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.
這一個夜
張學友 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
坐于窄巷 呆望门窗
两手奏着 吉他歌唱
脚边一只 破旧皮箱
这一个夜 那一个人
眼光里面 藏着回想
吉他线上 渗出了愁
歌声带凉 他一再唱
为何常常要 风中慨叹
何时才能习惯 孤单的孤单
何时才付满 空虚帐单
这一个夜 我一个人
凑巧过路 提着皮箱
我心已倦 却奔向前
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
为何仍然未惯 漆黑的空间
为何常常要 风中慨叹
何时才能习惯 孤单的孤单
何时才付满 空虚帐单
这一个夜 我一个人
凑巧过路 提着皮箱
我心已倦 却奔向前
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
我心已倦 却奔向前
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
我心已倦 却奔向前
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
The lyrics of 張學友's song 這一個夜 tell the story of two individuals who find themselves in a narrow alleyway on a lonely night. One person is seated, strumming a guitar and singing with his eyes full of memories. The other person happens to be passing by with a worn-out suitcase and is drawn to the melancholic music. Despite feeling exhausted, this person decides to join in the singing with the musician. The music and lyrics express emotions of nostalgia and loneliness while questioning the meaning and purpose of one's existence in the world.
The lyrics make use of metaphorical language to describe the emotions being conveyed. For example, "the guitar strings seep with sorrow" and "the song carries a chill" both enhance the feelings of melancholy evoked by the music. The repetition of the questions "why haven't I grown accustomed to the dark space" and "when will I adjust to the loneliness" underlines the struggle with existential angst that both characters feel.
Overall, 張學友's 這一個夜 is a poignant song that captures the poignancy of loneliness and the human desire for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
这一个夜 有一个人
There is someone on this night, sitting in a narrow alley, staring blankly at the door and window.
坐于窄巷 呆望门窗
They are sitting in a small alley, gazing at the door and window with a blank expression.
两手奏着 吉他歌唱
The person is playing guitar with both hands and singing.
脚边一只 破旧皮箱
Beside them lies an old, worn-out suitcase.
这一个夜 那一个人
On this same night, there is another person.
眼光里面 藏着回想
This person's eyes are full of memories.
吉他线上 渗出了愁
Their guitar strings convey a sense of sadness.
歌声带凉 他一再唱
His voice is cold, but he continues to sing.
为何仍然未惯 漆黑的空间
Why has he still not become accustomed to the darkness around him?
为何常常要 风中慨叹
Why does he often feel the need to sigh in the wind?
何时才能习惯 孤单的孤单
When will he be able to get used to loneliness?
何时才付满 空虚帐单
When will he finally pay off the debt of emptiness?
这一个夜 我一个人
On this same night, I am alone.
凑巧过路 提着皮箱
I happen to be passing by and carrying a suitcase.
我心已倦 却奔向前
My heart is weary, but I keep moving forward.
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
I join in and sing with him.
我心已倦 却奔向前
My heart is weary, but I keep moving forward.
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
I join in and sing with him.
我心已倦 却奔向前
My heart is weary, but I keep moving forward.
跟他对唱 跟他去唱
I join in and sing with him.
Writer(s): George Lam
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cindy M.
Jacky is sooooo amazing! His voice and the range that he can hit are unmatched by any other artist. He's a remnant of the good old days when talent actually played a part in producing fanfare and idol worship. The young artists in HK simply do not perform on par with the vocals of Jacky's caliber.
Wendy woon
太棒了~两个歌神，无敌！
馬如
Bliss!! What a fantastic, yet simple ensemble! Love Jacky singing one of George Lam's classics! He gives the song a different feel, most definitely his own style. Love! Not many HK singers can handle George's songs, but Jacky could most certainly run with them and make them his own. Wish Jacky would cover more of George's songs...sigh.
A J Chin
一刚一柔，刚柔并济，此乃武学上无敌的最高境界呀...
lemonlovestea
love blues love canto music love this!!!!!!
kk mj
神呀，真係百看不厭
shlyourtube
fantastic performance!!!
lemonlovestea
perfect singers for this perfect song
koktong teo
听得好过瘾！
AAA BBB
這才是真正聽歌的義意....