Common Jasmine Orange

Common Jasmine Orange
Studio album by Jay Chou
Released	3 August 2004
Recorded	2003–2004
Studio	Alfa Studio (Taipei)
Genre	R&B soft rock pop
Length	42:30
Language	Mandarin
Label	Alfa Music
Producer	Jay Chou
Jay Chou chronology
Hidden Track (2003) Common Jasmine Orange (2004) 2004 Incomparable Concert (2005)
Singles from Common Jasmine Orange
"Common Jasmine Orange" Released: 21 July 2004 "Wounds of War" Released: 3 August 2004 "Step Aside" Released: 3 August 2004 "Excuse" Released: 3 August 2004

Common Jasmine Orange (Chinese: 七里香; pinyin: Qī Lǐ Xiāng) is the fifth studio album by Taiwanese recording artist Jay Chou. It was released 3 August 2004, by Alfa Music. The album's lyrics were written by a team of songwriters including Chou, the singer's frequent collaborator Vincent Fang, Alang Huang, Devon Song, and Will Liu, whilst composition was handled entirely by Chou himself.^[1] The album was recorded and mixed in Taipei, while the string accompaniment parts were recording in Beijing, China.

Musically, the material of Common Jasmine Orange spans R&B, soft rock, and pop genres with influences from traditional Chinese and Japanese music. Chou envisioned himself as a narrator in the record, offering his personal narratives through lyrics which incorporate themes such as romance and war. The artwork for the album's cover sleeve was shot in Vladivostok, Russia, and features Chou donning a military uniform in front of an abandoned structure with a young girl standing in front of him.

Critics appreciated the musical styles of Common Jasmine Orange and its usage of traditional elements. It saw commercial success across Asia, peaking atop the album charts in Singapore and Malaysia upon release. In Taiwan, it sold more than 320,000 copies and was the highest-selling album of 2004. Common Jasmine Orange saw major commercial success in China; according to Guinness World Records, it is the best-selling physical album in China in the 21st century. According to the IFPI, the album was the 43rd best-selling album of 2004 globally.

The album produced singles such as the title track "Common Jasmine Orange", which premiered on radio stations in several Asian countries on 21 July 2004. Other singles include "Wounds of War", "Step Aside", and "Excuse", while music videos were produced for all ten tracks on the record. Chou promoted the album by embarking on the Incomparable Tour after the release of the album, which began in Taipei on 2 October 2004, and concluded in Tokyo on 6 February 2006.^[2]