100,000 Whys? (Cantonese: 十 萬 個 為什麼; Sapmaan go Waisammo) is the sixth Cantonese studio album by Chinese recording artist Faye Wong. It was released though Cinepoly Records on 7 September 1993.[1] It is named after a popular Chinese science book, One Hundred Thousand Whys by Ye Yonglie.
| 100,000 Whys | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 September 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 45:58 | |||
| Language | Cantonese | |||
| Label | Cinepoly | |||
| Faye Wong chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and release
editThe Japanese version of the album released in April 1994 included three bonus tracks: another version of "Like Wind", a Mandarin version of "Fragile Woman" (from Coming Home), and "Forgetting You Is Like Forgetting Me", the theme from The Bride with White Hair 2.
Songs
editThe album included several hit singles: "Flow Not Fly", "Summer of Love", "Like Wind", "Cold War", "Tempted Heart" and "Tempt Me". "Flow Not Fly", a lively pop number, became an unofficial anthem for Faye Wong, with the repeated chorus line "Fei Fei" being a pun on the singer's name. "Cold War" is a Cantonese cover of "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos; a Mandarin version followed on Mystery. The song was a departure from mainstream C-pop, and Wong followed this markedly with further experiments in "alternative music" for her next Cantonese album, Random Thoughts.
The album included four more cover songs. "Summer of Love" is the Cantonese version of Helen Hoffner's 1993 hit. "Like Wind" is a cover of the Mandarin song 猜心 ("Guess my Heart") by One-Fang. "Rainy Days Without You" covers Love Unlimited's "Walking in the Rain (With The One I Love)", and "Do Do Da Da" is The Police's "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". "Do We Really Care" was Faye Wong's second song recorded wholly in English, after "Kisses in the Wind" on Coming Home.
Commercial performance
edit100,000 Whys debuted at number one on the IFPI Hong Kong album chart during the week of 16 September 1993.[2] It remained atop the chart for four weeks and left the top ten after fifteen weeks.[3]
Usage in media
edit"Tempted Heart" was the theme for the TVB series Eternity, in which Wong also appeared. "Tempt Me" was the theme tune for Joan Chen's 1993 film Temptation of a Monk, and won a Best Movie Song award.
Live performances
editWong's 1994–95 series of concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum included five songs from the album: the first four, and "Tempt Me" which was extended with a prelude.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Unofficial translation | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "流非飛" (Lau Fei Fei) | "Flow Not Fly" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Summer of Love" | 4:37 | |
| 3. | "如風" (Yu Fung) | "Like Wind" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "冷戰" (Laang Jeen) | "Cold War" | 4:12 |
| 5. | "長大" (Jeung Dai) | "Grow Up" | 4:23 |
| 6. | "若你真愛我" (Yerk Nei Jun Ngoi Ngor) | "If You Really Love Me" | 4:31 |
| 7. | "動心" (Dòng Xín) | "Tempted Heart" | 4:02 |
| 8. | "雨天沒有你" (Yu Teen Moot Yau Nei) | "Rainy Days Without You" | 3:32 |
| 9. | "誘惑我" (Yòu Huò Wǒ) | "Tempt Me" | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Do Do Da Da" | 3:45 | |
| 11. | "Do We Really Care?" | 4:27 | |
| Total length: | 45:38 | ||
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong Albums (IFPI)[2] | 1 |
Sales and certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[4] | 3× Platinum | 150,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Region | Release date | Label | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 7 September 1993 | Cinepoly Records |
|
| China | 1993 | Cai Ling Audio and Video | |
| Hong Kong | 1994 | Cinepoly Records | CD (24K Gold) |
| Japan | 25 April 1994 | Polydor Records | CD |
| Taiwan | 1996 | Linfair Records | |
| Japan | 26 September 1997 | Polydor | CD (reissue) |
| Hong Kong | 7 May 2003 | Cinepoly Records | DSD |
| 9 September 2004 | SACD | ||
| 15 November 2013 | Universal Music Hong Kong | CD (Golden Disc Anniversary Series) | |
| 19 June 2015 | LP | ||
| 12 November 2020 | CD (24K Gold-reissue) | ||
| 22 April 2021 | LP (ARS series) | ||
| Japan | 16 February 2024 | Universal Music Japan | LP |
References
edit- ^ Fung, Anthony; Curtin, Michael (2002). "The Anomalies of being Faye (Wong): Gender politics in Chinese popular music" (PDF). International Journal of Cultural Studies. 5 (3). SAGE Publications: 263–290. doi:10.1177/1367877902005003005. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ a b "鐳射唱片". Next Magazine (in Chinese) (185, Volume 2): 136. 24 September 1993.
- ^ "鐳射唱片". Next Magazine (in Chinese) (199, Volume 2): 122. 31 December 1993.
- ^ "哪个时势能没有广东歌". Jet (181): 026–047. 1 September 2017.
External links
edit- Hundred Thousand Whys at Joshua Cheung's fan site
- 100.000 Why's at All Ah About Faye