Sun Will Never Set (song)

"Sun Will Never Set" () is a song by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, featured on her ninth studio album ''Agent J''. The song is an adaptation of BWO's "Sunshine in the Rain", with the original composition by Alexander Bard and Anders Hansson. The lyrics were rewritten by Luke Tsui, while the production was handled by Michael Lin. The song was released by EMI and Mars on September 21, 2007.

Background

On December 12, 2006, Tsai announced that she would begin preparations for her new album in January of the following year. On January 13, 2007, she traveled to London to attend a three-week vocal and dance training course. On May 22, 2007, she went to Helsingør, Denmark, to begin a week-long recording session for her new album, with media reports indicating that the album was expected to be released between August and September of the same year. By June 2, 2007, media outlets revealed that Tsai had completed the album's recording and had traveled to London for a ten-day dance course.

On August 8, 2007, it was reported that EMI had invested NT$50 million to produce an 80-minute music film for the album, which would also serve as the album's title. The film was divided into three chapters, and filming took place in Paris, London, and Bangkok, with Tsai collaborating with actors Kim Jae-won, Stephen Fung, and Carl Ng. On August 11, 2007, all 11 tracks from the album were leaked online. In response, EMI's General Manager for Greater China, Sam Chen, stated: " IFPI Taiwan has requested the police to investigate, and any uploads, downloads, or exchanges will be prosecuted in accordance with our standard policy. There will be no settlement." Tsai expressed her disappointment, saying, "I spent over a year and a lot of effort on this album, and it saddens me that people don't respect intellectual property rights."

Music and lyrics

The song is an adaptation of BWO's "Sunshine in the Rain" and is a sweet, retro-style track. The song holds a special place in the career of lyricist Luke Tsui, who described it as one of the most popular songs he has written. When he was first approached to pen the lyrics, he initially lacked a clear concept for the song. However, after learning from his ex-girlfriend—who was a fan of Tsai—that Tsai would be studying abroad in the United Kingdom, Tsui decided to write a romantic love song infused with British elements. He incorporated his impressions of the United Kingdom into the lyrics, and, drawing inspiration from the historical term " the empire on which the sun never sets" used to describe the British Empire, he titled the song "Sun Will Never Set". Tsui also revealed that there was a personal secret behind the song's creation. At the time, his ex-girlfriend frequently traveled abroad for work, sending him postcards from various countries. This inspired the line in the song, "I want to send you the never-setting sun of my longing, and send postcards that represent love."

Release

On September 21, 2007, Tsai released her ninth studio album, ''Agent J'', which featured the song "Sun Will Never Set". The music video, directed by Marlboro Lai, featured actor Stephen Fung. The song went on to achieve success, ranking number one on Taiwan's Hit FM Top 100 Singles of 2007.

On June 5, 2018, Tencent Games announced that Tsai would become the spokesperson for ''Dungeon & Fighter'' (DNF) for its tenth anniversary, making her the first-ever brand ambassador for the game. On June 12, 2018, she released the song "The Player", the theme song for DNF’s tenth anniversary. On June 16, 2018, Tsai attended the DNF 10th Anniversary Party in Shanghai, and confirmed her participation in the DNF Carnival scheduled for November 24, 2018. On November 19, 2018, she released a special DNF edition of "Sun Will Never Set" for the DNF Carnival, titled the "DNF Apocalypse edition". This edition featured Tsai and over a hundred DNF players, with the lyrics and composition adapted by the DNF team to incorporate elements of the game.

Accolades

On January 14, 2008, the song was awarded Top 10 Mandarin Songs of the Year at the 2007 Canadian Chinese Pop Music Awards. On January 23, the song won Song of the Year at the 2007 Beijing Pop Music Awards. On March 1, 2008, the song was recognized with Most Loved Song by Listeners and Top 10 Mandarin Songs of the Year at the 2008 Hito Music Awards. On October 30, 2008, the song was named one of the Top 20 Most Popular Chinese Songs at the 8th Global Chinese Music Awards.

Live performances

On December 31, 2007, Tsai performed the song at the New Year's Eve Concert in Taichung. On the same day, she also performed the song at the New Year's Eve Concert in Taipei. On January 10, 2008, Tsai appeared on the Southeast TV's variety show ''Love from the Strait'' and performed the song. The following day, on January 11, she participated in the M Conference, where she again performed the song. On March 1, 2008, Tsai performed "Sun Will Never Set" at the 2008 Hito Music Awards. On April 28, 2008, she took the stage at the 4th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival Opening Ceremony, where she performed the song once more. Tsai continued to participate in various events and performed the song across different locations.

Track listing

Streaming – "Sun Will Never Set" (DNF Apocalypse edition)
# "Sun Will Never Set" (DNF Apocalypse edition) – 3:42
# "Sun Will Never Set" (DNF Apocalypse edition instrumental) – 3:42

Credits and personnel

Recording

* Recorded and mixed at VIP Studio, Taipei

Personnel

* Michael Lin – guitar, harmony arrangement, recording engineer, mixing engineer
* Jolin Tsai – vocals, harmony

Release history

References

{{Jolin Tsai

2007 singles
2007 songs
Jolin Tsai songs
Songs written by Alexander Bard
Songs written by Anders Hansson (songwriter)