This is actually my favorite (and probably most well-known) track off this playlist. It's actually a very mushy kind of lovey-dovey love song, but because the two leads sing it so well, that is forgivable. It's actually because these two lines stick out for me, with their rough English translations:
Jacky: "I will give you red roses..."
Samantha: "...You know that I just really love to cry..."
Which is actually really sweet, but also kind of mushy. Samantha's actually talking about crying with tears of joy, of course; about being so touched and moved by a lover that would make her eyes all watery whenever he gave her a red rose. It's understandable why this is the default duet song when it comes to a male and female singing in a contest or a karaoke bar.
In my opinion, this song lacks that special little charm that comes with Jacky and Priscilla duets in Cantonese. But it is a beautiful composition and Priscilla and Jacky do manage to squeeze the emotion out of the lyrics, with the electric guitar solo going on in the background. This song does really grow on you though, and the more you listen to it, I think the more you may begin to like it ("I love you more and more each day!" LOL). And just my two cents here, but Jacky and Priscilla do make a pretty cute couple on camera.
This song's literal translation is actually something like "1,2,3,4" or "A, B, C, D", but the true meaning behind the song is "Stranger" or "Passer-by". Yes, that's right. Love can appear out of anywhere and cause strangers to become acquaintances and eventually get along.
"Love, Once is Not Enough" – Jacky & Faye Wong
The catchy OH-A-E-YEAH hooks and the Mandarin flipside to "Extraordinary Summer", because obviously one song was not enough. I still always LOLFAYE when it comes to her dancing, but she's actually okay in this. The thing about this video though, is not so much about the dancing that gets me. It's the water. Yep. The whole needing to cool down with a fresh water bomb balloon over my head thing . But it's definitely a fun, kind of summer track, which reminds me of a nice cold, refreshing can of Coca-Cola.
A-mei is known as one of the vocal powerhouses in Taiwan, and she's got a little R&B groove going down in her voice. This was a live performance and it's really a kind of chilled, laid-back kind of tune, not the usual love song or ballad that we're so used to getting; which was actually a boring Jackie Chan duet. The two really breathed life into this song and really made it fresh and actually somewhat pleasant to the ears.
The original 1990 MV for the song, with He Ru-Hui as his duet partner. The song and video brings back a nostalgic feel, which is fitting with the title of the song "Déjà vu". The gist of the song is love being like a dream, and it's got a very melancholy feel to it. At the end of the video is actually a guy asking Jacky something like "What is a good friend?" in Mandarin and Jacky saying "What you say?" in Cantonese a couple of times before telling the guy he can speak in Mandarin. Haha. He goes on to say "A friend is someone that will comfort you when you are hurt. When they are happy, they will share it with you. When you need something, they will help you." I don't think it had anything to do with this song - must be part of a collection.
"Difficult from Both Sides" – Jacky & Ronald Cheng
Now this is actually a remake of a song in English, though I'm not entirely sure which one, to be honest. But anyway this song is about two guys having feelings for the same girl (is that Liz Kong in the video? Elvina Kong's younger sister?). Don't get me wrong though. It's not the kind of song where they fight over the girl. It's more like they both have an internal conflict with themselves and letting your pal have the girl because you don't want to ruin your friendship. Hence the trouble coming from the left and right. In the end though, no one gets the girl, but they've still got each other.
Now this is actually a remake of a song in English, though I'm not entirely sure which one, to be honest. But anyway this song is about two guys having feelings for the same girl (is that Liz Kong in the video? Elvina Kong's younger sister?). Don't get me wrong though. It's not the kind of song where they fight over the girl. It's more like they both have an internal conflict with themselves and letting your pal have the girl because you don't want to ruin your friendship. Hence the trouble coming from the left and right. In the end though, no one gets the girl, but they've still got each other.
This version I've included has actually got a handful of other artists, other than Jacky and Faye. Yet their voices stand out the most in this track, not only because they were given more lines to sing as lead vocalists but Faye's renown crystal clear voice. I remember reading a comment for this video saying the other female vocalists were given like one line each as their solo part. I reiterate. That is not a coincidence. Nice track.
"Love You More Than You Do" – Jacky & Jackie Chan
Yeah, that's Sally Yeh at the start, singing with the action star who likes to sing, Jackie Chan, "Understand My Heart". And then Jackie invites the other Jacky (who he refers to as a younger brother) to sing his song, "Love You More Than You Do", with Jackie singing the Mandarin lyrics from his Taiwanese record and Jacky singing the Cantonese version. Okay, so it wasn't completely in Mandarin, but to make up a nice round number for this playlist.
"In Love with You" – Jacky & Regina Velasquez
Alright, alright. I know what everyone is thinking. This isn't in Mandarin! And you're right. It isn't. But I like that the playlist rounds off on an even number like 10. So here it is - an Easter egg surprise (though it's not really Easter), it's actually more like one of those strange chocolates that you get from those advent calendars for Christmas. Just like Forrest Gump said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get." You might not have been expecting this, but it is a really good song. For someone who isn't a native speaker, Jacky's English is alright (still accented yes, but nothing too bad). Regina's clear voice blends in well with Jacky's rich tones. The feeling is all there, along with the vocal technique that only talented, veteran singers can pull off.
