actor Award at the New Dehli Film Festival for his portrayal of the protagonist in July Rhapsody. His song Perhaps Love, which serves as the theme song for the multi-award-winning film Perhaps Love, also won the Best Song Award at the 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards.
He is married to May Lo with two daughters.
Cheung was named spokesperson for Hong Kong Disneyland in 2004. As the theme park's spokesperson, Cheung took part in a number of large-scale marketing events organized by The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, beginning by hosting a TV program, Magical World of Disneyland. [1] He also recorded a song for Hong Kong Disneyland, a multi-lingual song entitled One. The music video for One was filmed at Hong Kong Disneyland.
地球人
張學友 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
耳裡聽著那音樂有點國際
繽紛都市的節奏沒法降低
與我有沒有關係我不要仔細
這是東京紐約巴黎
我願穿梭千里路軌
我像個天真小孩
心中再沒有高低
地球人是美麗
一起舞動你身體
生疏感覺飛逝
色彩夾雜了東西
完全忘掉各地
無條例 國藉 法律 貨幣
天邊海角的腳印踏過徹底
國界有沒有所謂哪天作廢
即使感到當你要各自各發揮
再見若沒有希望 但一切可貴
The lyrics to 張學友's song 地球人 describe the experience of a person in a world where the sky and the ocean are vast and the music has a bit of international flavor. The fast-paced rhythm of the colorful city cannot be reduced, and the person doesn’t want to get too caught up in whether it concerns them. The person wishes to travel thousands of miles to cities like Tokyo, New York, and Paris, and they are like a naive child full of enthusiasm. There is no concept of high or low in their heart, and to them, all humanity is beautiful. They dance together, feeling like strangers who quickly pass each other by, and they forget about differences in culture, nationality, law, and currency.
The lyrics suggest that despite the differences and divisions, it is possible to form connections across borders and cultures. The song seems to convey the idea that regardless of where we come from, we are all human and that our differences should be celebrated, not used to create division. The idea of dancing together despite these differences is symbolic of finding common ground and shared experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
天空海闊的世界在我眼底
I see the vast world beneath me with its endless expanse of sky and sea.
耳裡聽著那音樂有點國際
The music I hear is somewhat international.
繽紛都市的節奏沒法降低
The rhythm of the vibrant city cannot be slowed down.
與我有沒有關係我不要仔細
I don't want to think too much about whether it has anything to do with me.
這是東京紐約巴黎
This is Tokyo, New York, and Paris.
我願穿梭千里路軌
I want to travel a thousand miles along the railway track.
我像個天真小孩
I am like an innocent child.
滿面帶著熱情回歸 *
I return with a face full of passion.
心中再沒有高低
There is no longer any distinction between high and low in my heart.
地球人是美麗
Humanity is beautiful.
一起舞動你身體
Let's dance together.
生疏感覺飛逝
The feeling of unfamiliarity quickly fades away.
色彩夾雜了東西
Colors are mixed with things.
完全忘掉各地
I completely forget about different places.
無條例 國藉 法律 貨幣
Without any rules, nationalities, laws or currency.
天邊海角的腳印踏過徹底
Footprints are left all over the world from one end to the other.
國界有沒有所謂哪天作廢
National borders might as well be abolished one day.
即使感到當你要各自各發揮
Even when we feel like we need to pursue our individual paths,
再見若沒有希望 但一切可貴
Goodbye may seem hopeless, but everything is precious.
Writer(s): Lau Cheuk Fai, Lau Chung Yin
Contributed by Mila G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SZE KIN PANG
張學友
地球人
作詞：劉卓輝
作曲：柳重言
編曲：柳重言
天空海闊的世界 在我眼底
耳裡聽著那音樂 有點國際
繽紛都市的節奏 沒法降低
與我有沒有關係 我不要仔細
＃這是東京紐約巴黎 我願穿梭千里路軌
我像個天真小孩 滿面帶著熱情回歸 Yeah...
＊心中再沒有高低 地球人是美麗 Yeah
一起舞動你身體 生疏感覺飛逝
色彩夾雜了東西 完全忘掉各地
無條例 國藉 法律 貨幣 Ah... Yeah
天邊海角的腳印 踏過徹底
國界有沒有所謂 哪天作廢
即使感到當你要 各自各發揮
再見若沒有希望 但一切可貴
Repeat ＃, ＊, ＊