Feel (EP) explained

Feel
Type:EP
Artist:A-Mei
Cover:Feel (EP).jpg
Recorded:1999
Genre:Pop
Label:Forward Music
Prev Title:Holding Hands
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:Can I Hug You, Lover?
Next Year:1999

Feel is the first extended play by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on April 20, 1999, by Forward Music.[1] The EP contains four songs in total on the Taiwanese edition and six song on the Hong Kongese edition. The EP Feel was released to coincide with a Sprite advertisement. A-Mei was the spokesperson for Sprite Asia in 1999, who also created "Give Me Feelings" and "Sunrise" for A-Mei. Feel has sold 180,000 copies in Taiwan, making it the best-selling EP in Taiwanese music history.

Background and development

In 1999, the beverage company Sprite wanted to use A-Mei's personality to convey the brand personality of their soda drink,[2] so they invited A-Mei to be the spokesperson of their beverage in Asia. In order to match the advertisement, they released the EP album Feel, and created the advertisement song "Give Me Feelings,"[3] which was written by Wu Yukang and Chen Zhihan,[4] and in order to make the brand even more youthful, the lyrics used the words "Come on Come on, Give Me Feelings."[5]

Writing and production

"Give Me Feelings" is a passionate song,[6] which is 10 years apart from 1989's "Follow the Feelings (跟着感觉走)", but is even more dynamic than its predecessor.[7] During the performance of the song, A-Mei's spirited vocals were paired with lively dance moves.[8] The stylish and bouncy "Give Me Feelings" and other songs came out one after another, gradually established A-Mei's position in the singing world.[9]

The song "Sunrise" serves as the theme song of the vast WORLD MUSIC Sprite advertisement No. 2 in 1999. The song was written and composed by Tong Kong (童孔). "Sunrise" keeps a brighter energy to it, which ties it in with “Give Me Feelings,” but it has a more laid back arrangement.

Release and promotion

The songs "Give Me Feelings" and "Sunrise" both appeared in Sprite commercials. The first Sprite commercial features "Give Me Feelings"; in the first commercial A-Mei leads a throng of young people in a celebration of song and dance in the streets. She then runs into beauty parlors and restaurants, where she pulls off bystanders' masks off and invites them to join in the revelry.[10] The second commercial that features "Sunrise" shows A-Mei dancing with her dancers in a dance studio, driving four-wheel ATVs on the beach with her friends, playing basketball in an outside basketball court with a bunch of children and eating seafood and drinking Sprite at a house party; with the final shot of the commercial showing A-Mei asleep on a chair with a puppy in her arm.[11] The first commercial was filmed in Shanghai on the afternoon of January 19, 1999, which resulted in serious traffic jams around the shooting site.[12]

Live performances

In February 2000, A-Mei performed "Give Me Feelings" at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in Beijing.[13] On January 20, 2007, A-Mei performed the song at Sprite China Original Music Pop Chart Annual General Selection Award Ceremony in Chengdu.[14] On February 13, 2007, she performed the song at the Overseas Spring Festival Bilingual Gala in Las Vegas.[15]

Singles and music videos

The music video for "Give Me Feelings" was directed by Shao Yuanzhi (邵元智). The music videos for both the songs carry identical storylines from their respective commercials. In January 2000, "Give Me Feelings" was listed at number 66 on the 1999 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart.[16]

Accolades

"Give Me Feelings" was one of the winning songs of the 6th Chinese Top 20 Song Awards at the 5th China Music Awards, which was held by Channel V.[17]

Notes and References

  1. News: 《感覺》EP . April 4, 2024 . zh.
  2. Web site: http://biz.163.com/50104/9/199CL9JC000211NN.html . dead . zh:张扬20年留在记忆中的广告和广告事件 . . Chinese . January 5, 2005 . April 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050121083840/http://biz.163.com/50104/9/199CL9JC000211NN.html . January 21, 2005.
  3. Web site: 张惠妹《感觉》 . April 4, 2024 . music.163.com . zh.
  4. Web site: 《三天三夜》词曲人阿怪突然去世 张惠妹悼念:一路好走,真的不舍 . April 4, 2024 . zh.
  5. Web site: http://biz.163.com/50104/9/199CL9JC000211NN.html . dead . zh:张扬20年留在记忆中的广告和广告事件 . . Chinese . January 5, 2005 . April 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050121083840/http://biz.163.com/50104/9/199CL9JC000211NN.html . January 21, 2005.
  6. Web site: http://ent.enorth.com.cn/system/2001/11/27/000201164.shtml . dead . zh:脍炙人口:比流行歌曲还流行的广告歌 . enorth . Chinese . November 27, 2002 . April 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20021107110757/http://ent.enorth.com.cn/system/2001/11/27/000201164.shtml . November 7, 2002.
  7. Web site: 回忆下春晚历史上的经典歌曲,不知今年会有哪首歌令人难忘 . April 4, 2024 . zh.
  8. Web site: 张惠妹唱响《欢乐中国行——魅力泗阳》(组图) . April 4, 2024 . zh.
  9. Web site: http://ent.163.com/edit/020723/020723_127326.html . dead . zh:张惠妹上海演唱会8月3日隆重登场 . . Chinese . July 23, 2002 . April 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20021017020535/http://ent.163.com/edit/020723/020723_127326.html . October 17, 2002.
  10. Web site: 1999 商業廣告 雪碧(張惠妹) . April 4, 2024 . youtube.com . zh.
  11. Web site: 【经典广告】1999年张惠妹代言雪碧的广告 . April 4, 2024 . youtube.com . zh.
  12. Web site: 1999-01-25 . 张惠妹拍摄广告造成交通堵塞 . 2024-04-04 . news.sina.com.cn . zh.
  13. Web site: 2000年央视春节晚会节目一览表(附图). ent.sina.com.cn. 2024-04-04.
  14. Web site: 雪碧榜流行榜今晚成都放榜 天王天后高端争锋. ent.dzwww.com. 2024-04-04.
  15. Web site: 张惠妹将赴美献唱海外春晚 现场献唱三首歌曲. yule.sohu.com. 2024-04-04.
  16. Web site: Hitoradio‧Hit Fm --華人音樂入口指標 . 2024-04-04 . www.hitoradio.com.
  17. Web site: 2012-03-21 . 1999年第六届华语音乐榜中榜获奖名单 . 2024-04-10 . ent.sina.com.cn . zh.
  18. Web site: Taiwan Top 10 Singles . IFPI Taiwan . April 5, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/19991224030756/http://ifpi.org.tw/chart/1999/single19.htm . December 24, 1999 . zh . May 23, 1999.