"Common Jasmine Orange" () is a song by Taiwanese singer-songwriter

Jay Chou Jay Chou Chieh-lun ( zh, s=周杰伦, t=周杰倫, first=t, p=Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman. Regarded as one of the most influential artists in the Chinese-speaking worl ...

, from his fifth studio album of the same name (2004). "Common Jasmine Orange" was written by frequent collaborator Vincent Fang while production and composition was handled by Chou. It premiered on various radio stations in Asia on July 21, 2004, as the lead single from the album. The title of the single and the album took inspiration from the poem ''Seven Miles of Fragrance'' by

Xi Murong Xi Murong or Hsi Muren (; born 1943) is a writer and painter. She is most famous for her poetry, especially the collections ''Seven Miles of Fragrance'' (; ''Qīlǐ Xiāng'') and ''Unregrettable Youth'' (; ''Wúyuàn de Qīngchūn''). Pers ...

. Musically, "Common Jasmine Orange" is a

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

number that incorporates elements of R&B and

traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

instrumentations.

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

praised the song for its composition and lyrics, drawing parallels with Chinese music and influences. The single performed well in Taiwan, ranking number one on the Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year list for 2004. In 2023, it reached number four on the Malaysian Chinese Chart compiled by RIM. The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the single features Japanese actress Chie Tanaka and depicts Chou alongside Chie in various settings in the countryside. The song won various awards at regional award ceremonies, including three awards at the Hong Kong Jade Solid Gold Awards, Outstanding Chinese Popular Song at the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, Song of the Year at the

Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards The Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards () is a music awards founded by China National Radio China National Radio (CNR; ) is the national radio network of China, headquartered in Beijing. CNR forms the national radio service of the state-owned ...

, amongst others.

Background and composition

"Common Jasmine Orange" is a Chinese-style poetic

love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

that was inspired by the poem ''Seven Miles of Fragrance'' by

. Commentators have described the song as a romantic summer number that captures the feelings one gets from a love interest.

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed in

Takasaki is a Cities of Japan, city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as th ...

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

, Japan. The chosen locations for the shoot included local shrines, rice paddies, and fields of flowers. During the filming of the movie ''Initial D'' in Japan, Chou requested a day off from the crew to shoot the music video. In the video, he and actress Chie Tanaka are shown running through the garden hand in hand and sitting on a swing.

Usage in education

In 2007, the lyrics of "Common Jasmine Orange" appeared on an exam at Xuhui High School in Taipei. In the exam, the questions asked: "In Jay Chou's song 'Common Jasmine Orange', he creates the image of 'summer' to express his love for a woman. What is the symbolic meaning?", as well as: "In the line 'The taste of saury, both the cat and you want to know', what techniques does the author use to express the man's passion for a woman?" In response, lyricist Vincent Fang said that even he could not answer the questions, and in the end only five students passed.

Background and composition

Music video

Usage in education

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Release history

References