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.
I Got It Made
張學友 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's hard to get a date when you're homely
If I could I spit inmy face
Hey baby please can I get your number
Cause losers like me are so much funner
She told me can't we just be friends
She could have mentioned that before she let me in
I shave my head I take a bath
I don't get luck I feel so lame Boy do I got it made
Yea
I bet you probably wished you never met me
But I'd gladly kiss your brown eyes if you let me
We might as well go and have some fun
Because I know that you're gonna dump you when you're done
I ask you once I beg you twice I don't get stone and
I don't have lice You say it ain't me Please understand
That you like hime and you don't like me I ask you out
It never fails You're too busy painting your mails
I feel so lame I am so ashamed Boy do I got it made
Yea
It's hard to sleep at night when you're lonely
It's hard to get a date me so homely
I shave my head I take a bath
My clothes are cool but they still laugh
I don't get luck I feel so lame Boy do I got it made
Yea
What I Got It Made
The lyrics to 張學友's song "I Got It Made" speak to the universal experience of loneliness and rejection. The song captures the feeling of not being good enough, of being rejected by someone we are interested in, of feeling ashamed and not knowing what we're doing wrong. The singer in the song has a self-deprecating humor and acknowledges his own flaws and shortcomings, but still feels the sting of rejection.
The first verse touches on the difficulty of sleeping when you're lonely and the challenges of finding a date when you don't fit society's beauty standards. The imagery of spitting in his own face speaks to the frustration and anger the singer feels towards himself and the situation. However, he still musters the courage to ask for the woman's phone number, even though he knows he's not what she would typically go for.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the woman's rejection and wonders if things could have been different if she had been clear about her feelings from the start. He tries to improve his appearance by shaving his head and taking a bath, but he still feels like a loser. He tries to ask the woman out again, but she's always too busy.
In the chorus, the singer laments his lack of luck and feels ashamed of his situation, yet ironically still exclaims that he's "got it made." This line could be interpreted as a way to deflect some of the pain and disappointment he feels or possibly as a way to find humor in his own misfortune.
Overall, the song is a relatable and honest portrayal of the ups and downs of dating and relationships, and the self-doubt that can come with them.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard to sleep at night when you're lonely
Being lonely makes it difficult to fall asleep at night.
It's hard to get a date when you're homely
Being unattractive makes it difficult to find someone who wants to go on a date with you.
If I could I spit in my face
Feeling ashamed of oneself and the way they look, wishing to spit in their own face.
Hey baby please can I get your number
Asking someone for their phone number in the hopes of starting a relationship.
Cause losers like me are so much funner
Jokingly saying that losers are more enjoyable to be around.
She told me can't we just be friends
After a physical encounter, the other person decides they only want to remain friends.
She could have mentioned that before she let me in
Feeling misled and wishing the other person had been upfront about their intentions from the start.
I shave my head I take a bath
Trying to improve appearance by shaving and bathing.
My clothes are cool but they still laugh
Despite having stylish clothes, still feeling like others are laughing at them.
I don't get luck I feel so lame Boy do I got it made
Despite feeling unlucky and lame, still acknowledging that they have it better than some.
Yea
Simple exclamation of agreement.
I bet you probably wished you never met me
Feeling like the other person regrets ever meeting and getting involved with them.
But I'd gladly kiss your brown eyes if you let me
Still having feelings for the other person and expressing a desire to be with them.
We might as well go and have some fun
Acknowledging that the relationship is likely going to end soon, but suggesting to enjoy it while it lasts.
Because I know that you're gonna dump you when you're done
Being aware that the other person is not interested in a long-term relationship and will end things when they're ready.
I ask you once I beg you twice I don't get stone and I don't have lice
Insisting to the other person that they are a good catch and listing reasons why.
You say it ain't me Please understand That you like him and you don't like me I ask you out
Being rejected and told that the other person is not interested, and realizing that they have feelings for someone else.
It never fails You're too busy painting your nails
Feeling like the other person always has an excuse for why they can't go out or spend time together.
I feel so lame I am so ashamed Boy do I got it made
Despite feeling ashamed and lame, still recognizing that compared to others, they have it pretty good.
Yea
Simple exclamation of agreement.
What I Got It Made
Reiterating the phrase from earlier and emphasizing that they are content with their situation despite the challenges.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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